Bubblegum Macarons

These bubblegum macarons are such a fun recipe! They're made with pink French macaron shells and bubblegum frosting.

📝 Ingredients

• 110 g aged egg whites, room temperature
• 1/4 tsp cream of tartar - optional
• 110 g granulated sugar (1/2 cup + 2 tsp)
• pink gel food coloring - optional
• 140 g superfine almond flour - blanched (1 1/2 cups)
• 125 g powdered sugar (1 cup)
• 56 g unsalted butter, room temperature (1/4 cup)
• 1 g bubblegum extract (1/4 tsp)
• 2 g vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste (1/2 tsp)
• 1 g fine salt (1/8 tsp)
• 125 g powdered sugar (1 cup)
• 15 g heavy whipping cream, room temperature (1 Tbsp)
• Kitchen scale
• Stand Mixer or Electric Mixer
• Large, flat baking sheets
• Silpat Mats (or parchment paper)
• 1 Large Piping Bag (18-inch)
• Round Piping Tip - Ateco 805
• 2 Small Piping Bags (12-inch)
• Small Round Piping Tip

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1--- Pink Macaron Shells ---
2. 2Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats. Set aside.
3. 3Pour 110g of aged egg whites into the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk and mix on a medium speed until the surface of the egg whites is covered in small bubbles. Add in 1/4 tsp cream of tartar and continue to mix until it reaches the soft peak stage and leaves visible tracks.
4. 4Gradually mix 110g of granulated sugar into the egg whites over a few minutes while mixing on a medium low speed. Increase the mixing speed to a medium high speed. Keep mixing until stiff, glossy peaks form.
5. 5Sift 140g superfine almond flour and 125g powdered sugar into the meringue. Use a rubber spatula to break up any big clumps and press them through the sieve.
6. 6Add in a few drops of pink gel food coloring to give the shells a light pink color.
7. 7Fold the ingredients together with a rubber spatula. Use a circular motion that sweeps around the edge of the bowl and then pulls through the bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is getting mixed together. Don't forget to scrape off the inside of the spatula intermittently. Sometimes meringue can get stuck there and not get mixed in properly.
8. 8As soon as the dry ingredients seem mostly incorporated, divide the batter evenly between two bowls (about 240g per bowl).
9. 9Add another generous squirt of pink gel food coloring into the second bowl.
10. 10Fold the batter in both bowls until a thick ribbon of batter runs off the spatula when it's lifted. You should be able to draw a couple figure 8's with the batter running off your spatula in a continuous stream when it's the right consistency. If the stream of batter breaks before you're able to do this, you may need to stir it a bit more.
11. 11Pour each batter into a small piping bag. Snip a 1 cm opening at the base of each bag and place them both inside a large piping bag fit with a medium-sized round piping tip. This will give your shells a perfect, two-toned look. Pipe 1 3/4-inch rounds on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 1-inch apart.
12. 12Bang the pans firmly on the counter a few times to release air bubbles, then pop any remaining air bubbles that come to the surface with a toothpick.
13. 13Let the macarons rest for 30 minutes, or until they develop a skin. The macarons should look matte once the skin has formed. While the macarons rest, preheat the oven to 315 F / 158 C.
14. 14Bake one tray of macarons at a time on the middle rack of your oven for 17-21 minutes and rotate the pan halfway through to help the macarons bake evenly.
15. 15Remove the macaron shells from the oven and let them cool on the pan (about 15 minutes), then gently remove them from the silpat mat. If they're properly baked, they should peel off the mat cleanly and have a shiny bottom.
16. 16--- Bubblegum Buttercream Frosting ---
17. 17Beat 56g room-temperature butter on a medium-high speed for 1 minute with a hand mixer until smooth. It should become lighter in color as air is incorporated into it.
18. 18Mix in 1g of bubblegum extract, 2g vanilla extract, and 1g salt on a low speed.
19. 19Slowly mix in 125g of powdered sugar. Halfway through add 15g of heavy cream or milk to make the frosting easier to mix. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed with a rubber spatula.
20. 20Mix on low for a minute until the ingredients are fully incorporated and the desired consistency is reached.
21. 21I recommend taste-testing the frosting at this point. If you think it has enough bubblegum flavor, move on to the next step. If you think it needs a little more, add in an additional 1/4 tsp of bubblegum extract.
22. 22If the frosting is too thick, add in additional heavy cream or milk (1 tsp at a time). If the frosting is too thin, add in more powdered sugar (1 Tbsp at a time).
23. 23Once the frosting is the right consistency, place in a piping bag fit with a large round tip (like a Wilton 1A) and set aside.
24. 24--- Assembling These Bubblegum Macarons ---
25. 25Pair up the macaron shells, then pipe a dollop of bubblegum frosting onto one macaron shell.
26. 26Gently press a second shell on top of the filling to create a sandwich.
27. 27Place the finished macarons in an airtight container and chill in the fridge overnight, then enjoy!