These Strawberry Mango Macarons remind me of a beautiful orange and pink sunset overlooking a tropical beach! Pink and orange swirled macaron shells are filled with a strawberry buttercream and mango jam in the center. It's the perfect sweet and tangy combination!
How to create two-colored swirl macaron shells:
Step 1: After making the macaron batter, wrap and roll the pink batter with cellophane and twist both ends; same with the orange batter.
Step 2: Cut one end of each color batter and place into a 12 inch piping bag with the tip in place.
Step 3: Pipe 1.5 inch regular size macaron circles to get that gorgeous two-colored swirl!
Even the bottoms of these swirl macaron shells are pretty!
Tip:
After baking the cooled macaron shells, I like to pair two shells of the same size and lay them side by side, top side down and pipe the fillings on one of the paired shells, making it quick and easy to assemble and sandwich the top and bottom macaron shells with the filling in between.
TWO-COLORED SWIRL STRAWBERRY MANGO MACARONS
YIELD: 12 Macarons | AUTHOR: Corinne of TooCuteDesserts
PREP TIME: 45 Min | COOK TIME: 18 Min | RESTING TIME: 25 Min | TOTAL TIME: 1 H & 28 M
Pink and orange swirled macaron shells filled with Strawberry Buttercream and Mango Jam!
INGREDIENTS
Macaron Shells
50 grams egg whites 1.8 oz
25 grams white granulated sugar 0.88 oz
60 grams almond flour 2.12 oz
80 grams powdered sugar 2.82 oz
1 to 2 drops of pink and orange soft gel food coloring
Mango Jam
1/2 cups chopped mangos (You can use frozen mango if you prefer!) 64 grams, 2.25 oz
1 1/2 tsp granulated sugar 2.46 grams, 0.25 oz
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp cornstarch
1 1/2 tsp cold water
Strawberry Buttercream
4 tbsp unsalted butter room temperature 56 grams
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar 187.5 grams
1/3 cup freeze dried strawberry, 30g
2 to 4 tbsp milk or water as needed
INSTRUCTIONS
Macaron Shells: Prepare dry ingredients
1. Before starting, measure out all ingredients for the macaron shells. Sift the powdered sugar and almond flour together. Measure the total amount of powdered sugar and almond flour in grams on a kitchen scale and cut in half. (Both halves will be mixed with the two different colors)
2. Prepare a 12oz. piping bag, fitted with a round tip. Set aside.
3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone mat.
4. I use a silicone baking mat with a macaron template I made on my own. You can print it from the internet, and just place it under the silicone mat, or parchment paper. I recommend using a silicone mat.
Make the meringue
1. Place the egg whites in the KitchenAid with the whisk attachment and whisk on low for about 30 seconds, then add in the white granulated sugar gradually and start increasing speed to medium. Whisk on medium speed for one to two minutes, until the mixture is white and starting to become fluffy. Raise speed to high for a few minutes until you see stiff peaks that hold their shape formed. The best way to check for this is to keep a close eye on the whites. Once they get glossy and you start seeing streaks formed by the whisk, it will be time to stop.
2. When you pull your whisk up, the peaks should form a point, but shouldn’t be falling to the side, the peak should be stiff, forming a slightly curved shape at the top.
3. Measure the total amount of meringue in grams on a kitchen scale and cut in half.
4. Mix one half of the meringue with a spatula with pink soft gel food coloring and the other half with orange soft gel food coloring.
Combine the ingredients
1. Pour each half of the sifted powdered sugar and almond flour into each of the pink and orange colored meringue.
2. Start folding gently with the spatula until the batter falls off the spatula like how a ribbon would fall, then the batter should be ready. How to test when to stop folding the batter: Stop folding when the batter is glossy and has a thick and flowing consistency. To test if it has that consistency, pick up some batter with the spatula and try to draw a letter 'J' with the batter that is dripping off the spatula. If you can form a letter 'J' without the batter breaking up, that’s an indication that the batter is ready to be piped. You can also test it by taking a spoonful of the batter and put it onto a plate, if the peak runs into the batter within 10 seconds, the batter is ready - if there is still a peak, continue to mix.
3. Be careful not to overmix. You don’t want the batter to be too runny either. It’s always best to undermix and test several times until the proper consistency is achieved.
To create two-colored swirl macaron shells (step by step images above):
1. After making the macaron batter for both colors, wrap and roll the pink batter with cellophane and twist both ends; do the same with the orange batter.
2. Cut one end of each color batter and place into a 12 inch piping bag with the tip in place.
Pipe the shells
1. Now you can pour the batter into your piping bag. (A great tip for easily pouring the batter into the piping bag is to fold down the sides of the piping bag open and place it into a tall cup fitted with the piping tip in place, then pour the batter into the piping bag.) Tie the top of the bag with a rubber band, clip or a pastry bag tie so no batter spills out.
2. Place the piping bag directly 90 degrees over the center of each macaron circle on the template. Apply equal pressure and carefully pipe for about 5 seconds, ensuring the batter does not go over the circle (you want to keep the batter in the circle as best as you can), and then quickly pull the bag up twisting slightly so no batter spills out.
3. Once you’ve piped as many circles as you could, bang against the bottom of the tray with the piped macarons a few times to release air bubbles that are in the batter and prevent your macaron shells from cracking.
4. Optional: Use a toothpick to pop any air bubbles on the surface of the shells.
5. Sprinkle the unsweetened coconut flakes for the topping on the top of each macaron.
6. Pre-heat the oven to 290ºF.
7. Let your trays sit at room temperature for a while so the shells will dry out a little bit. I usually let the batter dry for about 25 minutes, depending on how humid the day is. You’ll know when they’re ready when you gently touch the surface of the macaron batter and it seems dry to the touch. (I like to set my timer for 25 minutes so I won't forget!)
8. When the batter is dry to the touch, place the baking sheet on top of a second baking sheet (this will prevent macarons from cracking).
9. Bake the double trays for 9 minutes, then remove the bottom tray and rotate the top tray and bake that tray for another 9 minutes. I bake every double trays for about 18 minutes total.
10.Remove from the oven and let the macarons cool down before proceeding with the filling. When baked, the macarons will have a deeper color and formed feet (which look like ruffles at the bottom of each macaron). If you try to move a macaron, it shouldn’t feel jiggly. If the macaron is still jiggly, keep baking for another minute or so and test again.
Mango Jam
1. Place the chopped mangos, granulated sugar, and lemon juice in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil while slowly mixing with a spatula. Cook the mangos for about 15 minutes until they are soft and dissolved.
2. Keep the heat medium-low, or low, so the liquid doesn’t evaporate and the mangos won't stick to the bottom of the pan.
3. Meanwhile, dissolve the cornstarch in the water and add it to the soft mangos. Mix with a spatula while you cook the mixture for another minute while it thickens. Remove the jam from the heat. Let the mango jam cool down for about 10 minutes. Optional: You can add it to a small food processor or blender, and process to make it more smooth.
Strawberry Buttercream
1. Pulse the freeze dried strawberries in a food processor until it is similar to a fine powder. If you are using the freeze dried strawberry that already comes in a powder form, you can skip this step.
2. Cream the butter with a mixer until creamy and fluffy, about 4 minutes. With the mixer off, add the powdered sugar and freeze dried strawberry powder to the creamy butter and mix on low until fully incorporated. (You can cover the top of the mixing bowl with a heavy towel because the powdered sugar will blast out when mixing!)
3. Raise the speed to medium-high and beat the ingredients for another minute.
4. Add 2 tbsp of water or milk only if the buttercream seems too dry or stiff. You may find that the consistency of the buttercream is already perfect and doesn’t need any more liquid. But if the buttercream seems too runny, add more sifted powdered sugar until you obtain a firm, but smooth and creamy consistency.
5. Place the buttercream in a piping bag.
To assemble
1. To assemble the macarons, pipe a ring of the Strawberry Buttercream on the bottom shell, but not too close to the edges to prevent any filling from squeezing out as it will be sandwiched with another shell on top and add Mango Jam in the center.
Storage
1. These macarons can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days, and in the freezer for up to 15 days.
2. The mango jam can be stored in a jar in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, and in the freezer for up to 3 months.
NOTES
*Using an oven thermometer ensures the most accurate oven temperature
**Baking with two baking sheets will prevent the macarons from cracking
Thanks so much for reading my blog! Leave a comment below or tag @toocutedesserts and/or hashtag #toocutedesserts on Instagram if you make this recipe! Have fun baking and enjoy!
XOXO,
Corinne of TooCuteDesserts
