Buttercream & Plum Jam French Macarons

If you like attention to detail that results in an impressive and adorable treat, then French Macarons are for you. These pretty little cookie sandwiches are made with meringue and almond flour for a melt-in-your-mouth shell packed with sugary buttercream and a tart fresh-plum jam.

This post contains affiliate links, which means I will earn a commission if you click through and buy something, at no additional cost to you! Learn More.

I always found macarons to be intimidating, because I am a bit of a lazy baker. I don’t always carefully spoon my flour or let my eggs come to room temperature, so these precise little cookies seemed like more of a struggle than they are worth. Seeing plenty of macaron fails on the internet didn’t help.

But it turns out there is a simple trick to making these successfully: find a really good and thorough recipe, and follow it to a T. I knew that I could trust this one from Food52 and Dorie Greenspan, and I was right. Even on my first try, this recipe produced delicious, crispy-outside, soft-inside, smooth macarons with lovely little feet.

What You Need to Get Started

You can easily find all of the ingredients for these buttercream and plum jam French macarons at your grocery store:

• Pantry: Almond flour, Confectioners sugar, Sugar
• Fridge: Egg whites, Butter
• Produce: Plums
• Equipment: Stand mixer, Mesh strainer, Parchment paper or Silicone baking mat, Flexible spatula, Whisk, Saucepan, Thermometer, Piping bag, Flat cookie sheets, Kitchen scale

Let’s Make French Macarons

Weighing your almond flour and confectioners sugar is super important in macarons. These cookies are delicate, and small changes can greatly alter the texture and structure. When you measure flour by volume, the actual amount ranges quite a bit. So I definitely recommend that you start by pulling out your kitchen scale.

It’s also helpful to prepare your pans ahead of time. Line two flat cookie sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper. If you’d like, use a pencil to draw circles on the parchment, and then flip it over on the sheet to use as a template.

To begin, place a mesh strainer over your large mixing bowl. Add the almond flour to it, and gently push it through into the bowl to remove any lumps. Repeat this with the confectioners sugar and then whisk together until combined. In the original recipe, Dorie Greenspan calls this step “imperative,” so definitely don’t skip it!

Meanwhile, add half of the egg whites into the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Mix these on medium speed, as they froth up and lose their translucence, until they are holding medium-firm peaks. Then, lower the mixer speed to low, but allow it to continue running in the background.

Add the remaining egg whites and a drop of food coloring if desired to the almond flour mixture. Use a sturdy, flexible spatula to incorporate everything together until you have a uniform paste. This can take some effort, so don’t be afraid to mix and fold and use the bowl for leverage. You want to get it really mixed together well.

In a small saucepan, you will be making a sugar syrup to add to the egg whites. This helps with both the structure of the meringue and to pasteurize the eggs. Heat the sugar and water over medium-high, stirring to dissolve the sugar, until it’s boiling. Then, continue cooking until an instant-read thermometer measures 243°F. Immediately turn off the heat.

With your stand mixer still running on low, carefully and slowly pour the hot sugar into the egg whites. There will be some splatters, but don’t try to scrape the bowl to incorporate them into the meringue. Once all the sugar has been added, increase the speed to high, and let it mix together until the meringue has cooled down, about ten minutes. Feel the bottom of the bowl to check the temperature.

Transfer the finished and cooled meringue into the bowl with the almond flour. Use your spatula to combine the two, mixing, mashing, and folding vigorously until it all combines. This can get a bit sticky and messy. Eventually, the mixture will begin to loosen and start to flow off the spatula like a stream of lava when it’s lifted from the bowl. That’s when it’s ready. If you’d like, this is when you can add more food coloring.

Transfer half the batter into the prepared piping bag. Hold the bag straight up and down about an inch above one of the lined baking sheets. Slowly pipe circles onto the pan. These might have a point in the center, but that’s fine for now, since it will dissolve into the macaron.

Once everything is piped, hold the baking sheet about eight inches above the counter with both hands, and then let it drop straight down. This helps to remove any air bubbles. Plus, it’s kind of fun. Repeat the piping and dropping with the rest of the batter and the other cookie sheet.

Now it’s a good time to preheat your oven with a rack in the center. Let both sheets sit out on the counter uncovered to rest. These are ready to bake when the batter forms a crust on top of each cookie. If you gently touch one and no batter ends up on your finger, they are good to go.

Bake one sheet at a time for six minutes, then rotate it in the oven and bake for an additional six to nine minutes until the macarons can be carefully peeled off the parchment. Slide the paper or mat off the pan and onto the counter to cool. Then bake the second sheet in the same way.

How to Make Buttercream & Plum Jam

While the macarons are resting, baking, and cooling, you can prepare the jam and buttercream fillings. To make the jam, add the plums and sugar to a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat.

Stir to dissolve the sugar as the fruit releases its juices, and then bring it to a boil. Allow the jam to cook down and reduce for about ten minutes, stirring it frequently until it is thick and jammy. A streak made with a flexible spatula should stay on the bottom of the pan for about a second before fully filling in.

Once it’s done, transfer the jam to a jar and chill it loosely covered in the fridge for at least half an hour. This will help it set up a bit more so it’s ready to use to fill your macarons. If needed, you can store the jam in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to a week once it has chilled.

To make the buttercream, use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or a hand mixer with beaters and a clean bowl. Add in the room-temperature butter, which should have a bit of give but not be melted. Mix this on medium-low until lightened in color and fluffy, about two or three minutes.

Add in the confectioners sugar in batches and continue mixing to fully incorporate it each time. You may need to add splashes of milk to help it combine into a smooth frosting texture.

Once all the sugar has been added, stir in food coloring as desired. I used a mix of red and blue, stronger on the red, to achieve the plum-purple color I used for these, but you can do anything you want. When it’s the perfect color, transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a small star tip and set it aside. You can store buttercream in the fridge for a few days if needed. Simply let it thaw to room temperature before piping.

Once the macarons have fully cooled, carefully peel them off the parchment or mats and pair up to make sandwiches. I like to group them by size, pulling out any irregular-shaped ones. Even if they aren’t all totally uniform, making a good pair can hide imperfections.

For each sandwich, flip one of the cookies upside-down to expose the bottom. Pipe a ring of buttercream around the outer edge, leaving space in the middle. Fill the space with about a teaspoon of the chilled plum jam. Top with the other cookie, and twist about a quarter turn to hold together.

Before serving, refrigerate to chill the filled macarons overnight. This will allow the cookies to soften slightly, giving them their signature chew. Store filled (or unfilled) macarons in the fridge for a few days, or freeze for two months. Thaw frozen macarons in the fridge overnight, and refrigerated macarons at room temperature for half an hour before serving.

How to Serve French Macarons

There is no cookie more elegant than a macaron, so make and share these adorable morsels when you can show them off. Use these treats to add a little class to your next dinner party, brunch, happy hour, or afternoon tea.

Speaking of tea, try pairing these with mango peach iced tea spritzers for a fun snack. Or for something a little bit cozier, you can’t go wrong with a chai white hot chocolate. The delicate flavor pairs wonderfully with these. If you are looking for more of a kick, try serving alongside a birthday cake martini.

Macarons are the perfect centerpiece for a dessert tray or display. Pair them with other bite-sized treats like lemon curd sandwich cookies, persimmon thumbprints, almond coconut cream puffs, or peach cupcakes.

Use Up Leftover Ingredients

• Plums are underrated in the stone-fruit world, but I love them in a honey pavlova with chai-poached plums or a skillet plum buckle with ginger-almond streusel.
• After you use egg whites, you’ll have some extra yolks. Use those to make ice cream, like rich and creamy coffee or blueberry goat cheese.
• Need an excuse for cupcakes? Confectioners sugar is the perfect reason to make cinnamon roll cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.

Special Equipment

• Stand mixer
• Mesh strainer
• Parchment paper or Silicone baking mat
• Flexible spatula
• Whisk
• Saucepan
• Thermometer
• Piping bag
• Flat cookie sheets
• Kitchen scale

Shop This Post

• Small purple plate
• Similar recycled denim towel
• Aluminum mixing bowl
• Small purple bowl
• Demitasse spoon
• White dinner plate