• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
The Spice Train
  • Recipes
  • About/Contact
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • About
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipes
  • About
×

Home » Recipes » Cakes, Bakes & Frostings

Espresso Macarons with Coffee Liqueur Buttercream Filling

Published: Jan 25, 2015 · Modified: Jun 15, 2022 by Nicole B.

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

These pretty espresso macarons are filled with a rich, coffee liqueur-flavored buttercream. The espresso- and coffee flavors cut through the sweetness nicely and make these macarons a delicious treat for any occasion.

Espresso macarons with buttercream filling in a bowl.
Jump to:
  • Ingredients needed:
  • Ingredient notes:
  • Equipment Notes:
  • Tips for making macarons:
  • More delicious coffee-flavored desserts:
  • Full Printable Recipe

This recipe is adapted from the beautiful Tartelette blog. I used the basic macarons batter recipe from Tartelette and then flavored it with my all-time favorite dessert flavor: coffee. I added instant espresso powder to the macarons batter and filled the macarons with a coffee liqueur buttercream.

Ingredients needed:

For the shells:

All ingredients needed to make coffee macarons.
You need powdered sugar, almond flour, instant espresso powder, vanilla extract, sugar and egg whites to make the macarons.

For the filling:

All ingredients needed to make a coffee buttercream filling.
You need coffee liqueur, unsalted butter and powdered sugar to make the buttercream filling.

Ingredient notes:

  • egg whites – make sure to let the egg whites come up to room temperature before using them; they whip up easier that way.
  • instant espresso powder – this is actual brewed espresso that has been dehydrated into a dry powder. You can find it in the coffee aisle of the grocery store.
  • almond flour – make sure to get the stuff that’s blanched (which means that the dark, tough almond skins have been removed). Blanched flour is much less gritty than unblanched and makes for a smoother batter.

Equipment Notes:

  • The bowl you’re going to whip the egg whites in must be completely clean (the same goes for the beaters), because any fat will interfere with the meringue formation. Note that there is fat in egg yolks, so you need to be absolutely sure not to get any egg yolk into the whites when you separate the eggs.
  • I have tested different types of baking sheets and liners for baking macarons and what I found to work best is a silicone baking mat on an insulated cookie sheet (a cookie sheet made from two sheets of metal with a layer of air sandwiched between them). If you have those, I recommend you use those.

Tips for making macarons:

I’m not going to lie to you, making macarons is tricky and there is a whole list of things that can easily go wrong. Here are notes and tips that will help you make beautiful and delicious macarons.

Whip the meringue on low speed:

This is the most important tip I can give you and it will accomplish two very important things that are crucial for making macarons:

1. Whipping the meringue on low speed will ensure that all the granulated sugar will be fully dissolved. This is very important. What you want is for the sugar to be fully dissolved in the meringue so that when you slide a bit of meringue between two fingers, you can’t feel any grittiness. If you whip at high speed, the meringue will reach stiff peaks so quickly that the sugar won’t have enough time to fully dissolve and you will still be able to feel sugar granules in the meringue.

2. Whipping the meringue on low speed will make it much easier for you to see when you need to stop whipping. It is super important not to overwhip the meringue. As soon as the meringue just barely holds stiff peaks (as pictured in the photo below), stop whipping. As long as you whip at low speed, you will easily be able to tell when you’re at that point.

If you whip at high speed, you will likely blast past this point and end up with a meringue that is much too dry.

Whipped meringue in a mixing bowl.

How to whip the sugar into the meringue:

Start adding the granulated sugar immediately after you have a bubbly foam (like the one shown in the photo below). Add the sugar continuously but in very small quantities. (I like to grab a tablespoon and continuously sprinkle a smattering of sugar over the entire surface of the meringue while the mixer is running.)

Foamy whipped egg whites in a mixing bowl.

Fold in the dry ingredients in slow motion:

Take your time when folding in the dry ingredients. I like to add about ¼ cup of the dry ingredients at a time, then slowly and carefully fold them in before adding the next ¼ cup. Try to work in slow motion here so you don’t overmix and deflate the batter. Overmixing the batter will make it too runny.

Macarons batter being folded in a mixing bowl.

More delicious coffee-flavored desserts:

  • Chai White Russian
  • Coffee Cream Puffs (Coffee Choux Buns) with Coffee Glaze
  • Dark Chocolate Espresso Pots de Creme (No-Bake)
  • Spiced Irish Coffee

See more dessert recipes →

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating or comment! Thanks!

Full Printable Recipe

Espresso macarons with buttercream filling in a bowl.

Espresso Macarons with Coffee Liqueur Buttercream Filling

Recipe adapted from Tartelette.
These pretty espresso macarons are filled with a rich, coffee liqueur-flavored buttercream.
No ratings yet
Prevent your screen from going dark
Print Share on Fb Pin
Prep Time 45 mins
Cook Time 1 hr 10 mins
Total Time 1 hr 55 mins
Course Dessert
Cuisine French
Servings 16 macarons
Calories (estimated) 114 kcal

Equipment:

  • kitchen scale
  • measuring cups and spoons
  • two cookie sheets (see notes) lined with parchment paper or silicone baking mats
  • mixing bowls
  • whisk
  • standing mixer or handheld mixer
  • rubber spatula
  • piping bag with large round tip
  • spatula

Ingredients:
  

For the macarons:

  • 200 grams powdered sugar
  • 110 grams blanched almond flour
  • 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
  • 90 grams egg whites (about 3 eggs), at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 25 grams granulated sugar

For the filling:

  • ½ cup powdered sugar
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 tablespoon coffee liqueur, such as Kahlua

Instructions:
 

For the macarons:

  • Line two cookie sheets* with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
  • Whisk powdered sugar, almond flour and espresso powder together in a bowl until well combined. Set aside.
  • In a completely clean bowl and with clean beaters, whip egg whites and vanilla on low speed to a nice bubbly foam.
  • Continue to whip on low speed and gradually add the granulated sugar to the egg whites until you have a glossy meringue that just barely holds stiff peaks.
  • Slowly and carefully fold the almond mix into the meringue until combined. (It'll be a sticky, very slow-flowing, thick mass). It's important to take your time here. Try to work in slow motion so you don't overmix the batter. (Overmixing the batter will make it too runny.)
  • Carefully transfer the batter into a piping bag with a large round tip. Pipe the macarons onto the cookie sheets. (Pipe 16 dollops onto each sheet, each between 1 inch and 1 ½ inches in diameter. Hold the piping bag straight down when piping.)
  • If your macarons keep a little tip in the center, get your finger wet with a little bit of cold water and push the tip down.
  • Let the macarons sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. (During that time the macarons will form a dry "skin" on the outside. When you touch them, they should not be sticky at all.)
  • Heat the oven to 280 degrees F.
  • Bake the first baking sheet until the macarons are hard to the touch and don't move around when you touch them (15 to 20 minutes).
  • Once baked, leave the macarons in the oven, turn the oven off and open the oven door a crack. After 15 minutes, take the macarons out. Turn the oven back on and once it's up to temperature, bake the second sheet in the same way.

For the filling:

  • Whip all ingredients together until you have a smooth cream.
  • Match the macarons into pairs by size.
  • Put a dollop of buttercream on one shell and fit a second shell on top.
  • Keep the macarons refrigerated until serving.

Notes:

*I find that insulated cookie sheets, which consist of two sheets of metal with a layer of air sandwiched between them, work best for macarons and I recommend that you use those.

Nutrition Information (Estimated):

Calories: 114kcalCarbohydrates: 19.2gProtein: 1.1gFat: 3.7gSaturated Fat: 1.9gCholesterol: 8mgSodium: 8mgPotassium: 12mgFiber: 0.2gSugar: 18.5gCalcium: 1mg

Nutrition values provided on this website are generated from a nutrition database and are estimates only. The accuracy of the nutrition information for any recipe on this website is not guaranteed. Nutrition values can vary quite a lot depending on which brands are used.

Keywords: coffee liqueur filling, espresso macarons
« Irish Hazelnut Cream
Ginger Bramble Cocktail »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Popular Recipes & Guides:

  • Thai Pineapple Yellow Chicken Curry with Coconut Milk
  • Smoked Paprika Rub for Chicken
  • How many teaspoons are in a sprig? A conversion guide for common culinary herbs
  • Cajun Chicken Marinade
  • Spicy Burger Sauce
  • Spicy Smoked Paprika Sauce for Chicken
  • Stovetop Apple Crisp
  • Lemon Cardamom Cake

Footer

^ back to top

About

  • Contact

As seen on:

featured badge

Legal

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use

Copyright © 2022 The Spice Train