Desserts
These adorable donut macarons are so darn cute I can't take it. Filled with a chocolate buttercream they are taste as sweet as they look. Topped with royal icing and sprinkles this recipe will add a cute touch to any party or event!
Who doesn't love a good donut? At least once a week I pass by the coveted "HOT NOW" sign at Krispy Kreme and I cannot contain myself. I know where I am going later.... ANYWAY...I thought, why not combine two of my favorite desserts ever!! Macarons and donuts! It was so simple! I had ideas swirling around in my head like a tornado and I just knew these were going to turn out amazing and I think that is an understatement. I love when I good idea comes together!
The secret to the cuteness is in the royal frosting. I carefully piped some royal icing on top to give it that glazed look and I think that was the "cherry on top"! Of course the sprinkles added that extra "wow" factor. The more I added to these little guys the cuter they become!
The hardest part of this whole processes was trying to figure out how I was going to make the ring for the top shell. Should I put something in the middle so the batter doesn't touch? Should I just pipe a circle and wing it??? Of course I should! That is how most of my ideas happen and it has seemed to work out for me so far. So, that is exactly what I done. I used a small cookie cutter and made a template for myself using some mac batter and then I piped a circles of the batter and it worked! I was overthinking it a bit. I piped like a normally would for the other half of the shells, these will be the bottom of the "donut".
Just like any other macaron recipe you see me post on here, it is very important that you let them sit and form a shell before baking. This will help them rise and create those "happy feet" we love to see with macaron shells!
Top 10 Tips for Perfect Macaron Shells
- Make sure you are working with room temperature egg whites. If you do not have time (or forget) to sit your eggs out, just place them in a bowl with some hot water when you begin and they should be warm by the time you need to use them.
- Make sure you weigh out AND sift all of your dry ingredients. The more you sift, the prettier your shells will be. If you sift 2-3 times you will get a nice smooth shell. It isn't required that you sift more than once, but it helps.
- Make sure you FOLD your batter and stop when it gets to the perfect "figure 8" consistency. If you over fold you will get macs that will not rise and they will crack on top. This is a very important step, so be sure to check your batter every 3-4 folds to avoid over mixing.
- Make sure your oven temperature is correct. I have had so many issues with this... I finally had to go grab an oven thermometer and it has been so much easier ever since. Just make sure your oven is exactly 300 degrees before you place the macs in or they will not rise properly.
- The first tip is to make sure you are working with room temperature egg whites. If you do not have time (or forget) to sit your eggs out, just place them in a bowl with some hot water when you begin and they should be warm by the time you need to use them.
- Make sure you weigh out AND sift all of your dry ingredients. The more you sift, the prettier your shells will be. If you sift 2-3 times you will get a nice smooth shell. It isn't required that you sift more than once, but it helps.
- Make sure you FOLD your batter and stop when it gets to the perfect "figure 8" consistency. If you over fold you will get macs that will not rise and they will crack on top. This is a very important step, so be sure to check your batter every 3-4 folds to avoid over mixing.
- Make sure your oven temperature is correct. I have had so many issues with this... I finally had to go grab an oven thermometer and it has been so much easier ever since. Just make sure your oven is exactly 300 degrees before you place the macs in or they will not rise properly.
- Use silicon mats. I have tried so many times to bake these on parchment paper and it has never worked for me.. it always burns.. that is why I always recommend getting a silicon mat, they have never done me wrong!
- And last but not least, the piping. Make sure that you use a small round top and pipe your macs and hold your piping bag completely vertical. This will help maintain even feet when they rise.
Now let's get to what you came here for!! Remember to pin this recipe for later!
Let's get bakin'!
Donut Macarons
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 12 Macarons 1x
Ingredients
Scale
Ingredients
- 4 oz. confectioners’ sugar
- 2 oz. almond flour I recommend Bob’s Red Mill
- 1 oz granulated sugar
- 2 egg whites at room temperature
- ¼ tsp salt
- Small amount of brown food color is optional to give the macs a tan color. Use just the top of a toothpick.
Chocolate Buttercream
- 1 stick room temperature butter
- 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3-4 tbsp heavy cream
Toppings:
- Sprinkles of your choice
Royal icing
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1 egg white
- Pink food color
- 3-4 tbsp water for thinning
Instructions
- Weigh out all your ingredients.
- Next, sift your powdered sugar on a scale, then add in your sifted almond flour. Give all these ingredients a quick whisk to make sure there are no lumps.
- Add your egg whites to the bowl of your mixer and start mixing on a medium speed until they get frothy. Add in the salt.
- Gradually add in your sugar to the egg whites and mix on a medium speed until you get a soft peak consistency. Before you reach soft peaks, add in the brown food dye. Being careful not to overmix.
- After the egg whites are the right consistency, add about ½ of the dry mixture to the egg whites and fold in until there are no dry spots left.
- Add in the remaining dry mixture to the meringue and fold in until there are no dry spots. Begin to check for the “ribbon” stage, where the batter falls off in ribbons and you can make a figure 8 without it breaking off. Once you get to this consistency stop folding.
- Prepare your piping bag with a small round tip. Place your bag in a large cup to make it easier to add your batter. Slowly add in your batter.
- Place a silicon mat or parchment paper on a baking sheet. Take a small cookie cutter and place into the batter and make a template for yourself (see photos). Place the circles at least 1 inch apart
- Hold your piping bag completely vertical and pipe around the outside of half of the circles and pipe the entire inside of the circle for the other half, this will be the bake of the macarons. (see photos)
- 10.After you have piped all the batter, bang the baking sheet on the counter 10-20 times (seriously) to remove all air bubbles. Use a toothpick or something sharp to pop them.
- 11.Now it is time to let them dry. Leave them sitting on the counter for 30-60 minutes until you can touch them, and you can feel a “shell” form over them. No batter should come off on your finger.
- 12.preheat your oven to 300 degrees F. and bake your macarons for 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned. When you touch the top of the macaron it should not wiggle around on the “feet”.
- 13.Allow them to cool COMPLETELY before taking them off the baking sheet.
- 14.To make the buttercream add the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer or large mixing bowl. Mix until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add in powdered sugar one cup at a time and mix until combined. Add in cocoa powder, vanilla and cream and mix on high speed for 6-7 minutes. Place in a piping bag or large Ziplock bag.
- 15.For the royal icing, combine the egg white and powdered sugar together in the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, mix until the mixture looks glossy. Add in 3-4 tbsp of water SLOWLY being careful not to get too watery. Once you get a consistency that you can lift the whisk and the icing runs from the whisk and disappears into the icing after about 10 seconds the icing is ready. Add to a small Ziplock bag with a small round piping tip.
- 16.Add a small circle of icing around the ring shells and around the outside of the shell making an outline. “Flood” the inside of the outline and taking a toothpick smooth and fill any empty spots. (see photos). Top with sprinkles.
- 17.Apply a generous amount of buttercream on the bottom shells in a circle and sandwich with the top shells.
- 18.Allow to “mature” in the refrigerator for 24-48 hours and enjoy!!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
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