Description
Delicious and elegant Pistachio Macarons featuring delicate almond and pistachio flour shells with a luscious Laduree-style pistachio buttercream filling. These French-style macarons are beautifully green, light, and perfect for special occasions or as a sophisticated dessert treat.
Ingredients
Scale
Macaron Shells
- 60 g fine almond flour
- 40 g fine pistachio flour
- 65 g powdered sugar
- 70 g egg whites (at room temperature)
- 75 g fine granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ¼ teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon green gel food coloring (Wilton Kelly green or similar)
Pistachio Buttercream Filling
- 65 g granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 egg yolks
- 55 g unsalted butter (at room temperature)
- 20 g pure pistachio paste
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 300°F (150°C) and prepare two baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper, silicone mats, or Teflon sheets to prevent sticking.
- Prepare Dry Ingredients: Sift together the almond flour, pistachio flour, and powdered sugar twice to ensure a fine, lump-free mixture. Discard any chunky bits left in the sifter.
- Make Meringue Base: In a clean mixing bowl with a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites with granulated sugar, cream of tartar, and kosher salt on medium speed until soft peaks form. This process takes about 30–40 minutes for a full, stiff meringue.
- Add Food Coloring: Once soft peaks form, add a drop of green gel food coloring and continue whipping until hard peaks form—meringue should form sharp, pointy peaks that hold their shape.
- Combine Batter: Sift the dry mixture again over the meringue and fold carefully using a silicone spatula. Fold until the batter is smooth and runny enough to draw a figure-eight without breaking. Test by dropping a bit of batter back into the bowl; it should dissolve into itself within about 10 seconds. Avoid over-folding.
- Pipe Shells: Transfer the batter into a pastry bag fitted with a round tip (Wilton 2A recommended). Pipe 1.5-inch rounds spaced about 1 inch apart onto the prepared baking sheets. Tap the baking sheets firmly on the counter to release air bubbles; use a toothpick to pop any large bubbles.
- Rest Shells: Let the piped macarons sit at room temperature for 15 minutes to form a skin before baking.
- Bake: Bake one tray at a time on the middle rack for 15–18 minutes. To prevent browning, put an empty baking sheet on the top rack. Macarons are done when they are firm and do not wobble when touched gently.
- Cool Shells: Allow the macarons to cool completely on the baking sheet or silicone mat before removing them to avoid cracking.
- Prepare Pistachio Buttercream: In a small saucepan, combine sugar and water, bring to a boil over medium heat stirring until sugar dissolves. Cook syrup until it reaches 250°F (120°C).
- Beat Egg Yolks: Meanwhile, beat egg yolks in a mixer until doubled in size and pale, about 2 minutes.
- Combine Syrup and Yolks: Slowly pour the hot syrup into egg yolks while beating on low speed, pouring onto the side of the bowl to avoid splattering. Increase speed to medium-high and continue beating until cooled to 104°F (40°C) and mixture is smooth and white.
- Add Butter and Pistachio: Stir in butter, pistachio paste, and optional food coloring. Continue beating until smooth, then transfer buttercream to a pastry bag with a round tip.
- Assemble Macarons: Pair shells of similar sizes. Pipe a dollop of pistachio buttercream onto the flat side of the bottom shells, then top with the matching shell and press lightly to spread filling to edges.
- Mature Macarons: Store assembled macarons in an airtight container in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours to allow flavors to mature and the filling to soften the shells.
- Serve: Remove macarons from the fridge about 30 minutes before serving to reach optimal texture and flavor.
Notes
- Ensure egg whites are at room temperature for better meringue volume.
- Folding batter requires practice; aim for about 50 folds and test for the correct consistency every few folds.
- Use green gel food coloring sparingly to avoid altering batter consistency.
- The resting step before baking is critical to develop the characteristic macaron shell feet and smooth tops.
- Over-baking can dry macarons; under-baking causes wobbliness. Check doneness carefully.
- Storing assembled macarons for 24 hours enhances flavor and texture.
- Use a kitchen thermometer to monitor sugar syrup and meringue temperature accurately.
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 18 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: French
Keywords: pistachio macarons, French macarons, pistachio buttercream, almond flour macarons, elegant dessert, green macarons
