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–+ servings
easter macarons.
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5 from 1 vote

Easter Macarons with Dulce de Leche

Celebrate Spring and Easter with these sweet and delicate Easter macarons! Filled with a deliciously creamy dulce de leche milk chocolate ganache and decorated like robin's eggs, they are perfect for Spring and make the tastiest Easter dessert.

Equipment

  • Small dry paintbrush
  • small round piping tip
  • Piping bags
  • baking trays
  • Silicone baking mat or parchment paper
  • rubber spatula

Ingredients

Macaron Shell

  • 1 ¼ cup + 2 tsp powdered sugar
  • 1 ¾ cup super fine almond meal
  • ½ cup + 2 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 3-4 large egg whites room temperature
  • ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
  • ½-1 drop Americolor Royal Blue gel food coloring use less color to get the pastel blue color, a little goes a long way!
  • Americolor Black gel food coloring for speckling the shells

Dulce de Leche Filling

  • ⅛ cup + 1 tbsp heavy cream
  • 2 teaspoon malted milk powder
  • ⅔ cup milk chocolate
  • 2 tablespoon dulce de leche plus more for the center (SEE NOTES)
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Making the Macarons

  • In a large bowl, sift together the powdered sugar and almond meal, until no lumps remain. Set aside.
  • Add the room temperature egg whites to a bowl of a stand mixer. Whip the egg whites on medium speed for 2-3 minutes, until white and foamy, then add the cream of tartar.
  • Slowly add in the granulated sugar and then increase the speed to medium high. Mix for 5-6 minutes until medium peaks, then add the food coloring. Continue whipping for 1-2 minutes longer or until stiff peaks form.
  • Use a rubber spatula to gently fold the almond meal/powdered sugar mixture into the stiff egg whites.
  • Slowly fold and mix the batter smooth. The batter is ready when it flows slowly in ribbons off the spatula and you can draw a figure 8.
  • Line an upside down baking tray with a silicone baking mat.
  • Fill a piping bag with a small round piping tip and pipe the batter over the top of the tray into 1 ½ inch rounds spaced 2 inches apart.
  • Tap the baking sheet on the counter to remove any air bubbles. You can pop any bubbles with a toothpick.
  • Let the macarons sit at room temperature to form a skin, anywhere from 30-60 minutes.
  • While the macarons are resting, preheat your oven to 300F/150C.
  • Bake each tray for about 13-14 minutes. The macarons are done baking when you gently touch the top of the shell, it should just barely budge from the foot. Allow them to cool completely on a wire rack before filling.

Making the Filling

  • In a small pot, heat the heavy cream and malted milk powder over medium-low heat until just the edges start to bubble.
  • Pour the cream over the milk chocolate and let sit for two minutes, then stir to emulsify and combine them. Stir in the dulce de leche and set it aside to cool and firm up.

Assembly

  • Add 1-2 drops of black food coloring to a small bowl with a little bit of water. Dip the dry paintbrush in it, then flick and tap the brush over the shells to speckle them. Let the shells dry for 10 minutes.
  • Match up like sized macaron shells and flip one of each over.
  • Pipe a ring of the milk chocolate ganache around the edge of the shell, then fill the center with more dulce de leche. Sandwich with the other shell.
  • Mature the macarons in a sealed container in the fridge overnight to soften and intensify the flavor.

Notes

Step by step process photos are provided above, in the body of this post.
You can use store-bought dulce de leche or make your own! See this post for how to make it yourself. 
recipe tips
  • Use a kitchen scale: Although the weight is also given in cup measurements, I highly recommend using a scale! It will save you so much time and you'll know your ingredient ratio is spot on.
  • Carefully read directions: I recommend reading through the entire post and recipe at least once!
  • Flip your baking pan upside down: This usually helps alleviate some issues that come with baking macarons.
  • Don't boil the cream: When making the ganache, don't bring the cream to an actual boil, it should just barely bubble around the edges when ready.
  • Separate your own eggs: Fresh egg whites are best for making macarons. You should not use carton egg whites!
  • Don't over-speckle the shells: You don't need to speckle them too much to give them the robin's egg look!
  • Don't substitute ingredients: You can substitute the filling flavor and ingredients, but the main cookie ingredients should not be substituted.
 
notes on ingredients
  • Milk chocolate: I recommend using a bar of chocolate instead of chocolate chips because they melt better, but you can use chips instead.
  • Malted milk powder: Optional, but highly recommended as it gives the ganache this delicious milkshake flavor!

 

storage
  • Fridge: Store the macarons in a sealed container or wrapped on a tray for up to a week! The macarons will naturally harden in the fridge so I recommend letting them come to room temperature before eating.
  • Room temperature: Macarons will stay fresh for about 1-2 days at room temperature in a sealed container.
  • Freezer: You can store the shells and filled macarons in the freezer for up to one month.