Easy Pistachio Macarons
- emilyfabulous
- Mar 18, 2019
- 4 min read
Updated: Dec 16, 2019
Here is my easy Pistachio Macaron recipe that is delicious and will impress all your friends. Trust me, these are easier to make than you think and completely worth the effort.
This is adapted from my regular macaron recipe HERE. I was pretty pleased with how these turned out and the flavor from the freshly ground pistachios is amazing! Also remember, everyone's oven is different, pan is different, climate is different so you may have to adjust as needed. Oh, one more thing...SIFTING is your friend, don't skip it!
Macaron Ingredients:
1 cup powdered sugar
½ cup almond flour, SIFTED (*see post HERE for instructions)
¼ cup pistachio flour (make the same way as almond flour and pictures below)
2 large egg whites, room temperature (click HERE for an idea of what to do with the yolks!)
¼ tsp of cream of tartar
¼ cup superfine sugar (*also made my own, see post HERE for instructions)
¼ tsp vanilla extract
green gel food coloring
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 and line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mat.
2. SIFT together the almond flour, pistachio flour and powdered sugar in a bowl and set aside. Discard any lumps in sifter, do not force through (tip: your almond flour and pistachio flour should be as dry as possible, you may need to spread out on a baking sheet and allow it to dry for 1-2 hours).
3. Put room temperature egg whites in mixer and whisk from slow to medium speed until foamy.
4. Add cream of tartar and continue to whisk until you have soft peaks.
5. Add superfine sugar and keep whisking until stiff peaks form.
Pictures are Foamy-> Soft-> Stiff.
6. Add your food coloring and vanilla and continue to mix until the color is mixed in.
7. SIFT the flour and sugar mixer into the egg whites and discard any lumps.
8. Fold just until everything is combined, do not overfold. I use a silicone spatula that works very well. The mixture will be sticky and lumpy and should have a lava like consistency when you tip the bowl.
9. Put the batter in a pastry bag or macaron dispenser like this one on Amazon. Try to get all the air out of bag before you start and then pipe with the bag straight up, you'll figure out what works best for you. I don't use a stencil which is why my macarons are not all the exact same size, but they are pretty close. Of course you can use a stencil if you would like to.
10. Tap the pan on the countertop...A LOT, you might see bubbles come up and that's what you want. Let the pans sit for 15-20 minutes and do not touch or tap anymore or you will get cracks or holes. Make sure the macaron shells are dried before baking or your macarons won’t have nice feet. You can test by touching the top lightly, nothing should come off on your finger and the should feel "dry".
11. Bake for 10 minutes, one pan at a time and rotate once after the first 5 minutes. Let them rest on the pan for 10 minutes and then transfer to wire rack. Once cooled, make your favorite filling, place filling around the edge of one half of a cookie and place the second half gently on top. Be careful not to push too hard or you will smash your beautiful creation. Enjoy!
Pistachio Buttercream Filling
½ stick unsalted butter, room temperature
2¼ cups powdered sugar (more or less, you can taste for sweetness and consistency)
3 tablespoons pistachio paste*
1-2 tablespoons milk
1. Place butter in mixer and whisk on medium speed until creamy.
2. Add 1½ cups of powdered sugar and the pistachio paste and continue to whisk.
3. Add milk and vanilla and keep whisking.
4. Add the rest of the powdered sugar until you like what you see and taste.
5. Add filling to a pastry bag with a round tip and squeeze a circle around the edge of macaron leaving a little edge so when you put the top on it spread to the edge but not over. I also leave the middle of the circle empty because the filling spreads when you put the top on.
* Pistachio paste is made the same way as the pistachio flour above. Just keep pulsing in the grinder until you get a paste consistency instead of flour. That's it!
A few notes:
1. I've seen some recipes that add pistachio extract instead of vanilla. I didn't find it necessary (and I didn't have any), but you could add it if you want even more pistachio goodness.
2. Don't overmix the batter!!! Here's what happens below.... they spread on the pan and become hollow...so sad. But, you do have to mix just enough so you get a nice smooth top. I'm still perfecting this part, and getting better at it... practice, practice, practice!
3. If you look super close in the top picture the bottom of some of my macaron shells were a little brown. I think I needed to turn down my oven just slightly for this recipe, maybe something to do with the ground pistachio add.
Enjoy this beautiful little pistachio creation that will make you feel like you are in a french bakery.
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