If you want a throwback to your favorite childhood sandwich in a macaron flavor, Peanut Butter and Jelly Macarons are exactly what you have been craving.
We have been working to perfect our macaron making lately and I think we have finally mastered it.
We created these delicious Peanut Butter and Jelly Macarons that are to die for and they are so easy to make.
These French cookies have a swirled colored shell and are filled with grape jelly and peanut butter buttercream. If you don't like grape jelly, you can use strawberry or whatever your favorite jelly is.
There are a few tips and tricks that will have you making the perfect French macarons in any flavor. We have tested and tried a few techniques and we think these work the best.
How to Make Peanut Butter and Jelly Macarons
For the cookie, you will need —
- 1 cup of finely sifted almond flour. I like the Blue Diamond that I get from Amazon
- 1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon of egg white powder
- Purple or red food coloring.
- peanut butter
- jelly in your favorite flavor. Mine is my freezer strawberry jam
- 3 egg whites
- 1/2 cup of sugar
Measure the confectioners' sugar, egg white powder, and almond flour into a large mixing bowl. Use a whisk and combine.
In your KitchenAid mixer, beat the egg whites on medium speed until frothy. Now add the 1/2 cup of sugar. Beat until stiff and shiny, about 5 more minutes.
Transfer the beaten egg whites to the bowl with the almond flour mixture. Draw a rubber spatula halfway through the mixture and fold until incorporated, giving the bowl a quarter turn with each fold. Do this until the batter flows consistently to make a figure 8.
Pipe the Macaron Cookies
Grab a pastry bag that is fitted with a 1/4″ round tip.
Use a paintbrush and add a little food coloring to the tip of the brush. Take the pastry bag and paint strips around the inside of your bag. Now add the macaron flavor to the bag.
Holding the bag vertically and close to the baking sheet, pipe 1 1/4-inch circles (24 per sheet). Firmly tap the baking sheets three times against the counter to release any air bubbles.
Let the cookies sit at room temperature until the tops are no longer sticky to the touch. This will take about 20 minutes. The top should be dry and not sticky.
Bake the first batch at 315 degrees until the cookies are shiny and rise 1/8 inch to form a “foot,” about 10-12 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely. You will know the cookies are done when you touch them and there is not much give.
Once the cookies are cooled, peel them off and flip them over. Match cookies by size. Then, sandwich it with a thin layer of filling.
For the peanut butter buttercream you will need
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp peanut butter
- 1/2-1 cup powdered sugar sifted
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp milk if necessary
Mix all together and on one half of the cookies, pipe a ring and leave the center empty. Fill the center with a dollop of jelly. Top each cookie with another cookie to make a sandwich.
Make Macarons Like a Pro with These Supplies
If you like making macarons or want to try your hand at them, here are some supplies you might want to invest in.
- Macaron Baking Kit
- Gel Food Coloring
- Cookbook on making macarons for beginners
- Macaron baking boxes
- Flour Sifter
Peanut Butter and Jelly Macarons
A delicious French cookie, with a childhood favorite sandwich twist.
Ingredients
FOR THE MACARON SHELL:
- 1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar
- 1 cup of almond flour
- 1 tablespoon of egg white powder
- 100 grams of egg whites
- 1/2 cup of granulated sugar
- 2 drops of tan food coloring
FOR THE Peanut butter Buttercream
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp peanut butter
- 1/2-1 cup powdered sugar sifted
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp milk if necessary
- red food coloring
- Your favorite jelly for the center of the cookie
Instructions
- Prepare two baking sheets by placing two macaron baking mats on each sheet. Set baking sheets aside.
Place the oven rack in the lower half of the oven, but not all the way to the bottom. Preheat oven to 315 degrees.
Add powdered sugar, egg white powder, and almond flour to the large mixing bowl. Process the ingredients for about 30 seconds so that the mixture is super fine.
In the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, add egg whites and beat on medium-high until it begins to foam. Once it starts to get foamy, begin to slowly sprinkle the granulated sugar into the egg whites until it's all been incorporated. Increase the speed to high to whip the meringue into stiff peaks. - While the meringue is whisking, add in two to three drops of tan food coloring
Once the meringue is done, add it to the bowl of the flour mixture. Do this step very carefully and slowly, cutting the mixture down the middle and swooping around. Mix just until it's incorporated. Do not over-mix. The consistency should be like slow-moving lava. To check for consistency, the batter should flow from your spatula like thick lava and hold a ribbon for a couple of seconds. If it falls into clumps and doesn't fall slowly, it is not mixed enough. Keep mixing slowly so that the batter deflates a bit and the proper consistency is reached. - Before transferring the batter to a piping bag, take the piping bag and use a paintbrush to streak the inside of the bag with red food coloring or purple food coloring.
Transfer the batter to a piping bag fitted with a smooth, round 1/2-inch tip. Holding the bag in two hands directly over the parchment, pipe a small amount of batter into the first circle stencil. Stop pipping right as the batter reaches the edge of the circle. The batter will spread so don't add too much. Move on to the other circles until all the batter is gone.
After you've pipped all the circles, smack the baking sheets on the counter a couple of times to release air bubbles. Use a toothpick to pop all the air bubbles. If you don't do this step, the air bubbles will release steam while baking and crack the shells.
Let them sit to dry out until the tops are smooth to the touch, about 30 minutes. They are done when you rub your finger over the top and your finger doesn't stick.
Bake macarons in the preheated oven, one sheet at a time for 10-12 minutes. Make sure to rotate the sheet halfway through, for even baking. Remove from oven and let them cool for 5 minutes before transferring parchment sheet to a wire rack to finish cooling.
While the macarons cool, make the peanut butter buttercream.
Add to a piping bag with your desired tip.
Lay half of the macarons flat side up on a baking sheet. Pipe a ring of buttercream around the shell making sure to leave the center empty. - Fill the center of each shell with your favorite jelly.
- Top with the other shell and gently press just enough to push the filling out to the edges. Do this for all the macaron shells until done.
Once filled, macarons can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to three days or frozen for 3 months.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
24Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 107Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 3mgSodium: 21mgCarbohydrates: 16gFiber: 1gSugar: 14gProtein: 2g