These peanut butter and jelly macarons are filled with a creamy peanut butter buttercream and homemade strawberry jelly. It’s like eating a bite-sized, fancier version of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich!
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How to Make Peanut Butter and Jelly Macarons
- Sift the almond flour and powdered sugar – Sift the almond flour and powdered sugar together because almond flour is moist and can get stuck in the strainer if sifted by itself.
- Make the meringue – Make sure your egg whites are at room temperature as they will whisk up to stiff peaks faster.
- Combine the dry ingredients and the meringue – Add the dry ingredients into the meringue in three parts to avoid over mixing. Fold the batter until you can’t see any more dry ingredients.
- Split the batter – Split the batter in half and transfer half to a small glass or stainless steel bowl and add the gel food coloring to each bowl. Fold the batter until it runs of the spatula in ribbons. Transfer each batter to an 8 inch pastry bag and place both bags in the larger pastry bag.
- Pipe the macaron shells – Pipe the batter in 3/4 inch circles while slowing making a circular motion to create the swirls.
- Rest the macarons – Before baking, let the macarons dry until they are no longer sticky if you touch them.
- Bake – Bake the shells for 14-16 minutes at 305F-315F. Let them cool down before filling.
- Make the buttercream and jelly – Make the buttercream and jelly and refrigerate the jelly so that it cools before filling the macarons.
- Pipe the filling – Once the macarons are cool, pipe the buttercream around the outside of the macaron shell, leaving a space in the middle, and fill the middle with jelly.
- Refrigerate the macarons – Refrigerate the filled macarons for a minimum of 24 hours before eating, as they need time to mature so they can get chewy.
How to Make Multi Colored Macarons
Multi colored macarons are made by splitting the batter in half before adding the gel food coloring. After folding the dry ingredients into the meringue, transfer half of the batter to another bowl and leave the other half in the mixing bowl. Working with one bowl at a time, add food coloring to the first bowl and fold until the color is fully mixed in and the batter runs off the spatula in ribbons without breaking. Repeat the process with the other bowl.
Once the color is completely mixed, keep folding and checking the batter every few folds by lifting the spatula and letting the batter run down. If it runs down in ribbons and sinks back into itself within 30 seconds, the batter is ready.
One of the biggest issues when splitting the batter is over mixing, which can lead to the batter becoming runny and the macarons being flat or having feet that spread out.
Swirl Macarons
One your batter is ready and your pastry bags are prepared, it’s time to pipe the shells. When making swirl macarons, you’ll be creating the swirls by the way you move the pastry bag in a circular motion as you release the batter. You’ll want to do this slowly to control the batter amount.
Peanut Butter Buttercream
- Creamy peanut butter – you can also use chunky peanut butter but it won’t pipe as smoothly.
- Salted butter – I always use salted butter, but you can also use unsalted, you’ll just want to add a pinch of salt to counteract the sweetness of the powdered sugar.
- Powdered sugar – no need to sift unless the sugar is very clumpy.
- Heavy whipping cream
Whisk the peanut butter and butter together until creamy. Add powdered sugar and continue whisking until the sugar is completely dissolved. Add heavy cream and whisk until smooth.
Homemade Strawberry Jelly
Making homemade strawberry jelly is so easy and tastes so much better than store bought jellies. This is the same recipe that I use for my Chocolate Strawberry Macarons and my Strawberry Cheesecake Macarons. If you like jelly filled macarons, you need to try those recipes!
- Frozen (or fresh strawberries) – I usually use frozen strawberries because it’s more convenient, since there is no need to clean or remove the tops. You can also use fresh strawberries.
- Granulated Sugar
- Lemon juice – You can use either bottled or fresh. The lemon juice helps to set the jelly.
In a medium saucepan, add the frozen strawberries and sugar and cook on medium heat until mixture starts to boil. Add the lemon juice and, using a spatula, stir regularly so that the strawberries don’t burn. Boil for about 20 minutes as you continue to stir and crush the strawberries. The mixture will thicken as it cools.
Remove saucepan from heat and let jelly cool before transferring to a glass container with a lid. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes so that jelly is cold before filling the macarons.
Tips for Making Macarons
- Use a kitchen scale – I highly recommend weighing all of your ingredients in grams. Macarons are extremely finicky cookies and using cups and tablespoons just isn’t accurate enough.
- Use room temperature egg whites – It’s not necessary to age your egg whites. I’ve used both aged and fresh egg whites and haven’t noticed any difference at all. The important thing is to use room temperature egg whites because the meringue will whip up faster when the egg whites are at room temperature. TIP: To bring your egg whites to room temperature quickly, place the eggs in a bowl filled with hot water for a couple of minutes.
- Whisk your meringue to stiff peaks – The meringue needs to be whisked to very stiff peaks. If you lift the whisk and the peak falls to the side, it’s not ready. The meringue should clump up inside the whisk and the peak should point straight up when you lift it from the bowl.
- Use an oven thermometer – Using an oven thermometer is so important because all ovens are different and oven temperature displays are not always accurate. This can lead to under baked or over baked macarons. The only way to know the actual temperature of your oven is to use a thermometer.
More macarons with fruit fillings to try
- Strawberry Cheesecake Macarons
- Chocolate Strawberry Macarons
- Guava Macarons
- Mango Macarons
- Passion Fruit Macarons
- Orange Macarons
- Caramel Apple Macarons
More swirled macarons
Macaron resources
Peanut Butter and Jelly Macarons
These peanut butter and jelly macarons are filled with a creamy peanut butter buttercream and homemade strawberry jelly. It's like eating a bite-sized, fancier version of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich!
Servings: 18 macarons
Calories: 130kcal
Equipment
- Kitchen scale
- Strainer
- Whisk
- Stand mixer
- Two spatulas
- Small bowl (for separating the batter)
- One 16 inch pastry bag
- Four 8 inch pastry bags
- Round piping tip (Wilton 12)
- Two silicone baking mats
- Two half sheet pans
- Oven thermometer
- Small saucepan (for strawberry jelly)
- Potato masher (to crush the strawberries)
Ingredients
Macaron shells
- 90 grams powdered sugar
- 80 grams almond flour
- 70 grams egg whites
- 70 grams granulated sugar
- 2 grams egg white powder (optional)
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 3 drops purple gel food coloring
- 1 drop brown gel food coloring
Peanut butter buttercream
- ¼ cup creamy peanut butter
- ¼ cup salted butter (½ stick)
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2½ tbsp heavy whipping cream
Strawberry jelly
- ½ lb frozen strawberries (can also use fresh strawberries)
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice (bottled or fresh)
Instructions
Prepare dry ingredients
- Sift powdered sugar and almond flour using a whisk to break down any clumps. Set aside.
- Line sheet pans with silicone mats.
- Insert the piping tip into the 16 inch pastry bag.
Make the meringue
- Whisk the egg whites on medium speed (speed 4) until you start to see small bubbles (this can take as little as 15 seconds sometimes).
- Slowly add 3 tbsp of granulated sugar, 1 tbsp at a time.
- Whisk until you start to see tracks in the meringue.
- Increase speed to 6 and continue slowly adding the remainder of the granulated sugar, 1 tbsp at a time, until you’ve added all the sugar.
- Once you have soft peaks, stop the mixer, scrape the sides of the bowl and add the vanilla.
- Whisk for another 5 minutes or until stiff peaks.
Combine ingredients
- Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients into the meringue and fold the batter until you can't see any of the dry ingredients.
- When folding the batter, slide the spatula under the batter, lift it in a U motion, go over the top of the batter, and slide it under again. This way you make sure to get the batter at the bottom of the bowl.
- Once fully combined, add in another 1/3 of the dry ingredients and repeat the process of folding.
- Add in the last 1/3 of the dry ingredients and fold until fully combined.
- Once all of the powdered sugar/almond flour mixture has been added, fold just until all the ingredients are combined well being very careful not to over mix.
- Transfer half of the batter to the small bowl and add 3 drops of purple food coloring. Fold just until the color is fully mixed in.
- Now you need to deflate some of the air in the batter by taking the spatula and smearing the batter on the sides of the bowl two or three times, and then folding once or twice.
- Continue this process of smearing some of the batter on the side of the bowl and folding once or twice until the batter starts to run off the spatula in ribbons.
- You can test the consistency by lifting the spatula and letting the batter run down. If it falls in ribbons and sinks into itself within 30 seconds, it's ready.
- Transfer the purple batter to an 8 inch pasty bag and set aside. Don't cut the opening at the tip yet.
- Now add 1 drop of brown food coloring to the batter in the mixing bowl and repeat the process above of folding and deflating, being very careful not to over mix the batter.
- Once the batter is ready, transfer to an 8 inch pastry bag.
- Cut a ½ inch opening at the tip of the bags with the purple and brown batter and place both bags inside the 16 inch bag with the piping tip.
Pipe the shells
- Holding the pastry bag at a 90° angle, pipe the macarons into ¾ inch circles about 1 inch apart, swirling the batter slightly in circles to get the purple and brown swirls.
- Tap the tray against the counter about 8 times to release any air bubbles.
- Let the macarons rest until they form a skin and are no longer sticky.
- While the macarons are resting, preheat the oven to 310°F.
- Bake the macarons for 14-16 minutes.
- Macarons are ready when they no longer shift if you touch the tops.
Peanut butter buttercream
- Using the stand mixer, whisk the butter and peanut butter until creamy.
- Add the powdered sugar and whisk until fully combined.
- Add the heavy whipping cream and continue to whisk until the buttercream looks smooth and creamy.
Strawberry jelly
- Add strawberries and sugar to saucepan and heat on medium, stirring frequently.
- Continue stirring and breaking down the strawberries with a spatula.
- Once the mixture starts to boil, add the lemon juice, and continue stirring so that the jelly doesn't burn.
- Boil for about 20 minutes and using either the spatula or potato masher, crush the strawberries. The jelly will thicken as it cooks.
- Check the consistency by running the spatula down the middle of the jam. If it takes a few seconds to come back together, it's ready. The jelly will thicken as it cools.
- Remove saucepan from heat and let the jelly cool for about 5 minutes before transferring to a glass container, or a bit longer if transferring to a plastic container.
- Refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour so the jelly cools before filling the macarons.
Assemble the macarons
- Transfer the jelly to an 8 inch pastry bag and set aside. Don't cut an opening at the tip yet.
- Fill another 8 inch pastry bag with the peanut butter buttercream and cut about a ¼ inch opening at the tip of the bag.
- Pipe the buttercream around the outer edge of half of the macaron shells, leaving a space in the middle for the jelly.
- Take the pastry bag filled with the jelly and cut a ½ inch opening at the tip and fill the middle of the macarons with jelly. It will be a bit runny but the buttercream will keep it in place.
- Place the top half of the macaron shells on top of the filled macarons.
- Place the macarons in an airtight container and refrigerate for at least 24 hours so that the macarons can mature and get chewy.
Notes
*Calories reflected are for macaron shells only
*All ovens are different so the temperature in this recipe should only be used as a guide
Mixing bowl should be clean and grease free
Weigh all ingredients in grams for accuracy
Use room temperature egg whites (to bring eggs to room temperature quickly, put them in a bowl filled with hot water for about 5 minutes)
Sift the almond flour and powdered sugar together because almond flour is moist and doesn’t sift well alone
Mix the egg white powder and the granulated sugar before adding to the egg whites to fully dissolve the egg white powder
Whisk the meringue until you have stiff peaks
Let macarons dry before baking so they don’t crack
Nutrition
Serving: 1macaron | Calories: 130kcal
Omg! These were delicious!! Will definitely be making them again!