These frog shaped macarons are inspired by the cute frogs on TikTok and Pinterest. Holding a heart these froggie macarons are filled with a creamy and delicious two ingredient buttercream!
I have been in love these frogs since they started trending on TikTok. There is something about that derpy face that is so cute! These frog decorated desserts originated from Oracle Bakery in Chicago. They create the CUTEST cakes decorated in vibrant buttercream and top them with the little animals. A lot of people have been making their own versions of the cake, but I thought they would be super cute as a macaron, so here they are, Tiktok Frog Macarons!
Tips on creating character macarons
Creating character macarons can be difficult as it requires you to layer the macaron batter. This is essential otherwise you won't be able to see the arms and legs of your frogs. Follow these tips for the cutest little froggies!
- NAIL the batter consistency: The most important thing when making shaped macarons is to make sure the batter is perfect. If the batter is too loose it won't be able to hold its shape after being piped, let alone hold up little frog arms and legs. If in doubt undermix the batter rather than overmixing it, this way there will still be definition in your piping.
- Give them space: Make sure to leave enough space in between each piped macaron. As you are adding extra bits and pieces they can spread into each other easily
- Let them dry: The second most important step is letting the macarons dry in between piping. It is important to let the base shell dry before piping on extra details. Macaron batter is very fluid, and if the base shell hasn't dried before piping on the arms/legs, the batter will meld together.
If you follow these tips you shouldn't have any problem creating the shape of these macarons!
Piping on Chocolate Details
The defining feature of these macarons is the cute little frog face. You can create the face in royal icing, however I find it easier to use compound chocolate. That way you don't need to make another icing. It is important that you use compound chocolate, rather than regular chocolate.
Compound chocolate is made from vegetable oils rather than cocoa butter and when melted will set solid. If you use regular chocolate the face will never set at room temperature, and you might get that cute face smeared everywhere...
To make sure that the chocolate is compound simply check the ingredients. If you don't see any cocoa butter and see oil instead you've got the right one!
If you have access to candy melts they also work amazing!
A couple of tips to keep in mind:
- Work quickly: Compound chocolate will set at room temperature, so you need to pipe out the details before it sets. I recommend melting the chocolate as you need it. Start with the dark chocolate for the eyes and mouth before melting and colouring the white chocolate for the cheeks
- Use oil based colouring: Water is chocolate's worst enemy as it caused it to seize up and become lumpy. Therefore it is important to use an oil-based or powdered colouring when adding colour to chocolate. If you don't have any you can use gel colour in a stitch, it will seize up, but add a drop or two of coconut/vegetable oil to smoothen it out before use. (Don't add too much, otherwise it won't set!)
Two-Ingredient Chocolate Buttercream
Honestly, by the time I have piped out all the details on these macarons I am not getting into an elaborate buttercream. I can't bring myself to whip up an American buttercream (It's just too sweet 😅), but I need something that is smooth, creamy and delicious that isn't going to require the cooking of eggs, or making of meringue... That's how I came up with this buttercream! I'm not sure if this exists somewhere else on the internet, but either way this is a delicious buttercream that won't cause extra stress.
The only thing you need to ensure when making this buttercream is the temperature of the chocolate. It must be at room temperature before being added to the butter. That way the butter won't melt and you will have a creamy buttercream!
Let's Get Baking!
I hope you all love these as much I do. I can't count the number of times I called these cute as I made them... If you want to see me create these check out my vlog from this week here! I can't wait to see how they turn out for you guys. If you make them make sure to tag me on instagram @catherine.just.dessertsau and hashtag #cattycakes so I can find and share your recreations! Any questions simply leave me a comment down below and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Until next time... happy baking!
PrintFroggie Macarons
These frog shaped macarons are inspired by the cute frogs on Tiktok and Pinterest. Holding a heart these froggie macarons are filled with a creamy and delicious two ingredient buttercream!
- Prep Time: 120 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 135 minutes
Ingredients
Macaron Shells
- 80 g Almond meal
- 73 g Icing/Confectioners sugar
- 60 g Egg whites
- 60 g White sugar
- Green gel/powder colouring
- Compound white and dark chocolate
- Oil based pink food colouring
Chocolate Buttercream
- 100 g Unsalted butter
- 80 g Semi-sweet chocolate
Instructions
Macaron Shells
- 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
- Fold the sieved almond meal and powdered sugar into the meringue in 2-3 additions, scraping around the bowl and down the centre
- Once all folded in, press the batter around the bowl and then fold it into the centre
- Continue until you notice that the lines that form when the batter falls back into the bowl slowly start to disappear
- Transfer ¾ of the batter to a piping bag with a medium round tip. Transfer the rest of the batter to a piping bag fitted with a small round tip.
- Pipe out 1.5 inch circles with the medium tip, and then on half the piped shells use the small tip to pipe two small dots of batter above the circles (These are the eyes of the frog, check the photos if unsure!)
- Allow to dry for 30 minutes
- Using the piping bag with the small tip pipe two arms on top of the 'frog eyed' shells, followed by two small dots (legs) on the base of the same shell (refer to photos for reference)
- If you would like the frog to hold something, place the candy/sprinkle between the arms (I used heart shaped sprinkles)
- Allow to dry for 30-60 minutes. Or until the shells are dry to the touch
- Bake in a preheated oven at 150°C for 14 minutes (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
- Melt the dark chocolate and place in a piping bag. Pipe two eyes and a smile on each shell
- Melt the white chocolate and colour pink. Pipe two ovals beneath the eyes to show the frog is blushing.
Chocolate Buttercream
- Roughly chop chocolate and melt in the microwave or over a hot water bath
- Allow chocolate to cool (making sure it is at room temperature before combining with the butter)
- Place softened butter in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until light in colour
- Add the cooled chocolate and continue beating until smooth, light and creamy
- Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a round nozzle
- Pipe a dollop of buttercream into the centre of a plain round macaron shell, then top with a frog faced shell
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Catherine!!!
These are one of the cutest things I’ve seen in a long time!!! Love it!!! You’re awesome thanks for sharing hope all is well!
As always...
Kindest regards,
KStep
Kstep!! Thank you, glad to hear from you again. Hope you are well too 🙂
Catherine