Pistachio Macarons

Ingredients

• 180 gheavy whipping cream, at room temperature
• 60 gshelled and peeled unsalted pistachios
• 240 gfinely chopped white chocolate or white chocolate chips
• to taste (optional)neon green gel food colouring
• to taste (optional)fine salt
• 110 gaged egg whites
• 1/4 tsp (optional)cream of tartar
• 110 ggranulated sugar
• to taste (optional)green gel food colouring
• 125 gicing sugar
• 105 gsuperfine blanched almond flour
• 35 gpistachio flour or very finely ground pistachios

Instructions

1. 1

   Heat the cream

   For the ganache, put 180 g cream and 60 g pistachios in a small saucepan. Warm over a medium heat until the cream just begins to simmer or bubble.

2. 2

   Blend the ganache

   For the preferred immersion-blender method, pour the hot cream and pistachios into a medium bowl and add 240 g white chocolate, ensuring it is submerged. Leave for a couple of minutes, then blend until combined and the pistachios are in small pieces. Alternatively, blend the cream and pistachios in a food processor or blender until smooth, transfer to a bowl, add the chocolate and leave it submerged for a couple of minutes, then stir until smooth.

3. 3

   Season the ganache

   If you like, add a small drop of neon green colouring and a sprinkle of fine salt. The ganache is naturally greenish-yellow; the colouring makes it brighter.

4. 4

   Chill the ganache

   Press cling film directly onto the ganache and refrigerate for about 2 hours, until set. To speed up cooling, stir it every 15 minutes. The filling can also be made up to a week ahead.

5. 5

   Prepare the trays

   Line two large baking trays with silicone mats or baking parchment and set them aside.

6. 6

   Grind the pistachios

   Finely grind 35 g pistachios in a food processor, stopping before they release oil and look wet. Sift through a fine-mesh sieve and set aside.

7. 7

   Whip the egg whites

   Put 110 g aged egg whites in a stand-mixer bowl fitted with a whisk. Whisk at medium speed until small bubbles cover the surface. Add a pinch of cream of tartar, if using, and continue until soft peaks form.

8. 8

   Make the meringue

   Gradually add 110 g granulated sugar over a few minutes while mixing at medium-low speed. Raise the speed to medium-high and whisk until the meringue is stiff and glossy.

9. 9

   Sift the dry ingredients

   Sift 105 g almond flour, 125 g icing sugar and the ground pistachios into the meringue. If large pistachio pieces are caught in the sieve and you are short of ground pistachios, make up the difference with extra almond flour.

10. 10

    Fold the batter

    Add a small squirt of green gel colouring if desired, then fold with a rubber spatula, sweeping around the bowl and through its bottom. Continue until the batter falls from the spatula in a thick ribbon and you can draw a couple of figure eights. If the stream breaks before then, fold a little longer.

11. 11

    Pipe the shells

    Transfer the batter to a large piping bag fitted with a medium round tip. Pipe rounds about 3.8 cm across, leaving roughly 2.5 cm between them on the prepared trays.

12. 12

    Release air bubbles

    Tap each tray firmly on the worktop a few times. Use a toothpick to pop any air bubbles that rise to the surface.

13. 13

    Rest and preheat

    Leave the macarons to rest for 30 minutes, or until they have developed a matte skin. While they rest, preheat the oven to 157°C.

14. 14

    Bake the shells

    Bake one tray at a time on the oven's middle shelf for 18–21 minutes, turning the tray halfway through for even baking.

15. 15

    Cool and pair

    Let the shells cool completely on the tray, then gently lift them from the silicone mat and match them into pairs. If making them ahead, keep the unfilled shells in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.

16. 16

    Fill the macarons

    Pipe a dollop of ganache onto one shell and top it with its paired shell, pressing gently. If the ganache is too firm to pipe straight from the fridge, leave it at room temperature for about 30 minutes first.

17. 17

    Chill before serving

    If desired, drizzle the assembled macarons with melted white chocolate and add chopped pistachios. Store them in an airtight container in the fridge overnight, then bring them to room temperature for about 15 minutes before serving.

What are pistachio macarons?

Macarons are French meringue-based sandwich biscuits, traditionally made with ground almonds and filled with ganache, buttercream or jam. This version brings pistachio into both the shells and the filling.

Pistachio ganache adds a creamy, rich centre, while the nut flour gives the shells a distinctive flavour. Making the filling ahead gives it time to set while leaving the shell-making for the day you assemble them.

Nutrition and macros by portion

The nutrition label shows one serving as written: 177 calories, 4g protein, 18g carbs, 10g fat.

The almond flour, pistachios and sugar provide most of the carbohydrates, while cream and white chocolate contribute much of the fat. Egg whites and nuts supply some of the protein. Balance a serving with fresh fruit and a protein-rich accompaniment such as plain yoghurt.

The pistachio ganache

Hot cream: warming the cream with the pistachios helps the nuts blend into the filling. Pour it over the white chocolate and let the chocolate sit submerged briefly before blending or stirring.

Colour and salt: colouring is optional because pistachios naturally give the ganache a greenish-yellow tint. A little fine salt is also optional and can sharpen the sweetness.

Getting the shell ingredients ready

Ground pistachios: process them only until fine and dry-looking. If they start to look oily, stop; sift the powder and use extra almond flour to replace any larger pieces left behind.

Aged whites: the recipe specifies aged egg whites, which are whipped into the meringue. Measure the 110 g carefully, and use a clean bowl and whisk so the whites can build to stiff, glossy peaks.

Folding to the right texture

The folding stage determines how the batter pipes and spreads. Sweep the spatula around the bowl and through the bottom, combining the dry mixture without simply stirring in one direction.

Look for a thick, continuous ribbon that falls from the spatula; the batter should let you draw a couple of figure eights. If it breaks too soon, fold a little more and check again.

Resting and baking

Rest the piped rounds for 30 minutes, or until their surfaces look matte and have formed a skin. This gives the shells a chance to dry before baking.

Bake one tray at a time on the middle shelf at 157°C for 18–21 minutes, rotating it halfway through. Let the shells cool fully on the tray before lifting them from the mat.

Filling and serving

Pair shells of a similar size, then pipe ganache onto one half of each pair and press the second shell on gently. If chilled ganache feels too firm to pipe, leave it out for about 30 minutes.

The assembled macarons chill overnight before serving. Take them out of the fridge about 15 minutes ahead so they can come to room temperature.

Planning the timing

The ganache needs about 2 hours to set, so make it before starting the shells or prepare it up to a week in advance. The shells can also be baked ahead and kept at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Allow for the 30-minute rest before baking and the overnight chill after assembly. The recipe lists 69 minutes of total time, but the resting and chilling stages mean the process is best planned ahead.

What to serve alongside

These macarons are rich and sweet, so serve them in small portions alongside tea or coffee. Fresh berries can provide a tart contrast without competing with the pistachio flavour.

For a dessert plate, pair one or two macarons with fruit or a small scoop of plain yoghurt. Keep accompaniments simple so the nutty shells and ganache remain the focus.

Recipe notes & tips

• Make the ganache ahead so it has time to set before you need to pipe it.
• Stop processing the pistachios if they begin to look oily.
• Sift the nut and sugar mixture to help keep the shell batter fine and even.
• Use the figure-eight test to judge the batter rather than relying only on mixing time.
• Tap the trays firmly and check for bubbles before the shells rest.
• Wait until the shells are fully cool before lifting them from the baking mat.

Variations

• Brighter shells: add a small squirt of green gel colouring to the shell batter.
• More vivid filling: tint the ganache with a small drop of neon green gel colouring.
• Salted ganache: add a sprinkle of fine salt to the filling.
• White chocolate finish: drizzle the assembled macarons with melted white chocolate.
• Pistachio topping: scatter chopped pistachios over the optional chocolate drizzle.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Over-ground pistachios: stop processing as soon as they start to look wet or release oil.
• Lumpy dry mix: sift the almond flour, icing sugar and ground pistachios into the meringue.
• Under-folded batter: continue until it falls in a ribbon and can form a couple of figure eights.
• Unpopped bubbles: tap the trays and use a toothpick on bubbles that remain at the surface.
• Skipping the skin: let the rounds rest until their tops look matte before baking.
• Forcing cold ganache: leave it at room temperature for about 30 minutes if it is too firm to pipe.

How to store

Keep assembled macarons in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. Bring them to room temperature for about 15 minutes before serving. Unfilled shells can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.

Frequently asked questions