Apple Pie Macarons

5 from 3 votes

These Apple Pie Macarons are a wonderful Fall twist on the classic french cookie favorite. A traditional vanilla macaron cookie shell is filled with vanilla buttercream and a dollop of apple pie filling, making this the perfect treat for the season!

Prep Time1 30

Cook Time30

Additional Time30

Total Time2 30

Course: Cookies

Cuisine: French

Servings: macarons

Calories: 100kcal

Author: Amy Nash

Ingredients

Vanilla Macarons

128 g almond flour
128 g powdered sugar
⅛ teaspoon salt
100 g egg whites at room temperature
100 g granulated sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste

Vanilla Buttercream

½ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
2 ½ cups powdered sugar
⅛ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ Tablespoons milk plus more if needed

Other

½ cup apple pie filling mashed a bit with a fork (store-bought or homemade is fine)
¼ cup white candy melting wafers
2 Tablespoons crushed cinnamon graham crackers

Instructions

For the Vanilla Macarons:

Sift together the almond flour, powdered sugar, and salt through a fine mesh sieve, discarding the pieces left in the sieve.
Add the egg whites to a large bowl. Use a handheld electric mixer to beat until frothy. While still beating, add the granulated sugar a little at a time. Continue beating until the egg whites reach stiff peaks.
Beat the vanilla extract and vanilla bean paste into the egg whites.
Use a rubber spatula to gently fold ⅓ of the almond flour mixture at a time into the egg whites. Be careful not to over-mix.
Line 2 large baking trays with parchment paper or silpat liners. Fit a piping bag with a round tip, and transfer the batter to the piping bag. Pipe the batter into ¾-inch circles about 1 inch apart.
Tap the trays firmly against the countertop a few times to release any air bubbles.
Let the piped cookies sit at room temperature until they form a skin and feel dry on top, about 30 to 60 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 300F.
Bake the trays one at a time until the macarons develop a puffed “foot” on the bottom and are light golden around the outside, about 10 to 15 minutes.
Let the cookies cool completely before removing from the baking tray.

For the Vanilla Buttercream:

Beat together all ingredients in a large bowl until light and fluffy, adding enough milk to achieve the right consistency.

To Assemble the Macarons:

Match up similar sized and shaped macarons into pairs.
Fit a piping bag with a star tip, and transfer the buttercream to the piping bag. Pipe a ring of buttercream on the bottom cookie of each cookie pair. Place ½ teaspoon of apple filling in the center of each buttercream ring. Place the matched cookie on top to form sandwiches.

To Decorate the Macarons:

Place the macarons on a wire rack on top of a parchment-lined baking tray.
Melt the white candy melting wafers in a microwave or double boiler. Stir until smooth. Transfer the melted candy to a zip-top plastic bag and snip off one corner. Drizzle the melted candy decoratively on top of each macaron. Before the candy drizzle sets, sprinkle a tiny bit of crushed cinnamon graham crackers on each.
Let the candy set before serving.

Notes

It’s helpful to add the almond flour and powdered sugar to a food processor and pulse several times before sifting.
Knowing when the batter is finished being mixed is a real art, and can be tricky! A lot of people say it should flow like lava. A good test is to see if you the batter falls off the spatula in ribbons to make a figure 8 shape.
A silpat macaron mat is helpful to get the same size cookies.
Store the macarons stacked between wax paper in the fridge for up to 1 week.

Nutrition