Salted Caramel Macarons Recipe
Salted Caramel Macarons
Salted caramel is the most perfect example of opposites attracting. How something so delicious can be made even more delicious by adding something that should ruin it is one of the great mysteries of life.
This was my first time ever making salted caramel macarons. I used to make caramel sauce simply by melting sugar and water. I always burned the first batch. And I always burned myself.
This week I learned a different method, by adding cream and butter, the caramel turns out smooth and velvety, and, of course, delicious.
The caramel is supposed to be still liquid when hot. But, as it cools, it thickens and becomes chewy. Perfect for filling macarons. If you like a runnier consistency for drips or topping, you can add a bit more cream.
You can make this is advance, but the caramel will harden in the fridge, so it must be heated again in order to return to liquid form.
If you’re new to macarons, check out this post with tips and tricks to bake them to perfection.
Salted Caramel Macarons
Ingredients
Cookies
- 1 cup icing sugar 125g
- ½ cup almond flour or meal 60g
- 2 egg whites 75g-80g
- ⅛ tsp cream of tartar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar 50g
- 1 tbsp salted caramel extract
- ⅛ tsp salt
- gel food colouring (orange + yellow) optional
Filling
- ½ cup caster sugar
- 50 g butter room temperature
- ¼ cup thickened cream a.k.a. heavy cream or whipping cream
- 1-2 tbsp sea salt depending on how salty you like it
Instructions
Preparation
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, place a template beneath
- Prepare a piping bag with a large round tip
Cookie
- Blast almond meal with a food processor or blender until you get a very fine grain (if using almond flour, skip this step)
- Add icing sugar and salt and pulse until thoroughly combined. Set aside.
- Whip the eggs with cream of tartar until starts to foam
- Continue to whip the egg whites, adding granulated sugar bit by bit until glossy stiff peaks form
- Add salted caramel extract and food coloring, if using and mix
- Fold in the almond flour and mix with a spatula until smooth, sticky and glossy
- Transfer batter to the piping bag, pipe the cookies onto the baking sheet
- Gently tap the bottom of the baking sheets on your counter to rid any large air bubbles
- Allow cookies to dry out at room temperature for about 1 hour
- Bake in middle rack in a preheated oven at 160°C for 10-12 minutes
- Allow to cool completely before assembling
Filling
- Heat sugar over low heat until it starts to melt and change colour to a light brown. Use a wooden spoon to stir it slowly and occasionally until fully melted. Remove from heat immediately, otherwise it will burn.
- Mix it with the wooden spoon for a minute or two, in order to bring the temperature down a little.
- Stir in room temperature butter, if the caramel is too hot, or butter is too cold, it might bubble and splatter, be careful. Stir until combined. If the caramel starts to harden, return briefly to heat.
- Add the cream and stir. Return to heat, let it boil.
- Remove from heat and stir in sea salt.
Assembly
- Transfer filling to a piping bag, sandwich it between two cookies
- Store macarons in the fridge in an airtight container