Coffee Macarons
Hello friends! Today we are making Coffee Macarons filled with a beautiful swirl of Espresso Frosting and Mocha Frosting. And they are also topped with a chocolate covered espresso bean.
Make sure to watch the video on this page or on my YouTube channel, showing you exactly how to make these delicious Coffee Macarons.
Making the swirl frosting for these beautiful macarons is super easy, and it gives the Coffee Macarons such a cool effect.
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First, make the base frosting, which is the Espresso Frosting, basically a cream cheese frosting with espresso powder and Kahlua.
Don’t want to use Kahlua? No problem! You can use any coffee liqueur, or extract. And you can also use vanilla extract if you don’t have any of those around. The espresso powder will take care of the coffee taste.
This is my favorite espresso powder.
And while espresso powder and instant coffee are not the same, you could use instant coffee in this recipe if you don’t have espresso powder.
How to make the Swirled Frosting for the Coffee Macarons
- Fit a piping bag with the piping tip of choice. Set aside.
- Lay out a piece of plastic wrap on top of the counter.
- Spread a stripe of Espresso Frosting in the middle of the plastic wrap, across the narrow side.
- Right next to it, spread a stripe of Mocha Frosting.
- Roll the plastic wrap over itself to form a log.
- Insert the frosting log in the piping bag.
- Make sure to adjust the log in the piping bag in way that both frostings are at the same level so they come out at the same time once you start piping.
To pipe the filling on the Coffee Macarons, I used a #32 Wilton open star tip.
Important tips about making the swirled frosting:
- Make sure both frostings have similar consistencies. Because otherwise, one of the frostings will rush down the piping tip and out of the bag, while the other will stay at the top.
- For that, you must have your butter and cream cheese just softened, don’t use overly softened butter or cream cheese to make the frosting.
- It helps to spread the frosting all the way to the edge of the plastic wrap, so this way, you won’t have plastic wrap excess getting in the way when you are piping the frosting. Sometimes if there is excess plastic wrap, it may interfere with the frosting flow, and one of the frostings might not come out alright.
- Apply equal pressure on all sides of the piping bag as you are holding it up and piping the frosting, this way both frostings will come out at the same intensity.
Fun fact, the picture below is from the first time I made these macarons, 2 years ago, and both my shells and the frosting were brown-ish instead of white, because the espresso powder I was using was dissolving way more than the brand I used for the macarons I made recently. They are super pretty though, I love that color.
Another thing you will notice is that I am using egg white powder in the macaron batter for these Coffee Macarons.
This is not something I call for in all of my recipes. I started using egg white powder recently after taking advice from Nicole at Bake Toujours.
I only add 4 grams of egg white powder for each 100 grams of egg whites.
The egg white powder is NOT the same as meringue powder. Egg white powder must contain only one ingredient: egg whites. While meringue powder contain several other ingredients as additives.
Egg white powder will help the stabilize the meringue. It’s basically like adding just the proteins of the egg whites to the meringue (without the huge amount of water that an egg white contains), which will strengthen the protein bonds that make the meringue strong.
The results are: fuller shells, shells that dry way faster (which means this is also a great addition if you live in a humid climate), and a higher chance of success overall due to a strong and beautiful meringue serving as a base for the macarons!
This is the egg white powder I use:
Can I skip the egg white powder? Yes, you most certainly can! However, I highly encourage you to try baking with egg white powder if you are an avid macaron baker and a student like myself. Because it’s always good to experiment with different techniques and products, in order to evolve, improve, and continue to make beautiful creations!
If you enjoy making macarons, make sure to check out my Macaron School, where I gather a lot of posts filled with knowledge, tips, troubleshooting, and everything else you need to know about making and mastering macarons!
And if you love these Coffee Macarons, here are some more recipes you may enjoy:
- Fig Macarons
- Honey Macarons
- Nutella Macarons
- Chocolate Macarons
- Earl Grey Macarons
- Chai Macarons
- Mint Chocolate Macarons
- Peanut Butter Macarons
- Banana Macarons
- Vanilla Bean Macarons
- Chocolate Caramel Macarons
- Chocolate Strawberry Macarons
- Oreo Macarons
And for the full list of macaron flavors and ideas click here. I have too many to list!
Thanks for reading my blog! Make sure to check out the video, since the visual is always super important when learning how to make macarons!
If you make this recipe leave a comment below and tag me on instagram, I love to see your creations!
Coffee Macarons
Ingredients
Coffee Macaron Shells
- 100 grams egg whites
- 100 grams white granulated sugar
- 4 grams egg white powder (optional)
- 105 grams almond flour
- 105 grams powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder
Espresso Frosting and Mocha Frosting
- 1/4 cup cream cheese, softened 56 grams
- 2 tbsp butter, softened 28 grams
- 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted 187 grams
- 1/2 tsp Kahlua or vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp espresso powder
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 tsp milk (if necessary)
Instructions
Coffee Macaron Shells
- Before you start, get all of the ingredients ready. Prepare a large piping bag, fitted with a large round tip, I use a 1/2” diameter tip. Set aside.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mat.
- Measure out all of the ingredients.
- Sift the powdered sugar and almond flour together. Set it aside.
- Whisk the sugar and the egg white powder (if using) in a bowl, and place it over a pan with barely simmering water. Add the egg whites to the sugar and whisk the mixture until frothy and the sugar is completely melted. It will take a couple of minutes. You can test by touching the mixture between your fingers, and if you feel any sugar granules just keep whisking the mixture over the water bath.
- Make sure the bottom of the bowl isn’t touching the simmering water because you don’t want the whites to cook. Also, don’t overheat the sugar syrup just whisk over the double boiler until the sugar has melted.
- Transfer the syrup to the bowl of a stand mixer.
- With the whisk attachment, start whisking mixture on low for about 30 seconds, then gradually start increasing speed to medium. Whisk on medium for one to two minutes, until the mixture is white and starting to become fluffy. Raise the speed to high, or medium-high and whisk for a few minutes until stiff peaks are formed. Best way to check this is to keep your eye on the whites. Once they get glossy and you start seeing streaks formed by the whisk, it might be time to stop.
- Whisk until stiff peaks have formed. When you pull your whip up, the peak should be stiff and shooting straight up, with possibly a slight bend at the top, but not bending down to the side.
- Pour the sifted powdered sugar and almond flour into the stiff meringue.
- Start folding gently forming a letter J with a spatula.
- Add the food coloring at this point, if using any.
- How to know when to stop folding the batter: It’s time to stop folding when the batter is glossy and has a thick and flowing consistency. There are several ways to test this.
- First, pick up some batter with the spatula and try to draw a figure 8 with the batter that is dripping off the spatula. If you can form several 8 figures without the batter breaking up, that’s one indication that it might be ready.
- There’s another test you can do. I call it the Teaspoon test.Grab a teaspoon of batter and spoon onto the parchment paper or silicon mat. Wait a minute to see how it behaves.If the batter stays stiff, forming a point and doesn’t spread out, fold a little bit more, about 3 folds.
- Test again.
- Once the batter spreads out a bit and starts to look glossy and smooth on top, on the parchment paper, it’s ready.
- You don’t want your batter to be too runny either. So be careful not to overmix. It’s always best to undermix and test several times until the proper consistency has been achieved.
- When you hold the spatula with batter on top of the bowl and the batter falls off the spatula slowly but effortlessly the batter is ready. The batter will keep flowing off the spatula non-stop, but not too quickly.
- At this point, you want to add the espresso powder. Make sure to add right at the end. Stir just enough to combine, about 2 to 3 folds.
- Transfer the batter to the piping bag.
- Place the piping bag directly 90 degrees over the center of each macaron template. Apply gentle pressure and carefully pipe for about 3 seconds, and then quickly pull the bag up twisting slightly.
- Once you’ve piped as many circles as you could, bang the trays against the counter a few times each. This will release air bubbles that are in the batter and prevent your macaron shells from cracking.
- Use a toothpick to pop any air bubbles in the surface of the shells.Let the trays sit for a while so the shells will dry out a little bit. I usually leave about 20-40 minutes, depending on how humid the day is. You’ll know they’re ready when you gently touch the surface of a macaron and it seems dry.
- Pre-heat the oven to 300ºF.
- Bake one tray at a time.
- Bake for 5 minutes, rotate tray.
- Bake for 5 more minutes. Rotate again.I bake each tray for about 15 to 20 minutes.When baked, the macarons will have a deeper color and formed feet. If you try to move a macaron, it shouldn’t feel jiggly. If the macaron is still jiggly, keep baking.
- Remove from the oven and bake the other tray.
- Let the macarons cool down before proceeding with the filling.
Espresso Frosting and Mocha Frosting
- Cream the softened cream cheese and butter together in the bowl of an electric mixer, for about 2 minutes, until light and fluffy.
- With the mixer off, add the powdered sugar to the bowl.
- Turn mixer on low to incorporate the powdered sugar with the cream cheese and butter.
- Then cream the mixture on medium high for one minute.
- Add Kahlua, or vanilla extract. Mix to combine.
- Add the espresso powder and mix.
- If the frosting is too runny, add more powdered sugar. And if the frosting is too stiff, add a teaspoon of water or milk to thin it out.
- Divide the frosting between two different bowls.
- Cover one bowl so that the frosting doesn't dry out, that will be the Espresso Frosting.
- To make the Mocha Frosting, add cocoa powder to the other half of the frosting you divided between the bowls. Cream until combined. If the frosting is stiff, add a teaspoon of milk or water to thin it out.
- If the frosting is too runny, add more powdered sugar.
- Make sure to always leave your frosting covered if you are not using it. Cover the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap, because otherwise, the surface will dry out and get hard.
To assemble
- Lay out a piece of plastic wrap. Spread a stripe of the Mocha Frosting in the middle of the plastic wrap, across the narrow side. On top of the Mocha (brown) Frosting, spread some Espresso (white) Frosting. Roll the plastic wrap over itself to form a log.
- Line a piping bag with the piping tip of your preference. Insert the frosting log in the piping bag (refer to pictures on the post to check how this is done, or watch the video on this page). Press evenly on all sides so both color frostings come out with the same intensity.
- Pipe about some of the frosting filling on top of each bottom shell. Top with the top shell.
- If desired, pipe a little frosting decoration on top of each macaron, and then put a chocolate covered espresso bean on top.
- Let the macarons mature overnight before serving.
Storage
- Store macarons in the fridge, in an air tight container for up to 5 days, and in the freezer for about 1 month.
Notes
is not the same as meringue powder. Egg white powder is made of only egg whites. They help with getting fuller shells, and specially when adding a lot of food coloring to the batter, because they make the shells dry faster. I recommend experimenting with it if you can find it. I use 4 grams for each 100 grams of egg whites.
Food coloring: Make sure to use gel food coloring if using any. I use Wilton Color Right Performance Food Coloring Set. If you are a beginner macaron baker, I recommend going easy on the food coloring, as it can alter your batter a lot, and it can take extra mixing time, specially if you continue to add the food coloring as you do the macaronage.
Scale: Please use a scale when measuring the ingredients for accuracy.
Macaron amount: it will vary greatly depending on how big you pipe the shells, and on how runny or thick the batter is.
Baking time/temperature: Baking time and temperature will vary according to your own oven. I recommend experimenting with your oven to find out the best time, temperature, position of the baking tray.
Oven thermometer: Make sure to have an oven thermometer to bake macarons. It’s one of the most important things about making macarons. Home ovens aren’t accurate at all at telling the temperature, and even a slight 5 degree difference can make or break your whole batch.
Tray rotation: Lots of bakers don’t have to rotate the trays 180 degrees in the oven every 5 minutes, but I do have to with my oven, or I will get lopsided macarons. Please adjust this according to your oven.
Espresso powder: While espresso powder and instant coffee are not the same, you could use instant coffee in this recipe if you don’t have espresso powder.
Kahlua: If you can’t find Kahlua, or don’t want to use it, just go for any coffee liqueur, or coffee extract. You can also simply use vanilla extract instead.
Que delícia!!
obrigada mae 🙂
These are fantastic! I have made them several times, always delicious.
I love coffee macarons! These look perfect!
Thank you Natalie!!!
The swirled icing is very interesting and the icing on top makes it all the more interesting 😉 I haven’t tried this yet but I like the idea.
Thank you so much!!
Is espresso powder the same as instant coffee?
I think that espresso powder is more concentrated but instant coffee would work as well!
I made these and the chocolate ones on separate days, they were delicious and had great texture but never smoothed out. Any tips? Everything is carefully measured on a scale. I fold it forever but I can never get it to “run” so it holds the lumpy piped shape I would love pretty and delicious ones!
It would help if I could see a picture of them. Could be that the meringue was over whipped, or you’re simply not folding enough. Sometimes it can take a long time, my arm even hurts sometimes while folding lol. If you got pics send them on my email camila at pies and tacos . com (altogether), or on instagram dm.
Hi Julie,
I wonder if it could be that you did not smooth your almond flour and confectioner sugar by adding to food processor or straining it or both.
The nutritional value says 290 calories but how many is 1 serving? Or is the whole batch 290 calories?
Actually the info is wrong. It’s supposed to be around 115 kcal per cookie. I will change it now. Don’t know what happened there. Thank you!
I have not started baking but I am reading the recipe and can not find the espresso powder in the cookie shell? It says that there is espresso powder in the macaroons she’ll in the ingredients but reading the recipe I do not know where to mix it in? It’s doesn’t mention it???
step 20 mentions it
Followed your instructions and made fantastic macarons on the first try. Everyone loved them and they looked beautiful. Thanks for the detailed instructions on the batter!
Thank you so much Karen! That’s very wonderful to hear!!
Hi Camila.
Thanks for wonderful new coffee Macarons shell recipe. I wonder if we use 4 gr egg white powder, do we still use corn powder?
Always love your channel, I tried your method and recipe and yours is the best!
I’ve never used both at the same time. You could experiment but it might make the shells too dry, I’m not sure. I have seen some people in the macaron facebook group saying they’ve used both with success. Maybe try a bit less of each than what you’re used to?
Made your lemon ones for my first time ever making macaroons and they were a big hit ! thank you so much ! I want to make chocolate shells next and do a chocolate filling and a peanut butter filling as well.
Can I double the recipe? or will that mess with the texture and consistency of the delicate macaroons? I am making them for a party and would like to make a lot at one time.
awe that’s great to hear!! And yes you absolutely can double the recipe, I do it all the time.
Camila I’m so glad I found your blog! I’ve been making macarons for a couple years, I have achieved smooth shells but they have always been hallow until I found your Swiss method! It’s been a game changer. No more hallows! Every now and then I bump into some other finky problems. But thank you for sharing your recipes and your trouble shoots! I’ve tried other bloggers trouble shoots but was still never able to achieve full macarons! Again thank you so much for great recipes!
I am so happy to ready this! Thank you Kristina! You made my day!!! I appreciate it!! So happy I could help you!
For the filling do I use unsalted butter or salted? Thanks
both, mostly unsalted though. If I only have salted I would use it no problem.
Love this meringue method, was much easier to get stiff peaks as needed! However, I think I did something weird because the bases in some cases were not even connected to the silicon mat. Any ideas? I am fairly confident that I over folded, because a lot of them stretched and melted, but this seems like a different issue.
try whipping your mats and trays with vinegar before beginning that should help too.
this recipe looks amazing but the swirled cream makes it look tough i still dont dought it easy will try this recipe
make sure to watch the video it shows exactly how to do it 🙂
ok thanks
Hi,
I don’t really like cream cheese in my frosting. Can I omit it would out making any other adjustments?
you can substitute with butter instead 🙂
Hi hi. Your Macarons look sooo delish. I’m gonna try making them soon, Please The Lord. The instant coffee, is it the small pack instant coffees, like the cappuccino, mocha, vanilla etc?
Also, can I use cappuccino for the fillings and for the shells if I don’t have the espresso?
the powder you will use has to be very fine, if your cappuccino powder is fine then yes you can totally use it.
Hi! I was wondering if I should weigh out the dry ingredients first and then sift them together or should I sift the ingredients first before weighing then add them together?
I always weigh before sifting, but I barely have anything left in the sifter from the almond flour because I use really good quality super fine almond flour. So the final amount of flour you’re using needs to be 105 grams. If you are using a flour that leaves too much larger pieces filtered out by the sifter I recommend getting a different kind of almond flour because that means your flour is too coarse.
I loved the recipe and the buttercreams were amazing. I still ran into issues with shells cracking even with following the recipe exactly. Do you have any guesses as to the problem?
there are many reasons why macarons crack, i recommend checking the troubleshooting guide here https://www.piesandtacos.commacaron-troubleshooting/