Crème Brûlée Macarons w/ Burnt Sugar Shards are a labor of love, no doubt, but they are so uniquely flavored and has the texture of a toasted creme brulee top, a crackly macaron shell, and gooey caramel filling.
WARNING: These Crème Brûlée Macarons w/ Burnt Sugar Shards come with a severe shock factor. Upon the first bite, these macarons are even better than they look. It’s Crème Brûlée in macaron form, with the perfect balance of sweetness, vanilla, and custard, and the paleo & vegan caramel adds the best butterscotch flavor and sweetness. The tops are crumble and crack, the burnt sugar shards provide the perfect crunch, and the caramel filling oozes out and takes you somewhere else. It’s honestly a spiritual experience. Put in the time, effort to experience these - I promise you that Crème Brûlée Macarons w/ Burnt Sugar Shards are worth it!
These patisserie beauties are gorgeous, delicious and gluten-free. With this foolproof classic recipe, we’ve taken the guesswork out of macarons to easily yield tasty and professional-looking macarons every time!
TIPS AND TRICKS:
For a subtle kick, I like to add a pinch of Pumpkin Spice to my macaron batter. It’s totally optional but I love the undertone of cinnamon accompanying the caramel - I use about 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon.
Do not leave the caramel mixture, whether it be for the shards or the caramel itself. It’s an easy process but the caramel will begin to darken immediately once it passes a certain heat threshold. It needs to be watched closely, stirred often (concentrate your stirring on the sides of the pan to avoid the sugar crystalizing) to avoid over-browning or burning.
The paleo “buttercream” filling will harden slightly in the fridge. Similarly, it’ll soften if sitting at room temperature for too long. For the ideal texture, I’d refrigerate the macarons immediately after piping the buttercream in - let the filling set for a bit (20 to 30 minutes), then serve. These will last in the fridge for 2-3 days - any longer, the filling may begin to lose shape and seperate.
Precision is key to perfect macarons. Be sure to measure the ingredients precisely and accommodate extraneous factors, like humidity and oven temp.
Follow the step-by-step directions to make meringue. You want to fold in the almond mixture until you can lift the spatula and ribbon a figure 8 with the batter.
After piping into rounds, let the shells dry until a film forms on top. You should be able to brush the shells without them being tacky - this can take 20 minutes to 1.5 hours, depending on the humidity of your kitchen. Be patient, and don’t cheat! If your macarons won’t form a skin, then try placing them under the hood fan (on low speed) until fully dry. Otherwise, it’s best not to have any targeted air flowing near the macarons (like the AC) or else the macarons may crack when being baked.
Crème Brûlée Macarons w/ Burnt Sugar Shards (GF, Paleo + Vegan Caramel)
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup almond flour, finely ground
- 1 teaspoon salt, divided
- 3 egg whites, at room temperature
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ tsp. vanilla extract
- Pinch of Pumpkin Spice or cinnamon (optional)
- 2 tbsp coconut sugar
- 1 tsp water
- 1/2 cup palm shortening
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons arrowroot starch
- 2 teaspoons coconut flour (you can also use coconut milk powder)
- pinch sea salt
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
- 1/2 cup coconut milk, full fat
- 2 tbsp coconut sugar
- 1/8 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp coconut oil
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- Flakey sea salt, for finishing
Instructions
- In the bowl of a food processor, combine the powdered sugar, almond flour, and ½ teaspoon of salt, and process on low speed, until extra fine. Sift the almond flour mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl.
- In a separate large bowl, beat the egg whites and the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt with an electric hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until soft peaks form. Gradually add the granulated sugar until fully incorporated. Continue to beat until stiff peaks form, then, add the vanilla and beat until just combined.
- Add about ⅓ of the sifted almond flour mixture at a time to the beaten egg whites and use a spatula to gently fold until combined. After the last addition of almond flour, continue to fold slowly until the batter falls into ribbons and you can make a figure 8 while holding the spatula up. At this point, do not over mix - transfer the macaron batter into a piping bag fitted with a round tip. You will be working your batter slightly more as you transfer it to the piping bag.
- The fun part: pipe the macarons onto the parchment paper in 1½-inch circles, spacing at least 1-inch apart. Then, tap the baking sheet on a flat surface 5-10 times to release any air bubbles.
- Let the macarons sit at room temperature for 20 minutes to 1 hour, until dry to the touch. As the macarons form a skin, preheat the oven to 300˚F.
- Bake the macarons for 15 to 17 minutes, until the feet are well-risen and the macarons don’t stick to the parchment paper or silicon mat. Wait until they’re completely cool before attempting to lift the shells off.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper of a silicone mat.
- Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan (non-reactive preferably, I used stainless steel) over medium-heat. Swirl the pan often, stir using a spatula (concentrating stirring on the sides of the pan to avoid any sugar crystallizing), until the sugar dissolves. You'll notice the mixture change color over the course of several minutes, from a pale orange, to a butterscotch tone, to a reddish-orange hue.
- As soon as it gets to a deeper orange hue, remove the saucepan from heat and pour the hot mixture onto the silicone sheet. The caramel liquid should flatten itself out. Let it set for at least 30 minutes at room temperature - do not be tempted to touch it!
- Once its hardened, use a heavy bottomed object (mortar and pestle, olive oil bottle, etc.) to crack the caramel into shards.
- Combine the coconut milk, coconut sugar, and salt in a pan and bring to a boil, then immediately lower to a light simmer.
- Stirring occasionally, simmer for 30 minutes. After half an hour, begin to stir more frequently to thicken the caramel and get any browned caramel bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Once the caramel is a dark amber color and is thick and sticky enough to coat the back of the spoon, remove the sauce from heat and stir in the coconut oil and vanilla.
- The sauce will thicken as it cools. Place in a sealed glass jar for at least 30 minutes before spreading into the macaron filling.
- Place all the ingredients except the oil in the bowl of a stand mixer and whip on medium-high until it begins to fluff up. Set the mixer speed to low and slowly stream in the coconut oil, whipping gently until completely smooth.For best results, chill the "buttercream" in the fridge for about 30 minutes before transferring to a piping bag. If the filling gets too hardened in the fridge, fluff it up in the stand mixer again on medium-high speed for a couple seconds. To assemble, pipe the buttercream onto the bottom macaron shell, leaving a small circle in the center. Use a teaspoon to spoon a little caramel to fill the center, then top the macaron with the other shell. Gently sprinkle and press shards into the sides of the macaron and chill the assembled macarons in the fridge for 30 minutes before serving.