Marshmallow French Macarons

I'm just a huge sucker for anything filled with marshmallow, so these marshmallow macarons were a no freaking brainer!!

The best part of loving baking so much and coming from a pastry background is being able to make almost anything you can think of from scratch. Marshmallow filing included! Although you can totally cheat (because I totally did for these) and buy some store bough marshmallow fluff and it works just as well and tastes the same. Buying the fluff saves you some time means less time in the kitchen and more time eating!!!

The shells of the marshmallow macarons are brushed very lightly with some water and then dipped in granulated sugar for a nice crunchy texture. With the sugar coating and marshmallow filling, they are very reminiscent of Easter peep marshmallows!

These marshmallow macarons are definitely one of my favorites. I just don't think you can go wrong with anything that involves some soft and gooey marshmallow!!!

Tools Needed for the Macaron Shells

In order to have success making macarons, you will need a few essential kitchen tools. Most of these you definitely already may have so no worries, if you've never made them before, you don't need anything fancy!!

• Digital kitchen scale- I got mine on amazon for $12 I think and its the most basic scale. Ive had it for almost 6 years now and it does the job!
• Rubber spatula- you want this instead of a wooden or metal spatula or spoon so that you can scrape the batter around consistently!
• Stand mixer- you can certainly use a hand mixer if you have one, although I find it hard to add the sugar and mix the whites at the same time. A stand mixer is best!
• Baking sheet tray- for this macaron recipe, you will need at least 2 trays. You don't want to overcrowd the shells so they touch each other.
• Silpat mat- I HIGHLY recommend using a silpat mat to line your baking tray with. However, parchment paper works just fine and I have used it in the past when I didn't have silpat!
• Piping bag- you can buy disposable ones on amazon or any cake store. Even better, invest in a reusable one from Wilton for maybe $10 and save some money and less waste! If you have neither, a good old plastic baggie can work great if you cut the corner of it off.
• Small round tip- I use a #8-10 tip when piping. It gives you more control over the batter coming out of the bag when you're piping.

How to Make the Macaron Shells

Sift together the dry ingredients

• In a medium bowl, measure out the almond meal and powdered sugar together. Mix well with a spoon to combine the two.
• Then sift them into a separate bowl and set aside.

Wipe down the mixing bowl

• You want to make sure there are no traces of fat on your mixing bowl that could interfere with the egg whites. Get a paper towel and wet a small portion of it with white vinegar.
• Rub it all over the inside of your mixing bowl as well as the whisk attachment, then add your egg whites to the bowl.

Whip the egg whites

• Attach the whisk to the stand mixer and start whipping the egg whites on medium speed for 2-3 minutes.
• When the whites get foamy, sprinkle in the cream of tartar and keep beating.
• Begin to sprinkle the sugar into the whites while they're mixing, just a tablespoon at a time.
• When all of the sugar has been added, turn the mixer speed up to medium high and whip for 6-7 minutes or until the whites reach stiff peaks.
• Add 2 drops of yellow gel food coloring and mix to combine.

Fold in the dry ingredients

• Take a rubber spatula and transfer the stiff egg white meringue to a large bowl. Add ⅓ of the dry mixture to the bowl.
• Working with gentle strokes, fold the dry ingredients into the meringue. When there are no more dry pockets, add the next ⅓ of the dry mixture. Continue to fold until all of the dry ingredients are incorporated into the egg whites.

Mixing the batter (macaronage)

• Take your spatula and continuously scrape the batter against the sides of the bowl. Do this until the batter starts to look shiny and is starting to get thinner.
• Pick up some of the batter and let it fall off of the spatula. The batter should flow in slow ribbons and you should be able to make a figure 8 out of the batter without it breaking. Stop folding the batter.
• Prepare a piping bag with a small round tip. Preferably smaller than larger, so the batter doesn't spill out of it while your piping.

Piping the macaron shells

• Turn a baking tray upside down and line it with a silpat or if you don't have a silpat mat, parchment paper works as well.
• You want to hold your bag full of the batter directly over your tray when piping. If you come at an angle, the batter will bake lopsided in the oven.
• Pipe your desired round size onto the lined tray.
• Pick up the tray and rap it firmly on the counter on all sides a few times to release any air bubbles that might still be in the batter.
• Sprinkle the shells with the confetti nonpareil sprinkles and let them sit out to form a skin, about 30-40 minutes.

Baking the macaron shells

• Bake the shells at 300 for 13-14 minutes. Check the shells at 13 minutes and touch the top of the shell. It shouldn't budge from the feet. If it does, give it one MAYBE 2 more minutes.
• Allow to cool completely on a wire rack before removing from the tray.

Giving the Marshmallow Macaron Shells a Sugar Coating

1. In a small bowl, add a bit of granulated sugar and set aside. Also get a small bowl with some water and a pastry brush.
2. Dip the brush into the water just to get it damp, then brush it on top of the macaron to wet the top of the shells.
3. Press the shell into the sugar so it sticks to the water.
4. Allow to dry and then fill with the marshmallow fluff.
5. Let the marshmallow macarons mature in the fridge over night for best texture!

Frequently Asked Questions

• Can these marshmallow macarons be kept at room temperature?
  • I highly recommend keeping the macarons in the fridge until you're ready to eat them. The marshmallow settles once it's piped into the shell, and when it's out at room temperature for too long the filling starts to ooze out a bit.
• Do I have to color them yellow?
  • NOPE! Go nuts and color the shells any color your heart desires! Just make sure you only add a few drops at a time to the egg whites while they're whipping. Too much liquid can alter the ratio of your macaron batter!