Halloween is one of the best holidays of the year. The spooky season starts early in my house, and these bloody and spooky macarons are the most delicious way to get celebrating.
Youโll love this step-by-step guide to making foolproof macarons almost as much as youโll enjoy eating these delicate French sweets!
HOW TO MAKE RED BLOOD SPOOKY HALLOWEEN MACARONS? WATCH WITH US!
Make sure to watch the video on this page, and also onย Youtube, which shows you exactly how to make each step of this macaron recipe! These Red Velvet Macarons were certainly one of my favorites that Iโve made this year! Hope you enjoy them!ย Theyโre crisp, chewy, and filled with a tangy cream cheese frosting!
French chocolate macarons, a sweet little masterpiece from France, are delicate cookies with a crunchy exterior and airy interior. They have a chewy texture and can be filled with anything from frosting and ganache.
How to make French Macarons?
Now, I donโt know about you, but I LOVE eating macarons. However; I havenโt always loved making them. Macarons are notoriously finicky. Beat your egg whites too little or too much and youโre left with flat macarons. Fold in your powdered sugar and almond flour a few too many times and the tops crack. Even a rainy day (something completely out of your control) can ruin them. All these factors give these delicious, delicate pastries a bad rap.
MORE MACARON RESOURCES:
Iโve shared so many macaron recipes on my blog and Iโve highlighted different aspects of making macarons in every post.
So if youโd like to dive deeper into certain areas, check out the following posts:
RED VELVET MACARONS: Italian Meringue
Detailed French Macarons without Almonds: Nut-Free Macarons
Can I Make My Own Blanched Almond Flour to Make Macarons?
You can buy always some good quality blanched almond flour, however, if you prefer to make your own almond flour, Iโll teach you how to do that and it is not that complicated.
First, you need to blanch the almonds. Put raw almonds into boiling water and leave them to boil for one minute. Strain them and cool them under cold water. At this time you will notice that the skin is a bit wrinkled.
Blanched Almond 
Blanched Almond 
Blanched Almond 
Blanched Almond
Pinch the almonds, one by one, and the skin will peel off. Discard the skins, and put blanched almonds on a baking tray and leave them in the oven at 100ยฐC (212ยฐF) to dry out. Be careful โ they shouldnโt change color! Once completely dry, put them in the freezer to cool down.
Weigh the almonds (the amount of almond flour in your recipe) and put them into a coffee grinder and ground to a fine consistency. Be careful not to grind too long because if the almonds heat up too much, they will start releasing the oil and you will get a very oily and clumpy mess.
Which Egg Whites to Use For Macarons?
Fresh egg whites are not the best option when making macarons. Why not?
Well, the egg whites contain a lot of water and some protein. When the egg whites are freshly separated from the egg yolks, their protein bonds are strong. You can see that โ the egg white is firm and it holds itself, it is difficult to break it down. If the egg whites sit in a bowl for a couple of days you will notice that they became pretty liquid and not so firm as they were before. Those, liquefied egg whites are the best for making macarons!
Just separate the egg whites a day before making the macarons in a bowl and cover it with cling wrap. You can store it in the refrigerator and before using, bring these to room temperature.
How to make basic macaron shells:?
Step 1. Sift dry ingredients
Sift almond flour and powdered sugar three times. Yes, three. Not only are we combining the two ingredients, weโre also aerating the dry ingredients to get that beautiful full interior.
- NOTE: Unless your almond flour is chunky, I donโt recommend processing the dry ingredients in the food processor, because you may over-process the almond flour, which would lead to blotchy shells from oily almond flour.
If you have up to 2 tablespoons of chunky dry ingredients left in the sifter, you donโt have to replace it. Simply discard those chunky bits.
Step 2. Make the meringue
Whisk the egg whites in a large mixing bowl until foamy. Then add cream of tartar and salt, and continue beating. Once the mixture is white, start adding sugar, one tablespoon at a time, making sure the sugar is mostly dissolved before adding more.
- TIP 1: Room temperature egg whites whip better and get more volume, but cold eggs separate better. So separate the egg whites right out of the fridge, and allow the egg whites to come to room temperature on the counter for about 30 minutes.
- TIP 2: Make sure the mixing bowl and whisk are completely grease-free and egg whites have no yolks in it. Any trace of fat may ruin your meringue and it wonโt allow your meringue to reach hard peaks. Glass, stainless steel or copper bowls are the best!
- TIP 3: Use super-fine granulated sugar, or caster sugar for meringue, as it dissolves easily.
- TIP 4: Donโt rush it! Beat the meringue on low and consistent speed for the most stable meringue. I continuously whisk the egg whites on speed 2 or 4 on my KitchenAid mixer the entire time. It does take a little longer this way (12-14 minutes!), but I think itโs totally worth it!
Step 3: Macaronage
Add dry ingredients into the meringue and gently fold until incorporated, using a rubber spatula. Then fold the batter until lava-like consistency, which means the batter is thick, yet runny enough to slowly flow off the spatula in a continuous flow to draw a figure eight.
One way to test the consistency of the batter is to drop the batter into a ribbon and count to 10. If the edges of the ribbon are dissolved back into the batter in 10 seconds, the batter is ready!
Step 4. Pipe the shells
Transfer the batter into a piping bag, fitted with a round tip (I use Wilton 2A tip). And pipe 1.5-inch rounds on two baking sheets, lined with parchment paper.
If you need a template, I made one for you. (This template is perfect for my recipe and super easy to use!)
Now tap the baking sheet on the counter 3 times to pop any air bubbles trapped in the shells. If needed, use a toothpick to pop stubborn bubbles.
Step 5: Rest and bake.
Rest the shells before baking until skin forms. This could take anywhere from 15 minutes to a few hours. It all depends on humidity. If youโre in a humid climate, you may use a fan to expedite the drying process.
To test, lightly touch the top of the shell with a finger. It should be dry to the touch, and the batter shouldnโt stick to your finger.
Bake the shells in a preheated oven at 300ยฐF for 15-18 minutes. I donโt use convection settings for baking macarons. My oven is set to heat from the top and bottom.
To prevent browning on top, place an empty baking sheet on a top rack to shield the heat from the top.
Macaron Troubleshooting!
While Iโd love to think everyoneโs first batch of Italian macarons will turn out perfectly, my own experience has taught me thatโs not how things usually go. Macarons are incredibly temperamental and it might take a few tries to get them just right. Below are some of the issues Iโve run into when baking macarons, along with ways to prevent them from happening again.
Why Do My Macarons Have Cracked Shells?
A few different things can cause cracked shells, including too short of a rest, trapped air bubbles, too hot of an oven, or undermixed batter.
Potential Fixes: Bang your pans firmly before resting your macarons, rest your macarons until they form a skin, check your oven for hot spots, or mix your batter slightly more.
Why Are My Macarons Hollow?
Hollow macarons have big air pockets between the top of the shell and the base. This can happen when the meringue or batter is overmixed or if air bubbles get trapped before being baking.
Potential Fixes: Make sure youโre not over mixing your meringue/batter or bang your pans firmly against your counter before letting them rest.
Why Donโt My Macarons Have Feet?
If your macarons donโt develop feet it could be because your batter is too wet, your batter was overmixed or you didnโt let your macarons rest for long enough.
Potential Fixes: Try using aged egg whites, make sure youโre not using any liquid flavoring or food coloring, or let your shells rest until they form touchable skin (20-40 minutes).
Why Are My Macarons Crispy/Hard?
Sometimes if your batter is overmixed it causes your shells to spread more and bake up crispy. They may also just be overbaked! Keep in mind that macaron shells softened once theyโre filled and have time to mature in the fridge, so donโt be disheartened if they seem a bit firm once theyโve cooled.
Potential Fixes: Mix your batter less, bake your macarons for less time, or fill them and see if the maturation process softens them.
Before you remove the shells, add the blood splatter. Mix together the food coloring and the vodka or you can take lemon juice. Dip in a new small paintbrush and tap the brush against your finger to splatter the coloring over the shells. Move the brush around quickly as you splatter so there are not any very large drops that will soak through the shell.
Allow the splatter to dry – you can speed up the process by leaving them by a fan.
Step 6. Fill the macarons.
Fill the macarons with any kind of filling. The most common fillings are ganache, buttercream, jams, and curds.
For the filling, I used leftover eggs yolk to make pudding with sugar and milk. Once it is ready and comes to room temperature whip the butter until becomes soft and light in color and then whip the butter with eggs pudding.
Pipe the macarons with vanilla buttercream filling with a round tip nozzle and in the center, I filled raspberry compote to gives them a more bloody effect.
Once youโve filled the macarons, place them in an airtight container and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or preferably for 24 hours. This process is called maturing, which allows the filling to soften and flavor the shells.
HOW TO STORE MACARONS:
Unfilled macaron shells:
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
- Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Filled macarons:
- Refrigerate in an airtight container for at least 24 hours and up to 3 days.
- Depending on the filling, you may be able to freeze them too.
Freezing Instructions:
Once matured, the filled macarons can be frozen for up to 1 month, depending on the filling.
- Freeze the filled macarons in an airtight container for up to 1 month.
- To thaw, place the frozen macarons in the fridge and let them thaw slowly for at least 1 hour.
- Then, bring them out 30 minutes prior to serving.
MORE MACARON RESOURCES:
Iโve shared so many macaron recipes on my blog and Iโve highlighted different aspects of making macarons in every post.
So if youโd like to dive deeper into certain areas, check out the following posts:
RED VELVET MACARONS: Italian Meringue
Detailed French Macarons without Almonds: Nut-Free Macarons
If you make these macarons leave a comment, rate it, and tag a photo #bake_with_ayesha on Instagram! Would love to see your snap!
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Ingredients
Macarons Shell Ingredients:
- 138ย gramsย finely ground almond flour (blanched)
- 125ย gramsย powdered sugar
- 105ย gramsย egg whites (from about 3-4 eggs)
- 105ย gramsย granulated sugar
- pinch of cream of tartar
Filling Ingredients:
- 3 eggs yolk
- 75 grams sugar
- 5-6 tablespoons milk
- 172 grams unsalted butter
- 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
- Red Food Gelย
- Vodka or lemon juice
- Raspberry compote or jam
Instructions
Macarons Shell:
-
Prepare baking sheets with silicone baking mats or line with parchment paper.
-
Put the almond flour and powdered sugar into a food processor and pulse until combined. Sift the mixture 2 times.
-
Whisk the egg whites in a stand mixer on medium-low speed until foamy. Add cream of tartar and whisk again on medium speed until soft peaks form. Reduce speed to medium-low and add the sugar. After about 15 seconds, increase the speed to high and whisk until really stiff peaks form.
-
Once stiff peaks have formed, sift โ of the dry mixture over the egg whites and fold. Repeat until the mixture is combined and ribbons down from the spatula.
-
Put the batter in a pastry bag with a ยฝ inch plain round tip.
-
Pipe mixture onto prepared baking sheets in 2-inch circles, 1 inch apart. Tap the sheets on a surface twice. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Let the macarons sit at room temperature until dry to touch.
-
Bake 1 sheet at a time for 18 minutes, rotating halfway through.
-
Let macarons cool on the sheets.
-
Before you remove the shells, add the blood splatter. Mix together the food coloring and the vodka. Dip in a new small paintbrush and tap the brush against your finger to splatter the coloring over the shells. Move the brush around quickly as you splatter so there are not any very large drops that will soak through the shell.
-
Allow the splatter to dry - you can speed up the process by leaving them by a fan
Filling:
- Take eggs yolk, sugar, and milk in a saucepan and cook the mixture on low-medium flame for 5 minutes until thickened.
- Pour the egg pudding into a bowl and cover it with a cling wrap to let it comes to room temperature.ย
- Whip the unsalted butter for 2 minutes until it becomes light then add the egg pudding and vanilla in the butter. Whip it again until becomes smooth.
-
To assemble macarons, pair the macaron shells by size and arrange them on a wire rack.ย Line them up so that bottom shells are upside down.
-
Pipe half of the shells with a round of frosting, and add a teaspoon of raspberry compote to the middle of the round.ย
-
Place the top shell over the filling and press lightly so the filling spreads to the edges.
-
Store the filled macarons in an airtight container in the fridge for at least 24 hours to mature, which allows the filling to soften and flavor the shells.
-
To serve, bring the macarons out about 30 minutes prior to serving.
