These Salted Caramel Macarons combine the classic delicate cookie with a sweet and salty filling.
French macaroons are notorious for being unbelievably difficult to make.
I was SO SO lucky the first time I made them… the second, not so much. I really think it just takes practice and lots of patience.
They are so worth it. Especially when filled with a sweet caramel filling and sprinkled with salt!
Salted Caramel French Macarons
There was a little leftover caramel sauce that may have ended up in my coffee the next morning.
And maybe topped on a slice of chocolate cake that afternoon. It was just too good to let any go to waste.
Have you ever had a French Macaron before?
Are you ready for this? Because I was not sure what to expect. They are so light and airy… there is a definite almond taste, so if you are not a fan… move along. These cookies are not right for you. They crumble a tad when you bite into them but oh my goodness are they amazing when paired with the right filling. Let’s cover a few basics…
Are macarons really that hard to make?
Yes and no. Macarons are notoriously known for being delicate and finicky. I have made 5 batches in a row that turn out gorgeous and 5 batches that were a complete waste. Getting the right consistency in your batter is an art form. After lots of practice I can confidently say that more times than not mine form perfectly. It takes patience. If I rush through the recipe I will fail. So take your time and practice, practice, practice!
Can you use regular flour to make macarons?
The short answer is no. The base of these cookies is the almond flour. It provides the flavor, texture, and beautiful feet that macarons are known for. All-purpose flour will give you an almond cookie with a dense and crunchy texture.
Tips for making macarons:
- Use a macaron mat like this one here. It will help keep your cookies uniform in size.
- Shift all of your ingredients. Remove any large pieces of the almond meal/flour.
- Buy a round pipping tip and pipping bags.
- Use food color PASTE if you are going to color your cookies.
- Use a flexible spatula to fold the batter
Like this recipe? You will love my Smore Macarons, Salted Brownie Cookies, and Salted Caramel Cheesecake Bars, Caramel Pecan Thumbprint Cookies
Salted Caramel French Macarons
Ingredients
Cookies:
- 3 egg whites room temperature
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup almond flour
- pinch of salt
Filling:
- scant 1/4 cup cream*
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 5 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon fleur de sel
Instructions
Cookies:
- Start by shifting the powdered sugar and almond flour together. I do this twice to make sure all of the large almond chunks are removed.
- Whisk your egg whites until foamy. Add the salt and 1/4 cup sugar. Continue to beat until stiff peaks form.
- Fold your flour mixture into your eggs, turning 65 times. Make sure you do this by hand to avoid over mixing.
- Place your batter into piping bags and pipe 1 inch rounds onto two parchment lined baking trays. Tap each tray 4-5 times onto the counter to remove any air bubbles.
- Allow the cookies to sit for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 300 degrees and bake exactly 20 minutes.
- Allow to cool on a wire rack. Sandwich two cookies with salted caramel sauce and enjoy!
Filling:
- Heat your cream until just boiling. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Place your sugar in a heavy bottomed saucepan and cook over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved and a nice caramel brown color. Stir in the cream and cook for about one minute or until thickened.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and salt. Chill to desired thickness.
Notes
Nutrition
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Comments & Reviews
H. says
I had trouble with the caramel. I added the cream slowly, and that worked well. But when I added the butter, a large amount of it did not incorporate into the caramel, so I had to drain it off eventually. Even after draining the excess butter, it was still quite buttery in a way that affected the final texture and also made it hard to pipe into the macarons. Seems like something in the ratios is off? The caramel does have a lovely flavor though!!
Jesseca says
Hello, H. Truth be told, it’s been a minute since I have made this caramel. I’ll add it into my schedule this week and see if I maybe mismeasured or wrote down the wrong amounts. I’ll touch back soon to update.
Aurelija says
Mine came out very flat 🙁
What did i do wrong?
Jesseca says
Flat macarons can sometimes happen for a few different reasons. Most commonly, it’s due to over mixing the batter. Did you count the number of turns as you were mixing?
Zoe says
Tried it, and the caramel consistency is perfect! Soft but doesn’t run out of the shell! Thanks so much!
Jesseca says
Hi Zoe, I’m so glad these cookies worked out for you! One of my favorites for sure.
Zoe says
Hi! These look great. I’m wondering if it would be necessary to use a frosting “barrier” to keep the caramel in place at room temp. Once your caramel is set, is it firm enough to stay put as a filling, or does it slowly “ooze” out if left at room temp for a few hours? Do they need to be kept refrigerated? Thanks!
Rachel says
I made these and they came great and it was my first time! My caramel came perfect so I am sorry to say that everyone having a problem above did something wrong.
Jesseca says
Hi Rachel, I am so glad you loved this recipe. Caramel can be tricky. I am so glad you didn’t have any issues.
Fran says
I tried making these. The shells were perfect. My second attempt at macarons and I liked method and instructions-so easy. But I had a problem with the caramel. Made it twice but once it cooled it was hard. Even while warm, once I tasted it, it stuck to my teeth. Not one to give up, tried assembling a few and popped them into the fridge. Hard as a rock. Any tips? What can I be doing wrong?
Nikki says
What is fleur de sel and I don’t see when or where to add it,
Gia says
Fleur de sel is basically sea salt 🙂
It’s the salt she refers to in the last step.
Lindsey says
love this recipe! can’t wait to try to make them! when do you sprinkle the salt on top of the cookies? before baking or after?
Jesseca says
If you want the salt to stay on top I would sprinkle it before.
Angela says
I made the caramel twice and both times the butter would not fully incorporate into the mixture. I’ve made caramel before, not sure what went wrong.
Jesseca says
Hm… I haven’t made these in a while. I’ll try a batch today and see if I need to adjust anything with the caramel.
LiBby says
How many macarons does this recipe yield?
Thanks!!
Jesseca says
48 cookies which will be 24 sandwiched version total.
frances says
Please forward me the recipe. Would love tp make these
Hailey says
Hi, I just found your blog and I’m so glad I did! I have a question about this recipe though. I made the caramel and added the butter in the end, but as the caramel cooled the butter separated from the caramel and was just an oily layer on top. I made the mistake of not scalding the cream first, but other than that I think my proportions and directions were correct. Any idea what I did wrong?
Sarah says
I had a similar issue today, I now have a lump of hard toffee
Emily says
Do you know the diameter of each shell in inches? Thanks!
Jesseca says
If I had to guess, I’d say roughly 1.5 inches. Probably a little under.
Ryan Ohara says
When making the Carmel what kind of cream do I use? Whipping cream?
Thank you
Jesseca says
Yes, whipping cream.
Stacey says
I’m sorry, am I missing something? in the ingredients, it calls for 1/4 cup sugar but in the procedures, I don’t see where that goes. Are my eyes playing tricks on me? I’m waiting to bake them right now, so I guess we’ll see how they turn out. 🙁
Jesseca says
Oh NO! That was a total typo on my part. The 1/4 cup of sugar should be added to the egg whites. Thank you for pointing that out and forcing me to realize that I really should double check each recipe I type! ;0)
Diana says
Thanks so much for sharing this French macaron recipe! I made them for the first time following this recipe and they came out great!
Sumo says
These are just pretty! I am a bit scared of making macaroons, but I keep seeing them everywhere so maybe I need to give it a try!
Holly C. says
These are so cute! Don’t know if I’ve ever made cookies that look this perfect. 🙂 Yum.
Dina says
what a delicious flavor!
Jonie says
These look amazing! I love the idea of salted caramel and probably need to get these in my belly. Just sayin. Pinned!
Leanne says
These pictures are amazing! I kinda want to lick the screen. I love macarons and salted caramel make them heavenly. Pinned!
marissa | Rae Gun Ramblings says
gorgeous and I bet delicious too!
Aimee @ Like Mother Like Daughter says
Now you have me scared to make macarons, but these look so delicious and beautiful! Gorgeous pics!
Lindsay @Artsy-Fartsy Mama says
Holy yum!! These look amazing!! Thanks for sharing your recipe!
Amber @ Dessert Now, Dinner Later! says
These look & sound delicious! Love French macarons!
Yvonne @ TriedandTasty says
I love, love, love, love, love these pictures… these macaroons… and YOU! I’m so excited you posted these, I’ve been waiting for that yummy salted caramel recipe! What fun adventures making our macaroons together. Can’t wait for our next bake date 🙂 Pinning FOR SURE!
Holly Waterfall says
Jesseca, these look so perfect! and salted caramel?! yum!