Snowman Macarons
These cute snowman macarons are filled with homemade blueberry jam and vanilla cream cheese filling. The sweetness from the cream and the slight tanginess from the blueberries are perfect flavor combos.
Equipment
- 2 Baking sheets
- 1 Fine-mesh Sieve
- 1 Spatula
- 2-3 Large Mixing Bowls
- 1 Hand mixer/stand mixer
- 5-7 Piping Bags
- 1 Small Round Piping Tip optional
- 5-10 Toothpicks
- 1 Small Sauce Pan
- 1 Small Star Tip optional
Ingredients
Macaron Shells
- 1 cup superfine almond flour 100g
- ½ cup and 1 ½ tablespoons powdered sugar 75g
- About 2 large egg whites 70 g to be exact, at room temperature
- ¼ cup and 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 75g
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar 0.85g
- ¼ teaspoon coarse kosher salt 1.5g
Blueberry Jam Filling
- 1 cup frozen blueberries 100g
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar 45g
Cream Cheese Filling
- 3.5 ounces softened cream cheese 100g
- ½ cups powdered sugar 65g
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract 0.6 ml
Colorful Icing
- ¾ tablespoon meringue powder 7g
- 1½ tablespoons warm water NOT hot, 22ml
- ¼ tablespoon light corn syrup 5g
- 1 cup powdered sugar 125g
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract 5ml
- Blue gel food coloring for the scarves, or any color you prefer
- Golden yellow gel food coloring for the snowman noses
Black Icing
- 1½ tablespoons unsweetened black cocoa powder 11g
- ½ heaping cup powdered sugar 135g
- 1 - 1½ tablespoons hot water 15ml - 22ml
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract 2.5ml
Decoration
- Some sprinkles
Instructions
Macaron Shells
- Place the Snowman macaron template paper on 2 baking sheets. Over the template, line the baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper. (Silicone mats are recommended for better air circulation.)
- Sift together almond flour and powdered sugar using a fine mesh sieve. Scrape the bottom of the sieve with a spatula and discard any remaining large bits of almond flour. Set it aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg whites on low-medium speed until foamy.
- When egg whites are foamy, add cream of tartar and salt and continue to beat.
- Slowly sprinkle in 1-2 tablespoons of granulated sugar at a time and beat on medium speed. Allow the sugar to dissolve after each addition.
- Continue beating the egg whites at the same medium speed until stiff peaks form.
- Add half of the sifted almond flour mixture into the meringue and fold with a spatula until roughly incorporated. Fold in the rest of the almond flour until roughly combined.
- Then continue to fold the batter until it’s runny enough. To test, scoop up some batter with the spatula and let it fall back down into the bowl. If the batter smoothly ribbons off the spatula without breaking, it’s ready. Be careful not to over-fold the batter.
- To pipe macaron shells, transfer the batter into a piping bag with a small round piping tip. If you don’t have a piping tip, no worries! Just cut the tip off roughly about ½ inch.
- Hold the piping bag vertically to the baking sheet and pipe the batter following the snowman template on the prepared baking sheets. Remember to remove the template paper from the baking sheets once the piping is complete!
- Tap the baking sheets firmly on the counter a few times to eliminate any air bubbles. Use a toothpick to burst some large air bubbles that are brought up to the surface by tapping.
- Let the macarons sit out on the counter for an hour or until they are slightly dry to the touch. When you touch the surface gently with your finger and nothing sticks, they are ready to go into the oven.
- Place the oven rack on the middle shelf and preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C).
- Working one baking sheet at a time, bake the macarons for about 15-18 minutes or until the tops are just slightly wobbly when pushed.
- Cool the macaron shells completely on the baking sheet before removing them from the baking sheet to prevent breaking.
Blueberry Jam
- In a small saucepan, heat frozen blueberries and sugar on medium heat. Stir occasionally and mash the softened blueberries to release juices. Let it boil until it thickens.
- Push the jam through a fine mesh sieve into a small container. Cool completely and discard any remaining pulp.
Cream Cheese Filling
- In a mixing bowl, beat softened cream cheese until smooth.
- Add powdered sugar and mix on low until combined. Add in the vanilla extract and continue beating on medium-high speed until it becomes smooth and creamy.
- Transfer the filling to a piping bag fitted with a small star tip. Set it aside until needed in a refrigerator.
Assembly
- Pair similarly sized and shaped macaron shells.
- Pipe cream cheese frosting in the shape of “8” of each macaron. Drop a small amount of blueberry jam into the middle of the holes. Gently press another macaron on top.
Colorful icings (There will be some leftover)
- In a deep bowl, add meringue powder and warm water.
- Beat this for about 1 minute until you have a white and frothy mixture.
- Add powdered sugar, corn syrup, and vanilla extract and mix at medium to medium-high speed.
- Continue mixing until your icing becomes thick and peaks start forming.
- You will not need all the icing to decorate the macarons. Scoop out roughly one teaspoon of the white icing for the blue scarves and place it in a small cup. Scoop out roughly 1/2 teaspoon of the white icing for the snowman’s nose and place it in a separate small cup. Put the rest of the icing in a airtight container and it will last for 2-3 months in a freezer.
- In each small cup with the white icing, add a very small drop of water (much less than 1/8 teaspoon) at a time and mix well until you get to the consistency you want. My icing was between medium consistency and flood consistency. More detailed explanations of icing consistency can be found here.
- Add a dash of blue food coloring (or any color you want) to the icing for scarves and mix well. Add a dash of golden yellow food coloring to the icing for snowman’s noses and mix well.
- Put the blue and yellow icing into separate piping bags. Set them aside until needed.
Black icing
- Whisk the black cocoa powder, powdered sugar, hot water, and vanilla in a mixing bowl.
- If needed, a very small drop of water at a time to get to the consistency you want. (I recommend medium consistency)
- Put the black icing into a piping bag and set it aside until needed.
Decorating
- Snip off a tiny amount (about ⅛-inch) at the corner of the piping bags.
- To balance the facial parts, draw a snowman’s nose in the middle of the upper circle with the yellow icing.
- With black icing, draw eyes next to the snowman nose and draw buttons vertically lined up in the middle of the lower circle.
- With blue icing, draw a scarf where the snowman’s neck should be. Place a tiny sprinkle on where the scarf ties.