If you love macarons, be sure to check out some of my other favorite flavors like Pistachio Macarons, Lemon Macarons, or Classic French Chocolate Macarons! This post was originally shared in December 2017, but has been updated with new photos and helpful tips. I love the classic Christmas cookies like peanut butter blossoms or soft & chewy gingerbread men, but there are so many cookies to try and so few days of Christmas that each December I like to make at least a couple new cookie recipes. Especially if I’m going to a Christmas cookie exchange party with friends! Peppermint is one of my favorite flavors of the Christmas season. The vanilla peppermint buttercream that I made for filling the macaron shells is so delicious and perfectly balanced without being overly minty. Just be sure you use peppermint and not some other kind of mint like wintergreen. Nobody wants to bite into a macaron that tastes like toothpaste. Macarons are my go-to solution when I find myself with extra egg whites on hand. Like during the summer when I make custard-based ice creams and use leftover yolks for Jolly Holiday raspberry rose macarons. These cute little peppermint macarons are the perfect way to use up all those leftover egg whites that I end up with around Christmastime from making a batch of homemade eggnog or old-fashioned divinity. I just stored my leftover egg whites in an airtight container in the fridge for a day or two and then pulled them out an hour before I wanted to make these peppermint macarons so they could come to temperature since I didn’t want to bake these the same day that I was making eggnog. But I guess you could always do something healthy with them like make an egg white omelette or something. Yeah, right. Seriously though, please don’t be intimidated by macarons! Even imperfect macarons taste amazing. And they really aren’t as difficult as you might think! I’m no expert at macarons by any means and I shun fussy notions like weighing ingredients unless absolutely necessary, opting instead to just use the good old measuring cups that I’m used to. And so far, I’m unconvinced that using a scale to measure out almond flour and egg whites is absolutely necessary. Which means I’ll never be accepted into the world of macaron connoisseurs. And I may have a batch here and there that doesn’t turn out perfect little “feet” (those ruffly delicate bottoms that are a hallmark of a quality macaron). But I’m okay with that. And so were my friends who lived in France for years and declared these at least as good as the authentic macarons they enjoyed there. They were probably just being nice, but hey, I’ll take that kind of flattery any day!
How to Make This Recipe
Start by beating the egg whites until foamy. This is easiest to do using a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Gradually add the granulated sugar, a little at a time, until stiff peaks form. Sift the powdered sugar and almond flour through a fine mesh sieve to combine and get rid of any large clumps. Add this to the egg whites. Using a rubber spatula, fold the almond flour mixture into the egg whites until the batter runs off the back of the spatula in a v-shaped ribbon. It should hold long enough to make a figure-eight with the macaron batter. Use a clean paint brush to paint stripes of red food coloring (affiliate link) on the inside of a large piping bag, then fill it with the macaron batter. Pipe circles onto a baking sheet lined with a silicon baking mat or parchment paper. Bake for 15-18 minutes until lightly browned and set. Let the macarons cool completely before making the peppermint buttercream filling by beating the butter with the powdered sugar and peppermint extract until light and fluffy. Match up the cooled shells and pipe swirls of the buttercream onto the bottom shell. Top with the matching shell, then store in an airtight container in the fridge overnight to cure, if you can wait that long.
Recipe Tips
Instead of a lengthy explanation of macaron theory and troubleshooting (which I find intimidating and overwhelming), I’m going to focus on the 3 things that I think are most important to know when making macarons.
More Christmas Cookies You Will Love
Toffee Pecan Shortbread Cookies Double Chocolate Crinkle Cookies Perfect Peanut Butter Blossoms Mexican Wedding Cookies [aka Russian Tea Cakes]
Let me know what you thought with a comment and rating below. You can also take a picture and tag me on Instagram @houseofnasheats or share it on the Pinterest pin so I can see.
