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These rose macarons are made with a hint of rosewater in the macaron shells filled with a luxurious rose buttercream!
The first time I enjoyed a macaron in Europe was a rose macaron from Pierre Herme in Brussels, Belgium. It was a trip I had taken with my mom after finishing the grueling 3-day exam for my CPA designation.
Although I had tried macarons here in Toronto, there was something magical about enjoying a macaron in Europe. And that rose-flavored macaron had me sold! I couldn’t wait to get to France (our next stop) to enjoy even more of these delicacies, especially from the world-renowned Laduree. That rose macaron was magical in many ways. It opened my eyes to desserts that were luxurious and meant to be enjoyed slowly, rather than the big portioned, super sweet chocolate desserts we are often accustomed to in North America. (Though I’d never turn those down either)
Since that trip, a lot has changed. But my love for desserts, and exploring different flavors has remained unchanged.
So this macaron flavor is an ode to that first magical macaron experience!
If you’re looking for more macarons flavors, some of my favorites to date are:
- Ras Malai Macarons
- Masala Chai Macarons / Tea Latte Macarons
- Hot Chocolate Macarons
- Chocolate Ganache Macarons
And if you’re still perfecting your macaron technique, here are some tips to help you get here! Or find ways to decorate your macarons here!
Tools & Ingredients
For these Rose Macarons you’ll need a few tools and ingredients. These are some of my favorites:
- Almond Flour – I’m currently using Kirkland Almond Flour, which I usually get from Amazon.
- Digital Kitchen Scale and Oven Thermometer – Macarons can be finicky; I highly recommend these two tools for the precision and accuracy required in making macarons.
- Piping Tip like the Wilton #12 – This is the preferred piping tip that I attach to a piping bag.
- Gel Food Color – Gel-based colors are the best for macarons, so they don’t add too much moisture to the meringue. For these rose macarons, I used a couple of drops of the pink named Baker’s Rose by Chefmaster.
- Rose Water – You only need a little rose water to flavor rose buttercream.
- Dried Edible Rose Petals – these add a luxurious touch to the macarons if you’re serving them at a party or giving them as gifts.
- Silicone Mats – I prefer silicone baking mats, but you can also use parchment paper.
How to make Rose Macarons
STEP #1: Macaron Shells
These macarons use my basic macaron shell recipe, which I’ve used in several macaron recipes like Ras Malai Macarons or these Masala Chai Macarons. I use a French meringue-based macaron recipe!
I highly recommend that the ingredients for the macaron shells are weighed to be as precise as possible. I use this scale for accuracy, but any kitchen scale will work. If you’d like more tips on macarons, check out this post on Macaron Tips!
Combine the dry ingredients:
Start by sifting the almond flour and icing/powdered sugar together a few times to remove clumps. It helps with making sure that the final shells are as smooth as possible.
I typically sift the almond flour and icing sugar at least twice to ensure that no clumps remain. This makes for smooth macaron shells! This is the sieve that I use to make sure no clumps remain!
Make the meringue:
Next, make the meringue, by beating of egg whites, granulated sugar, and a pinch of cream of tartar.
You can do this part on a stand mixer or a hand mixer. For smaller batches of macarons, I prefer to use my Kitchenaid hand mixer.
Macaronage
Once your meringue has reached stiff peaks, add all the dry ingredients (almond flour and icing sugar mixture) into the meringue (egg white mixture) and start the macaronage (folding process).
Stop folding when the batter flows off the spatula in a ribbon.
Pipe onto Baking Tray:
Once you’re satisfied with the batter, it’s time to pipe it on the tray.
Prepare a baking sheet with a cloud template, then lay on top of it parchment paper or silicone baking mat. I like using these silicone baking mats. But you can experiment with parchment paper as well!
Transfer your batter to a piping bag, fitted with a round tip. I prefer to use this Wilton #12 round decorating tip.
Pipe into circles using following the template on the silicone baking mats. Use a toothpick or cookie scribe to adjust any of the cloud shapes.
Rest, then Bake
Rest the batter until it is no longer tacky to the touch. It takes about 30 minutes in my kitchen. Once the shells have rested, bake them in a pre-heated oven at 300ºF.
STEP #2: Rose Buttercream Filling
This recipe uses a Swiss meringue buttercream base flavored with rosewater. You can use any frosting base, though I find that American Buttercream may be a bit too sweet for this recipe.
- Place egg whites and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk until combined.
- Place the bowl over a hot water bath on the stove and constantly whisk until the mixture is hot and no longer grainy to the touch or until it reaches a temperature of 165ºF on a candy thermometer.
- Place the bowl on your stand mixer and whisk on medium-high until the meringue is stiff and cooled (the bowl is no longer warm to the touch (approx. 5-10mins).
- Switch to a paddle attachment. Slowly add cubed butter and mix until smooth.
- Add in a couple of teaspoons of rosewater and mix until combined throughout.
STEP #3: Decorate, Fill, and Mature
- Fill the macarons: Pipe the frosting onto half the cookies, and sandwich them together.
- Decorate: To decorate, melt 2 tablespoons of white chocolate chips. Transfer the melted chocolate to a Ziploc bag or pastry bag and drizzle onto the macaron shells. Sprinkle the dried rose petals while the chocolate is still wet.
- Mature: Macarons taste best when they’ve had some time to rest and mature in the fridge. So you can easily make these rose macarons ahead of time!
Tips for Rose Macarons
- The recipe below for the Rose macarons makes 24 macarons. It can easily be halved or doubled for the number of macarons that you need. (I would recommend making more!)
Macaron Shells
- Make sure to weigh the ingredients with a scale. This is the scale I have, and it has really helped me make better macarons!
- Your oven needs to be at the correct temperature when baking macarons! I can’t imagine baking macarons anymore without this oven thermometer.
- Make sure to cool the macaron shells completely before filling them.
- I did add rosewater to the macaron shells but found that it didn’t really add to the taste. If you’re nervous about adding moisture to the meringue, feel free to leave it out.
- If you need more tips on making macaron shells, check out my in-depth post on tips to make the perfect macarons.
For the Rose Buttercream Filling:
- Any base buttercream recipe can work as your base buttercream.
- Rosewater is a potent flavoring option. Start with less, and add more as needed.
Decorating and Filling:
- If sticking the rose petals to the top, make sure to do it while the chocolate has not yet been set.
- Once you have finished decorating, make sure to allow enough time for the chocolate drizzle to set completely before handling them.
- Let the macarons mature for at least 4 hours overnight if possible for the best flavor.
Follow me on Instagram @sprinklesandscribbles for more baking inspiration!
Rose Macarons
Equipment
- Measuring scale
- Sifter
- Oven thermometer
- Stand mixer or Hand mixer
- Pastry bag
- #12 round tip (optional)
- 2 aluminum baking sheets with silicone mats or Silpat
Ingredients
Macaron shells
- 135 grams almond flour
- 125 grams icing sugar
- 100 grams egg whites About 3 large egg whites
- 88 grams granulated sugar
- pinch cream of tartar
- 1/2 teaspoon rose water optional
Rose Buttercream
- 90 grams egg whites about 3 large eggs
- 180 grams granulated sugar about 1 cup
- 225 grams unsalted butter cubed 1 cup
- 2 teaspoons rosewater
Decorate
- 2 tablespoons white chocolate chips
- edible dried rose petals
Instructions
Macarons Shells
- Pre-heat oven to 300ºF.
- Separate the eggs from the egg whites (if using fresh eggs). Measure out 100 g (about 3 large eggs).
- In a separate bowl, sift the icing sugar and almond flour together
- Repeat the sifting process to ensure there are no clumps. If there are any clumps, discard them.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the egg whites and a pinch cream of tartar. Beat on high until foamy.
- Once the egg whites are foamy, turn the mixer down to the lowest setting possible, and slowly add in the granulated sugar. Be sure to incorporate all the sugar into the egg whites.
- Turn up the mixer again on high, and keep beating egg whites until peaks form. DO NOT OVER BEAT.
- Once done, pour all the almond flour and icing sugar mixture into the egg whites.
- With a rubber spatula, fold the dry mixture into the egg whites, until the paste flows like a ribbon.
- Prepare a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat with a macaron template.
- Fit a pastry bag with a #12 round tip, if using, and trim the bottom as appropriate.
- Pour batter into the bag.
- Pipe circles onto the prepared baking sheet. You should get about 40-60 circles
- Once piped, rap the sheet on the counter to release all the air bubbles. Use a cookie scribe or toothpick to remove any smaller bubbles.
- Rest for 30 minutes, until the shells have formed a skin, and are no longer tacky to the touch.
- Bake in the oven, at 300°F for 12-13 minutes.
- Check for doneness, by wiggling the shell. Shells are done when they don’t move from the feet. If it wiggles from the feet, then bake for another minute, and check again.
- Cool the shells in the tray.
Rose Buttercream
- Place egg whites and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk until combined. Place the bowl over a hot water bath on the stove and whisk constantly until the mixture is hot and no longer grainy to the touch or until it reaches a temperature of 165ºF on a candy thermometer. Place the bowl on your stand mixer and whisk on medium-high until the meringue is stiff and cooled (the bowl is no longer warm to the touch (approx. 5-10mins).
- Switch to a paddle attachment. Slowly add cubed butter and mix until smooth.
- Add 2 teaspoons of rosewater into the buttercream and mix until it is fully incorporated.
- Transfer frosting to a piping bag.
Assembly & Decorate
- Once cool, remove macaron shells from the baking tray and pair similar-sized shells together to form the cookie sandwiches.
- Pipe in about a 1-2 teaspoons of rose buttercream filling onto half the shells.
- Carefully sandwich the cookie with its pair. Repeat to assemble all the cookies
- To decorate, melt 2 tablespoons of white chocolate chips, and transfer to a pastry bag or ziploc bag.
- Drizzle over the top of the macarons, then sprinkle with edible dried rose petals.
- Macarons taste best when they’ve rested in the fridge for a day. Once all the cookies are assembled, store the macarons in the fridge for at least 24 hours to mature. Remove from fridge 20 minutes before serving.
- Enjoy your hard work!
When do you add the rose water to the macaron shells please?