Go Back
–+ servings

Cotton Candy Macarons

Dainty pink macarons with cotton candy buttercream
No ratings yet
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 50 minutes
Cook Time 14 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 34 minutes
Course Anytime, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine French
Servings 50
Calories 168 kcal

Equipment

  • food processor
  • 1 round piping tip (medium sized)
  • 1 extra-large piping bag
  • 1 small star piping tip
  • 1 small piping bag

Ingredients
  

Cookie Shells
  • 2 ¾ cups (275 g) almond flour
  • 2 cups + 1 tablespoon (250 g) confectioners' (icing) sugar
  • 6 ½ large egg whites, divided & at room temperature (Place 6 egg whites in a bowl and 1/2 egg white into another bowl)
  • 1 cup + 1 tablespoon (210 g) castor or granulated sugar
  • pink gel food coloring
Buttercream Filling
  • 1 ½ sticks (3/4 cup) butter, softened
  • 3 ½ cups confectioner's (icing) sugar
  • ½ teaspoon cotton candy flavoring (LorAnn Oils used)
  • 2 tablespoons cream or whole milk
  • pink gel food coloring (optional for coloring the filling)

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 another minute until the sugar dissolves. Add half of the remaining sugar and beat another minute. Then, add the rest of the sugar and beat until firm, glossy peaks form, about a minute or two.
  • For pastel-colored cookies, add a small amount of pink gel coloring and beat until well mixed. (For darker pink cookies, add a larger amount of coloring.)
  • Use a spatula to gently fold in the almond mixture to 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 the batter and moisten it.
  • Snip off the end of the large piping bag and place the round tip into it. Then, place the batter into the bag. Fold over the top of the piping bag and then roll it down and hold the top so none of the batter can escape. Position the bag over the baking sheet and position it vertically straight. Pipe 1 to 1 1/2-inch round circles onto the baking sheet. 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 degrees F (150 degrees C). Bake the macaron shells for 14-15 minutes. Do not brown them or they will lose their color. Cool them completely after baking.
  • Remove the macarons gently 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 cotton candy flavoring and beat until well mixed.
  • Add the powdered 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.

Sugar

Castor sugar is the same as granulated sugar, except it has been ground finer. You can create your own by placing granulated sugar into a food processor and processing it until it has a fine texture.

Gel Colorings

For the cookie shells, use a gel coloring that is not liquid. I used Wilton Rose food coloring and you can click here to see it.

Baking Options

There are three options for baking the macarons.
  1. 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 out the circles for the macrons to spread.  Place the parchment paper onto the baking sheet with the side you drew on facing the baking sheet.  You will be able to see the circles through the paper.
  2. Use a Silpat-type nonstick baking mat.  Some baking mats have circles printed on them for macaron making.
  3. Or use a silicone mat with macaron cavities.  This type of mat has small cavities that you fill with batter so they are all 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 and then take a toothpick and spread the batter until you gain experience filling the cavities.

Baking Sheets

If you don’t have enough baking sheets to prepare all the macarons at one time, pipe them onto parchment paper and let them rest until the skin forms on top. Then, slide the parchment paper onto a baking sheet. Once the skin forms, the macarons will retain their shape when you move them to a pan for baking.

Baking Time

Total baking time is determined by multiplying the cooking time by the number of pans used to bake the macarons. The individual baking time may increase if 2 or more pans are baked in an oven.

Yield

This recipe makes about 50 macaron sandwich cookies.

Freeze Macarons

Macarons have a short shelf life, so freeze leftovers. They will keep for a few months in the freezer. Thaw before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 168kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 3gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.01gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.1gTrans Fat: 0.001gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 8mgPotassium: 8mgFiber: 1gSugar: 23gVitamin A: 10IUVitamin C: 0.004mgCalcium: 28mgIron: 1mg
Keyword candy cotton macarons, French Macarons, Macarons, pink macarons
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!