These raspberry macarons are unbelievably flavorful! Not only the flavor comes from the filling, but the shells are also infused with raspberries!!
Table of Contents
Why you’ll love this recipe:
I originally shared this recipe back in 2017, and I’ve tested it many times before publishing the recipe.
Although a lot of my readers raved how flavorful the macaron shells were, many were having trouble with thick batter issue.
So, I finally re-worked the recipe with the feedback I’ve gotten from my readers, and I hope this v2.0 is more foolproof.
You’ll love these raspberry macarons for many reasons:
- Incredibly flavorful shells thanks to freeze-dried raspberries – I totally eat the shells on their own a lot of the times!
- White chocolate buttercream filling complements the shells perfectly!
- Specks of crushes raspberries in the shells add slightly rustic and natural look. Super lovely!
Key Ingredients:
- Freeze-dried raspberries – Use high quality freeze-dried raspberries and open a new package when you’re ready to make macarons, because freeze dried fruits absorb humidity from the air and loose its crispness quickly. I don’t recommend already crushed raspberry powder.
- Almond flour – It’s best to use super fine almond flour to ensure smooth tops. Weigh the ingredients before sifting.
- Powdered sugar – I don’t recommend making your own powder sugar, because commercial powdered sugar has cornstarch in it. And it helps with texture of the cookies.
- Egg whites – I’ve had success with carton egg whites (Bob Evans brand, #notsponsored). You’ll need 1/3 cup of egg whites.
- Cream of tartar is optional and can be omitted. However, it helps to stabilize egg whites and create sturdier meringue. It’s just an extra insurance!
- Sugar – It’s important to use fine granulated sugar for meringue, as it dissolves quicker. You can also use caster sugar, aka baker’s sugar.
Freeze-dried vs dehydrated raspberries:
Yes, there is a difference between freeze-fried and dehydrated raspberries!
- Freeze-dried raspberries are raspberries that were quickly frozen and then slowly heated in a vacuum chamber, drying the fruits by evaporating ice before it turns into water. The end result is beautiful dried berries in its original shape and color, that’s feather-light.
- Dehydrated raspberries are berries that were dried by evaporating moisture through heating process, which yields withered and harder berries.
How to make raspberry macaron shells:
1. Prepare the dry ingredients
- Place the freeze-dried raspberries between two sheets of parchment paper and crush them with a rolling pin until fine powder.
- Sift together almond flour, powdered sugar and crushed raspberries twice. Note: If you have up to 2 tablespoons of chunky dry ingredients left in the sifter, you don’t have to replace it. Simply discard those chunky bits.
Tip
To prevent soft, wrinkly shells and/or thick batter: It’s important to crush the raspberries right before making the recipe, so that they don’t absorb too much humidity.
2. Make the meringue
- Whisk the egg whites until foamy and add cream of tartar and salt. Then slowly add sugar one tablespoon at a time, while mixer is still running.
- When the meringue reaches soft peaks stage, add couple drops of pink gel food coloring.
- Continue beating the egg whites on the same medium low speed until hard peaks form, about 20 minutes.
Tip
Be sure your whisk and bowl are squeaky clean and free of any oil residue. (Stainless steel and glass bowls are ideal!)
3. Macaronage
4. Pipe and bake the shells
- Hold the pastry bag at straight 90° angle and pipe about 1.5-inch rounds about an inch apart on prepared baking sheets.
- Tap the baking sheets firmly on the counter (or using your hand) a few times to get rid of any air bubbles. You can also use a toothpick to burst some large air bubbles. This step ensures smooth tops.
- Let the macarons sit out on the counter for at least 15-30 minutes, maybe up to couple hours, depending on humidity. When you lightly touch the macarons and the batter does not stick to your finger, then it’s ready to go into the oven.
- Bake the macarons for about 15-18 minutes, one tray at a time.
To test for doneness, touch a macaron lightly and try to move it. If it slides and wobbles, bake a minute or so longer. The cooked macarons should be firm to touch and the base shouldn’t move.
Macaron Filling Ideas:
You can fill these raspberry macarons with any kind of filling you desire!
In the recipe card, I’ve provided white chocolate raspberry buttercream filling, which is simple yet tasty filling!
You can also fill your macarons with:
- White chocolate ganache with raspberry jam
- Easy French buttercream mixed with raspberry jam, or crushed freeze-dried raspberries
- Raspberry ganache with raspberry confi in the center. The recipe you can find in my Macaron Fillings eBook.
Macaron Tips for Success:
- Stable meringue is key for macaron success. Watch my Meringue 101 video for all the tips to make a stable meringue.
- Don’t over-mix your macaron batter. In this real-time macaronage video, I show you how to test the batter when to stop folding it.
- Pipe the macaron shells properly for nice and full shells. Here’s the proper piping technique.
- Get an oven thermometer, because every oven is different. Watch this video for more tips on baking macarons.
Video Tutorial:
Raspberry Macarons v2.0 (New & Improved)
These raspberry macarons are unbelievably flavorful! Not only the flavor comes from the filling, but the shells are also infused with raspberries!!
Ingredients
For raspberry macaron shells:
- 10 g freeze-dried raspberries Note 1
- 90 g super fine almond flour Note 2
- 75 g powdered sugar Note 3
- 70 g egg whites Note 4
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar optional Note 5
- ¼ teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- 75 g fine granulated sugar Note 6
- Pink gel food coloring
For white chocolate raspberry buttercream:
- 80 g unsalted butter
- 50 g powdered sugar
- 60 g white chocolate chips
- 5 g freeze dried raspberries
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- Pinch of salt
For dipping:
- ½ cup white chocolate chips
Instructions
- To make macaron shells, line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, or teflon sheet, or silicone mat. (TIP 1: For even air circulation, flip the baking sheets upside down.)
- To prepare the dry ingredients, place the freeze-dried raspberries between two sheets of parchment paper and crush them with a rolling pin until fine powder.
- Sift together almond flour, powdered sugar and crushed raspberries twice. Note: If you have up to 2 tablespoons of chunky dry ingredients left in the sifter, you don't have to replace it. Simply discard those chunky bits.
- To make the meringue, in a clean mixing bowl with a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on medium low speed until foamy. (I set it to speed 2 or 4 on my KitchenAid stand mixer.)
- When egg whites are foamy, add cream of tartar and salt and continue to whisk.
- Then slowly add sugar one tablespoon at a time, while mixer is still running. Allow the sugar to dissolve after each addition.
- When the meringue reaches soft peaks stage, add couple drops of pink gel food coloring.
- Continue beating the egg whites on the same medium low speed until hard peaks form, about 20 minutes. Visual cues: Meringue should ball up inside the whisk, and when you lift the whisk, the meringue should hold a pointy end and have sharp ribs. (See pictures above or watch this meringue video for more information.)
- To make batter, sift almond flour mixture into the meringue. Using a silicone spatula, fold the dry ingredients into the meringue until fully incorporated. Then continue to fold the batter until it’s runny enough to draw a figure eight. To test, take a small amount of batter and drop it into the bowl. If the small peaks dissolve into the batter on its own in about 10 seconds, the batter is ready. If not, fold couple more times and test again. Be careful not to over-fold the batter. (TIP: Making french macarons is all about the technique. This is one of the most crucial step. Let me try to describe the folding motion as best as I can: run the spatula clockwise from the bottom, up around the sides and cut the batter in half. If you’re beginner macaron-baker, I suggest to count every fold. It takes roughly about 50 folds to reach the proper consistency. After 50 folds, start testing the batter, and continue testing after every couple folds.)
- To pipe macaron shells, transfer the batter into a pastry bag, fitted with a round tip. (I used this Wilton 2A tip.)
- Hold the pastry bag at straight 90° angle and pipe about 1.5-inch rounds about an inch apart on prepared baking sheets. (TIP 2: Download my free macaron template. Simply pipe the batter to fill inner circle.)
- Tap the baking sheets firmly on the counter (or using your hand) a few times to get rid of any air bubbles. You can also use a toothpick to burst some large air bubbles. This step ensures smooth tops.
- Let the macarons sit out on the counter for at least 15-30 minutes, maybe up to couple hours, depending on humidity. When you lightly touch the macarons and the batter does not stick to your finger, then it’s ready to go into the oven.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Note: I don't use convection settings. I set my oven to heat from top and bottom.
- To bake, working one baking sheet at a time, place one tray with macarons on the middle rack. (TIP: To prevent browning, place an empty baking sheet on top rack to shield the heat.) Bake for about 15-18 minutes. It’ll take longer for larger macarons.
- To test for doneness, touch a macaron lightly and try to move it. If it slides and wobbles, bake a minute or so longer. The cooked macarons should be firm to touch and the base shouldn’t move. (TIP: It’s always better to slightly over-bake macarons than under-bake them!)
- Cool macarons complete and then remove the shells from the parchment paper. (TIP: Don't remove the shells while warm, you may risk breaking the shells, or the bottom might get stuck to the baking surface.)
- To make the filling, in a mixing bowl with whisk attachment, beat the butter and powdered sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Melt the white chocolate chips in microwave according to package directions. (I microwaved mine for 1.5 minutes at 50% power. Stirred and microwaved for another 30 seconds at 50% power. Stirred again and microwaved for 15 seconds at 50% power.)
- Crush the freeze-dried raspberries as you did for the shells.
- Add the melted white chocolate, raspberry powder, lemon juice and pinch of salt to the whipped butter mixture. Beat until the filling is smooth and well combined.
- Transfer the buttercream into a pastry bag.
- To assemble macarons, pair the macaron shells by size and arrange them on a wire rack. Line them up so that bottom shells are upside down.
- Pipe a dollop of filling on bottom shells. Place the top shell over the filling and press lightly so the filling spreads till the edges.
- To make white chocolate coating, melt white chocolate chips in microwave per package directions, or as described above. (TIP: I like to melt the chocolate in plastic measuring cup so the melted chocolate doesn't spread too much in a bowl. It's easier to dip macarons into a cup.)
- Dip macarons half way and place on a wire rack. If desired, sprinkle more raspberry powder.
- Store the filled and dipped 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.
Tips & Notes
Note 1: Use high quality freeze-dried raspberries and open a new package when you’re ready to make macarons, because freeze dried fruits absorb humidity from the air and loose its crispness quickly. I don’t recommend already crushed raspberry powder.
Note 2: It’s best to use super fine almond flour to ensure smooth tops. Weigh the ingredients before sifting.
Note 3: I don’t recommend making your own powder sugar, because commercial powdered sugar has cornstarch in it. And it helps with texture of the cookies.
Note 4: I’ve had success with carton egg whites (Bob Evans brand, #notsponsored). You’ll need 1/3 cup of egg whites.
Note 5: Cream of tartar is optional and can be omitted. However, it helps to stabilize egg whites and create sturdier meringue. It’s just an extra insurance!
Note 6: It’s important to use fine granulated sugar for meringue, as it dissolves quicker. You can also use caster sugar, aka baker’s sugar.
Note 7: You can easily double this macaron recipe.
Note 8: Read this post for must-have macaron tools.
GOT MACARON TROUBLE? Check out my macaron troubleshooting guide.
Nutrition
Calories: 116kcal, Carbohydrates: 13g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 8mg, Sodium: 11mg, Potassium: 33mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 11g, Vitamin A: 85IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 24mg, Iron: 1mg
Did you make this?Share a comment or a review below!
Success!
I tried these for the second time yesterday and it worked.
Since the process of whipping my egg whites and sugar to hard peaks usually takes around 20 minutes, the most important difference I made was that I didn’t crush my raspberries until after I had my egg whites and sugar whipped to soft peaks. Then I crushed the berries and sifted them into my already twice sifted almond flour and powdered sugar. Once hard peaks were formed I sifted the berry, flour, powdered sugar mix in as usual and began the macarange. The texture was completely normal. I live in a very dry climate and I know how much of a difference this made in my two batches, so for those of you in normal or heavy humidity…this may be the key to getting this recipe right.
The other slight tweak I made was to reduce the raspberries in the shell by half. I’m not sure if this was even necessary, but in the end, the macarons were successful and delicious.
Shinee, Is there any other way to direct contact you besides social media? I’m not on any of the platforms and I have a few more questions regarding my oven that I would love some help on. You can contact me directly via email if you are able to see my address.
Hey Shinee,
I’ve been reading through the comments and I haven’t seen one instance where someone replied to your reply to their original comment. I would really love to trouble shoot this recipe because it IS delicious, but I certainly need to tweak it to work. That said, I haven’t heard back from you on any of my comments so I am wondering….are people not getting notified of your responses? Maybe that’s why you haven’t heard back from anyone? Im going to try this for a second time today with a few tweaks suggested by another commenter, and I will be back to make notes with how it went.
Thanks for all your hard work and research that goes into creating these delicious recipes.
Hi, Samantha. I apologize for my delayed response. Unfortunately, I only respond to the comments a few times a week as time allows. Unless people toggled not to be notified of the response, everyone gets an email with my reply.
Please let me know the following to troubleshoot your last batch:
1. How many grams of egg whites did you use?
2. How did you crush the raspberries?
3. What’s your location? The state/country is what I’m looking for to know how humid/dry the climate is.
4. Did you make ANY tweaks, big or small, to the amounts of the ingredients?
And if you’d like to troubleshoot further, please take a picture of every step as you make your macarons today. (Specifically, your powdered raspberry, stiff peak meringue, macaronage stage, etc.) And send me the photos via Instagram message. It’s the fastest way to communicate and troubleshoot issues.
Good luck!!
Thanks for getting back to me! I followed the recipe as described but toggled the portions up to 30 filled macarons (instead of 23) so I used 91.3g of egg whites. I weigh everything. The only problem in portion might have been trying to get .33 tsp of both salt and cream of tartar, because I don’t have a 1/3 tsp measuring spoon.
The other tweak I made was using freeze dried strawberries instead of raspberries, because that is all I could find locally. I crushed them in a gallon ziplock bag with a rolling pin, right before I sieved them with the powdered sugar and almond flour.
I live in New Mexico, so it’s a very dry climate. I have an oven thermometer (which was a great tip from you because my oven runs 20 degrees under.)
Even though I could tell that the first batch I made weren’t correct and didn’t pipe well, I baked them anyway and the flavor was delicious! I saved them I filled, along with my un filled failed lemon macaron shells and have them in the freezer to try to get creative with in another recipe. If you have suggestions, send them my way.
I’m so glad you still baked those raspberry macarons despite the thick batter because they taste amazing! I suggest making the recipe as written without scaling it just to be sure. The scaling feature is automatic, so I’m unsure how accurate it is.
With my failed macarons, I make these brownie cookies. They’re so good! But I’m not sure it’ll work with lemon macarons. Not sure how zesty your shells are.