Macarons get PATRIOTIC! Red and blue shells sandwich vanilla buttercream in these red, white, and blue macarons.
red, white, and blue macarons

Truth be told, the.boy saw these and said, “Why did you make French flag macarons?”.

Head smack.

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Welllllll…..I tried?

I give myself an “A” for effort. Because that’s how we do it in Ammeeerriicccaaa.

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Okay, so we have a little less than a month to get all of our reds, whites, and blues in order.

You know I like to live my life as messy/not-Pinterest worthy as possible but even I get caught up in making one crazy RWB thang for the 4th of July season.

Also, I think we need 4 weeks to practice our macaron-ing, especially with this humidity that’s in the air. When I made this batch, I got exactly FOURTEEN reasonable looking shells…and TWELVE of those had nipples. Suffice it to say – I’m a work in progress. I think this has something to do with my oven and its totally uneven heating but I’m not, like, a food scientist or anything, so who knows.

I do have faith that this recipe can work (since it has for me, multiple times), so the moral of the story is GO FORTH and red, white, and blue all the things.

But especially all the macarons.

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Red, White, and Blue Macarons
 
Macarons get PATRIOTIC! Red and blue shells sandwich vanilla buttercream in these red, white, and blue macarons.
Yield: 40 macarons
Ingredients
For the macarons
  • 115 g blanched almond slices, ground, or almond flour
  • 230 g powdered sugar
  • 144 g egg whites
  • 72 g granulated sugar
  • 2 g kosher salt
  • red and blue food coloring gel
For the filling
  • 16 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 4 cups confectioner’s sugar, sifted
  • 1 tbsp milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
  • pinch of salt
Instructions
  1. If using almond slices, grind in a food processor with the powdered sugar for at least three minutes, but before the almonds start to become almond butter.
  2. Sift together the almond flour and powdered sugar into a large bowl. If there are almond flour slices that won't pass through the sifter, then grind them again until they do.
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the egg whites, sugar and salt. Beat on medium (speed 4) for 3 minutes. Increase the speed to medium-high (speed 6) and beat for another 3 minutes. Increase the speed to 8 and beat for another 3 minutes. Increase it to 10 and beat for one more minute. When you lift the whisk, the meringue should be stuck to it. Lightly tap it against the side of the bowl until it falls off.
  4. Pour the dry ingredients into the meringue. if using. Fold them into the meringue using the "fold-and-smash" method (fold and then subsequently smash and smear against the side of the bowl). Mix until the batter is lavalike and when you spoon some of the batter out and drop it back in, it completely incorporates within about 20 seconds. When the batter is almost at the right consistency, split it into two bowls and add one color food gel to each. Keep mixing until batter is the correct consistency.
  5. Transfer half of the batter to a piping bag fitted with a ½-inch round tip. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Pipe the macarons into evenly sized and spaced circles, making sure to keep the piping bag straight up and down as you do so.
  6. Rap the baking sheet hard against the counter, twice. Turn ninety degrees and rap another two times. Let rest for 45-60 minutes.
  7. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 275F.
  8. Bake the macarons, one tray at a time, on the rack farthest from the oven's flame for 18 minutes. Allow to cool completely on the pans.
  9. Repeat with remaining batter.
  10. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
  11. Reduce mixer to low and add in the powdered sugar, about a cup at a time, until totally combined. Add the vanilla bean paste and a pinch of salt, beating to combine. Beat for 1 minute. Pipe onto either the red or the blue shells and then top with the other color.
Notes
Macaron recipe from Brave Tart, Buttercream from Tide and Thyme
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 1 macaron

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49 Responses to Red, White, and Blue Macarons

  1. Trisha says:

    I”m always so impressed by your macaroons. And just for the record, when I first saw these, I thought “Fourth of July!” not French flag. 🙂

  2. Rachel Cooks says:

    French flag — bahahaha! Too funny. I think they’re super cute and patriotic. Would you believe I’ve never had a macaron?!

  3. French flag? Ahh – men! I totally see USA and these are so festive! I better start practicing now so mine can look this gorgeous in time for the 4th 😉

  4. You. Made. Macarons. You totally win the grand prize of everything fabulous.

  5. debbie says:

    They are adorable and would be great for the 4th of July! I think I would probably end up smashing my oven though if i tried making these!!!!

  6. I salute you, fellow patriot. these are probably the most Murican French cookies I have seen 🙂

  7. Monica says:

    You crack me up! Love your macarons – they definitely get an “A” from me! Love how you are so ahead of the game and thinking July 4th. Hope you have a great weekend…it should be a dry one at least! : )

  8. Emily says:

    Such a cool idea for the 4th of July! I’ve made macarons a few times now, and I think I’m finally getting the hang of it…it was a little daunting at first because I’m not quite the baker:)

  9. French flag, American flag…. close enough;-) I haven’t made macorons in foreverrrrr but I pretty much crave them all the time!

  10. Heather says:

    Ha ha, now all I see is the French flag. Too funny. Also… I have still never had a macaron. I think I should probably remedy this.

  11. SallyBR says:

    Hey, Bastille Day is not too far, I say you are more than ready!

    🙂

  12. You are so creative, Joanne. These macarons look perfect!

  13. sandra says:

    well, they are macarons after all… a French creation… and there is that Julliet 14, you know…

  14. I love this little twist on the macaron!! I just wish you lived on my block so I can eat them ALL! LOL!

  15. Zainab says:

    These are so pretty! I feel your pain with the humidity. I haven’t had luck with a favorite recipe in two weeks and it’s driving me nuts. But I do have a new oven I’m trying to get used to as well.

  16. CakeSpy says:

    LOVE it!!! So clever and cute.

  17. Lori Rice says:

    Haha! That just makes them that much more worldly. Multiple purposes! They are gorgeous. I must start perfecting my macaron skills, or at least trying to discover if I posses any! You are inspiring me!

  18. mira says:

    Your macarons are always beautiful Joanne! Pinned!

  19. Kelly says:

    Love these macarons! Total A for effort! So festive and perfect!

  20. Pam says:

    The.Boy cracks me up! The macarons look lovely and patriotic!

  21. oh yum! these look gorgeous, joanne!

  22. These are adorable and props to you for these little gem! Macarons scare me 🙂

  23. Julia says:

    How sad is it that I forgot the French flag was red, white and blue? Thankfully the.boy is around to re-educate me! These macaroons are so impressive! I have yet to make a macaroon but I betcha my family would love it if I made these for the 4th. 😀

  24. Candice says:

    Hahaha, the boy is right! Vive La France, non?

  25. So cute! I’ll take them for America, or France, or any country really – they’ll taste delicious regardless of which country we’re calling them for 🙂

  26. Kate says:

    Well Bastille day IS coming up…

  27. Hahaha. Oh boy. Everyone’s a critic. I think they look great…light blue, nipples, and all.

  28. A macaroon could put a smile on anyone’s face! Hope you are feeling much better now. Eat a few of these. Viva la France and the USA!

  29. Oh, I wasn’t expecting the three colours in one macaroon but they do look fabulous – Joanne.

  30. Those boys are good for snark, aren’t they? 😉 These look really delicious (and patriotic! 🙂 )

  31. Amanda says:

    These cookies are adorable!

  32. Sneha says:

    Heyya… Love these macarons! Total A for effort! So festive and perfect,They are gorgeous. I must start perfecting my macaron skills, or at least trying to discover if I posses any! You are inspiring me!I’ve made macarons a few times now, and I think I’m finally getting the hang of it..These look really delicious.. 🙂 🙂

  33. Liz says:

    They look PERFECT to me! Beautifully done, nipples and all 🙂

  34. Sarah says:

    Haha you’re too cute! I love these! And I definitely thought about Fourth of July, but I guess Bastille day could work too??

  35. These look awesome! Last time I made macarons, I only got FOUR shells that weren’t cracked, so I definitely need a lot of time to practice :).

  36. Christina says:

    I have developed a real love affair with cafe and bakery-bought macarons, but I am pretty overwhelmed by the process of making them myself. Yours came out beautifully! I think I might have to try these since I am always up for a challenge.

  37. These are awesome! Maybe I can double this as celebrating where I’m from (Great Britain). Either way, we can both be patriotic with these 🙂

  38. Asha says:

    Those are adorable, perfect for the upcoming holiday. They are so beautiful.

  39. Hotly Spiced says:

    You’re so talented with making macarons. These are so cute and pretty and yes, I did think they looked a little French! I have had many failed attempts at making macarons and it’s probably time I got back in the saddle and gave them another try xx

  40. Foodiewife says:

    You put me to shame. I swear. One of these days I’m going to make macarons and do a little dance. You make it look so easy.

  41. ooooh they’re SO PRETTY!!!! These macarons are awesome and my fave kind of patriotic treat 😉

  42. […] Red, White and Blue Macarons – Eats Well With Others […]

  43. Johanna GGG says:

    Oh they look so pretty (and next time tell the boy they are for Australia Day – that would flummox him!) – but I feel your pain re the oven and the humidity – I tried meringues on a very sticky day and they got so sticky it was crazy

  44. Jenna says:

    Followed this recipie exactly. Macaroons did not turn out. Please give a more precise description of how much folding to do. Pictures would help.

    • joanne says:

      I’m so sorry the macs didn’t turn out!! They are INSANELY finicky and it took me multiple tries and experimenting with my oven to get them right. Even now I don’t get consistently perfect macs every time, mostly because my current oven has spots in it that run hot resulting in cracked macs no matter what I do. Unfortunately every oven is a little different and even slight changes in temperature or even just changes in the humidity in the air can cause them not to turn out. If only we could all have convection ovens like in professional kitchens!

      Can you describe what you mean when you say that they didn’t turn out? I’d love to be able to help you troubleshoot and figure out where things went awry.

      Here is a pretty good tutorial, with photos, that might help: http://www.ironwhisk.com/2012/05/french-macarons/

  45. Jane says:

    Can I half this recipe?

    • joanne says:

      Macarons are pretty finicky, so I wouldn’t recommend halving it (or at least, you could try it at your own risk!) Let me know if it turns out if you do!

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