Robin's Egg Macarons for the home table
The most flavorful vanilla macaron shells sandwiched together with a luscious milk chocolate fudge frosting and toasted coconut flakes — that is what these Robin's Egg Macarons deliver. It's a welcoming, flavorful treat for Easter and the spring season!
This Robin's Egg Macarons recipe post is made in partnership with the friends over at Domino Sugar. All opinions and views expressed below are 100% my own. Thank you for continuing to support the brands that help make Sovuh possible!
Recipe Overview
This Robin's Egg Macarons recipe uses the swiss method, which (IMHO) is a truly good way to introduce yourself to making macarons if you're a beginner.
I have tried all three methods—swiss, french, and Italian, but swiss is a house favorite. My dark chocolate macarons and lemon bar macarons are also made using this method.
The macaron shells in this method have THE BEST vanilla flavor and only use a few ingredients. With their crispy outer shells and chewy centers tinted the familiar robin's egg blue with flecks of brown, they are very good even on their own!
But then you would be missing out on the super creamy milk chocolate fudge frosting and toasted coconut-filled centers!
Oh yes, these robin's egg macs are *chef's kiss*, genuinely perfect, not to mention a sweet treat for the spring season of Easter baskets!
What goes in
While macarons can get the reputation of being finicky, they are nice because they require so few ingredients! Here's a list of what you'll need.
Macaron Shells
- Almond Flour. Also known as almond meal, this should be sifted at least twice to remove any lumps.
- Domino Powdered Sugar. Same as almond flour, the powdered sugar should be sifted at least twice. You can then sift them together once more.
- Domino Golden Sugar. Enjoy using this sugar for macarons (or truly any recipe). It's a less processed sugar that has a hint of molasses. It can also be used as a 1:1 substitution for white granulated sugar.
- Egg Whites. A key thing to remember with your egg whites—they should be at room temperature (or aged). Try sitting them out at room temperature for at least 1 hour before starting this method.
- Vanilla Extract. Oh, how Enjoy using vanilla extract in this method! Using two teaspoons gives these macarons a truly nice flavor. Try using a pure vanilla extract over clear or imitation. You will also need a little for the brown food coloring mentioned below.
- Blue Food Coloring. For this method, Try using gel food coloring versus a liquid. The color is much more concentrated and vibrant. I only used 2 drops of the gel as well. A little goes a very long way!
- Brown Food Coloring. Used for the brown flecks you typically see on robins' eggs. You'll only need 1-2 drops. And just like the blue food coloring, I do recommend using a gel. Depending on how dark you want the flecks to be, you can add a 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract to dilute the color a little.
Frosting
- Unsalted Butter. This needs to be at room temperature.
- Domino Powdered Sugar. When using this in the frosting, Try sifting this as well.
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder. This also should be sifted as well. You want this frosting to be nice and smooth!
- Salt. Helps to round out the flavors.
- Light Corn Syrup. The key ingredient for giving this frosting its nice smooth and creamy texture.
- Vanilla Extract. Brings all the flavors together. Just like above, make sure it's pure vanilla extract. Get the good stuff!
- Milk Chocolate. You will only need 2 ounces for the frosting. Try it being from a good quality bar of chocolate.
You will need coconut flakes for this robin's egg macarons recipe as well. It's an optional part, however, so if you have any coconut haters in your life (like my husband), you can certainly leave it out!
Or you can half the amount needed and use it for only a few of the macarons.
Toasting Coconut Flakes
You can toast coconut flakes in two different ways:
Small Skillet. Add the coconut flakes to a small skillet and heat over low-medium heat. Continually move the flakes around the pan as it heats up.
After 2-3 minutes you will begin to notice the toasted smell and golden brown flakes. Once the flakes are toasted to your liking, remove them immediately from the heat and spread them out onto a plate to cool.
Microwave. Add the coconut flakes to a microwaveable plate and heat in 30-second increments, each time stirring it up with a fork. You'll see a little smoke come from the flakes as you do this. This is okay.
Do NOT heat the coconut flakes for longer than 30 seconds at a time. When toasted to your liking, add to a plate to cool.
Essential Baking Tools
Below are a few helpful tools Try for making these springtime robin's egg macarons.
Food Scale. This one is the most important of all the tools and makes a world of difference! I highly, HIGHLY recommend using a scale versus using measuring cups for this method.
Large, flat baking sheets. The flat-style baking sheet allows for more airflow around the macaron shells as they bake.
Double Boiler. This tool is essential in dissolving your Domino Golden Sugar with room-temperature egg whites. It consists of a heat-proof glass bowl over a saucepan of 1 – 1 1/2 inches of simmering water.
Silicone baking mats. Some use parchment paper, but for me, A reliable pick is silicone mats. They never give me issues when pulling the macarons off the mat.
Hand Crank Sifter. The almond flour and Domino powdered sugar need to be sifted a few times in order to remove any lumps.
Oven Thermometer. They're inexpensive and always good to use when baking, especially if your oven temperature tends to be off!
Large Piping Bag and Decorating Tips. For the amount of macaron batter, a medium to large size piping bag will work well. A small size piping bag can be used for the milk chocolate fudge frosting.
And for the decorating tips, I used an open tip for the macaron batter and a small decorative tip for the frosting.
In addition to the above, here are some other helpful baking tools when making your robin's egg macarons!
Baker notes
Below are a few helpful tips for making your macaron experience a better, less stressful one! For a more detailed list of tips, check out my Dark Chocolate Macarons page.
Keep it clean. Thoroughly clean any baking tools that will be used for making these robin's egg macarons. A paper towel soaked with little white vinegar is a great way to remove any traces of grease that may have been left behind.
Sift, sift, and sift again. Do not skip sifting the almond flour and the Domino powdered sugar when making macarons. It's best to sift them at least twice, then whisk them together at the end. You can also use a food processor to pulse the ingredients together until well blended.
Remember this: the finer the dry ingredients are the smoother your macaron shells will be!
Room-temperature egg whites are key. They form a better meringue and don't take quite as long either. Bring your eggs out 1-2 hours before starting, then separate out the egg whites.
Leave no yolk behind. When separating your egg whites, make sure there are no traces of the yolk added. This will mess up the whole meringue process! You can use the shell or you can use your clean hands.
Use the finger test. An easy test for making sure the sugar has completely dissolved into the egg whites—run a little bit of the mixture between your thumb and pointer finger. If you feel any granules at all, keep whisking. And with the simmering water—you won't burn your fingers when testing. Do not skip this test.
Macaronage test. When your macaron batter is ready for piping it can form ribbons or a figure 8 shape without breaking. Keep folding until you get to this point. Stop immediately once you can.
Keep it perpendicular. Hold your piping bag perpendicular to the mat as you pipe out the circles. Piped at an angle and you will more than likely end up with lopsided macarons.
Bang, bang, bang. Gently bang the baking sheets 3-4 times to bring any air bubbles to the surface. Pop those babies with a toothpick.
Let them rest. Resting time, a.k.a. drying time, for your macarons will vary depending on how humid it is where you live. Try 40 minutes for drying these robin's egg macarons.
And having a ceiling fan on them is also helpful. Your macaron shells will be ready when they are dry on top and no longer sticky to the touch.
Piping bag pint glass. For those of us not skilled enough to use just your hand as the piping bag holder, a pint glass works wonders! After fitting the bag with your decorating tip (and coupler, depending on the size of the decorating tip), place the bag inside the pint glass and drape the bag over the sides.
Storage
Keep any robin's egg macaron shells stored in an airtight container in either the refrigerator or freezer until ready to use.
Fully assembled robin's egg macarons with chocolate frosting are best kept stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer. They are at their best after sitting in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
Troubleshooting / FAQs
My sugar and egg white mixture isn't forming stiff peaks!This could be due to your mixing bowl and whisk attachment not being thoroughly cleaned (traces of grease or fats can be left behind from previous baking projects) or your egg whites were not at room temperature.
How long does it take for the sugar and egg white mixture to form stiff peaks?It can take up to 10 minutes to form stiff peaks. Make sure your mixer speed is set to high.
What is another way to test when your macaron batter is ready for piping?You can take a teaspoon of the batter and place it on a tiny piece of parchment paper or a silicone mat. If it stays stiff and doesn't spread you will need to fold the batter a few more times.
Why are my macaron shells lumpy looking?It's more than likely due to not sifting and blending the dry ingredients enough. Any lumps leftover from sifting should be removed instead of trying to push them through the sifter.
Why did my macaron shells come out lopsided?This can be due to a number of reasons: over-mixing, how you piped the batter onto the mats, disrupting baking by continually opening and closing the oven door, or your baking sheets did not allow good air flow during baking.
My macarons are sticking to the mat/paper after baking!First, you should let your macarons cool completely before trying to remove them. If you find they are still being stubborn after you've let them cool, place them in the freezer for about 15-20 minutes.
And P.S. even if you still have some macaron bottoms that aren't perfect, that's okay! Just pipe over them with some milk chocolate fudge frosting!
Yes, this milk chocolate fudge frosting can be made 2-3 days in advance. Bring the frosting out to room temperature about 1 hour before using. Give it a little mixing with a hand mixer to bring it back to it's creamy life again.
How many drops of blue food coloring did you use?I used 2 drops of gel food coloring. They will fade a little as they bake.
What if I want a lighter brown color for the flecks of brown on the macaron shells?Add a 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract to the drop of food coloring. This will help thin it out as well as give you a lighter brown color.
- Yield 22 servings
- Prep 25 minutes
- Cook 14 minutes
- Total 1 hour 19 minutes
- Calories 128
Ingredients
robin’s egg macaron shells
- 1 cup Almond Flour, sifted
- ¾ cup Domino® Powdered Sugar, sifted
- 3 Large Egg Whites, room temperature
- ½ cup Domino® Golden Sugar
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 2-3 drops Blue Food Coloring, gel preferred
- 1 drop Brown Food Coloring, plus 1/4 tsp vanilla extract for thinning (if needed)
- 1/3 cup Coconut Flakes, toasted (optional)
milk chocolate fudge frosting
- ⅓ cup Unsalted Butter, room temperature
- ⅔ cup Domino® Powdered Sugar
- ¼ cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- ⅛ tsp Salt
- ¼ cup Light Corn Syrup
- ½ tsp Vanilla Extract
- 2 oz Milk Chocolate, melted and cooled
Method
robin’s egg macaron shells
- Line 2 baking sheets with either parchment paper or silicone mats and fit a large piping bag with a round decorating tip. Set to the side.
- Weigh all your ingredients using a food scale.
- Sift the almond flour and Domino powdered sugar together twice, removing any bits left behind from the sifter. Whisk together once more to fully blend (or use a food processor).
- Using a double boiler, heat the Domino Golden Sugar and egg whites over 1 - 1.5 inches of simmering water, continually whisking until the sugar has fully dissolved and the mixture is frothy in appearance (about 5-6 minutes). Test by rubbing a little of the mixture between your pointer finger and thumb to make sure all sugar granules have dissolved.
- Transfer the hot mixture to a mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and set the speed to high. When the mixture initially reaches the soft peaks stage, add in the vanilla extract. Continue to mix on high speed right until stiff peaks form (about 10 minutes). The meringue should look glossy and be able to hold its shape when you invert the whisk attachment. Add in the 2-3 drops of blue food coloring and mix until fully blended.
- While your meringue is forming, add 1 drop of brown food coloring to a small bowl. If you're using a thick food coloring or prefer a lighter brown color for your macarons, add 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract to thin it out a little. Set to the side.
- Using a spatula, gently fold in half of the the dry ingredients with the stiff meringue. Folding until most of the dry ingredients have mixed in with the meringue. Add in the remaining dry ingredients.
- As you continue to fold, press the batter against the side of the bowl. Keep folding until the batter is the consistency of lava. If the batter falls off the spatula in ribbons (or can make a figure 8 pattern) without breaking, it's time to pipe. If not, fold 2-3 more times, then test again.
- When ready, carefully scoop the batter into the prepared piping bag. Holding your bag perpendicular to the silicone mat (or parchment paper), pipe out a circles close to 1.5 inches in diameter. When you bang the baking sheets on the counter after piping they should spread out just a little.
- Gently bang your baking sheets on the counter 3-4 times to release the air bubbles. Use a toothpick to carefully remove them.
- Dip a small brush into the bowl of brown food coloring vanilla extract mixture. Holding your brush roughly 6-8 inches over top of the macarons, gently tap the brush with your pointer finger to release specks of the food coloring over each macaron.
- Set the trays of robin's egg macaron shells to the side, somewhere cool and dry, where they can rest/dry for 40 minutes. The macarons are ready to be baked when the tops are dry to the touch and no longer sticky. Use a ceiling fan to help dry them, if you have one. Drying times will vary based on where you live. The higher the humidity, the longer the rest time.
- When you're close to the end of the resting time, preheat your oven to 300ºF and place your oven rack on the 2nd level mark (just above the center).
- Bake only 1 tray of the macarons at a time for 14 minutes at 300ºF, rotating the baking sheet at the 7 minute mark. Do not skip this step. And other then opening the oven door to rotate the macarons, do not open it while baking.
- When done, remove the macarons from the oven and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes. If your shells are still a little sticky after this time frame, you can either continue to let them cool at room temperature or pop them in the freezer for 15-20 minutes.
- If not making/piping the frosting until the next day, keep the macaron shells stored in an airtight container either in the freezer or refrigerator.
toasted coconut flakes (optional)
- Add the coconut flakes to a small skillet and heat over low-medium heat. Continue to stir as it heats up and the flakes begin to turn a golden brown color. About 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and spread out onto a plate to cool. If making in advance, keep the toasted coconut flakes stored in an airtight container at room temperature until ready to use.
milk chocolate fudge frosting
- Using your hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, stir together the unsalted butter, sifted Domino powdered sugar, unsweetened cocoa powder, salt, light corn syrup, vanilla extract, and melted milk chocolate over low speed until full blended and smooth. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
assembling the robin’s macarons
- Fit a small- to medium-size piping bag with a coupler and small decorating tip, then fill the bag with ¾ of the frosting.
- Pipe a circle of the milk chocolate fudge frosting onto a macaron shell, add a little of the toasted coconut flakes to the center, then gently press another macaron shell on top. Repeat until you have used all the macaron shells. Store any leftover frosting in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- Keep the robin's egg macarons stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Macarons taste their very best after 2-3 days of sitting in the refrigerator.
Baker notes
Thoroughly clean any baking tools that will be used for making these robin's egg macarons. A paper towel soaked with little white vinegar is a great way to remove any traces of grease that may have been left behind.
Do not skip sifting the almond flour and the Domino powdered sugar when making macarons.
Room temperature egg whites are key. Bring your eggs out 1-2 hours before starting, then separate out the egg whites.
When separating your egg whites, make sure there are no traces of the yolk added. This will mess up the whole meringue process!
Rub a little bit of the sugar and egg white mixture between your thumb and pointer finger to make sure the sugar has dissolved. If you feel any granules at all, keep whisking.
When your macaron batter is ready for piping it can form ribbons or a figure 8 shape without breaking. Keep folding until you get to this point. Stop immediately once you can.
Hold your piping bag perpendicular to the mat as you pipe out the circles.
Gently bang the baking sheets 3-4 times to bring any air bubbles to the surface. Pop any with a toothpick.
The resting time of 40 minutes for drying these robin's egg macarons will vary based on where you live. They're ready to bake when the tops are dry and no longer sticky to the touch.
For those of us not skilled enough to use just your hand as the piping bag holder, a pint glass works wonders!
When applying the brown food coloring flecks to the tops of the macarons, you will get a little splatter on your hands and work surface. This will clean off with warm soapy water!
