Raspberry Macarons With White Chocolate Ganache
These pretty pink macarons have to be one of my absolute favorites! With their delicate raspberry shells, white chocolate ganache, and a hidden surprise of raspberry jam inside, they’re the perfect treat for any occasion – from girly-themed parties to Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, or simply those moments when you need a beautiful pink fix in your life.
My love affair with French Macarons goes way back to my first trip to France in 2008, when I fell head over heels for these dainty treasures at Ladurée. Three visits and countless pastry shops later, I can honestly say I’ve eaten my way through France with Macarons as my staple diet!
That passion sparked an obsession with creating the perfect Macaron at home, and today I’m sharing one of my most cherished recipes. While these naturally gluten-free treats might look intimidating, they’re actually more approachable than you think. The secret to these pretty pink shells? Freeze-dried raspberries ground into the mixture, giving them both their gorgeous color and authentic berry flavor. And if you’re new to the world of macaron-making, don’t worry – I’ve got you covered with my thorough guide “Perfecting Macarons” that walks you through every step of the process. Ready to create some magic in your kitchen?
Step-By-Step Raspberry Macarons
Why We Love This Recipe
- There’s raspberry flavour in both the macaron shells and the macaron filling
- French Macarons are so easy -if you can make my Giant Meringue Cookies, you can make these Macarons (it’s the same meringue!)
- You can easily customize the flavours with your favourite freeze-dried fruit
- This Raspberry Macaron recipe uses simple store-bought ingredients -no searching for random ingredients!
- Macarons can be frozen, which means you can make these babies and freeze them for later
Recipe Ingredients
for a full list of ingredients, see the recipe card below
- Almond flour or ground almonds
- Good quality eating chocolate contains cocoa butter and is perfect for making ganache
- Icing sugar or powdered sugar
- Freeze-dried raspberry powder or freeze-dried raspberries are readily available in most large supermarkets
Substitutions and Variations
- Want to turn these into Strawberry Macarons? Simply swap the freeze dried raspberries for freeze dried strawberries and use strawberry jam instead.
- Make these completely gluten-free macarons. Macaron shells are naturally gluten-free and most white chocolate is gluten-free. Check your chocolate to be sure .
- Ganache is super easy to make, but you will need to wait a few hours for it to thicken enough to be piped. If you don’t want to wait, simply use a Chocolate Buttercream or flavour your buttercream with a little raspberry jam
How To Make Raspberry Macarons
I have tried to make these steps as thorough as possible, so you can make perfect macarons every time. It may look like a lot of steps, but believe me, it’s easier than you think!
Step 1:
Make The Ganache First
Place the white chocolate, butter and glucose syrup in a tall, narrow heat proof bowl, to allow for using a stick blender and set aside
Step 2:
Warm the cream in a small saucepan over low to medium heat, until it just starts to come to a boil, then pour the hot cream over the white chocolate, glucose and butter and let it sit for a minute
Step 3:
Step 4:
Pour the mixture into a slice tray and cover it with plastic wrap directly touching the surface of the ganache. Leave mixture to thicken for a few hours at room temperature. On a hot day, place in the fridge for 10 minutes at a time, stirring occasionally, until it’s at a consistency ready for piping
Step 5: Make the Macaron Shells
Heat your oven to 150°C or 300℉ conventional. If using a fan oven, reduce the temperature to 135℃ or 275℉.
Line 3 or 4 large cookie sheets with Silicone macaron mats and set aside
Place the almond meal, icing sugar and raspberry powder in a food processor and blitz until well combined and there are no visible lumps. If you’re using almond flour and don’t want to use the food processor, just go ahead and sift it 3 times with the icing sugar. I find a food processor will give me a fine powder that doesn’t need sifting.
Step 6:
Place the egg whites and cream of tartar into a large bowl of a stand mixer. Ensure it’s a clean bowl, without any residue that could prevent the meringue from whipping. Use the whisk attachment to whisk on low-medium until frothy
Step 7:
Gradually add the caster sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Mix for 30 seconds until adding the next spoonful. After adding the last spoonful, continue to whisk on medium-high for another 5 minutes. Mixture should be thick and glossy and form stiff peaks. This is your French Meringue
Step 8:
Add optional food colour and whisk again to combine, or just fold it through with a rubber spatula
Step 9:
Remove the bowl from the mixer, then add the dry ingredients. Use a large rubber spatula to fold the mixture through and be sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl as you go. Continue to fold the mixture until it is glossy and can form a smooth ribbon figure 8. The figure 8 should slowly melt back into the rest of the mixture -the macaron batter is now ready to pipe
Step 10:
Place a 1cm round piping tip into a large piping bag or pastry bag. Twist the the bag and tip to stop the mixture coming out when you pour it into the bag. Place the bag into a tall narrow jug or cup and fold the ends of the bag over to open the bag. Pour the batter into the bag. Pipe small circles onto the tray, to about ⅔ to filling the circles on the mat. I count to 2, then twist and flick the piping bag. Once the shells have all been piped, gently tap the trays onto a covered bench. Rotate the tray to tap both sides. Use a toothpick to pop any remaining air bubbles, then set the trays aside to rest for 30 minutes
Step 11:
Bake the macarons for 18 minutes. Before removing them from the oven, check one of the middle macarons by giving it a wiggle. If it clearly wiggles, give it another 1-2 minutes of baking.
Once baked, slide the macaron mats onto a bench and leave to cool completely, before gently lifting them from the mat. Match up even macaron shells and place into pairs
Step 12: How To Assemble Your Macarons
Place the ganache into a disposable piping bag, fitted with a piping tip -I use an open star tip. Pipe the ganache in a loop onto the underside of half of the macaron shells, leaving the centre free for the raspberry filling
Step 13:
Give the jam a stir to loosen it, then add it to a small snaplock bag and snip off a corner. Fill the centre of the ganache circle with raspberry jam and sandwich the shells together with their matching half. Macarons are best served the next day, to allow the flavors to absorb and the shells to become chewy. They are best stored in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for 3 months.
Expert Baking Tips
- Accuracy is key when making macarons, which is why I highly recommend using a digital kitchen scale
- I love using a silicone mat with a macaron stencil to pipe my shells on. The guide is a great way to keep your shells the same size and silicone is far superior to parchment paper. I just find the paper can cause my shells to go wonky.
- Use aged egg whites when making macarons. This is egg whites that have been separated from the yolks at least a day before, then brought to room temperature. This allows the proteins to relax, creating a more stable meringue.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need an electric mixer?
I find the best way to achieve a thick, glossy meringue for my macarons is with using a stand mixer. If you have a strong hand mixer, go for it!
Do I need to sift the dry ingredients?
If you use a food processor to combine the dry ingredients, then no. The most important thing is that there are no big lumps (you want smooth, shiny shells). If you don’t have a food processor, sift the dry ingredients a few times.
Can I freeze macarons?
Absolutely! In fact I always freeze my macarons and just take out what I need about 30 minutes before. This is why Macarons are one of my go-to Christmas Desserts!
What's the difference between Macarons and Macaroons?
Macarons are delicate French sandwich cookies made with almond flour, egg whites, and sugar, with a crisp shell and a soft, chewy interior, often filled with ganache or buttercream. Macaroons, on the other hand, are dense, chewy coconut-based cookies, typically made with shredded coconut and egg whites, sometimes dipped in chocolate.
Storage Tips
Room Temperature: because these Raspberry Macarons are filled with a Chocolate Ganache, you shouldn’t leave them at room temperature for too long. 30 minutes to 2 hours, depending on the weather. Unfilled shells can be left at room temperature, in an airtight container for up to 3 days
Refrigerator: If I’m storing my filled macarons in the fridge, I will keep them in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Freezer: This is my preferred way of storing macarons. Use an airtight container and separate each layer with parchment paper if necessary. They will last up to 3 months
Raspberry Macarons with White Chocolate Ganache
Equipment
- 3-4 baking sheets
Ingredients
- 300 g Good quality (eating) white chocolate finely chopped (don't use baking chips or melts)
- 30 g Butter
- 10 g Glucose syrup I find heating it in the microwave for 10 seconds this it out and makes it easier to handle. Can swap for corn syrup
- 100 g Heavy cream
Macarons
- 135 g almond meal
- 135 g icing sugar (powdered sugar)
- 1 tsp freeze dried raspberry powder
- 90 g caster (superfine) sugar
- ¼ tsp cream of tartar optional
- 100 g egg whites you’ll need approx 3 room temperature eggs
- 5 drops concentrated red gel food colour optional
White chocolate ganache
filling
- ¼ cup Raspberry jam
Instructions
White Chocolate Ganache (make ahead to either set overnight or a few hours before required)
- Place the white chocolate, butter and glucose syrup in a tall, narrow heat proof bowl, to allow for using a stick blender and set aside
- Warm the cream in a small saucepan over low to medium heat, until it just starts to come to a boil
- Pour the hot cream over the white chocolate, glucose and butter and let it sit for a minute
- Using a stick blender, emulsify the mixture until it comes together and is smooth and glossy
- Pour the mixture into a slice tray and cover it with plastic wrap directly touching the surface of the ganache
- Leave mixture to thicken for a few hours at room temperature. On a hot day, place in the fridge for 10 minutes at a time, stirring occasionally, until it's at a consistency ready for piping
Macaron Shells
- Heat your oven to 150°C or 300℉ conventional. If using a fan oven, reduce the temperature to 135℃ or 275℉
- Line 3 or 4 large cookie sheets with Silpat macaron mats and set aside
- Place the almond meal, icing sugar and raspberry powder in a food processor and blitz until well combined and there are no visible lumps. If you're using almond flour and don't want to use the food processor, just go ahead and sift it 3 times with the icing sugar. I find a food processor will give me a fine powder that doesn't need sifting.
- Place the egg whites and cream of tartar into a large bowl of a stand mixer. Ensure it's a clean bowl, without any residue that could prevent the meringue from whipping. Use the whisk attachment to whisk on low-medium until frothy
- Gradually add the caster sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Mix for 30 seconds until adding the next spoonful. After adding the last spoonful, continue to whisk on medium-high for another 5 minutes. Mixture should be thick and glossy and form stiff peaks. This is your French Meringue
- Add optional food colour and whisk again to combine, or just fold it through with a rubber spatula
- Remove the bowl from the mixer, then add the dry ingredients. Use a large rubber spatula to fold the mixture through. Continue to fold the mixture until it is glossy and can form a smooth ribbon figure 8. The figure 8 should slowly melt back into the rest of the mixture -the macaron batter is now ready to pipe
- Place a 1cm round piping tip into a large piping bag or pastry bag. Twist the the bag and tip to stop the mixture coming out when you pour it into the bag. Place the bag into a tall narrow jug or cup and fold the ends of the bag over to open the bag. Pour the batter into the bag
- Pipe small circles onto the tray, to about ⅔ to filling the circles on the mat. I count to 2, then twist and flick the piping bag
- Once the shells have all been piped, gently tap the trays onto a covered bench. Rotate the tray to tap both sides. Use a toothpick to pop any remaining air bubbles, then set the trays aside to rest for 30 minutes
- Bake the macarons for 18 minutes. Before removing them from the oven, check one of the middle macarons by giving it a wiggle. If it clearly wiggles, give it another 1-2 minutes of baking.
- Once baked, slide the macaron mats onto a bench and leave to cool completely, before gently lifting them from the mat. Match up even macaron shells and place into pairs
Assemble and Decorate
- Place the ganache into a disposable piping bag, fitted with a piping tip -I use an open star tip.
- Pipe the ganache in a loop onto the underside of half of the macaron shells, leaving the centre free for the raspberry filling
- Give the jam a stir to loosen it, then add it to a small snaplock back and snip off a corner. Fill the centre of the ganache circle with raspberry jam and sandwich the shells together with their matching half
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