Rainbow Macarons are the most fun and delicious cookies! Everyone always gets so excited when I make these! I'm sharing the recipe so that you can spread the macaron joy with your friends & family as well! The shells have a subtle chocolate flavor so they taste kind of like Oreos (but even better!) mixed with the vibrant vanilla buttercream. The frosting makes the process a bit longer, but it helps fill time while the macarons dry and it's so worth it!
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What You Need to Make This Recipe
Ingredients:
- Egg whites
- Granulated sugar
- Almond flour
- Powdered sugar
- Black cocoa powder
- Gel food coloring
- Unsalted butter
- Vanilla extract
Equipment:
Making the Shells
This process is just like my S'mores Macarons except with cocoa powder instead of graham cracker crumbs! It's actually a bit easier this way because cocoa powder is finer so it sifts & chops a lot better than cracker crumbs. I use the Swiss method for these chocolatey shells because it seems to yield much better results than the French method.
The first step in making the shells is to sift together the almond flour, powdered sugar and black cocoa powder (picture #1 below). Then process them in a food chopper (picture #2 below) and sift them once more. Set them aside while making the meringue.
For the meringue, you'll want to heat the sugar and egg whites in a double boiler on low while stirring with a whisk until it hits about 100F (picture #3 below). It's easiest to heat them in your metal stand mixer bowl over a pot of 1" deep simmering water. That way, you can just transfer them straight over to your mixer! Stir them on a low speed with the whisk attachment for a minute or two, and then consistently increase the speed until they start to get white and slightly thick. Add some black food dye and continue mixing to medium-stiff peaks. I usually add about 3 squirts of gel coloring. Try not to add too much or it can ruin the consistency of the macarons. The meringue should be gray and it'll darken as it mixes with the cocoa powder.
Next, gently fold half of the dry mixture into the meringue at a time. Incorporate everything really well but be careful not to add too much air to the batter. When the batter falls off the spatula in a smooth consistent stream (picture #4 below), transfer it into a piping bag fitted with a medium sized round tip. Pipe circles onto a silicon baking mat and let them sit at room temperature for about an hour (picture #5 below). Then, bake them at 315°F (although optimal macaron baking temperatures may vary by oven and environment) for about 12 minutes. Let them cool completely before removing from the mat.
Making the Rainbow Buttercream
Multi-colored frosting is easier than it looks, but it definitely adds on some extra time and dishes. It looks so cool though, I think it's worth it!
Start by making the vanilla buttercream by mixing together the softened butter, powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Then, evenly distribute it into 6 small bowls (~50-60g per bowl). Add 1 squirt of each color into the separate bowls of frosting and stir the color in (picture #1 below). Gradually add more coloring until you have your desired shades. Transfer each separate frosting into its own plastic bag and then cut the tip off so you can pipe it onto a sheet of plastic wrap (as shown in picture #2 below). Roll up the frosting layers, cut off the tip (picture #3 below) and insert the frosting into a piping bag with your preferred tip. I used a large closed star tip for these macarons. You might have to pipe a little bit out before the full rainbow shows in the piping.
The final step in making these macarons is to match the shells up, pipe a dab of frosting onto half of them and then sandwich them together!
Tips & Storage
Macarons are not very forgiving, so you need to be as accurate as possible while making them which means weighing the ingredients instead of scooping!
No, you can leave out the cocoa powder if you prefer regular flavored shells! I recommend adding ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract while whisking the meringue for a better flavor.
Of course! I chose basic buttercream for simplicity and because I didn't want to have more leftover egg yolks, but if you prefer SMBC it should work just as well! Here's a recipe I recommend.
I recommend putting them towards a delicious Banana Cream Pie, homemade ice cream, or pudding!
Macarons can be very tricky, so there are many factors that could cause your shells to be hollow, cracked, footless, etc. I'm happy to help troubleshoot if you message me on Instagram or send me an email ([email protected]{dot}com)! There's also this handy troubleshooting guide by Pies & Tacos that I recommend checking out.
I've found that when it's around 50% humidity outside and my apartment's around 73°F, they turn out pretty perfect! However, this can vary depending on your climate, oven, etc. so you may have to test around and see what your best conditions are!
In an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. I recommend assembling and refrigerating them the day before you serve them.
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📖 Recipe
Rainbow Macarons
Equipment
- Scale
- Sifter
- Food chopper
- Silicon baking mat
- Baking sheet
- Stand or hand mixer
- Plastic bags
- Piping bags & tips
Ingredients
Chocolate Macaron Shells
- 63 grams almond flour
- 63 grams powdered sugar
- 7 grams black cocoa powder*
- 60 grams egg whites (about 2 large eggs) room temperature
- 60 grams granulated sugar
- 1-4 squirts black gel food coloring
Vanilla Rainbow Buttercream
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple gel food coloring
Instructions
Chocolate Macaron Shells
- Weigh the almond flour, powdered sugar and cocoa powder into a sifter over a bowl and sift out/discard any large chunks. Then, transfer the mixture into a food chopper and pulse for 10-15 seconds. Sift again and set aside.
- Weigh the egg whites & sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer (or large heat-resistant bowl). Place the bowl over a pot with an inch of simmering water and whisk constantly until the mixture reaches around 100°F (it should look like a transparent syrup underneath white bubbles).
- Transfer the bowl to the stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (or remove from heat and use a hand mixer). Whisk on low speed for a minute, and then increase the speed 1-2 notches every 3-5 minutes. Once the meringue starts to get white and somewhat thick, add a squirt of black food coloring. Continue increasing the mixer to full speed and whisking until it reaches medium to stiff peaks (thick but still a tiny bit droopy when lifted). Mix in more black dye as needed (I use about 3 squirts, the meringue should look gray).
- Gently fold ½ of the sifted mixture into the meringue, then add the remaining ½. Continue folding until the batter is smooth and creates a figure 8 without breaking when it trickles down from the spatula.
- Pour the batter into a pastry bag with a medium round piping tip. Pipe circles on a silicon mat (or parchment paper) on a baking sheet by placing the piping tip at a 90° angle from the sheet, about ¼ inch away, and squeezing until the circle is 1-1½ inches in diameter.
- I recommend wearing earplugs for this-Carefully lift the pan of shells ~6 inches and drop it onto your counter 5 times. Smooth out any air bubbles with a toothpick, and then drop it a few more times. Let the shells rest at room temperature until they're smooth & dry to touch (~45-60 minutes). I recommend making the buttercream while you wait.
- Preheat oven to 315°F while the macaron shells are resting.*
- Bake macarons for 12-14 minutes. The shells should feel pretty firm and stable when you gently tap on them. Let them cool on the baking sheet completely.
Vanilla Rainbow Buttercream
- Mix together the softened butter, powdered sugar and vanilla extract until smooth.
- Equally distribute the buttercream into 6 small bowls. Add a squirt of each color to the separate buttercreams and mix them in. Add more dye until you reach your desired colors.
- Transfer each colored buttercream to its own plastic bag & cut the tip off the end. Lay a long sheet of plastic wrap on the counter and pipe a line of each color next to each other on the sheet. Roll the sheet up so you have a log of rainbow buttercream. Cut off the tip on one side.
- Place the frosting log into a piping bag fitted with your preferred piping tip (I like to use a large closed star tip). Squeeze a bit out until all colors come out together.
Assembling the Macarons
- Pair the shells up and then pipe rainbow buttercream onto half of them. Sandwich the shells together and enjoy!
KB says
One of my favorite recipes!