Achieve perfect macarons with this fool-proof French macaron recipe. To top it all off fill your perfect macarons with a salted caramel and milk tea filling. These macarons take inspiration from boba milk tea and are like having bubble tea in a cookie!
I think the one thing that keeps being requested over and over again on Instagram is to share my macaron recipe! Since there were so many requests for it I wanted to make sure that it was perfect for all of you. On top of that I wanted to incorporate some flavours that were unique to me and super delicious.
Milk Tea Macarons
My favourite macaron flavour is salted caramel by far, the sweetness of the caramel and macaron shell are balanced by the salt, making it the perfect combination. I wanted to take that but add my own twist, and that’s how the salted caramel milk tea macarons were born! This flavour combination reminds me of a sweet cup of boba in the form of a cookie and it is AMAZING. I can safely say that this is now my favourite macaron. EVER. I think you guys would love it too so give it a try! It uses instant milk tea powder which is really easy to find in any asian grocery store, but if you can’t find it it’s here too!
On another note my kitchen renovation has finally finished!! Even though I have been working on so many recipes, my kitchen actually hadn’t been completely finished, but now that it is all done I can film videos in it for all of you. This time I walk you through the steps in person, so I hope that adds to the helpfulness of the video!
Crucial Points in Macaron Making
When it comes to making macarons there are so many things to take into account, and that’s why it has the notorious reputation of being difficult to make. BUT, once you grasp all the basics and take extra care at the crucial points you will become a macaron master.
From my experience when it comes to macarons there are three points in which you HAVE to get right for successful macarons. The first is the meringue, second is the folding of almond meal and powdered sugar, and last is the drying of the shells .
Meringue
- No grease
- When making your meringue make sure that your bowl is super clean. Any extra grease can cause your egg whites to not whip up to their full potential.
- I like to use a little vinegar to give my bowl and whisk a good wipe down before I start.
- Stiff, glossy peaks
- Make sure your meringue reaches stiff, glossy peaks. The meringue is essentially the foundation of the cookie so making sure that your foundation has been whipped to a very stable meringue is crucial!
Folding
This step determines your final macaron shape and whether or not they will be round, smooth and shiny, cracked and lumpy, or flat and shapeless. This is the hardest to gage when first making macarons because it is easy to under or over-mix the batter.
- IF IN DOUBT STOP
- Over mixing your macarons will give you a macaron puddle which can’t even be sandwiched
- If the batter is a little undermixed the shell will be a little more lumpy bumpy, but it still looks pretty good!
- Fold until ribbons slowly disappear
- The most common description is fold until “batter flows like lava”. But how are you supposed to tell what lava looks like…?
- For me should flow back into the bowl in small ribbon like chunks. When those small ribbons fall onto the batter they should start to disappear into the batter SLOWLY.
- Watch you batter for about 20 seconds and see if the lines that formed when the batter fell start to disappear. If they do then you’re done!
- Avoid extra handling of the batter
- Once you have reached the right consistency you can overmix the batter as you transfer to your piping bag.
- Make sure your batter receives as little handling as possible when filling your piping bag!
Drying
This step ensures that you get the feet on the bottom of your cookie! If you bake them when they aren’t quite dry it could not work out. I’ve had days where I’ve waited HOURS and they still weren’t dry, but just be patient and wait! It will be worth it I promise.
- Make sure that your macaron shells are dry to the touch (see video if you aren’t too sure!) before you bake them
- The time it takes for them to dry differs according to the humidity of your climate, and whether or not you have over-mixed your batter. Extra humidity and over-mixing of your batter can cause it to take longer.
Let's Get Baking
If you follow these tips you shouldn’t have problems with your little macarons! Of course there are a lot of other factors that could play a part and if they still aren’t looking great don’t hesitate to message me on instagram or leave a comment down below. I’m looking forward to seeing all your perfect macarons with a delicious milky filling.
If you liked this recipe make sure to leave me a comment and rating down below, I would love to know how you went.
Also, don't forget to tag me on Instagram @catherine.desserts and hashtag #cattycakes so I can see and share your desserts. Follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, Youtube, and TikTok for more of my baking creations and updates! Until next time... happy caking!
ALSO! I’ve made a little template for your macarons when piping, just click below to download it 🙂
If you need more detailed tips on improving your macarons check out my e-book!
Perfect Macarons with Salted Caramel and Milk Tea Filling
Achieve perfect macarons with this fool-proof French macaron recipe. To top it all off fill your perfect macarons with a salted caramel and milk tea filling. These macarons take inspiration from boba milk tea and are like having bubble tea in a cookie!
- Prep Time: 90 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 105 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
Ingredients
Macaron Shell
- 49 g Almond meal
- 44 g Powdered sugar
- 37 g Egg whites
- 37 g Sugar
Milk Tea Buttercream
- 65 g Unsalted butter, room temperature
- 10 g Instant milk tea powder
- 5 g Water, boiling
Milk Tea Caramel
- 15 g Sugar
- 10 g Instant milk tea powder
- 30 g Thickened/Heavy cream
- 10 g Water
- Flakey salt for sprinkling
Instructions
Macaron Shell
- In a medium sized bowl sieve the almond meal and powdered sugar together
- If there are large chunks of almond meal remaining in the sieve dispose of them
- In a large clean bowl add the egg whites, and using an electric mixer beat until foamy
- Slowly add the sugar and beat until stiff peaks
- Add your food colouring of choice and beat until well distributed
- Fold the sieved almond meal and powdered sugar into the meringue in 2-3 additions, scraping around the bowl and down the centre (see video for details)
- Once all folded in, press the batter around the bowl and then fold it into the centre (see video for details)
- Continue until you notice that the lines that form when the batter falls back into the bowl slowly start to disappear
- Transfer to a piping bag with a round tip and pipe out 1.5inch circles**
- Allow to dry for 1-2 hours***
- Bake in a preheated oven at 140°C for 10-15 minutes (I find that it's usually done at 13, but it depends on your oven so make sure to check! If you give your macarons a wiggle they shouldn't be moving, that's when they're ready)
- Remove from oven and let cool
Milk Tea Buttercream
- Dissolve milk tea powder in boiling water, put aside and let cool
- Beat the room temperature butter until light and fluffy
- Add the cooled milk tea mixture into the buttercream and continue beating until smooth and silky
- Transfer to a piping bag and put aside
Milk Tea Caramel
- Add the milk tea powder, sugar, cream and water to a small saucepan
- Combine the ingredients on low heat and continue cooking until a thick, glossy, dark caramel forms
- Remove from heat and cool
- Transfer to a piping bag and put aside
Assembly
- Match similar sized macaron shells with each other
- On the flat side of one pipe a border of milk tea buttercream
- Fill the centre with the caramel and add a sprinkling of flakey sea salt
- Top with the matching shell
- Place in airtight container in the fridge for a day to mature (gives deeper flavour and chewy texture!)
Notes
* Instant milk tea powder can be easily found in asian grocery stores, I've added a link above as well
** I've attached a template for 1.5 inch circles above
*** Depends on your climate, if it is wet or humid where you live it may take longer
Related Recipes
Aleeya Gregorio
I really love your recipes and I would love to make this macaron! (PS I am this person's daughter.)
Catherine Zhang
Would love to see them!
Aleeya Gregorio
Actually sorry I am just Aleeya
Aleeya Gregorio
Also can you show your yuzu ice cream recipe?
Andres
Question! For your Macarons, i cant find milk tea powder here in Colombia 🇨🇴 you think i can use milk coffee powder?
Catherine Zhang
Hi yes you can! Then it will be a milk coffee macaron, still delicious 🙂
Aleeya
I love macarons so can you try make a yuzu macaron?
Catherine Zhang
That sounds amazing! Will have to try it out... 😀
Elsa
How many do these make? Also in the competitions when you make macarons, why don't they show them drying?
Catherine Zhang
this makes 12 macarons 🙂 In the competition there isn't much time to show everything that happens. That's because they only have an hour an episode, so things that are less important are usually cut out. 😀
Therese
Hi Catherine!
Just wondering if your oven is a conventional oven or fan-forced?
Therese
Catherine Zhang
My oven has an interchangeable feature, but I find that using convection is better when making macarons
Sheryl J
Hi Catherine! Fan of yours in Zumbo Just desserts! Been looking for an easy and fool proof macaron recipe and lucky i came across your website. Perfect skin and feet! (Too had was n't able to take a photo!) Will definitely make a bigger batch. Thanks!
SJ
★★★★★
Catherine Zhang
So glad!!! ❤️
Grace Chang
Catherine my 12 year old has made many macaron recipes and this one by far came out the best. My 10 year old made it today with very little baking experience and they came out surprisingly superb. After showing pics to the ladies in my small group, they all want the recipe! Thank you for the hours and weeks spent perfecting this - it has truly made macaron making less daunting!
Catherine Zhang
I'm so glad that the macarons are turning out great! It makes me so happy to hear that I can help make something difficult a little easier. 🙂
TM
Hey Catherine! Was just looking at your recipe and noticed that your almond flour to powdered sugar ratio, as well as egg whites to granulated sugar is rather different from what i have seen in many other recipes.
From what i see, your almond flour to powdered sugar ratio is almost 1:1, and egg whites to granulated sugar is also 1:1 as well. However, from other recipes, the general ratios i see are 1:2 for almond flour to powdered sugar, and 2:1 or 3:2 for egg whites to granulated sugar.
Any reason for this? Really hope to know as I'd love to try your recipe, but would also like to know the science behind this big diff in ratio! Thanks a lot 🙂
Catherine Zhang
Hi TM
I've tried a lot of macaron recipes and I know what you are talking about. For me I found that when making macarons the Italian method was a lot more consistent than the French and the basis behind that is because the meringue is a lot stronger (with the sugar syrup). By adding more sugar to the meringue we are able to create a thicker and more sturdy meringue that is a little more stable when being folded into the almond meal mixture, providing more consistent results! Hope this helps 🙂
TM
Ahh I see, thank you so much Catherine! Will be trying your macaron recipe today for the first time, fingers crossed that it works out 🙂
Shanell
Hi Catherine I really loved you on the show dumbo just desserts you really made fantastic dishes. I am allergic to tree nuts so I wouldn’t be able to use almond flour so I was wondering if there is a good substitute for almond flour that will make a good macaroon.
Jenny Chan
Hi Catherine, thank you so much for sharing your recipes with us. I tried this macaron recipe today and it turned out perfect. I’ve always loved eating macarons and am so happy that I know how to make them myself now. Thank you so much!
Shanell
Hi Catherine I was wondering how many egg whites is 37 grams since I do not have a scale
Present at my home!
Catherine Zhang
Hi Shanell,
Because macarons can be very difficult they need precise measurements, I would recommend purchasing a kitchen scale! It's not too expensive and a great investment if you want to keep baking~
T
Hi Catherine,
Do you are your egg whites? Almost every macaron recipe mentions it. I couldn't be bothered because I like baking on a whim hehe. And do you have any tips for hollow macarons?
Catherine Zhang
Hi T,
No I don't age them because I found that it doesn't make a big difference!
I find that as long as you mix your batter to the right consistency and don't overdry your shells there shouldn't be any hollows.
Marj
Just made these macarons. I love the shell consistency and the flavors. Thank you!
★★★★★
Catherine Zhang
Yay! So glad they worked out. This milk tea flavour is one of my favourites too!
stefanie
Hi Catherine,
I can't wait to try this recipe this weekend! To clarify, in the video you put the loose black tea leaves but I don't see it in the written recipe. Thanks in advance!
Stefanie
Catherine Zhang
Hi Stefanie, the black tea leaves add extra flavour, but they aren't essential for the caramel. If you want a more concentrated flavour feel free to add 3/4 tsp black tea leaves to the caramel with all the other ingredients.
Isabel
I am so glad I came across your page! I’ve made this macaron recipe twice now and it came out better than what I expected for it being my first two tries, however, I run into the problem that my macarons slightly stick to the pan. I wonder if it’s related to the drying or something else because you write ‘drying time 1-2 hours’ (depending on climate) but mine are dry after 15-20 minutes. Am I doing something wrong while mixing?
Thanks in advance!
PS: I also made your snowskin mooncake recipe multiple times now and it’s amazing! I can’t wait for your book to come out!
Catherine Zhang
Hi Isabel, The macaron drying time totally depends on the climate, sometimes it'll be super quick if you live somewhere drier. So you aren't doing anything wrong there! If the macarons are sticking to the baking paper it's usually because they aren't completely done. Bake them for a couple more minutes and this should do the trick! (Hope you love my book as much as I do, not much longer now!)