Nothing tastes more like summer to me than a sweet and juicy blackberry. I wanted to recreate that feeling in a macaron, and these Blackberry Macarons are absolutely perfect!
With a sweet and tangy Blackberry Curd and creamy American Buttercream, these Macarons are a deliciously unique summer treat!
How to Make Blackberry Curd
You might be more familiar with blackberry curd’s more popular cousin, lemon curd. Did you know that you can make a curd out of any fruit? I created this delicious blackberry curd by straining the juice out of some fresh blackberries and adding them to a classic curd mixture of eggs, sugar, and butter.
To release the juice from the blackberries, I threw them in the microwave for a few seconds, and then pushed them through a strainer to create a smooth juice.
This blackberry curd has a rich and sweet flavor with a touch of tartness and is perfect for macarons but can also be used as a filling for cookies and cakes too!
Buttercream Filling for Blackberry Macarons
Plain old buttercream is great for this recipe, but if you’re looking to add some extra flavor to your macs, you can try out some fun flavor variations using our American Buttercream recipe. Here are some flavor variations to add to the buttercream that pair well with the Blackberry Curd.
- Lime Zest
- Cheesecake Flavoring
- Coconut Extract
- Jalapeno Emulsion
How to Make Blackberry Macarons
For these blackberry macarons, I like to pipe a circle of buttercream around the edge of the macaron to create a border for the curd. Then, I pipe in the curd in the center. If I’m feeling like making something extra special, I’ll add sugar cookie crumble on top of the curd. You can find piping techniques on my Instagram!
Favorite Fruit Macarons Recipes
Try out some of these recipes for another delicious fruit-flavored treat!
Coconut Blueberry Crunch Macarons
Blackberry Macarons
Equipment
- baker's half sheet pans: high quality baking sheets with rimmed edges
- KitchenAid stand mixer
- parchment paper or silpat baking mats (with macaron template)
- oven thermometer
- piping bag
- Wilton Tip #12
- food scale that will measure in grams or ounces
- scribe (a sharp, pointed tool), or a toothpick
- digital minute timer
Ingredients
- 160 grams egg whites room temperature
- 88 grams granulated sugar
- 256 grams powdered sugar
- 200 grams almond flour
- 1 tsp. clear vanilla extract
- Blackberry Curd Recipe Below
- American Buttercream Recipe Below
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 285 for steel pans, or 300 for aluminum pans. Preheat for at least 10 minutes.
- Measure out your granulated sugar in a small bowl; set aside.
- Measure powdered sugar, almond flour together, then use a sifter to combine. This will make them smooth and lump-free. Set aside.
- Place your bowl on the surface of your food scale. Hit the "tare" button to zero out the weight of the bowl. Now measure the room temperature egg whites into the bowl of your KitchenAid stand mixer.
- Add the clear vanilla extract.
- Place bowl on mixer stand (this recipe is for the KitchenAid mixer), and attach the wire whisk beater. Set timer for one minute. Turn mixer to Speed 4, and slowly add sugar to egg whites, shaking it in a little at a time during that first minute.
- When timer goes off, set mixer to Speed 6, and set timer for 2 minutes.
- When timer goes off, set mixer to Speed 8, and set timer for 1 and 1/2 minutes (90 seconds). Coloring may be added just before this last mixing. Egg whites should look silky, yet stiff enough to hold the peak.
- Now we'll make the macronage: blend in dry ingredients, by moving a flexible spatula around the bowl, then cutting down through the middle, making sure to scrape the bottom for the flour and incorporate it into the meringue. You know you are done when the batter rolls off the spatula in a continuous ribbon. Batter will be thick…but can flow like a ribbon.
- BAKER'S NOTE: I have several videos of making macronage in my Instagram Highlights.
- Insert Wilton #12 tip into the small opening of your piping bag. Scoop the macronage into the bag, filling only half-way full, leaving room to twist the top closed in order to keep the batter from spilling out the top. Pipe the macrons by applying pressure until the batter flows out and just reaches the inner rim of the marked circle on your mat. Immediately release pressure and swirl tip to incorporate point back into the center of the cookie. See my tips on Instagram Highlights.
- NOTE: if you will be using parchment paper — search for online — then download a template of circles and place underneath your parchment paper. You'll remove this before baking.
- Once the full pan is piped, gently (or aggressively–no judgement here) bang the pan down onto the counter to release air bubbles. I usually place a towel on the counter before banging the pan. Use your scribe or toothpick to pop any large bubbles, in order to create smooth shells.
- PREP FOR BAKING, METHOD ONE: Place your parchment paper or silpat mat on the bottom of an upside-down baker's half sheet. Pipe your circles. Let rest about 5 minutes, bang (see above) then place them to bake in a pre-heated oven.
- PREP FOR BAKING, METHOD TWO: Place your parchment paper or silpat mat on the inside of a baker's half sheet (like normal). Pipe your circles. Let rest until your finger can glide across the top of the mac without stickiness, often up to 30 minutes. Bang (see above), then place them to bake in a pre-heated oven.
- Bake for 20 minutes.
- Once out of the oven, DO NOT — I repeat — do not remove from pan until they are completely cooled.
- This recipe yields 36-42 completed cookies (about 72-84 shells).
Blackberry Curd
Ingredients
- 1 egg
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1/4 stick unsalted butter room temperature
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice, fresh
- 3 cups blackberries fresh or frozen
Instructions
For Blackberry Curd:
- Heat blackberries to release juices (you can do this in a bowl in the microwave). Push blackberries through a strainer to remove any seeds.
- Pour juices into saucepan and simmer over low heat. Continue stirring until the juices reduce down and become thick and concentrated.
- Whisk in eggs and sugar. once combined, stir with spatula and cook until sugar is dissolved. Once thickened add butter.
- Pour into shallow container until cool. Place saran wrap over top pressing down and touching curd. Top with airtight lid ad store in fridge.
American Buttercream
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter Let sit on counter for 30 minutes.
- 250 grams powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 1/2 Tbsp. heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- Place butter in bowl of mixer, and attach paddle flat beater. Mix on medium speed until butter breaks up and is starting to look smooth.
- Add vanilla and salt; mix for 30 seconds until combined.
- Add in heavy whipping cream.
- Measure powdered sugar on scale. Slowly add to the mixer, 1 cup at a time.
- PRO TIP: Start the mixer speed back up slowly after adding the cup of powdered sugar, otherwise, pull out the mop.
- Once ingredients are all mixed, turn the mixer to medium high and set timer for five minutes.
- Flavor or color the buttercream to your preference. We make a huge batch of plain, then add flavor and color depening on the amount of buttercream we need. Making one large batch saves time in the long run.
- NOTE: American Buttercream will keep up to two weeks in the fridge, and one day at room temperature.
Katherine says
Looks like the recipe is missing the amount of blackberries to use for the curd 🙂 Looks like about half a cup, is that right? Thanks!
sweetmacshop says
Katherine, thank you! Its all fixed now!