This easy recipe for green apple macarons has a buttercream filling and light green shells. You can make them ahead of time and freeze them for up to 3 months.
Almond Flour Green Apple Macarons
These green apple macarons are some of my favorite cookies! Made with almond flour, they are naturally gluten-free and have the perfect crunch on the outside and chewiness on the inside. The cookie shells and buttercream are vanilla- and green apple-flavored.
Tint the Shells with Food Coloring
I added a few drops of green and yellow food coloring to make light green shells, but you can leave them out. Use gel food coloring instead of liquid so the ratio of liquid ingredients to dry ingredients stays the same as in the recipe.
When coloring the macaron cookies pastel, use a light hand. However, if the color is too pale, it can disappear when the cookies are baked. Also, never brown the cookies when baking, or the shell color will change to brown.
Baking Mats
Use a silicone baking mat or parchment paper to prevent the macarons from sticking. Silicone mats come in different sizes to fit different pans and ovens. They are reusable, easy to clean, and can be used for baking many other things. Some mats have circles printed on them for piping macarons. Draw circles on parchment paper by tracing around a small round object, such as a round cookie cutter or a lid. Trace circles on one side with a dark pen. Then turn the paper over and pipe macarons onto the clean side so they don’t touch the ink.
Piping Green Apple Macarons
Piping perfectly round macaron shells without circles on a mat takes practice. The key to a round cookie is to hold the piping bag perpendicular to the silicone mat (straight up and down). The cookies will be malformed when the piping bag is held at an angle.
Follow the Recipe Steps for Green Apple Macarons
I found these green apple macarons easy to make. The recipe is straightforward, and there is no guessing when the batter is ready to pipe. However, do not skip the drying step; it lets the macaron shells form a skin. This helps set their shape so they bake up beautifully without cracks. Enjoy!
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Green Apple Macarons
Equipment
- food processor
- fine mesh wire strainer
- 1 medium-sized round tip
- 1 extra-large piping bag
- 1 small star tip
- 1 small piping bag
- cookie sheets
- silicone baking mat(s) or parchment paper
- food scale (optional) (for weighing dry ingredients)
Ingredients
Cookie Shells
- 2 ¾ cups (275 g) almond flour
- 2 cups + 1 tablespoon (250 g) confectioners' (icing) sugar
- 6 large egg whites, room temperature
- ½ large egg white, room temperature (keep in a separate bowl from other egg whites)
- 1 cup + 1 tablespoon (210 g) castor or granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon green apple flavoring (LorAnn Oils used)
- green gel food coloring
- yellow gel food coloring
Buttercream Filling
- 1 ½ sticks (3/4 cup) butter, softened
- 3 ½ cups confectioners' (icing) sugar
- 1 teaspoon green apple flavoring (LorAnn Oils)
- 2 tablespoons cream or whole milk
Instructions
Cookie Shells
- Place a nonstick silicone baking mat or parchment paper on a baking sheet. (See notes below.) This recipe will make enough macarons for several baking sheets.
- Using a food processor, combine the almond flour and confectioners' sugar and process until the mixture is fine. Then, sift the flour mixture, discarding any large almond pieces if necessary. Set aside.
- Using a mixing bowl and the whisk attachment, beat 6 egg whites until foamy. Add 1/3 of the sugar and beat for 1 minute until the sugar dissolves. Add half of the remaining sugar and beat for 1 more minute. Then, add the rest of the sugar and beat until firm, glossy peaks form, about a minute or two.
- Add the green apple flavoring. For green pastel-colored cookies, add a small amount of green gel coloring and a little yellow, and beat until well mixed.
- Use a spatula to gently fold the dry ingredients into the egg whites. Mix well. The batter will be thick. Then, with a hand whisk, beat the 1/2 egg white until frothy. Stir this egg into the almond mixture to soften and moisten the batter.
- Snip off the end of the large piping bag and place the round tip into it. Then, place the batter into the bag. Fold the top of the piping bag over, then roll it down and hold the top so no batter can escape. Place the bag over the baking sheet and position it vertically upright. Pipe 1 to 1 1/2-inch round circles onto the mats or parchment paper. Leave room between each circle for the batter to spread.
- Tap each baking sheet on the counter as you finish piping a full pan. Tapping will spread the macaron batter and also help remove air bubbles. Use a toothpick to burst any bubbles in the macarons. Let the macarons sit for about 30 minutes to form a dried skin on top. In dry climates, they might dry out in 10 minutes. In very humid climates, it might take longer. Test the macaron skins with your fingertip. If the batter sticks to your finger, they are not ready and should sit longer. If no batter sticks to your finger, they are cured for baking.
- Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Bake the macaron shells for 14-15 minutes. Do not brown them or they will lose their color. Cool them completely after baking.
- Gently remove the macarons by pulling the mat (or parchment paper) away from the shells. Place the shells flat side up (upside down) on a large cutting board or another flat surface. This will make it easier to add the filling to them, and they will also be easier to pick up.
Buttercream Filling
- Use an electric mixer to beat the butter until fluffy. Add the cream and green apple flavoring and beat until well mixed.
- Add the confectioners' sugar, one cup at a time, beating after each addition until smooth. If the frosting is too stiff, add more cream. If too soft, add a little more sugar.
- Add the star tip to the small piping bag. Then, add the frosting to the bag. Pipe small stars on half of the cookie shells. Then, gently place the remaining cookie shells on top of the cookie shells with stars.
Notes
Weighing Ingredients
Macarons need precise measurements of dry ingredients. For best results, use a food scale to weigh the dry ingredients. Otherwise, measure carefully.Gel Colorings
For the cookie shells, use a gel coloring that is not liquid. I used Wilton Leaf Green and Wilton Lemon Yellow icing colors.Baking Options
You have three options for baking the macarons.- Use parchment paper on a baking sheet. To help guide the size of the macarons, draw a circle on the parchment paper using a 1 1/2-inch round cup or another object, spacing the circles apart so the macarons spread. Place the parchment paper on the baking sheet with the side you drew on facing up. You will be able to see the circles through the paper.
- Use a Silpat-type nonstick baking mat. Some baking mats have circles printed on them for macaron making.
- Or use a silicone mat with macaron cavities. This type of mat has small cavities that you fill with batter, so they all turn out uniform. Do not fill the cavities to the top, or the batter might run over the rims and distort the macaron shapes. It is better to fill them almost full, then use a toothpick to spread the batter until you gain experience filling the cavities.