Peppermint Macarons are the sweetest, most melt-in-your-mouth delicious Christmas cookie with a wonderful vanilla peppermint buttercream filling. They fancy up a Christmas cookie platter or Christmas cookie exchange with one of the best flavors of the holiday season!

If you love macarons, be sure to check out some of my other favorite flavors like Pistachio MacaronsLemon Macarons, or Classic French Chocolate Macarons!

Peppermint macarons in nestled white measuring cups with more of the cookies scattered around and candy canes in the background.


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.

An overhead image of peppermint macarons scattered with candy canes, sprinkles, and ornaments.

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!

A hand reaching to pick up a peppermint macaron from a bowl.

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.

Piping peppermint buttercream onto red and white swirled macaron shells.

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.

  1. Make sure you use room temperature egg whites.
  2. Sift the almond flour and powdered sugar together well before folding them into the egg whites by hand with a rubber spatula.
  3. Let the macaron shells dry for 30-45 minutes before baking.

More Christmas Cookies You Will Love

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Peppermint Macarons

5 from 24 votes
Amy Nash
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Dessert
Cuisine French
Servings 36 macarons
Peppermint Macarons are the sweetest, most melt-in-your-mouth delicious Christmas cookie with a wonderful vanilla peppermint buttercream filling.  They fancy up a Christmas cookie platter or Christmas cookie exchange with one of the best flavors of the holiday season!

Ingredients
  

Macaron Shells

  • 1 cup almond flour
  • 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
  • 3 egg whites room temperature
  • ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • Red gel food coloring (affiliate link)

Peppermint Buttercream

  • ½ cup butter softened
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • ½ teaspoon peppermint extract
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla
  • 2-3 Tablespoons cream or milk
  • 4-5 candy canes crushed (optional)

Instructions
 

Macaron Shells

  • Combine the almond flour and powdered sugar in a large bowl.  Using a sifter, sift mixture 3-4 times, until thoroughly combined.
  • Separate egg whites from yolks and allow to sit at room temperature for 2 hours and up to 24 hours.  
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer using the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on high speed until they begin to froth.  Add the cream of tartar and continue to beat until the egg whites begin thicken and resemble shaving cream.  Add the granulated sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form when you lift the whisk attachment from the bowl.  
  • Add the sifted almond flour and powdered sugar to the egg whites in three additions, mixing by hand using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon after each addition until combined.  The batter will be thick at first but as it comes together it will loosen up.  I use a folding motion and mix until the batter falls off the spatula in a blob but isn't runny.  It might take making macarons a time or two to get the feel for it, but you want to try not to undermix or overmix.  
  • Prepare a pastry bag or large ziploc bag with the tip snipped off with a round tip.  Add a few stripes of red gel food coloring (affiliate link) up the insides of the bag before filling with macaron batter if you want the red and white swirl effect on your finished macarons.  
  • Pipe into 1-inch circles on parchment lined baking sheets using a swirl motion.  Rap each pan against the counter 2-3 times to remove bubbles, then let the macarons sit uncovered at room temperature for 30-45 minutes. 
  • Heat oven to 300 degrees, then bake macarons for 15-18 minutes.  Cool completely before removing from the parchment paper.

Peppermint Buttercream

  • Beat the butter in a mixer until pale, smooth and creamy, 2-3 minutes.  Add powdered sugar ½ cup at a time, mixing well between additions.  
  • Add peppermint and vanilla, then add cream or milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until you reach a spreadable, but still thick, consistency.  
  • Pipe frosting onto the bottom of one macaron shell, then top with a second shell.  Roll edges of each filled macaron in crushed candy cane, if desired.
  • Technically, you are supposed to wait to eat the macarons until the next day because they taste even better then, but they are super hard to resist!

Notes

Recipe adapted from Cook with Manali.

Nutrition

Calories: 101kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 27mg | Potassium: 9mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 91IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe? Show me on Instagram!Mention @HouseOfNashEats or tag #houseofnasheats!

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About the author

Hi, I'm Amy

I enjoy exploring the world through food, culture, and travel and sharing the adventure with mostly from-scratch, family friendly recipes that I think of as modern comfort cooking.

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Reader questions and reviews

  1. 5 stars
    Look at these babies! The swirl is turning the cookies into a very pretty eye sight. I bet they taste amazing as well.

  2. These are beautiful and so perfectly shaped. I have made macaroons before but mine were definitely not as delicate.

  3. 5 stars
    These are absolutely ADORABLE! I've been craving a macaron-making session lately and these might have to go on my list! Pinning, too!

  4. These macarons already look perfect, and then that red swirl seriously puts them right over the top. These are definitely one of the prettiest macarons I've ever seen. I read a post of yours for divinity several weeks ago, and you have a way of truly making me not be intimidated to try some of these gorgeous creations with your tips! It looks like this is one more to add to my list. Thank you so much for sharing!

    1. Thank you for such a wonderful compliment, Shannon! I hope that people DO try some of these classic, wonderful recipes that might otherwise seem intimidating! Sometimes it just takes a leap of faith to realize they aren't as complicated as they seem!

    1. Usually between 34-38 completed macarons, I think. It can depend on how large your circles are if you don't use a template for piping, which I never do.

    1. 5 stars
      I think I under cooked mine even thought it’s being cooked for 20 minutes, my macarons stick to the parchment paper. Should I cook them longer? Anyways, they still taste amazing!

  5. These looked beautiful before I cooked them but they cracked on the tops and did puff up much.  The cracks ran along the lines of the coloring gel.  Could I have used too much gel  making it more moist then cracked?  Guess I need to experiment some more.

  6. I ran the dry ingredients through the food processor and only shifted them once. I had read that technique in another recipe. I was afraid the peppermint would be overwhelming but it was just right! These turned out awesome! So much better than I anticipated, as it was my first time making macaroons. 

  7. 5 stars
    I’ve never made macarons before trying your recipe. I’ve made them three times now and they’ve turned out beautifully! Thank you for explaining the process so throughly. They’re perfect for Christmas and I’ve received so many compliments on them! My 7 year old son said “mom, every time you bake cookies, just bake these!”. Looking forward to trying more of your recipes!