Salted Caramel Mocha Macarons

These delicious salted caramel mocha macarons consist of espresso and chocolate-flavored meringue shells and a caramel and coarse salt buttercream filling.

For more delicious salted caramel flavors, check out this Salted Caramel Toffee.

My absolutely favorite Starbucks drink is the salted caramel mocha; I look forward to it every year (for unknown reasons they only offer it in the fall).

For those unfamiliar with it, it’s a chocolate and toffee nut espresso drink with steamed milk, a dollop of whipped cream, caramel sauce drizzled over the cream and a coarse salt and sugar mix sprinkled over that.

I always take the lid off and drink the topping off first, it’s so delicious. And that brings me to these macarons, they taste like those first few sips of the salted caramel mocha. The shells are flavored with chocolate, espresso and vanilla and the filling is a caramel buttercream sprinkled with coarse salt. If you love the salted caramel mocha you will love these!

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• Ingredients needed:
• How to make the macarons:
• How to make the filling:
• Variations on this recipe:
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Ingredients needed:

For the macarons:

For the filling:

A few notes on some of the ingredients:

• almond flour – be sure to use blanched almond flour, which does not contain any almond skin
• caramel sauce – check out my caramel sauce recipe if you want to make your own (leave out the rosemary)
• salt – you can use fleur de sel or any coarsely ground salt

How to make the macarons:

Note: For additional detailed tips and notes check out this post on how to make macarons.

Prepare the dry ingredients:

Step 1. In a mixing bowl, whisk together:

• 200 grams powdered sugar
• 110 grams blanched almond flour
• ¾ teaspoon instant espresso powder
• 15 grams unsweetened cocoa powder

Set aside.

Whip the egg whites:

Step 2. Add 90 grams room-temperature egg whites (you’ll need 3 eggs for that) and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract to a mixing bowl. Whip on low speed until bubbly.

Step 3. Gradually add 25 grams granulated sugar to the egg whites while continuing to whip continuously on low speed. Whip until you have a glossy meringue that just barely holds stiff peaks.

Make the batter:

Step 4. Very slowly fold the almond mix into the whipped egg whites.*

*RECIPE NOTE: Don’t get in a hurry in this step. Work in slow motion so the batter remains thick and firm. If you work too quickly you will end up with a runny batter.

Pipe the macarons:

Step 5. Using a piping bag with a large round tip, pipe the macaron onto two cookie sheets* lined with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. (Pipe ~16 shells on each baking sheet, each between 1 inch and 1 ½ inches in diameter).

*RECIPE NOTE: What works best for macarons in my experience is insulated cookie sheets. These are cookie sheets that consist of two sheets of metal with a layer of air sandwiched between them. If you have those sheets, I recommend you use those.

Let the unbaked macarons dry at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.

Bake the macarons:

Step 6. Heat the oven to 280 degrees F., then bake the first baking sheet for 15 to 20 minutes, until the macarons are firm to the touch. (If they still move around on their little feet when you touch them, they are not yet done baking.)

Leave the macarons in the oven, turn the oven off and open the oven door a crack. After 15 minutes, take the macarons out. Reheat the oven and repeat with the second baking sheet.

How to make the filling:

Step 1. Whip together:

• 5 tablespoons softened, unsalted butter
• 1 ½ tablespoons caramel sauce
• ½ cup powdered sugar

Step 2. Add a dollop of caramel buttercream onto half of the shells, sprinkle with a bit of salt, then top with the remaining shells. Keep the macarons refrigerated until you’re ready to serve them.

Variations on this recipe:

For a different (but equally delicious) version of this recipe, leave out the instant espresso powder and the cocoa powder and leave everything else the same. You will end up with very delicious salted caramel macarons that way.

More delicious cookies:

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Full Printable Recipe