Dirty Chai Macarons

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5 from 5 votes

Chai latte with a shot of espresso, in macaron form!

Prep Time30

Cook Time12

Resting Time45

Total Time1 27

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: macarons

Calories: 208kcal

Author: Kayla Burton

Equipment

Medium pot/double boiler
Sifter
Food chopper
Scale
Measuring spoons
Stand mixer with whisk attachment
Piping tips and bags
Silicon mat
Oven thermometer
Whisk
Spatula
Baking sheet

Ingredients

Chai Macaron Shells

90 grams egg whites (about 3 large eggs) room temperature
90 grams granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
95 grams almond flour
95 grams powdered sugar
2 teaspoons chai spice *see notes below

Espresso Buttercream

½ cup (1 stick) (113.5 g) unsalted butter room temperature
2 cups (240 g) powdered sugar
2 tablespoons espresso (or coffee) cold
2 tablespoons milk or heavy cream
brown food coloring optional

Instructions

Macaron Shells

Sift the almond flour, powdered sugar and chai spice. Transfer to a food chopper and pulse for 20 seconds in 5 second intervals. Sift them again and discard any large clumps.
In the clean bowl of a stand mixer, mix the egg whites and granulated sugar over a pot of simmering water (double boiler) on medium-low heat. 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 the vanilla extract. Continue increasing the mixer to full speed and whisking until it reaches medium-stiff peaks.
Gently fold ⅓ of the dry mixture at a time into the meringue. Continue folding until the batter is smooth and creates a figure 8 without breaking when it trickles down from the spatula.
Transfer the batter into a piping bag with a medium sized round tip. Pipe even circles (about 1½ inches in diameter) onto a silicone baking mat on top of a baking sheet.
I recommend wearing earplugs for this step:
Carefully lift your baking sheet about 6 inches and drop it onto the counter. Repeat 4 more times. (This is to help release any bubbles) Then, using a toothpick, smooth out any bubble holes or peaks in the batter.
Let the macarons sit in a dry environment for 40-60 minutes. They're ready to bake when they're no longer sticky to the touch. Preheat oven to 315°F while the macarons set.*
Bake for 12-15 minutes and then let them cool completely before removing from the sheet.

Espresso Buttercream

Cream the butter, then add powdered sugar, espresso, milk, and optional food coloring. Mix until well combined.

Assemble the Macarons

Transfer the espresso buttercream to a piping bag fitted with your preferred piping tip. Pair the macaron shells up and then pipe frosting on half of them, then sandwich them together.

Notes

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

*To make your own chai spice, combine:

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon allspice
2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 teaspoon ginger

*Optimal macaron-baking oven temperatures may vary based on oven/environment. I've found 315F best for me, but it might take some testing to find the best temperature for you.

Nutrition