Get into the Halloween spirit with these bloody and totally spooky macarons! This recipe is the absolute best macaron recipe that is basically guaranteed you the most amazing results ever.
Halloween is one of the best holidays of the year. Spooky season starts early in my house, and these bloody and spooky macarons are the most delicious way to get celebrating.
Ingredients
So, believe it or not, but the ingredient list isn't actually that long. We need a few ingredients for the macaron shells, and a few more for the frosting and the filling.
For the macarons
- Almond flour - I recommend looking for finely ground almond flour. Do not use almond meal. If you cannot find almond flour, I have a tutorial for how to make almond flour.
- Powdered sugar - For sweetness and helping to process the almond flour even more to make it extra fine.
- Egg whites - The egg whites are needed to make the meringue. It also adds structure. You can replace the egg whites with aquafaba, which is the liquid in canned chickpeas. This will give you a nice vegan macaron.
- Granulated sugar - The granulated sugar adds sweetness and also helps whip the meringue to a nice glossy, stiff peak which is needed for good macarons.
- Vanilla extract - The macarons shells are often unflavored but you can add a little vanilla, which is exactly what we do here with this recipe.
For the filling:
- Unsalted butter - The butter flavors the frosting and adds structure.
- Powdered sugar - For sweetness and structure.
- Vanilla extract - Used to add flavor.
- Heavy cream - Adds creaminess and creates a smooth consistency
- Cherry jam - It adds flavor and a bit of spookiness when you bite into the bloody macarons
Method
We use a completely different macaron method for this recipe. I find it gives more consistent results for new and experienced bakers alike and is my new favorite method for making them. I still love French macarons, but if you've struggled with them in the past, I recommend this method.
- Process and sift! You should always process your almond flour and powdered sugar together for about a minute, then sift the mixture.
- Add the egg whites and granulated sugar into a heat-proof mixing bowl. Place the bowl over a small saucepan filled with simmering water (you are essentially creating a double boiler). Whip the mixture until the sugar has dissolved and the egg whites are foamy.
- Transfer to a mixer and beat until the meringue reaches stiff peaks. You should be able to lift the bowl upside down over your head without the mixture budging even a little.
- Mix in the almond flour and mix together. You want to deflate the meringue at this point. Be careful because the mixture can get runny easily, so check often. The mixture should flow from your spatula back into the bowl like lava.
- Pipe the mixture onto lined baking sheets, then let them rest until they form a skin on top.
- Bake low and slow until feet have formed and the shells are baked through. Allow them to cool before removing from the baking pan. While they cool, make your splatter.
- Make your frosting and pipe!
Tips
My biggest tip is to take things slowly. Don't rush any part of the recipe, especially if this is your first time making macarons.
I like to press the batter all around the sides of the bowl, then bring it together in the center. This is great for deflating the meringue without being too aggressive, and you can check the consistency after every time you bring the batter back together.
The consistency of your food coloring is important. I highly recommend using gel food coloring. The color is a lot better, and it has a nicer consistency.
Vodka is best (don't worry, it doesn't make the macarons boozy, its no different than the alcohol that is in our vanilla extract). In a pinch, you can use something similar such as rum.
Mix the food coloring and alcohol together until it is thinned out, but still thick enough to coat your paintbrush fully.
When adding the splatter, you want to tap the brush onto a finger while hovering over the shells. Do your best to not get big splotches as they tend to not dry fully and soak through the shell and ruin the texture.
Related recipes
If you are in love with all things Halloween, you will love these black velvet cupcakes, spiderweb cupcakes, Halloween cake pops, and bloody white cake. For more macarons, check out my chocolate peppermint macarons, vanilla bean macarons, lemon rhubarb macarons, chocolate raspberry macarons, and caramelized honey macarons.
Recipe Card
Blood Splatter Spooky Macarons
Ingredients
For the Shells
- 100 grams almond flour
- 100 grams powdered sugar
- 100 grams egg whites
- 100 grams granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon white food coloring optional
For the Frosting
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 2 - 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup cherry jam
- ½ teaspoon red gel food coloring
- 1 - 2 teaspoons vodka
Instructions
- Line 2 baking sheets with non-stick baking mats and set aside.
- Process the almond four and powdered sugar in a food processor for about 1 minute then sift into a bowl, set aside.
- In the bowl of a freshly cleaned and dried stand mixer, whisk together the egg whites and granulated sugar. Place the mixing bowl over a pot of simmering water and heat, whisking constantly, until the sugar is melted and the mixture is warm to the touch.
- Return the bowl to your stand mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment. Turn the mixer to high and whisk the egg mixture until it forms stiff peaks and the bowl is no longer hot.
- Add in the vanilla and food coloring and whip for another minute.
- Sift the dry ingredients into the mixing bowl on top of the egg whites.
- Take a spatula and scrape down any unincorporated meringue from the sides of the bowl. Run the spatula around the bottom once to get any bits that didn't get mixed in. Smush the batter along the sides of the bowl, then gather together. Lift the batter and let it drizzle from your spatula back into the bowl. If it moves like lava, it is ready.
- Scoop the batter into a pastry bag fitted with a wide round tip. Pipe evenly sized rounds onto the prepared baking sheets.
- Bang the baking sheets on the counter several times to release any air bubbles. Let the macarons sit out until the tops are dry and a skin has formed. about 30 - 60 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 290°F. Bake the macarons one sheet at a time for about 25 - 26 minutes, or until you can lift the cover of a macaron from the baking sheet easily.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
- Make the frosting while the macarons are baking. Beat the butter until smooth, then add in the powdered sugar. Add in the heavy cream and vanilla then beat until smooth. Fill a piping bag with a round tip with the frosting.
- Before you remove the shells, add the blood splatter. Mix together the food coloring and the vodka. Dip in a new small paint brush and tap the brush against your finger to splatter the coloring over the shells. Move the brush around quickly as you splatter so there are not any very large drops that will soak through the shell.
- Allow the splatter to dry - you can speed up the process by leaving them by a fan
- Pipe half of the shells with a round of frosting, and add a teaspoon to the middle f the round. Sandwich with the remaining shells.
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