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
- 60 g powdered sugar Note 3
- 70 g egg whites at room temperature Note 4
- 75 g fine granulated sugar Note 5
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar optional Note 6
- ¼ teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- 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:
- Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, or teflon sheet, or silicone mat.
- 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, combine egg whites, granulated sugar, cream of tartar and salt and beat the mixture on medium speed until soft peaks form. (I set it to speed 4 on my KitchenAid stand mixer. It takes 30-40 minutes to whip the meringue, but it's well worth it for nice and full shells.)
- 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.
- 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 rest on the counter for 15 minutes before baking.
- 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: 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 6: 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 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
Sugar: 11g
Sodium: 11mg
Did you make this?Share a comment or a review below!
Hello! I love your lemon and red velvet macarons and plan on trying these this weekend. They look so pretty and I would love some guidance on how you decorated them—did you put the raspberry powder on the macarons prior to baking and then again after dipping into the white chocolate or just after the white chocolate? Thank you!
Hi, Christina. I’ve done it both ways. But I don’t recommend dusting the raspberry powder before baking, because they turn dark brown during baking. For beautiful bright decoration, dust raspberry powder over dipped macarons.
I’ve had moderate success with your lemon macaron recipe (great flavor in those), but these came out as chewy cookies – never developed feet or became the typical light and airy macaron shell. The batter never flowed super smoothly off my spatula in the macaronage stage, but I was worried about overmixing, so I went ahead and piped them onto cookie sheets . Not sure where I went wrong. I carefully weighed all the ingredients, and used the same methods at each stage that I’ve tried with other macaron recipes (including your lemon one).
Hi, Page. Sorry you had trouble with this one. Quick question. How did you prepare your freeze-dried raspberries? Did you use a rolling pin to crush it, or used a food processor? And was the raspberry powder kind of sticky? I had a reader commented that when she used a food processor to crush the berries, they came out slightly sticky and the batter was thick. After she tried again with manually crushed berries, it turned out much better.
I did use a food processor to crush them. I will try manually next time.
Thanks for letting me know, Paige. I’ll update the post to recommend not to use food processor. And please let me know if you try it this recipe again with manually crushed berries.
1) I love the your idea of using freeze dried raspberries! I made them today and they turned out well. 2) One way to get inexpensive almond flour is grind it yourself with a spice grinder. I used my electric Cuisinart Spice and Nut Grinder (costs about $36 on Amazon) today to grind the almonds into flour, and it turned out beautifully fine and fluffy. Much better than using my food processor, which made more of an almond meal when I tried it on my previous batch. 3) To figure out the exact right amount of mixing, I spooned some batter onto my parchment paper at a few different points when I knew the batter was not quite mixed enough. It was interesting to see how the batter behaved then (the bumps did not sink into the rest) and how it looked after baking. It was a fun bit of experimentation! Now I feel more confident about how exactly the batter should look – I can see why learning this in person is a big help. 4) I thank you for all your tips, instructions and recipes!!!
I’m no Martha Stewart but I’ve made a few batches of macarons before and never have they turned out quite as bad as these. The batter, as good as it tasted was thicker than concrete no matter how much I mixed it. After struggling for at least 20 minutes a gave up and started piping, only for the piping bag to literally explode because of how hard I had to squeeze to get it out. I ending up shaping them into small balls, plopping them on a tray, and hoping for the best. I’ve followed other recipes of yours, including other macaron recipes and needless to say, I am disappointed.
How should i measure egg white
You can weigh it on a scale, or measure by volume. You’ll need 1/3 cup.
Its looking so pretty and testy
Thank you, Yogesh!
Hi,
Do these require 3 tbsp of raspberry powder in addition to 1 tbsp for the filling? The ingredients list only requires 3 tbsp but the directions for the shells say to use 3 tbsp of powder for the shells and 1 tbsp for the filling. Which in total would be 4 tbsp
Never mind, I figured out that the ingredients are listed separately!!
Awesome. Hope your macarons turned out good, and you enjoyed them. 😉
I tried making these, macarons, and followed the recipe exactly but i think there was a mistake with the egg whites. I added 70 grams but after trying to fold it for 5 minutes straight i noticed it was waaaay too thick. If you make this recipe i would recommend adding another egg white. Mine turned out wrinkly and had no feet at all. I have quite a bit of experience with macarons to know that the recipe was not right. Flavor was there, but they did not look the best/
Hi, Mina. This recipe has been very carefully tested and retested multiple times. And 70gr of egg whites is the correct amount. How did you measure the dry ingredients, Mina? It does sound like your macarons had excess moisture issue, which yields soft wrinkly shells.
Hi,
These look great! Could I make these with freeze dried strawberries instead (and keep all other ingredients/quantities the same)?
I think that would work fine! You could probably use any freeze dried fruit.
Hi, KJ. Yes, you can definitely use freeze-dried strawberries. Actually here’s my strawberry macaron recipe.
Finally made these today and OMG, I agree these are the best tasting Macarons ever!!! The freezedried raspberry powder made the perfect addition and the white chocolate filling and dip was the perfect compliment. I will be making these again
Dyanne, so glad you tried and agree that these are the best macarons yet!! Thank you for your feedback.