Salted Caramel Macarons

Ingredients - Macarons

3/4 cup almond meal
1 cup pure icing sugar
3 tablespoons sugar

2 XL egg whites (at room temperature)

brown food colouring
yellow food colouring
salt flakes

Ingredients - Butterscotch Cream

300g Caster Sugar
180g Thickened Cream
225g Unsalted Butter
30ml Butterscotch Schnapps
5g Sea Salt


Method - Macarons

1. Mix almond meal together with icing sugar and pass through sieve

2. Beat egg whites with an electric mixture till it starts to foam, gradually add the sugar one tablespoon at a time and beat for a further 3 minutes until stiff peaks form 

3. Add 2 drops of the brown food colouring and two drops of the yellow food colouring and mix till a caramel colour is reached
4. Fold 3 tablespoons of the almond and icing sugar mixture into the egg whites at a time using a spatula.  Once all the almond is incorporated, work the mixture with the spatula until it is smooth and shiny
5. Pour the mixture into a piping bag and pipe out 45mm drops onto a tray lined with baking paper (use a stencil of 45mm circles if desired).  Top with a sprinkle of sea salt flakes
6. Tap the tray at least 6 times to release any air pockets and let macarons sit for 40-60 minutes until a skin has developed.  Test by touching the macaron.  If it does not stick to your finger it is ready to bake
8. Pre-heat oven to 160c and place macarons on the bottom shelf in the oven and bake for 17 minutes.
9. Once cooked, remove from oven and let totally cool on the tray before removing
10. Pipe buttercream onto one macaron and top with another

Method - Butterscotch Cream

1. Melt sugar in a hot saucepan adding a third at a time. When a foam appears on the surface of the sugar add the boiling cream and whisk to avoid lumps, cover until cool

2. Whisk butter until light in colour and add the caramel mixture a little at a time to form a smooth consistency. Continue to whisk to aerate the buttercream. When it has reached the desired temperature slowly add the butterscotch schnapps and salt.

*Macarons are best eaten 24 hours after they are made to give the cream time to soften the macaron shell