These butter pecan macarons have a light, macaron shell filled with a brown butter pecan buttercream, then drizzled with white chocolate! They have that classic southern butter pecan flavor in every bite!
You might also like these toasted coconut macarons or these butter pecan cupcakes!
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Ingredient Notes
You just need a few ingredients to make these butter pecan macarons!
Egg Whites - I've recently started "aging" my egg whites and I've found it helps with my consistency. This is absolutely not necessary, but it's super easy to do so I recommend trying it out. Weigh out 100 grams of egg whites into a small bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and poke a few holes in the top. Place in the fridge for at least 24 hours but up to 3 days. Make sure to remove the egg whites from the fridge at least an hour before baking.
Almond Flour - If you've ever seen macarons that look bumpy, it's usually because the almond flour isn't ground finely enough. I love using Bob's Red Mill for my almond flour because it's super fine. But if you have lumpy almond flour you can also just pulse it in a food processor for a few seconds to break it up further. Sifting your dry ingredients is also super important for ensuring smooth macarons.
Pecans - The pecans are the star of the show! Finely ground, toasted unsalted pecans work best for this recipe!
Brown Butter - This is optional, but I love using brown butter for the buttercream for an even richer butter pecan flavor! If you've never made brown butter before, you can check out this post with all my tips for how to make brown butter!
Rum Extract - This is also optional, but I also like adding a little bit of rum extract to the buttercream!
Butter Extract - This isn't necessary (especially if you're using brown butter), but if desired you can add ¼ teaspoon of butter extract to the buttercream to deepen the flavor.
The complete list of ingredients and amounts is located in the recipe card below.
Special Equipment
These butter pecan macarons can be tricky so setting yourself up for success is key!
- Kitchen scale - Macarons are incredibly finicky, so weighing all your ingredients is super important!
- Sturdy baking sheet - You want to use a super sturdy baking sheet that won't warp and conducts heat evenly! These Cuisinart baking sheets are my favorite for macarons!
- Oven thermometer - We want our oven as close to 300°F degrees as possible to make perfect macarons but just because your oven says it's 300°F degrees, doesn't mean it actually is. For example, I often have to set my oven to 305°F in order for the thermometer to read 300°F.
- Silicone macaron mats - You can pipe your pecan macarons on parchment paper, but I highly recommend silicone mats! I love these macaron mats that have small circles printed on them. The guide is super helpful for making sure all your macarons are the same size!
- French star piping tip (optional for filling)
How to Make French Macarons
Sift together almond flour and powdered sugar into a large bowl and set aside.
In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites on medium speed until they become foamy, then add in the cream of tartar.
Turn the mixer up to medium-high and gradually add in the granulated sugar. Once all the sugar is added, turn the mixer to the highest setting and whisk on high until stiff peaks form.
Using a spatula, gently fold in half of the dry ingredient mixture until fully combined. Then gently fold in the remaining dry ingredients.
Continue to gently fold the batter until it reaches a “flowing lava” consistency. You should be able to make a “figure 8” with the batter before it breaks. As soon as you reach this consistency, stop mixing! If you over-mix the batter, the macarons won’t rise properly in the oven.
Line a large baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
Scoop batter into a large piping bag fitted with a large round tip. Hold the piping bag perpendicular to the silicone mat and pipe 1 inch rounds.
Pick up the baking sheet and drop it onto the counter 3-4 times to help bring any air bubbles to the surface of the macarons. Then use a toothpick to pop any visible air bubbles to make a smooth surface.
Let the macarons sit at room temperature for 30-40 minutes or until a skin forms on the surface. You should be able to lightly touch the surface without any batter being disturbed.
While the macarons are resting, preheat the oven to 300°F.
Bake one sheet at a time on the center rack of the oven for 13-15 minutes or when they do not move on their “feet” when touched.
Let the macarons cool completely on the baking sheet before removing them. They should easily peel off when fully cooled.
Match up your shells before filling, and then turn one side over. If desired, drizzle with some melted white chocolate and sprinkle with some extra ground pecans. Then pipe the brown butter pecan buttercream in the center and top with the decorated shell.
Put the assembled butter pecan macarons in an airtight container, then place them in the fridge to mature for 12-24 hours. Store in the fridge for up to 5 days. However, for the best taste/texture, let them come up to room temperature for about an hour before eating! [Directly out of the fridge they can sometimes be super hard but at room temperature they're perfectly soft and tender!]
Recipe FAQ's
Macarons can be tricky, but once you get the hang of it they aren't that hard! It's important to follow the directions carefully but if your first batch of butter pecan macarons doesn't turn out, just keep practicing!
Unless you have experience baking macarons, I don't recommend making any changes to the macaron recipe because even small changes can negatively affect the recipe. But you can make changes to the butter pecan filling if desired!
The majority of macaron issues can be traced to either having the wrong oven temperature or an improper mixing technique. This is why it's so important to use an oven thermometer and only mix the batter until it starts to flow like lava and then stopping.
Tips for Success!
For best results I always recommend using weight measurements (especially when baking) because it's the most accurate. Kitchen scales are super affordable and also reduce the number of dishes you have to do! However, all my recipes also include US customary measurements for convince. Use this chart to convert measurements for common ingredients!
Substitutions: In all my recipes, I've included substitutions that I know will work, but I cannot guarantee results if you substitute ingredients that I have not recommended. [For example, granulated sugar and honey are indeed both sweeteners but they have very different properties so they can not always be swapped 1:1. Using honey in a cookie recipe that calls for granulated sugar will yield a giant mess.] In the recipe card you'll find links to the specific ingredients/brands that I use.
A note on salt: I almost exclusively use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt because it's the best all-purpose salt for cooking and baking. If you're not using kosher salt, consult this handy guide for a conversion chart! When in doubt, if you're using table salt just reduce the amount by half for baked goods. When cooking, I prefer to under-salt because you can always add more! If you've over-salted, adding a little bit of acid (like lemon juice) can help.
More Macaron Recipes You Might Like!
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Recipe Card
Butter Pecan Macarons
Special Equipment
Ingredients
Macarons
- 100 grams egg whites, room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 60 grams granulated sugar
- 200 grams powdered sugar, sifted
- 110 grams almond flour, sifted
Buttercream
- 113 grams unsalted brown butter, room temperature
- 180 grams powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream, as needed
- ¼ teaspoon rum extract, optional
- ¼ cup finely ground pecans
Topping
- 57 grams white chocolate, melted
- ground pecans
Instructions
Macarons
- Sift together almond flour and powdered sugar into a large bowl and set aside.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites on medium speed until they become foamy, then add in the cream of tartar.
- Turn the mixer up to medium-high and gradually add in the granulated sugar. Once all the sugar is added, turn the mixer to the highest setting and whisk on high until stiff peaks form.
- Using a spatula, gently fold in half of the dry ingredient mixture until fully combined. Then gently fold in the remaining dry ingredients.
- Continue to gently fold the batter until it reaches a “flowing lava” consistency. You should be able to make a “figure 8” with the batter before it breaks. As soon as you reach this consistency, stop mixing! If you over-mix the batter, the macarons won’t rise properly in the oven.
- Line a large baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
- Scoop batter into a large piping bag fitted with a large round tip. Hold the piping bag perpendicular to the silicone mat and pipe 1 inch rounds.
- Pick up the baking sheet and drop it onto the counter 3-4 times to help bring any air bubbles to the surface of the macarons. Then use a toothpick to pop any visible air bubbles to make a smooth surface.
- Let the macarons sit at room temperature for 30-40 minutes or until a skin forms on the surface. You should be able to lightly touch the surface without any batter being disturbed.
- While the macarons are resting, preheat the oven to 300°F.
- Bake one sheet at a time on the center rack of the oven for 13-15 minutes or when they do not move on their “feet” when touched.
- Let the macarons cool completely on the baking sheet before removing them. They should easily peel off when fully cooled.
- Match up your shells before filling, and then turn one side over. If desired, drizzle with some melted white chocolate and sprinkle with some extra ground pecans.
Buttercream
- Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the softened brown butter and powdered sugar until smooth.
- Slowly add in the cream until fully combined. Then add in the rum extract and beat the buttercream for 3-4 minutes on high speed until light and fluffy.
- Then fold in the finely ground pecans.
- Pipe the brown butter pecan buttercream in the center of the macarons and top with the decorated shell.
- Put the assembled butter pecan macarons in an airtight container, then place them in the fridge to mature for 12-24 hours. Store in the fridge for up to 5 days. However, for the best taste/texture, let them come up to room temperature for about an hour before eating! [Directly out of the fridge they can sometimes be super hard but at room temperature they're perfectly soft and tender!]
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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