Latte Art Macarons (Gluten-Free)
Deliciously smooth espresso swiss meringue buttercream sandwiched between two-tone vanilla macarons. Perfect for a mid-afternoon pick me up, or when you want your coffee with a side of coffee.
For this recipe, I wanted to figure out how to recreate the look of latte art - the design made in cups of coffee using foamed milk - but using macaron batter. I noticed baristas often finish their design by streaming a line of foam through the center, so the trick here is to do the same thing, but with a toothpick!
Servings: 12 - 16 macarons | Prep Time: 1 hour 45 minutes | Cook Time: 10 to 12 minutes
Hand mixer / Stand mixer
Sifter (or a fine-mesh sieve)
Piping bags
¾” round piping tip
⅛” round piping tip
Baking sheets
Parchment paper
Heat-safe bowl & saucepan / Double boiler
Macaron Shells:
¾ cup almond flour
1 cup powdered sugar
2 large egg whites, room temp
¼ cup granulated sugar
½ tsp vanilla extract
Brown food coloring
Swiss Meringue Buttercream:
3 large egg whites
1 cup granulated sugar
1 ½ cups butter, room temp
1 tbsp instant espresso powder
Macaron Shells (30 minutes + 45 minutes resting + 10 to 12 minutes cooking)
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the almond flour and powdered sugar. Sift to remove any clumps. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat the egg whites with a stand mixer or a hand mixer (the whisk attachment of my hand-mixer whips egg whites beautifully in 1 minute) to soft peaks. Add the granulated sugar and beat on high to stiff, glossy peaks, about 2 more minutes.
Add vanilla and beat on high for another 30 seconds.
Gently fold in the dry ingredients, in four batches, until a thick, lava-like consistency is achieved. The mixture should fall slowly, but steadily, off a spoon, so that you can create a figure eight with the batter before it disappears. Do not overfold.
Fit a large piping bag with a large round tip (mine was ¾”, but any large size will work) and a small piping bag with a narrow round tip (⅛” was perfect for piping a precise pattern).
Scoop about a ½ cup of the macaron batter into the small piping bag and set aside. Add a couple drops of brown food coloring to the remaining batter and gently fold in until the color is evenly distributed. Fill the large piping bag with the brown batter.
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. If you have a macaron template (there are many templates online you can print for free!), place it underneath the parchment paper. Take the large piping bag and, keeping the tip about ½” above the paper, pipe the brown macaron batter into 1 ½” round circles, 1” apart.
Once you’ve piped a few macarons, set the large piping bag aside, and quickly pipe a pattern on top of the macarons with the small bag of white batter. To achieve the pattern pictured, pipe three hearts in a line (one small, one wide, and one thin), then carefully run a toothpick through the center. Tap the baking sheet firmly against the counter to create smooth, uniform tops and release any air bubbles. Repeat for all macarons, working in batches of a few at a time.
Remove the template (if using) and let stand at room temperature for 30 to 45 minutes until they form a skin. When you can touch the top of the macaron with your finger without any batter sticking to it, they are ready.
Preheat oven to 325° F.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until macarons have risen and just set. The macarons should be able to just come off the baking sheet when you try to lift them.
Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.
Swiss Meringue Buttercream (20 minutes)
In a heat-safe bowl (such as glass or metal) or the top of a double boiler, whisk the egg whites and sugar until combined.
Bring a saucepan with a couple inches of water to a bare simmer on the stove. Place the bowl with the egg white mixture on top of the saucepan and whisk constantly until the mixture is no longer grainy or reaches 160° F on a thermometer.
Pour the mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk on med—high until the meringue is stiff and the bowl is no longer warm, about 5 to 10 minutes.
Cube the room temperature butter and slowly add to the mixer as it runs until smooth. The frosting may look broken or curdled at a certain point, but this is normal. Keep mixing and it will come back together.
In a small bowl, stir the espresso powder with a tablespoon of hot water until powder is completely dissolved. Let cool completely, then add to the bowl and whip until smooth.
Transfer the buttercream into a large piping bag with a large round tip.
Assembly (10 minutes)
Pair up the macarons by size and pipe a swirl of buttercream on the centers of half the cookies. Do not pipe all the way to the edge.
Gently sandwich the buttercream between the macarons until the frosting just reaches the edge on all sides.
Keep in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to a week.
Enjoy!
Be sure to check out my Best Practices page for tips on how to make this recipe yourself. Let me know in the comments if you have any questions and feel free to tag me on Instagram @made.by.shade if you make it!
-Shade