White chocolate cranberry macarons are both fun and festive! Filled with a tart homemade cranberry jam and surrounded by a ring of sweet white chocolate ganache. Top these cuties with a bit of sparkling sugar for an extra special touch.
How to Make White Chocolate Cranberry Macarons
Shells:
For these festive macarons I colored them red using Wilton Color Right gel food coloring. A true red color can be tricky to achieve in macarons or even frostings. It requires a large amount of coloring to get the saturation needed. For these macarons I added between 10-20 drops of Crimson color, but you can see they are still a lighter red color. Using less food coloring will give you more of a pink color, but you can use more to get a darker red color.
After piping the macarons onto the baking sheet I sprinkled them with red sparkling sugar. It’s important to add any sort of sprinkles to your macarons while they are still wet, so just after piping. This will make the sprinkle adhere best.
Filling:
White Chocolate Ganache
A sweet white chocolate ganache makes a great pairing to the tart flavor of cranberry jam. Ganache is super simple to make and requires only 2 ingredients; white chocolate and heavy cream. It’s as easy as melting the two together to form one homogeneous mixture, allowing it cool/firm up, then whipping some air into it for a fluffy texture. Whipping the ganache also make it easier to pipe onto the macarons.
Cranberry Jam
This jam also requires very few ingredients, cranberries, sugar and water. Bring everything to a boil for a few minutes, until thick. Pass the jam mixture through a fine mesh sieve to remove the large solid pieces and let cool. Dollop the jam into the center of each macaron and it becomes a hidden surprise when you bite into it.
Macaron Making Tips:
Macarons require lots of practice and patience to get the hang of. Go easy on yourself if it’s your first time making them. The more you practice the better you’ll get!
There are a few different methods for making macarons. This recipe uses the Italian method, which involves making a meringue with a hot sugar syrup. Check out my Pumpkin Spice Macarons post for a full list of all the equipment needed in making macarons the Italian way.
- Read through the recipe at least twice – do this before starting to fully understand the method and equipment needed.
- Measure out all ingredients – have all ingredients ready to go and allow the egg whites to come to room temperature.
- Consistency of dry ingredients – use a finely ground almond flour and sift together with the confectioners sugar, discarding any large granules. If necessary, use a food processor to grind the two ingredients into a fine powder.
- Sugar Syrup – carefully monitor the temperature of the syrup so as not to overheat it. Heating beyond 244°F will cause the sugar to become too firm. Use a good candy thermometer for an accurate temperature reading (I use a digital candy thermometer, similar to this one).
- Meringue – whip the meringue just until stiff peaks are reached. Meringue should be thick and glossy. If you over mix it will become lumpy and dry, causing hollow shells. Also, be sure the stand mixer bowl is very clean before whipping the egg whites. There should be no liquid or oil residue in the bowl, otherwise it can prevent the eggs whites from whipping up properly.
- Macaronage (mixing) – swipe the spatula around the outside of the bowl and cut through the middle of the batter to combine the meringue with the dry ingredient/paste mixture. The batter should flow smoothly but not become runny. Stop mixing often to check the consistency. Better to under mix than over mix. You should be able to draw a figure “8” with the batter as it falls off the spatula without it breaking.
- Piping – hold the piping bag straight up and down. Apply even pressure while piping each round. Release pressure before flicking away the piping tip.
- Air Bubbles – bang the baking sheets on the counter to release any air bubbles that may be trapped in the piped macarons. If any stubborn air bubbles remain, use a toothpick to pop them. Air bubbles can lead to cracking or bumpy shells, so best to get rid of them.
- Drying – allow the macarons to dry at room temperature until a ‘skin’ forms on the outside of the shell. The shell should not be sticky when lightly touched. The ‘skin’ encourages the macarons to pop up when baking, rather than spread out, creating the little ruffled feet at the bottoms of the shells.
Check out more festive recipes!
- White Chocolate Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti
- Cranberry Orange Bundt Cake with Citrus Glaze
- Spiced Cranberry Orange Cheesecake Bars
- Gingerbread Macarons
- Pumpkin Spice Macarons
White Chocolate Cranberry Macarons
- Prep Time: 1 hour 30 min (includes resting)
- Cook Time: 12 min
- Total Time: 1 hour 45 min (includes resting)
- Yield: ~ 30-35 filled macarons
Description
Sparkling red macaron shells filled with a tart homemade cranberry jam and a ring of sweet white chocolate ganache.
Ingredients
Macaron Shells
- 150 grams almond flour, ground finely
- 150 grams confectioners sugar
- 110 grams egg whites (divided into two 55 gram portions)
- 150 grams granulated sugar
- 43 grams water
- 10–20 drops red or crimson gel food coloring (optional)
White Chocolate Ganache
- 6 oz white chocolate, finely chopped
- 2 oz heavy cream
Cranberry Jam
- 1 cup cranberries (fresh or frozen)
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup water
Instructions
Macaron Shells
- Line 2-3 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. If desired, place a template under the parchment paper with 1 1/2 inch diameter circles to use as a piping guide. (I like using these baking mats/template for piping even sized macarons.)
- Sift together the almond flour and confectioners sugar into a large bowl, discarding any large granules remaining in the sieve. Whisk to combine. (If there are a lot of large pieces remaining, place all of the almond flour and sugar into a food processor and grind for about a minute, then sift again. There should be very few large granules left.) Add in the first portion of egg whites (55 grams) to the bowl. Use a rubber spatula to mix the egg whites into the dry ingredients to form a thick paste.
- In a small saucepan, add in the granulated sugar and water. Use a candy thermometer to measure the temperature of the mixture closely while cooking. Begin heating on medium-high heat and bring the temperature to 240°F.
- Meanwhile, while the sugar is cooking, begin whisking the second portion of egg whites (55 grams) in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk until the egg whites are frothy and form tight small white bubbles. Once the sugar syrup reaches 244°F reduce the mixer to low speed and very carefully add the hot syrup into the egg whites in a slow stream along the side of the mixing bowl. Avoid hitting the whisk when adding the syrup to prevent it from splattering around the sides of the bowl.
- Once all of the syrup is added increase the speed to high and whisk for 3-4 minutes, until soft peaks form. At this point, stop the mixer and add in your gel food coloring (if using). Continue whipping the egg whites for a few more minutes until they are thick, glossy and form stiff peaks. The meringue should have cooled down to room temperature.
- Take a large spatula full of the meringue and add it into the almond-sugar paste. Fold the meringue into the paste to begin loosening the consistency. Add in the remaining meringue and continue folding into the batter, sweeping the spatula around the outside of the bowl and then cutting through the middle to combine. Keep mixing until the batter falls off the spatula in a “ribbon” and moves like slow lava. You should be able to draw a figure “8” with the batter as it falls off the spatula. The “ribbon” should smooth itself back into the bowl of batter after about 10 seconds. This is when the batter is ready to pipe.
- Transfer the batter to a piping bag fitted with a medium sized round tip. Secure the end of the piping bag with a bag clip or a rubber band to prevent the batter from spilling out of the top. Pipe the batter onto the prepared baking sheet in even circles, about 1 1/2 inch in diameter. Gently but firmly tap the baking sheet on your work surface a few times to release any air bubbles from the piped macarons. Use a toothpick to pop any stubborn air bubbles.
- Let the piped macarons sit on the counter for 30-60 minutes to dry out and form a skin. They should no longer feel sticky when lightly touched.
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Bake one sheet at a time for 12-14 minutes. Macarons are done when the tops are set and there is little to no jiggle from the “feet” when lightly tapped. Let the macarons cool completely before removing from the baking sheet.
White Chocolate Ganache
- Place the finely chopped white chocolate into a medium sized bowl. Begin the melting process by placing in the microwave for 30 seconds.
- Measure out the heavy cream in a glass measuring cup and heat in the microwave for 30-45 seconds, until steaming and hot to the touch. Pour the hot cream over the white chocolate and let sit for a few minutes. Stir together until all the chocolate is melted and combined. (If needed, place back in the microwave in 15 second increments until the chocolate is fully melted.)
- Allow to sit at room temperature (or in the fridge) until the ganache has thicken. Once set, use a hand mixer to whip the ganache to a fluffy consistency.
- Add whipped ganache to a small piping bag fitted with a small round tip. Pipe rings of ganache around the flat side of the macarons, leaving a hole in the middle to place the jam.
Cranberry Jam
- Place all ingredients together in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook for about 8 minutes, until thickened. The cranberries will begin to break down and burst as they cook. Use the back of a wooden spoon to help crush the cranberries even more during cooking.
- Remove from the heat and place the cranberry mixture in a fine mesh strainer. Press through all of the liquids, using a spatula to help squeeze out as much of the juices as you can. Discard the remaining solids. Let cool completely. The jam will thicken up as it cools.
- Once cooled, place about 1/2 tsp of jam into the center of each macaron, using the white chocolate ganache as a ‘dam’ to keep the jam in the middle. Place a second macaron on top and gently sandwich together.
- Store filled macarons in the fridge. Let come to room temperature prior to eating.
Keywords: macarons, french macarons, cranberry macarons, white chocolate macarons, white chocolate cranberry macarons
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