Pistachio Macarons

Course: Cookies, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 20

Rest Time: 30

Total Time: 1 20

Servings: macarons

Calories: 109kcal

Author: Emily

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.

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Equipment

stand mixer
large mixing bowl
fine mesh sieve
baking sheet
parchment paper or silicon mat
piping bag and tip

Ingredients

Pistachio Macaron Batter

1 cup powdered confectioners sugar
½ cup almond flour (store-bought or make your own, see notes)
¼ cup pistachio flour (see notes)
2 large egg whites, room temp
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
¼ cup superfine sugar (see notes)
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
green gel food coloring

Pistachio Buttercream Filling

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temp
2¼ cups powdered confectioners sugar
3 tablespoon pistachio paste (see notes)
1-2 tablespoon milk

Instructions

Pistachio Macarons

SIFT together the almond flour, pistachio flour and powdered sugar in a bowl and set aside. Discard any lumps in the 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).
Put room temperature egg whites in a mixer and whisk from slow to medium speed until foamy.
Add cream of tartar and continue to whisk until you have soft peaks.
Add your food coloring and vanilla and continue to mix until the color is mixed in. Continue to whisk until you have stiff peaks.
SIFT the flour and sugar mixer into the egg whites and discard any lumps.
Fold just until everything is combined. I use a silicone spatula that works very well. Press batter into the sides of the bowl to get out some of the air to avoid hollow macarons. The mixture will be sticky and should have a lava-like consistency, meaning when you pour it onto its self it sinks back into the batter with no lines after about a minute.
Put the batter in a pastry bag or macaron dispenser like this one on Amazon. Try to get all the air out of the 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.
Tap the pan on the countertop, you might see bubbles come up and that's what you want. You can also carefully poke bubbles with a toothpick before allowing the skin to develop. Let the pans sit for 30 minutes and do not touch or tap anymore or you will get cracks. Make sure the macaron shells are dry 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".
Preheat oven to 325°F and line baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
Bake for 10 minutes, one pan at a time, and rotate after 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

Place the butter into the bowl of a mixer (or a bowl with a hand mixer) and beat on medium speed until creamy.
Add 1½ cups of powdered sugar and the pistachio paste and continue to beat.
Add the milk and vanilla and keep beating.
Add the rest of the powdered sugar until you like what you see and taste.
Add filling to a pastry bag with a round tip and squeeze a circle around the edge of the 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.

Notes

You can make your own almond flour and pistachio "flour" in a coffee/spice grinder or small food processor. If you do this, be careful not to overmix and make almond or pistachio paste. If you grind with the powdered confectioner's sugar it will help keep it dry.
Superfine sugar is made the same way. Add to a coffee/spice grinder or small food processor and grind until you get the consistency you want, it's almost like powdered confectioners sugar.
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!

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