Champagne Macaron Recipe

- Lauren Gill

Champagne Macaron Recipe Champagne Macaron Recipe

Okay- so I’m completely obsessed with these Champagne Macarons I made last week. They combine two of my favorite sweets (champagne and macs!)

I had never made macarons before and was worried because everyone talks about how tricky they are.  To be honest.. this is my second batch and the first ones ended up in the garbage, ha.  Practice makes perfect, right?

The recipe I used for the plain macaron shells is from Popsugar, and I used the filling recipe from Annie’s Eats.

Here’s how to make your own champagne macarons! 

Macaron Shells: 
Ingredients:

  • 2/3 cup almond meal or ground almonds
  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 3 large egg whites, room temperature and preferably aged up to 3 days
  • 5 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
 
Directions: 
  1. Preheat the oven to 280ºF, and position 2 racks in the lower section of the oven. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. If you have time, draw 1-inch circles on the back of each sheet, spacing the circles at least 1/2-inch apart.
  2. If your almond meal is very coarse, grind it with the powdered sugar in a food processor until fine. Sift the almond meal-powdered sugar mixture twice through a mesh sieve.
  3. Place egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer (or use a hand mixer), and begin to beat on medium-high. When the eggs are frothy, gradually add granulated sugar 1 tablespoon at a time until fully incorporated. Continue to beat the egg white mixture until glossy and stiff peaks form when you lift the beaters. Gently stir in the vanilla extract. Be careful to not overbeat the meringue (e.g., the meringue takes on a clumpy texture).
  4. Add half of the sifted almond mixture, and gently fold it into the meringue using a flexible silicone spatula. Lift from the bottom, up around the sides, and toward the middle, being careful to not over agitate the meringue and lose too much air. Once the almond mixture is predominantly incorporated, add the second half and repeat the folding motion.
  5. When the almond mixture is just incorporated, you will need to transform the batter into the appropriate texture. Using the flat of the spatula, “punch” down into the center of the batter, then scrape more batter from the sides to the center, and punch again. You will need to repeat this 10-15 times (or more, depending on your arm strength and the beginning texture of your batter) until the batter slowly and continuously drips back into the bowl when you scoop it up with the spatula. Think of the consistency of molten lava. For the best results, punch the batter a few times, check the consistency, then punch a few more times, etc. Do not make the batter too runny or the macarons won’t rise as they should, and you could end up with oil stains on the surface.
  6. Pour batter into a pastry bag fitted with a 0.4-inch tip. In a pinch, you can also use a gallon-size Ziploc bag: just snip a teeny bit from one of the bottom corners. Twist and clip the top of the bag to avoid overflow. On your prepared baking sheets, pipe out 1-inch rounds in the circles you drew (remember to draw the circles on the back side of your parchment to avoid ink or pencil stains on your macarons!).
  7. Holding the baking sheet in both hands, rap each baking sheet firmly on the counter two or three times. This smooths out the tops and helps form the “pied” or frilly foot on the bottoms of the macarons. Allow the piped macarons to dry, uncovered, for at least 15 minutes. The macarons should form a very thin, smooth crust where, if you tap it lightly with your finger, the batter will not stick to your finger. If after 15 minutes, the batter is still sticky, let it dry longer. This may take up to an hour on humid days.
  8. Place both baking sheets in the oven and bake for 15-18 minutes. After the first 2 minutes, open the oven to allow any excess humidity to escape. Halfway through, swap oven racks and rotate the sheets for even baking. The macarons are done when they are baked all the way through and the shells are just hard. Take care to not under bake (insides will still be mushy) or over bake (tops will begin to brown). Remove them from the oven, and cool on baking sheet placed on a wire rack.

Champagne Macaron Recipe

Champagne Filling: 
Ingredients: 

  • 1 cup champagne
  • 2½ large (75 g) egg whites
  • ½ cup sugar
  • pinch of salt
  • 16 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
 
Directions:
  1. In a medium sauce pan, bring the champagne to a boil. Let simmer for 10 minutes, or until reduced to ¼ cup. Set aside and let cool.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or other heat-resistant bowl), combine the egg whites, sugar, and salt. Set over a small pot of simmering water, whisking constantly. Bring to 160F and then remove from the heat. Beat on medium-high speed with the whisk attachment until cooled to room temperature and stiff peaks have formed, about 8 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium and then add the butter, 2 tbsp at a time, only adding more after the rest has been incorporated. The frosting may start to look soupy or curdled, but just keep beating and it will eventually become fluffy again.
  3. With the mixer on low, add the reduced champagne one tbsp at a time, allowing each to be incorporated before adding the next. If the frosting starts to separate, keep beating and it will eventually come back together.
  4. Transfer the frosting to a piping bag and pipe onto the flat side of half of the macaron shells. Top with a second shell and gently press together so that the frosting reaches the edges. Refrigerate overnight before serving.
There you have it! The yummiest champagne macarons that are SO adorable. I also added gold sprinkles to mine and made them festive for NYE.
Champagne Macaron Recipe
Have you ever made macarons or do you have any good recipes I should try?
Xx,
Lauren

18 thoughts on “Champagne Macaron Recipe”

  8. These look AMAZING! Macarons have always been, and will always be, my favorite dessert. I have been wanting to take a macaron baking class for the longest time but seeing how great these came out make me think that I can totally give it a go on my own!

    xx, Danielle | Pineapple & Prosecco

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *