These orange creamsicle macarons have a light, orange flavored macaron shell filled with a vanilla cream cheese frosting. They taste just like a classic orange creamsicle but in macaron form!
I'll walk you through how to make homemade French macarons and give you all my tips and tricks for success! You might also like these mango macarons or these strawberry macarons!
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Ingredient Notes
You just need a handful of ingredients to make these orange creamsicle 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.
Powdered sugar - I usually use regular powdered sugar in my macarons, but for these I tested out Orange Flavored Powdered Sugar from Whipzi! It gave the macarons a mild orange flavor and pretty orange color! It's a a perfect 1:1 swap for the regular powdered sugar.
Orange extract - This is optional, but it adds some extra orange flavor to the macarons.
Gel food coloring - This is also optional, but if you want a deeper orange color always use gel food coloring! Since macaron batter is so finicky, we don’t want to add any extra liquid to the batter. So gel food coloring is the way to go! The color is also even more concentrated so you need less.
The complete list of ingredients and amounts is located in the recipe card below.
Special Equipment
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 degrees as possible to make perfect macarons but just because your oven says it's 300 degrees, doesn't mean it actually is. For example, I often have to set my oven to 305 in order for the thermometer to read 300.
- Silicone macaron mats - You can pipe your orange 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 soft peaks form. If desired, add in the orange extract and a couple drops of orange gel food coloring, then continue to whisk 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 orange 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. Then pipe the vanilla cream cheese frosting in the center and top with the other shell.
Put the assembled orange creamsicle 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 tough, 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 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 to the orange cream cheese filling if desired!
The majority of macaron issues can be traced to either having the wrong oven temperature or improper mixing technique. This is why it's 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 Fruity Macaron Recipes You Might Like!
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Recipe Card
Orange Creamsicle Macarons
Special Equipment
Ingredients
Macarons
- 100 grams egg whites, room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 60 grams granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon orange extract, optional
- 2 drops orange gel food coloring , optional
- 110 grams almond flour, sifted
- 200 grams powdered sugar, sifted
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 57 grams unsalted butter, room temperature
- 113 grams cream cheese, room temperature
- 180 grams powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon orange zest, optional (sub ½ teaspoon orange extract)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
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 soft peaks form. If desired, add in the orange extract and a couple drops of orange gel food coloring, then continue to whisk 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 orange macarons cool completely on the baking sheet before removing them. They should easily peel off when fully cooled.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the softened butter and cream cheese until completely smooth.
- Then add in the powdered sugar and beat on slow until combined. Then beat the frosting for 3-4 minutes on high speed until light and fluffy.
- Match up your shells before filling, and then turn one side over. Then pipe the vanilla cream cheese frosting in the center and top with the other shell.
- Put the assembled orange creamsicle 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.
Bree says
Can I use orange juice instead of orange extract?
Kyleigh Sage says
Unfortunately, no orange juice will add way too much water to the macaron shells and they won't turn out properly. The flavor also isn't concentrated like orange extract is, so for such a tiny amount there would be almost no orange flavor from orange juice.
Lex says
This recipe was perfect when I made it! The shell recipe was just perfect. I’ve been practicing making macarons for a couple years now. Before, I only followed recipes from a book I bought from Amazon, and the shells were always inconsistent. These turned out perfectly every time. I’ll continue to follow recipes from this page, because I’m so impressed by how great these recipes turned out. I made these for a bridal shower, and I’ve received nothing but compliments on them. I’ve even had people say that these taste better than the ones from bakeries, thank you so much!