A raspberry macaron is one of those desserts that people always think about when they hear “French dessert.”
This sweet treat has been around since the late 18th century, but it’s not actually French in origin.
The original was created by a chef named Michel Bras, who worked at Le Chambellan restaurant in Paris.
He served his raspberry macarons to the guests as part of their entrees, which made them popular among diners looking for something sweet after eating the main course.
What Is The Difference Between A Raspberry Macaron And A Regular Macaron?
Raspberry macarons have an almond-flour base instead of flour or cake mix.
It’s also worth noting that the raspberry preserves used to fill these treats aren’t just any old jam—they’re flavored with real raspberries!
Another key ingredient found in this type of macaron is egg whites, which gives the cookies their signature airiness.
Macarons contain no fat whatsoever, so there isn’t much butter needed either.
Instead, most recipes call for vegetable oil (or other neutral-tasting oils) for baking purposes.
The result is a light, fluffy cookie that doesn’t taste like anything else on Earth.
These little gems can be dipped into hot chocolate, eaten plain out of hand, or even sandwiched together for a more substantial snack.
Macaron Ingredients
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons almond flour
- ¾ cup confectioner’s sugar
- ⅓ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup vegetable shortening
- 4 large egg white(s)
- Zest from 1 lemon
- 100 grams fresh raspberries (about ½ cup)
To prepare your own raspberry macarons, start by making sure all ingredients and tools are ready before moving forward.
You’ll need two bowls and a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
Mix the almond flour and confectioner’s sugar with a spoon until well combined.
Next, cut the shortening into pieces using a pastry blender or fork.
Once the mixture resembles fine crumbs, add the salt and egg yolks one at a time.
Beat each addition into the mixture until completely incorporated.
Finally, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until soft peaks form.
Fold half of the whipped egg whites into the batter to loosen up the mixture.
Now, use a spatula to gently fold the remaining egg whites into the batter.
When everything comes together, transfer the dough to a work surface and shape into a ball.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line three baking sheets with parchment paper.
Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough until it reaches ¼ inch thick.
Use a round cutter measuring 3 inches wide to cut circles of dough.
Place each circle onto a prepared sheet pan and bake for 10 minutes.
Remove from heat and let cool completely on a wire rack.
Once cooled, carefully remove the cookies from the pan and place them back on the rack to finish drying.
Repeat steps four through six above until all dough is gone.
How Do You Make A Raspberry Macaron?
Raspberry macarons aren’t difficult to make if you have basic baking equipment on hand.
In fact, making these little treats doesn’t require much more than mixing ingredients together until they’re smooth and creamy enough to be piped out onto a cookie sheet.
- 1 cup almond flour (or hazelnut or pecan)
- 3/4 cup confectioner’s sugar
- 1 egg white
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch salt
- 1 1/4 cups unsalted butter, melted
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Juice of 2 lemons
- 1 pint fresh raspberries
- Confectioner’s sugar, for topping
You’ll need an electric mixer to mix this batter properly, so start preparing it while your oven preheats.
When all the dry ingredients are combined, add the remaining wet ingredients and whisk everything into a thick paste.
Then, fold in the fruit.
Spread the batter evenly across a nonstick cookie sheet using a spatula.
Bake for 15 minutes, then remove from the oven and let cool completely before frosting each macaron individually.
You can either use a piping bag fitted with a star tip or cut a small hole through the center of each macaron so the filling will seep out during cooking.
Before serving, you should sprinkle some confectioner’s sugar over the top of each macaron.
Don’t worry too much about getting every last bit of sugar off though – just make sure there’s plenty sprinkled on top!
What Is The Best Raspberry Macaron Recipe?
Raspberry macarons have become extremely popular over the past few years because they’re easy to prepare and require only three ingredients – flour, egg whites, and sugar.
They also don’t contain butter or cream, so they can be eaten without feeling guilty afterwards.
If you want to give your favorite family member a gift this holiday season, then consider baking these raspberries into some homemade macarons.
You’ll know just how much effort went into making them!
It may seem like an incredibly simple process, but there are several steps involved in preparing raspberry macarons.
To start off, you need to mix all dry ingredients together well before adding the eggs, followed by mixing everything else together thoroughly.
After this is done, you must fold in the whipped egg white mixture until incorporated.
Finally, add the raspberry puree, and bake the macarons according to the directions below.
You should allow yourself plenty of time to complete these steps, especially if you’ve never baked anything before.
If you find yourself running behind schedule, you can either increase the oven temperature or reduce the amount of time spent on each step.
It’s better to take too long than to rush through the process!
This raspberry macaron recipe comes from AllRecipes.com, where you will find dozens more recipes for other types of confections and desserts.
Here are some tips from the site that could help you out during the preparation process:
- Do not preheat your oven while measuring the ingredients.
- Instead, wait until you finish mixing the batter before starting to measure.
- Use a stand mixer instead of hand-mixing the batter.
- This will ensure uniformity throughout the batch.
- Gently press down on the top of the finished macarons to remove excess air bubbles.
- Don’t worry if some crack slightly; they’ll still taste good.
What Is The Difference Between A Raspberry Macaron And A Raspberry Tart?
There isn’t much of a noticeable difference between a raspberry macaron and a raspberry tart.
Both are crisp pastries that use a buttery shortbread base, and both are usually filled with a mixture of whipped cream or fruit juice and jam before being covered in powdered sugar.
That said, there are some slight differences between these two types of treats.
For starters, tarts typically have more layers than macarons do.
A typical raspberry tart will include a layer of pastry dough known as a puff pastry, followed by a layer of whipped cream and then another layer of pastry dough.
While this might sound like an unnecessarily complicated process, the end result makes up for the extra steps.
Another important distinction is that while macarons can be made using either almond flour or regular all-purpose flour, you’ll find most raspberry tarts made from almond flour instead of all-purpose flour.
Almond flour has a very subtle flavor that complements the fruity flavors found in raspberries well.
What Is The Difference Between A Raspberry Macaron And A Raspberry Meringue?
Macarons are usually baked with almond flour or coconut flour instead of wheat flour, which gives them a light texture.
They can also be flavored with lemon zest, vanilla extract, egg whites, or even chocolate chips.
Raspberry macarons take things up a notch by adding raspberries into the mix.
Raspberry tarts are similar to macarons, except they’re larger than macarons and have more filling inside.
A raspberry tart isn’t necessarily better than a macaron, though — both types of treats are delicious!
In terms of taste, a macaron is sweeter than a tart because it contains less filling.
Macarons tend to feel lighter on your tongue compared to other desserts such as cakes, pies, and pastries.
Both raspberry macarons and raspberry tarts are typically decorated with icing (or frosting) and sprinkles.
A raspberry macaron doesn’t contain much fruit, so it’s best if you don’t eat too many of these sweets all at once.
In contrast, a raspberry tart will give you several servings of fresh berries, making this dessert more satisfying.
How Do You Make A Raspberry Macaron Filling?
Raspberries have a deep red color, so if you want your raspberry macaron filling to be bright pink, then choose fresh raspberries instead of frozen or canned ones.
You can also use other berries like blueberry or strawberry, depending on what seasonings you would like to include.
- 1 1/4 cups (150 grams) unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 egg white
- 11/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 21/2 cups (300 grams) almond flour
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- Zest from half an orange
If you’re using fresh fruit, puree it first, either by blending it into a smooth paste in a food processor or by hand until you get a nice consistency.
If you’re using frozen or canned fruits, just add some water or milk to achieve the desired texture.
What Is The Difference Between A Raspberry Macaron And A Raspberry Cupcake?
When you look up a definition of macaron online, there are two things you will see listed under its name.
One says that it’s a small sponge cake with almond meal or flour, and the other calls it an airy cookie.
While these definitions can be used interchangeably, the truth is that macarons aren’t technically cakes or cookies — they’re more like a hybrid of both of those terms.
Macarons have a lot of similarities to both cakes and cookies because they use a similar method to create them.
They also share some ingredients, such as eggs, egg whites, and butter, with each category.
But while macarons contain a combination of different types of ingredients, they don’t fall into just one category.
That’s why we say they’re better described as a type of pastry rather than a traditional dessert.
“Macaroon” comes from the word “macaron,” meaning “small shell,” and this term refers to the fact that the cookie itself looks like a tiny meringue-like puff ball.
This shape makes them easy to eat by hand, especially if you find yourself in need of a quick snack on the go.
In addition to being bite-sized, macarons tend to be dense and moist because they lack fat.
The texture helps keep them light enough to eat without feeling heavy on your stomach, so you won’t feel weighed down afterward.
These tiny puffs are usually baked individually before they’re packaged together, making them easier to transport from place to place compared to larger desserts.
How Do You Make A Raspberry Macaron Glaze?
Raspberries have an incredible amount of antioxidants, so using them in this recipe is a great way to boost your daily intake of vitamin C while also adding some extra flavor to these delicious treats.
Macaroons don’t need much of anything added to them besides eggs, cream cheese, and sugar, but if you’re interested in making a more decadent version, try topping your raspberry macarons with a raspberry macaron glaze instead.
It will add another layer of sweetness to the already sweet cookie.
This raspberry macaron glaze can be used on just about any kind of baked good or cake, including cakes, brownies, and even cheesecakes! If you want to use it on its own, simply spoon it onto cooled cookies before serving.
But here are a few different ways to serve it depending on what type of dessert you plan to put it on.
1. Raspberry macaron glaze on a chocolate hazelnut cake
Chocolate Hazelnut Cake Recipe
2. Raspberry macaron glaze on a vanilla bean cheesecake
Vanilla Bean Cheesecake Recipe
3. Raspberry macaron glaze on a strawberry shortbread bar
Strawberry Shortbread Bar Recipe
4. Raspberry macaron glaze on a lemon poppy seed loaf
Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf Recipe
What Is The Difference Between A Raspberry Macaron And A Raspberry Tartlet?
There is no official distinction between a raspberry macaron and a raspberry tartlet, so both terms can be used interchangeably.
However, there are some differences between these two types of treats.
- Macarons are usually larger than tartlets and have an almond base instead of being made from just flour and butter like tartlets.
- Tartlets don’t contain any jam or cream inside them while macarons are filled with fruit preserves.
- They’re also different because one uses egg whites and the other doesn’t.
Raspberry Macaron Recipe (with Almond Base)
Ingredients:
- 1 1/4 cups almond meal
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 5 large eggs, separated
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 3/4 teaspoons cornstarch
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a food processor, combine almond meal, sugar, egg yolks, vanilla, flour, salt, and cream of tartar.
- Pulse until mixture forms coarse crumbs.
- Add water and pulse again until dough comes together.
- Transfer almond mixture into a bowl.
- Using clean beaters, whip egg whites on medium speed until soft peaks form.
- Gently fold whipped egg whites into almond mixture using a spatula.
- Use your hands to gently roll the mixture into balls.
- Place balls onto prepared baking sheets and bake for 15 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let cool before adding toppings and serving.
Equipment
- Oven
Ingredients
- ¾ cup almond flour
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ¼ cup raspberries freeze dried, pulsed to a fine powder
- 3 large egg whites room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
Filling
- ¼ cup salted butter softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar 114g
- 3 Tablespoons raspberry jam plus more for filling the macarons
- 1-2 teaspoons heavy cream as needed
Instructions
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats and set aside.
- Sift almond flour, powdered sugar, and freeze dried raspberry powder into a mixing bowl using a fine mesh sieve. Repeat once more to ensure that all of the ingredients are evenly combined, discarding any larger pieces that do not pass through the mesh sieve. Place aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites until frothy, about 1 minute, then gradually add the granulated sugar, about 1 tablespoon every 20 seconds or so. Increase the speed to medium-high and keep beating until stiff peaks form.
- Using a spatula, fold the sifted almond mixture into the egg whites until the batter has the consistency of lava and drizzles off a spatula in a thick ribbon.
- Fill a piping bag fitted with a large round tip or a ziploc bag with one corner cut off with the macaron batter. Pipe the macaron batter in 12-inch circles onto baking sheets lined with a silpat mat or parchment paper. Allow the macarons to rest for 30-60 minutes, or until the tops are dry enough to touch. If the day is humid, it may take even longer.
- Preheat the oven to 300°F. Bake for 16-18 minutes, one sheet of macaron shells at a time. Allow the macaron shells to cool completely on the baking sheet before attempting to remove them from the pan.
- In the meantime, make the raspberry buttercream by creaming the butter in a medium mixing bowl until creamy and smooth. Mix in the powdered sugar and jam again. To achieve a good piping consistency, add as much heavy cream as needed.
- Transfer the raspberry buttercream to a bag fitted with a small round tip or a ziploc bag with one corner cut off to fill the macaron shells. Pipe a buttercream border around the edges of half of the macaron shells. 12 teaspoon raspberry jam, then top with another macaron shells.
Video
Nutrition
My blog is all about creating delicious meals with ingredients that are easy to find in your local grocery store. I’m passionate about making yummy meals that I can share with my friends and family.