Red Velvet Cake Macarons
Where fruity pebbles macarons are adorable and fun, my new red velvet macarons are so pretty and elegant. With that classic bright red color, smooth cream cheese filling, and optional white chocolate drizzle on top, these sweet sandwich cookies are a petite and poppable version of your favorite red velvet cake! This recipe is very similar to my classic macarons, but there were a few details that were different enough that I felt they warranted their own post (such as reducing almond flour/powdered sugar and not macaronage-ing quite as much). If you are totally new to making macarons, I recommend you read through that post in its entirety before starting this one. Note that while I prefer ermine frosting for my red velvet cupcakes and cake, I prefer and recommend cream cheese frosting here; I found it provided a more authentic red velvet flavor. You can use whatever you like, but I do recommend choosing between one of these for the most true red velvet flavor.
What You Need
If you’ve made macarons before, you know they can be a little tricky. Because of this, it’s very important that you follow my recipe closely, and that includes the ingredients!
Macaron Shells
Almond flour. Super fine, blanched almond flour works best for macarons. If you can’t find the superfine version, you can make your own. To do this, pulse your almond flour and powdered sugar in the food processor in 15 one-second pulses. Stir, then repeat this process one more time before using. Cocoa powder. I prefer to use Dutch process cocoa in this recipe, but you could use natural cocoa instead. I have a whole post about natural vs. dutch process cocoa, if you’re interested in learning the differences between the two! Red food coloring. I highly recommend using gel food coloring, as it provides the most vibrant color. Liquid food coloring isn’t near as potent, and you will end up introducing too much moisture into the meringue trying to get your color just right (especially when it comes to red coloring, it can be so hard to keep it from being pink!). I linked to the brand I like to use in the recipe card below. Cream of tartar. Cream of tartar isn’t mandatory for making red velvet macarons, but it is helpful, especially if you are a beginner. It helps stabilize the meringue and I use it in most of my meringue-involved recipes (like my meringue cookies)! Egg whites. I strongly recommend that you NOT use carton egg whites! They produce inconsistent results, and I cannot guarantee your success if you do use them. Instead, separate your own eggs and make sure you don’t get any egg yolk–not even a drop–in with the whites. Don’t want to waste your yolks? Use them to make lemon cheesecake or a fruit tart!
SAM’S TIP: Red velvet macarons are much less likely to be hollow, which is great; however, they can be prone to getting oily/wrinkly tops, especially if the cocoa powder is more oily or if you use too much food coloring. This is why I recommend Dutch process cocoa and gel food coloring.
For the Filling
The filling I’m using today is just a slightly silkier, smoother half batch of my cream cheese frosting. Here’s what you need to make it!
Cream cheese. Stick with full-fat, block-style cream cheese here. Any other kind will be too soft and runny. Powdered sugar. Make sure you measure your powdered sugar properly, as it can be very easy to over-measure, just like over-measuring flour. Vanilla. A splash of vanilla balances the cream cheese flavor nicely. Butter. I use unsalted butter and salt, but if you only have salted butter on hand, you can just omit the salt.
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post! SAM’S TIP: I highly recommend using a kitchen scale when baking, but especially when making macarons. It’s very important that you use precise measurements to make macarons, and a kitchen scale guarantees that!
How to Make Red Velvet Macarons
Preparation
SAM’S TIP: Make sure all of your bowls and utensils are completely clean, dry, and grease free! If not, you may not be able to get your egg whites to reach stiff peaks, which is critical for proper red velvet macarons. I also recommend that you avoid any rubber, plastic, or silicone tools for this reason (they can hide grease pretty easily).
Meringue
Macaronage
Piping
Filling
SAM’S TIP: After piping the filling, I recommend placing your red velvet macarons in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 24 hours before enjoying. This gives the macarons time to mature, resulting in a better flavor and texture overall (if your shells ended up hollow, they’ll usually fill in during this time, too). But I can’t blame you for wanting to try them right away either 😉 These red velvet macarons would be so pretty on a Christmas cookie tray! Enjoy! Let’s bake together! Subscribe to my newsletter and make sure to follow along on YouTube where I have over 500 free video tutorials! 💜
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