Strawberry Cheesecake Macarons
These Strawberry Cheesecake Macarons are so tasty and delicate. They are possibly one of my favorite desserts ever! The cookies are nice and crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside. Matched with a yummy cream cheese filling, ah, HEAVEN!
This little cookie has been so difficult for me to get right. They are so temperamental and just the slightest change can manipulate their outcome! I will try my very best to be as descriptive as possible to help you get the best little macs!!
To start, make sure you get all of your ingredients weighed out first! Have everything ready before you begin, it makes life A LOT easier.
Ingredients for Strawberry Cheesecake Macarons:
For the macarons
150 grams of almond flour (I use Bobs Red Mill, if you have a Sam’s Club you can get it A LOT cheaper in bulk).
150 grams powdered sugar
110 grams egg whites divided into two containers (55 grams per container)
150 grams granulated sugar
38 grams water
approx. 1 tsp pink food dye (GEL ONLY)
Filling
8 oz cream cheese at room temperature
1-2 tbsp strawberry preserves
1/2 cup butter at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
Special equipment:
Scale that weighs in grams
How to make macarons.
After weighing out all of your ingredients, sift together your powdered sugar and almond flour into a large bowl. Make a little well in the center and add in one batch (55 grams) of egg whites.
Combine until a paste forms. At first it will seem like there is not enough wet to dry ingredients, but keep folding, it will come together, I promise. Cover the bowl with either a lid or cling wrap and set aside.
Add your second batch of egg whites to a stand mixer with a whisk attachment and leave them for now.
Combine your sugar and water in a sauce pan, and heat on med-high heat. Use your thermometer and keep a close eye on the temperature! When the syrup reaches 115 degrees Celsius, turn your stand mixer on medium speed and start whipping your egg whites.
When the syrup reaches 118 degrees Celsius, remove from heat, and immediately start a timer for 6 minutes. SLOWLY pour your syrup into the stand mixer. Your egg whites will double in size. Continue whipping for the full 6 minutes. Add in your food dye here. ONLY use gel colors, if you use liquid it will change the consistency and that is a no no! You should have stiff peaks when finished.
Once the meringue is finished, add half of the mixture to the almond mixture you made earlier. FOLD until combined. Add in remaining meringue. (hint: if you forgot to add your color, you can add it in at this point)
The folding technique is VERY important. You want to go around the bowl, and through the center of the batter. Around the bowl, through the center, repeat. This helps get the air out of the batter. Continue folding until you reach the ribbon stage. Check often, because it is very easy to over mix!
Add your batter into a piping bag with a small round tip, and pipe small circles about 3 cm each. I find it is helpful to pipe at about a 45 degree angle. This helps to give you a nice flat mac after baking!
Also, download this template to make sure you pipe out perfect macs every time!
Tap the tray against the counter 3 or 4 times. This helps the air bubbles rise to the top. If you mixed the batter correctly, there shouldn’t be a lot, if any 🙂 Let the macs sit for about 30 minutes. *This will really vary depending on your location. If you have a more humid area, you may have to let them sit a bit longer. They should not be sticky at all to the touch before you bake* 🙂
Once they have formed their “shell,” bake for 12 minutes at 325°F. To check if they are done, wiggle the top of the shell, if it moves around at all, it isn’t done. Put back in for 1 minute and check again. Repeat until the shells don’t move around on the “feet”. Be sure to only do 1 minute increments.
While your macaron shells are cooling, make the filling! This is really the best part, and is where all the flavor is! Combine your cream cheese and butter in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Whip them until light and fluffy. Add in powdered sugar and mix until combined. Then add in the strawberry preserves and whip until nice and fluffy!
Add your filling to a piping bag and fill half of your macaron cookies, then top with the remaining cookies and that’s it!! You have a yummy, bite-sized treat everyone will love!!
Strawberry Cheesecake Macarons
Comment below and let me know how yours turned out!!!
Strawberry Cheesecake Macarons
- Total Time: 57 minutes
- Yield: 40 macarons 1x
Description
These Strawberry Cheesecake Macarons are so tasty and delicate. They are possibly one of my favorite desserts ever! The cookies are nice and crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside. Matched with a yummy creamcheese filling, ah, HEAVEN!
Ingredients
For the macarons
150 grams of almond flour (I use Bobs Red Mill, if you have a Sam’s Club you can get it A LOT cheaper in bulk).
150 grams powdered sugar
110 grams egg whites divided into two containers (55 grams per container)
150 grams granulated sugar
38 grams water
approx. 1 tsp pink food dye (GEL ONLY)
Filling
8 oz cream cheese at room temperature
1–2 tbsp strawberry preserves
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
Special equipment:
Scale that weighs in grams
food thermometer
sifter or food processor
stand mixer
Instructions
After weighing out all of your ingredients, sift together your powdered sugar and almond flour into a large bowl. Make a little well in the center and add in one batch (55 grams) of egg whites.
Combine until a paste forms. At first it will seem like there is not enough wet to dry ingredients, but keep folding, it’ll come together. Cover the bowl with either a lid or cling wrap and set aside.
Add your second batch of egg whites to a stand mixer with a whisk attachment and leave them for now.
Combine your sugar and water in a sauce pan, and heat on med-high heat. Use your thermometer and keep a close eye on the temperature! When the syrup reaches 115 degrees Celsius, turn your stand mixer on medium speed and start whipping your egg whites.
When the syrup reaches 118 degrees Celsius, remove from heat, and immediately start a timer for 6 minutes! SLOWLY pour your syrup into the stand mixer. Your egg whites will double in size. Continue whipping for the full 6 minutes.
Add in your food dye here. ONLY use gel colors, if you use liquid it will change the consistency and that is a no no! You should have stiff peaks when finished.
Once the meringue is finished, add half of the mixture to the almond mixture you made earlier. FOLD until combined. Add in remaining meringue. (hint: if you forgot to add your color, you can add it in at this point) The folding technique is VERY important. You want to go around the bowl, and through the center of the batter. Around the bowl, through the center, repeat. This helps get the air out of the batter. Continue folding until you reach the ribbon stage. Check often, because it is very easy to over mix!
Add your batter into a piping bag with a small round tip, and pipe small circles about 3 cm each. I find it is helpful to pipe at about a 45 degree angle. This helps to give you a nice flat mac after baking!
Also, download this template to make sure you pipe out perfect macs every time!
Tap the tray against the counter 3 or 4 times. This helps the air bubbles rise to the top. If you mixed the batter correctly, there shouldn’t be a lot, if any. 🙂 Let the macarons sit for about 30 minutes. *This will really vary depending on your location. If you have a more humid area, you may have to let them sit longer (possibly even an hour or more). They should not be sticky at all to the touch before you bake.*
Once they have formed their “shell,” preheat your oven to 325°F. When the oven is ready, bake for 12-14 minutes. To check if they are done, wiggle the top of the shell, if it moves around at all, it isn’t done. Put back in for 1 minute and check again. Repeat until the shells don’t move around on the “feet”. Be sure to only do 1 minute increments.
While your macaron shells are cooling, make the filling. This is really the best part, and is where all the flavor is! Combine your cream cheese and butter in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Whip them until light and fluffy. Add in powdered sugar and mix until combined. Add in the strawberry preserves and whip until nice and fluffy!
Add your filling to a piping bag and fill half of your macaron cookies, then top with the remaining cookies and that’s it!! You have a yummy, bite-sized treat everyone will love!!
- Prep Time: 45
- Cook Time: 12
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Get your free macaron template HERE If you liked this recipe, check out these macaron recipes!!
Thank you for this method. Will try this recipe. Question, what do you mean by strawberry preserve? What will I be looking for to get that? Please advise.
From, a beginner baker
Hi Cher! The strawberry preserves are found in the same place as the jams and jellies at the grocery store. If you can’t find preserves, I would recommend using jam.
When would I start to pre-heat oven….definitely trying these
Thank you
I’d wait to preheat the oven until your macarons have formed a shell.
It said to add half of the meringue to the almond flour mixer. What do I do with the other half?
So sorry! Got the recipe updated to include: once combined, add in remaining meringue. Fold until it reaches the ribbon stage.
This is my first time doing macarons with Italian meringue! So far they look good! Should they be kept in the fridge?
For the strawberry macarons, one section states 115 Celsius and another states 118 Celsius, does it matter which one I use?
In the instructions, it tells you what needs to be done at which temperature:
“When the syrup reaches 115 degrees Celsius, turn your stand mixer on medium speed and start whipping your egg whites.
When the syrup reaches 118 degrees Celsius, remove from heat, and immediately start a timer for 6 minutes! SLOWLY pour your syrup into the stand mixer…”
Do the finished macarons need to stay refrigerated because of the cream cheese? I would like to make these for granddaughters wedding but they would sit out for quite a while. Thanks
I did it! I made these and they are not perfect, but I am super proud of what I achieved. My piping of the cookies got a little sloppy. And I did not think to use a decorative tip to pipe the filling, but with Rose’s “help” and this terrific guide, I was able to successfully complete the culinary challenge. THANK YOU! You are THE BEST! They are both tasty AND beautiful! Thank you, thank you, thank you!