This is going to be the 3rd recipe of macarons that I am sharing on my blog. I like all of them: the ones with a White Chocolate and Mint ganache and the ones with Quince Jelly… they are all delicious, but today’s macarons are my all time favourite macarons. I LOVE salted caramel anything and I must admit that there is nothing better than to have it in a macaron. When you take a bite of the light, crunchy yet chewy shell and encounter the salted and sweet caramel filling… it is an explosion of flavours in your mouth. I must warn you though, these are addictive. When you start eating them, it is very hard to stop. I think everyone should try and make macarons! They are not that hard to make: the key is to be precise in measuring the ingredients. This is why I suggest you use a scale to weigh your ingredients. Other than that, they are just so much fun to make… you can make any flavour-colour combination and that is what makes them great fun!
Ingredients (makes about 20 macarons)
For the shells – recipe adapted from Just Eat’s Le Macaron Royal recipe
63 gms – 2.2 oz. ground almonds or almond meal, sifted
50 gms – 1.76 oz. egg whites (aged) and brought back at room temperature
103 gms – 3.63 oz. pure icing sugar, sifted
30 gms – 1.05 oz. sugar
Pink and/or orange (or any colour you like) food coloring (powder or paste)
For the salted caramel & buttercream – recipe adapted from The Boy who Bakes:
180 gms – 6.35 oz. sugar
300 gms – 10.6 oz. whipping cream
27 gms – 0.95 oz. salted butter
125 gms – 4.4 oz. softened butter
NOTE: this recipe will give you more buttercream than you require for the macarons. You can make half dose or you can store the remaining buttercream in an air tight container and keep it in the fridge for up to 10 days or in the freezer for up to a few months. Just let it thaw/bring back at room temperature and re whip it on low before using it. You can also use the remaining salted caramel and buttercream to make these delicious Triple Salted Caramel Cupcakes.
For the shells:
The first thing to do is to “age” your egg whites. You can either leave them in the fridge for 4 days or keep them out on your kitchen’s bench top for a couple of days. I covered mine with a sieve, to prevent small particles to get into it. Remember to take bring them back at room temperature BEFORE whisking them. You can use your egg yolks in many other recipes… you could make a yummy Carbonara or some Genovesi Ericine for example.
On the day you want to bake your macarons, make sure you have everything ready, BEFORE you start making your shells. Prepare the piping bag with the right nozzle (a normal circular nozzle of about 1 cm in diameter) and line your oven trays with baking paper or with a silicone cookie mat.
Now you are all set to start making your macarons. Sift the almond meal and the pure icing sugar and mix them together in a large bowl.
The next step is to make the meringue. Put the egg whites in a bowl and start whisking them with an electric mixer. Add the sugar and the food colouring little by little and keep whisking until you get very stiff peaks. The meringue has to look translucent and pearl like.
Add the meringue to the almond meal and icing sugar mix and stir well using a spatula. When all the meringue has been incorporated, you need to do what is known as the “macaronnage”. Using a pastry scraper (or the same spatula that you were using to mix), scrape the batter back and forth against the bowl to remove air bubbles, until your batter ribbons off the scraper (or “flows like magma”).
Now you are ready to pipe it! Fill your piping bag and pipe out circles of batter on the lined baking tray/cookie sheet by squeezing the bag while keeping it in one spot. Let the macarons rest between 30 to 60 minutes or until they harden a bit.
If you have read my post on Macarons with White Chocolate and Mint Ganache and my post on Quince Jelly Macarons , you already know that baking the shells is actually what gives me the most problems. I am still experimenting with my oven as I find that when I bake light coloured shells at 150°C – 302°F (fan forced) instead of 160°C – 320°F they still tend to slightly change colour! Anyhow… in this case I did not mind as they paired well with my salted caramel buttercream! So, depending on your oven, you can bake them either at 160°C – 320°F for about 12 minutes, or at 150°C – 302°F for 15-17 minutes… it is all about experimenting and getting to know your oven. I also suggest that you buy a small oven thermometer if you have problems, to check the actual themperature of your oven (mine for example heats up to 20°C – 68°F more than what I set it to)!
When ready, take the shells out of the oven and let them cool down BEFORE attempting to detach them from the baking paper/silicone mat… if you try to detach them before, they may break and you will ruin those nice feet on the macaron! So be patient. If you still cannot detach them easily, you can also put them in the freezer for a couple of minutes… they will come off easily then.
Once cool, put them in an air tight container and keep them in the fridge till you are ready to assemble them.
For the salted caramel:
Put 1/3 of the sugar in a pan and let it melt on a medium fire. When melted, add another 1/3 of sugar and let this melt too. Do the same for the remaining 1/3. When all the sugar has melted, let it caramelise until it becomes a very dark amber colour.
Remove from the fire and add the 27 gms – 0.95 oz. of salted butter. Stir well. Add the cream and stir (do not worry if the caramel hardens at this point, it will still melt during the next stage). Put the pan back on the fore and cook until the caramel reaches 108°C – 226°F on a candy thermometer (I have done this even without a thermometer… keep in mind that it will boil at 100°C – 212°F, so keep boiling it for a few minutes… it will have to become like in the pictures).
Now put the fire off and cover the caramel with plastic wrap (the wrap has to touch the caramel) to prevent a skin fronm forming.
Let it cool down COMPLETELY before the next stage. I actually make the caramel the day before making the buttercream, just to be safe. If the caramel is too warm, it will melt the butter and the buttercream will not come out as expected.
For the salted caramel buttercream:
Beat the 125 gms – 4.4 oz. of butter for a few minutes and then incorporate the salted caramel to it. Mix well.
To assemble the macarons:
Put the buttercream in a piping bag, pipe it on half of the shells and put the remaining shells on the top, like a sandwich.
Store the assembled macarons in an air tight container in the fridge for 24 hours and remove them 2 hours before serving them.
On a completely different note, I want to THANK Asiya from Chocolate & Chillies for awarding MsM with the following awards:
Asiya has a beautiful site, full of yummy treats that I warmly recommend you check out! <3 THANKS for thinking of MsM, Asiya!!
And now it is my turn to pass the awards on to 5 bloggers! Aaawww it is so hard to choose only 5… so I have decided to pass it on to some of my “Italian” blogging friends!!! Here they go to:
Giulia from Alter Kitchen
Paola from An Italian Cooking in the Midwest
Frank from Memorie di Angelina
Fiona from Nuts About Food
Paolo from Quatro Fromaggio
Enjoy everyone!!!!
Macarons are one of my things that I have yet to conquer because I know it will probably be a series of trial and error.
Yours look perfect, I would gladly purchase a box of them. Salted caramel is a great flavor choice-yum!
Oh my goodness! These are spectacular, Manu! I clearly need a scale. Or a visit from you 🙂
BUZZED!
Manu, your macarons look wonderful. What can I say? YUM – I adore salted caramel, too. Great post!
I absolutely love salted caramel, I bet it would work great in macarons! Wonderful recipe :))
Oh my! These are gorgeous! I love salted caramel!
I am so jealous of your skill in making the macarons, Manu. I am still a little to scared to try again as the first attempt was a massive failure. These would be my absolute favourite, bar none.
This is only your 3rd post and your macarons look so perfect! What a gorgeous and delicious macarons!
Your macarons are gorgeous! This is something I could never do, but oh how I love them 🙂
MMM these look so good! I love macarons, and yours are perfectly done. I made three patches of my gingerbread macarons last year and I plan on making them again soon <3
Beautiful Macarons!
We once tried to make salted caramel macarons but they did not turn out at all. The caramel and salt seemed to have some how split. I’ll definitely be giving your recipe a shot.
Salted Caramel… yummm…..
These mac’s look soo good…
Delicious!!!
Congrats on your awards Manu.
Salted macaroons? Wow! I’d certainly love to try them 🙂 Congrats on the award, dear!
Your macarons look perfect!
Thanks for passing me the award!
Those look gorgeous. I have only had one attempt at macarons, must give your recipe a go!
These look amazing Manu! I love salted caramel too. I haven’t tried a salted caramel mac yet, but I bet they are to die for. Can’t wait to get some almonds and try this out!
These are really beautiful. I love food that is not only tasty but pretty too. You have such a knack for beautiful food.
I have a feeling that even though you’ve only posted 3 macaroon recipes, that you’ve made them plenty of times. They look perfect. I love salted caramel, so I bet these are delicious!
Well – I have to admit that I’m not a big fan of macarons, but your salted caramel and the buttercream have my mouth watering! I’m sure I can find something to use them with. 🙂
These look absolutely stunning. I’ve yet to try making macaroons, but your photos are incrediblly detailed – so I’m going to be brave and try. With I could try one of yours.
Wow, Manu, what an honor! Many, many thanks for the recognition. It means a lot coming from such a fine cook and blogger!
I’m sorry I am so late in thanking you for this award but as you know I was travelling. Thank you!!!! You outdid yourself once again. And, I totally agree, salted caramel macarons are the best!
Oh…your macarons are perfect…!!! The last time I made macarons I couldn’t be able to make equal shells, maybe I have to practice more.
Never tried to make macarons before (and I ate my first macaron the other night in Rome, actually), but I love salted caramel so much, that this could be my first attempt 😀
Thanks a lot for the awards, Manu!!
I am always inspired by people that can make such beautiful macarons! I still struggle, so get nervous to attempt them again…I will attempt again soon, I promise:-) The flavors here are gorgeous! Hugs, Terra
Looks delectable… macaroons scare the hell out of me, but i love salted caramel, so gonna gather up my courage and make this one 🙂
Manu, these macarons are simply gorgeous. And, salted caramel?! My favorite! Would you mind sending some my way? 🙂
Gorgeous post as always, Manu. Sorry, I’ve been so busy with work that I have been missing out a lot. I’ll restart blog-hopping soon. Thanks for passing the awards on to me 🙂 I’ll update my “Thank You” page soon.
Hello!
These sound and look awesome!
Tell me, is the caramel easy to eat like dulce leche, or is it chewy and stick to your teeth.
Thanks for sharing.
Thank you so much for this lovely recipe! I made my first ever macarons today (well, the last couple days…) and they turned out remarkably well! Mmmm salted caramel. <3
hi just wondering what i did wrong as my mixture was not as runny as this and didnt work?
Hi! It is a bit hard for me to pinpoint exactly what the problem was without seeing your macarons mixture. There could be a few reasons. Did you measure the ingredients with a scale? If not then you might have added a bit too much dry ingredients. Or was it very hot? Sometimes weather can be a problem. Or maybe you did not do enough of the “macaronnage”? Was the mixture very dry? Did you bake them anyway? Would love to help you more!!! Let me know!
I wanted to try this recipe but I have troubles with the caramel and have no idea why. I already threw the first attempt caramel to the trash and now it seams that the second one will finish the same. Once the caramel reaches 100C the fat gets separated from the rest of the mix and I have to filter it. However, once I remove that and leave the caramel to cool off its still liquid, not firm as it should be according to your photos. So, any idea what might be the problem? 🙂 Thanks
Hi! I am so sorry to hear that! It really never happened to me. It sounds like a temperature issue. Are your butter and cream very cold when you add them? Try and keep them at room temperature for a little while before adding them to the hot pan Also, make sure you use heavy cream, the one you would use to whip. It should not separate. Also, try and lower the flame a bit when you add the cream and butter to avoid a “shock”. My guess is, it remains liquid because you have to filter it. Try and read this article: http://candy.about.com/od/carameltoffee/f/separate_faq.htm It may help. Please, let me know!!!
Second time I’ve tried this recipe – the caramel is amazing but my meringue mixture is never as runny as it looks in the picture! I measured all the ingredients exactly but it’s always very dense. Tried doing the macronage for at least 20 mins but no luck! Any pointers?
Hi Mel! Sorry to hear that you had problems with your batter. I am not sure why it is so thick even after doing the macaronnage! Do you use almond meal or do you grind your almonds? Maybe the almond meal is too coarse? Also, how thick was your batter? It should be like “magma”. Macarons are really tricky… it took me many trials too before getting them right. 🙁 They are so delicate that even humid weather interferes with the batter.
Manu,
Can I know how long can I store the extra salted caramel in fridge ? Thank you
Hi Simonne, I stored it for up to 1 week on the fridge without any problems. I also froze it (both before making the buttercream and after and it still worked perfectly fine. Just defrost it at room temperature and re whip it like you would any other buttercream to soften it and make it fluffy again! I hope it helps! 🙂
Hi Manu,
I did this last night,the caramel buttercream is pipeable but I wish it is more firm. How do I achieve that without adding icing sugar 😛 , do u think I can add non dairy creamer ? Any suggestion ?
Thanks!
Hi Simonne
Did you let the caramel cool down completely before making the buttercream? You may try and put it in the fridge overnight before making the buttercream and see if that helps. Also, you can put the buttercream in the fridge before piping it… it should help as well (you can fill the piping bag and put that in the fridge for a little while, until it becomes the consistency you like). Hope it helps! 🙂
Thank Manu for your details input. Maybe i should add the butter the next day (just to be safe). I am keeping the extra in the freezer now will pipe them for my nest batch and see how it goes
thank again!
Simonne
Hi, I didn’t have much luck with the caramel buttercream either. Everything was perfect, the caramel was delicious, I let it cool down and it was soft like the milk caramel you buy in a store but it wouldn’t mix with the butter. I beat the butter really well but it just looked like pieces of caramel wraped in butter so I ended up having to heat it up together and I filtered the fat so I could serve the macarons with regular caramel.
omg I just realised I used 75ml of cream instead of 150 (I made half of your original amount). lol that must be it.
Lol! That happens to me all the time… when I halve a recipe I too often forget to do so for all the ingredients! 🙂
Manu,
sorry to bother you with question one more time ^_^. The caramel, after making the caramel (b4 the buttercream) the caramel is suppose to be “runny” right?
Thanks!
Hi Simonne! No problem at all! 🙂 The caramel has to be a bit thick once it cools down… sort of like Nutella. If it is still runny after it cooled down, it may need a little extra time on the fire. It needs to boil and then simmer for a few minutes, until it thickens. 🙂
Ahh..got it thanks again Manu 😀
Hi- In the ingredients for the buttercream, it calls for salted butter and softened butter. is the softened butter also salted?
And, is this enough salt for salted caramel?
thanks!
Amery
Hi! The softened butter I used was not salted butter. If you like, you could add an extra pinch of salt to the caramel… it all depends on how salty your salted butter is. 🙂 I hope it helps!
any chance you sell them?