Cranberry Macarons

Hello friends! Today we are making Cranberry Macarons filled with Cranberry Sauce and Orange Buttercream.

You can find a video showing you how to make these Cranberry Macarons on this page or on YouTube.

cranberry macarons with dusting of sugar on top, on top of a wooden board.

I absolutely love the combo of cranberries and orange! This Orange Buttercream was out of this world!

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These Cranberry Macarons would be absolutely perfect for your Thanksgiving table, or for your Christmas cookie boxes!

3 red macarons stacked, filled with cranberry sauce and orange buttercream.

I may be a little late posting this, since Thanksgiving is in a couple of days and you probably already have your menu all planned out. So maybe you can make this for Christmas, or for another Thanksgiving, this Cranberry Macarons recipe will still be here til next year, and the year after, and the year after!

I made these cookies for a Christmas Cookie Box that included 2 other macaron flavors, and 5 other different cookies!

These Cranberry Macarons would also go amazing with my Christmas Macaron box, which includes the best Christmas Macaron flavors.

cranberry macarons topped with sugar and with sugared cranberries, filled with orange buttercream.

The picture below is from when I first made these macarons, and I made the shells into two different colors, white and crimson. This time I went for just one color, and a very deep red/crimson mixture instead.

macarons filled with orange buttercream and cranberry sauce

Here are some tips on these Cranberry Macarons

  • The Cranberry Sauce has to be very thick. Notice I am not adding any extra liquid to it besides the little bit of orange juice. That’s because if the cranberry sauce is watered down or runny, it will make the shells soggy. Don’t worry that the sauce seems to be on the dry side, it will be perfect for a macaron filling.
  • Feel free to add orange extract to the buttercream to enhance the orange flavor. I found that the zest was plenty in my opinion.
  • If you can’t find Egg White Powder, just leave it out. Don’t use meringue powder instead. I’ve heard people say it might work, but I haven’t personally experimented with it.
  • Go easy on the color if you are a beginner, too much color will make the batter too wet, and very wet batters are trickier to get to the proper consistency.
  • Sprinkle the sugar on top of the shells after they’ve dried, right before baking, otherwise they will melt into the batter.
2 red macarons stacked, filled with cranberry sauce and orange buttercream.

If you would like more tips on how to make macarons, make sure to watch my videos on Youtube, I show in detail how to make the macaron shells using the Swiss method!

Plus, I have so many recipes on my blog with many tips and tricks on how to make macarons. Not to mention all of the informative posts I have on my Macaron School. From troubleshooting guides, to posts explaining how important it is to get to know your oven.

You will find all the information you need to upgrade your macaron baking skills there!

cranberry macarons with dusting of sugar on top and sugared cranberries behind.

Here are some of my most popular posts you may enjoy:

And to check out all of my Macaron recipes, click HERE.

cranberry macarons with dusting of sugar on top, on top of a wooden board topped with sugared cranberry.

Here are some of the products I use and vouch for.

This is the air-tight container I use to store my macarons in the fridge and in the freezer. They are really great for freezing macarons.

These are the piping bags I have been using for the past few months. They’re awesome!

red macarons stacked, filled with cranberry sauce and orange buttercream.

I hope you liked today’s post. Thank you so much for reading. If you make these macarons please tag me on instagram, I love seeing your creations!

cranberry macarons with dusting of sugar on top, on top of a wooden board.

Cranberry Macarons

Camila Hurst
These Cranberry Macarons are filled with Orange Buttercream and Cranberry Sauce. The combination of flavors is perfect!
5 from 8 votes
Prep Time 2 hours
Cook Time 40 minutes
Resting time 30 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 10 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 26 macarons
Calories 150 kcal

Ingredients
  

Macaron Shells
  • 100 grams egg whites 
  • 100 grams granulated sugar 
  • 4 grams egg white powder optional, read notes
  • 105 grams almond flour  
  • 105 grams powdered sugar  
  • Food coloring I used crimson, red, and a tiny touch of blue
Cranberry Sauce
  • 3/4 cup cranberries
  • 3 tbsp granulated sugar you can use maple syrup, or any other sweetener of preference
  • 4 tbsp orange juice about 1 orange
  • 1 tbsp orange zest from 1 orange
Orange Buttercream
  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter softened
  • 1 1/3 cups confectioners' sugar sifted
  • 1 tbsp orange zest
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract or orange extract (optional)
  • 1/2 -1 tbsp milk water, or orange juice as necessary

Instructions
 

Macaron Shells
  • Before you start, get all of the ingredients ready. Prepare one large piping bag, fitted with a round 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, this may cause issues down the line, such as wrinkly macarons. 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 powdered sugar and almond flour into the stiff whites.
  • Add the food coloring at this point, if using. I used crimson, red, and a tiny touch of blue.
  • Start folding gently forming a letter J with a spatula.
  • Fold until the perfect consistency is achieved, which I will explain below, but you will benefit greatly from watching my YouTube videos and seeing what the batter is actually supposed to look like.
  • 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.
  • Transfer the batter to the piping bag.
  • Place each piping bag directly 90 degrees over the center of the 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.
  • 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.
  • Right before baking, I sprinkled some coarse sugar on top of the shells to decorate them, to resemble the sugared cranberries I am using to decorate the scene.
  • Sprinkle the sugar on top of the shells after they've dried, right before baking, otherwise they will melt into the batter.
  • Pre-heat the oven to 300ºF.
  • Bake one tray at a time.
  • Bake for 5 minutes, rotate tray.
  • 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.
Cranberry Sauce
  • Place all ingredients in a small saucepan.
  • Cook over medium low heat for about 10-15 minutes, stirring every now and then.
  • If the compote is getting dry, consider adding a tablespoon of water or so.
  • Once the compote is thick, and cranberries have fallen apart, remove to a bowl. Cover and let it chill in the fridge.
Buttercream
  • Cream butter at medium speed in the bowl of an electric mixer for about 1 minute. With the mixer off, add all of the powdered sugar, and orange zest in.
  • On low speed, beat the sugar and butter together. Once they are incorporated, turn speed to medium and cream for 1-2 minutes until very fluffy.
  • Add vanilla extract, or orange extract in, beat for another 30-45 seconds. Only add 1/2 tablespoon of milk if necessary, sometimes you may find that the consistency of the buttercream is already perfect and doesn’t need any more liquid. If the buttercream seems too stiff, add a tiny bit of cream as necessary. If the buttercream seems too runny, add more sifted powdered sugar until you obtain a firm, but smooth and creamy consistency.
  • STORAGE: Store any leftover buttercream in the fridge for up to 1 week. Or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
To assemble
  • Pipe the Orange Buttercream around the edges of the bottom shell macarons.
  • Spoon a bit of Cranberry Sauce in the middle.
  • Place another shell on top.
  • Let the macarons mature for 1 day before serving, for optimal texture and flavor results.
Storage
  • These macarons will store nicely in the fridge for up to 5 days, or frozen for up to 1 month.

Notes

Egg white powder: Egg white powder 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 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.
Piping tip for the macaron batter: I typically use a 1/2” diameter tip, however if you watch the video you will see I am using a 1/4″ diameter tip, I still prefer the larger one though.
Orange buttercream: If the buttercream is too crumbly, just add more liquid so it comes together, however, avoid adding too much orange juice, as it can separate the buttercream. Add water or milk instead.
Sugar on top of the shells: Sprinkle the sugar on top of the shells after they’ve dried, right before baking, otherwise they will melt into the batter.
Keyword macarons

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27 Comments

    1. Yes! You can definitely use dried cranberries to make the jam, you may have to add a bit of water though. Start cooking the jam and add a bit of water (2 tablespoons at a time) as necessary. If it’s getting dry, add more water. Also, consider adjusting the amount of sweetener in the recipe in case the dried cranberries you are using already contain sugar.
      Best!

  1. 5 stars
    Easy to follow recipe and they turned out perfectly! Delicious mix out tart and sweet! This was a winner! Thank you.🙂

    1. just double the ingredients, and proceed as normal. It might take a little longer to whip and meringue and also to fold the batter than if making just one batch, but the instructions will be exactly the same

  2. 5 stars
    These were amazing!! My husband who’s not even a macaron fan said these were delicious. I was blown away with how much flavor there was in the buttercream using the orange zest alone. I used Trader Joe’s cranberry sauce (lazy me) and it was wonderful. Thank you so much for sharing the recipe!

  3. Do you think I’d be able to mix the cranberry sauce into the orange buttercream rather than pipe it separately?

    1. unless the cranberry sauce was strained you wouldnt be able to pipe the buttercream because the cranberries would be stuck. And another issue with that is that it would make the buttercream separate.

  4. 5 stars
    if I can’t find fresh cranberries, would frozen cranberries work? I read the previous comment that dried will work as well but would frozen be better than dried?

      1. 5 stars
        thanks so much!! I’ve made at least 20 of your macaron recipes, they’re all amazing! I made the gingerbread ones last week all my coworkers give a huge thumbs up🥰😁. over all the lockdowns I’ve gotten pretty darn good at making them, aaaalmost as good as you haha but you’re like pro level 100 I’m like pro level 85 😂😂 I made and sold 75 dozen!! during the last 3 week lockdown to kill time and for a bit of extra $$, all your recipes and everyone loved them!! I even had a few professional cake bakers ask me to collaborate with them to make macarons as cake toppers!

  5. I’m not sure what I did wrong, but mine just turned into a mess in the oven. I’m so sad. I’ll still eat them because it was a good bit of work, but I can’t figure out where I went wrong.

  6. 5 stars
    Macarons have been my pandemic hobby, and your recipes have helped me tremendously, thank you! These ones are perfect to bring for Thanksgiving and turned out beautifully. Quick question- how do you make the sugar coated cranberries for decoration? I want to add some to the plate. .

    1. You make them by simply boiling equal parts of water and sugar. Then add the cranberries to coat in the syrup, remove them and let them air dry over a cooling rack. it can take a few hours for them to dry. Then, coat each in sugar.

  7. I’m about have way through making my very first attempt at making macarons, but I’m afraid my batter wasn’t right. How long is it supposed to take for the mixture to come together? I mixed for a good 5+ minutes and it was still a pretty thick consistency. I was able to pipe it but it didn’t really spread much, but I was afraid to over work it :/ any insight into what may have gone wrong would be great. I was very diligent with the meringue so I know I didn’t over beat that, I have a scale and measured the almond flour and powdered sugar to the gram then sifted them together. I just don’t know where I could have gone wrong.

  8. So excited to make these! Can I add cranberry powder to the dry ingredients? If so how many grams would you add so it doesn’t get the consistency off.

  9. 5 stars
    These are fantastic! I’ve made several of your recipes, and while they were all delicious, this one is on another level! The orange buttercream is so bright and citrusy and the cranberry filling is perfectly tart! I also appreciate that the recipe doesn’t leave you with too much left over filling—the amounts are just perfect! I can’t wait to make these again!

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