These raspberry macarons filled with creamy chocolate ganache are utterly irresistible. Naturally colored and surprisingly forgiving, they’re perfect even for a beginner baker.
I don’t usually fuss over Valentine’s Day, but this year my curious and loving five-year-old is excited about “Love Day.” She’s been asking how we celebrate and when I’ll bake treats for the occasion. I made champagne cupcakes for another treat, but since she couldn’t have those I baked these raspberry macarons instead—then, admittedly, I ate most of them (and even made a second batch the next day).
These raspberry macarons are some of my best: smooth tops, even feet, and no hollows or cracks. The raspberry flavor is bright and natural thanks to freeze-dried raspberries. The shells develop a touch of browning at the edges even when baked correctly; if you prefer a more vivid pink, add one or two drops of pink food coloring when mixing. A little color helps the shells stay consistently pink across the surface.
For Valentine’s I experimented with heart-shaped macarons. Piping hearts takes practice—some pipe two teardrops together, but I found a V-shaped motion with rounded tops works best. If you want uniform hearts, print or trace a simple heart clipart onto paper and place it under your silpat or baking mat as a guide while piping.
Recipe Card
Raspberry Macarons with Chocolate Ganache
1 hr
25 mins
1 hr 25 mins
Ingredients
- 120 grams egg whites (aged overnight)
- 190 grams powdered sugar
- 100 grams ground almond flour
- 15 grams freeze-dried raspberries
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 40 grams granulated sugar
- 1–2 drops pink food coloring (optional)
- 4 ounces dark chocolate (for ganache)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Place the egg whites in a bowl and leave out overnight. This step is important for proper macaron texture.
- The next day, pulse the powdered sugar, almond flour, and freeze-dried raspberries in a food processor about 10–15 times until the raspberries are finely powdered and the mixture is pink.
- In a clean, dry mixer bowl, beat the aged egg whites until frothy. Add the salt and granulated sugar, then beat until stiff peaks form.
- Fold the almond flour mixture into the egg whites and add food coloring if using. Use a rubber spatula and go slowly to avoid incorporating more air.
- Once the almond mixture is fully combined, continue gentle folding until the batter falls off the spatula in a ribbon. Stop mixing as soon as the ribbon stage is reached.
- Let the batter sit uncovered for about 30 minutes. Prepare a piping bag fitted with a large round tip.
- Transfer batter to the piping bag in batches, checking for and removing any air bubbles.
- Pipe rounds or hearts onto baking sheets lined with baking mats, using a guide under the mat if you want consistent heart shapes.
- Tap the baking sheets on a hard surface to release air bubbles, then let the piped shells rest for about 1 hour to form skins.
- Preheat the oven to 325°F (163°C). Bake one sheet at a time for 10 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking.
- Remove the macarons and allow shells to cool completely before filling.
- To make the ganache: in a double boiler, combine the dark chocolate, butter, heavy cream, and vanilla. Heat gently until melted and smooth, stirring to combine. Remove from heat and cool completely.
- Match macaron shells by size. Pipe or spoon cooled ganache onto one shell of each pair and top with the matching shell.
- Store finished macarons in a cool, dry, airtight container. They keep well for several weeks when stored properly.