Peppermint Twist Macarons

I keep saying I’ll make French macarons and then I don’t because they seemed too fussy. This peppermint macaron recipe changed that last Tuesday when I finally just did it after work instead of overthinking it.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• The resting period actually works—you’ll see the skin form and it’s not magic, just chemistry doing its thing
• Crushed candy canes on the edges instead of mixed into everything so you get that crunch exactly where you want it
• You don’t need special equipment beyond a piping bag and the willingness to tap a baking sheet really hard on your counter
• The buttercream is basic vanilla because the peppermint comes from the candy coating and it balances better that way
• Macarons that don’t crack feel like winning something, and this method gets you there most of the time
• They’re legitimately impressive even though the ingredient list is short and kind of boring

The Story Behind This Recipe

My sister asked me to make “those French cookie things” for her holiday party last year and I panicked. I’d avoided macaron recipe attempts for years because every guide made them sound impossible and I hate failing at stuff in my own kitchen. But I found some notes about how the batter should move like lava—not drip like water—and that one detail made everything click. Last Tuesday I tested this version with peppermint because I had candy canes left over from I don’t even know what and the combination just worked. Now I make them and people think I went to pastry school or something.

What You Need

You need powdered sugar and almond flour for the shells, and you’ll sift them together twice because lumps will ruin the smooth tops you’re going for. The almond flour has to be superfine or you’ll get bumpy shells that look homemade in the wrong way. Egg whites are the base of your meringue and they need to be room temperature so they whip up faster and hold more air. I used three large eggs and separated them the night before, left them on the counter in a bowl covered with plastic wrap.

Cream of tartar stabilizes the meringue so it doesn’t deflate when you fold in the dry stuff. Granulated sugar goes in slowly while you’re whipping because dumping it all at once will knock out the air you just worked to build. For the buttercream you need softened butter—not melted, not cold, just soft enough that your finger leaves a dent. More powdered sugar for the frosting because it dissolves better than granulated and doesn’t make the filling gritty. Vanilla extract is the only flavor in the buttercream since the peppermint comes from the candy canes on the outside. A little milk thins the frosting just enough to spread without tearing the delicate shells. Crushed candy canes are obviously the whole point here and I just put them in a ziplock bag and smashed them with a rolling pin until they were the size of coarse salt.

How to Make Peppermint Twist Macarons

Sift your powdered sugar and almond flour together twice into a big bowl. Throw away any big pieces that don’t go through the sifter because they’ll make weird bumps on top and you’ll know exactly which ones those are when you’re done. Set that aside and don’t touch it yet.

Whip your egg whites in a stand mixer until they’re frothy and white all over, no clear liquid pooling at the bottom. Add the cream of tartar and keep going until the volume doubles and looks like soft clouds. Now start adding your granulated sugar really slowly—I’m talking a tablespoon at a time while the mixer runs—and beat it until you get stiff glossy peaks that stand straight up when you pull the whisk out.

Here’s where the French macaron recipe gets tricky. Sift the almond mixture one more time directly onto your meringue. Use a spatula to fold everything together by scraping down the side and cutting through the middle, then turning the bowl. Press the batter against the side of the bowl a few times to deflate it slightly. The consistency should flow off the spatula in a thick ribbon that takes about 10 seconds to settle back into itself—not watery, more like slow lava. I probably folded mine 35 times total and it felt like way less than I thought it would need.

Fill a piping bag fitted with a ¾-inch round tip with all your batter. Pipe 1½-inch rounds onto parchment paper or a silicone mat, holding the bag straight up and down so you don’t get lopsided circles. Twist the tip slightly as you finish each one to avoid those little peaks on top. Bang the sheet on your counter hard—like, your neighbors might hear it—until you don’t hear any more little pops from air bubbles breaking.

Let the piped shells sit at room temperature for 1 hour until they form a skin that doesn’t stick to your finger when you touch them lightly. This is the part that makes the feet happen and if you skip it your peppermint macarons will crack across the top instead. While they’re resting preheat your oven to 300°F.

Bake for 9 to 10 minutes and you’ll see the feet develop at the base. They smell like toasted almonds when they’re done but not brown, just set and dry on top. Let them cool on the sheet for 10 minutes before you try to peel them off or they’ll stick and tear. If they’re being stubborn spritz some water between the parchment and the pan to steam them loose—I learned that one the hard way.

For the buttercream beat your softened butter with the powdered sugar and vanilla until it’s smooth and lighter in color. Add milk one teaspoon at a time until it’s soft enough to spread but still holds its shape. Match up your macaron shells by size and flip half of them over. Put a heaping teaspoon of buttercream on each bottom shell, enough that it’ll squish out the sides when you sandwich them together. Press crushed candy canes all around the exposed frosting edges by rolling each assembled macaron through a plate of the crushed stuff. They stick better than you’d think and the red and white looks like exactly what it should. Store them in the fridge and they’re actually better the next day when the shells soften just a tiny bit from the moisture in the filling.

What I Did Wrong the First Time

I undermixed my batter last Tuesday because I was so paranoid about overmixing that I stopped too early. The shells came out with nipples on top and they cracked during baking like someone drew lines across them with a pen. It’s supposed to flow in a ribbon that slowly melts back into itself and mine was holding stiff peaks still. I had to fold it another 10 times after I realized and the second batch turned out fine but I wasted 12 shells learning that lesson.

Peppermint Twist Macarons

By Emma

Prep:

45 min

Cook:

10 min

Total:

55 min

Servings:

20 servings

Ingredients

• powdered sugar
• almond flour
• egg whites
• cream of tartar
• granulated sugar
• softened butter
• powdered sugar for frosting
• vanilla extract
• milk
• crushed candy canes

Method

1. 1 Sift powdered sugar and almond flour together twice, discarding any large bits to keep the texture refined. Set this mixture aside.
2. 2 Whip egg whites in a stand mixer or large metal bowl until frothy and white. Add cream of tartar to stabilize the meringue and continue whipping until the volume noticeably increases.
3. 3 Slowly add granulated sugar while whipping, and keep beating until stiff, glossy peaks form that hold their shape without drooping.
4. 4 Sift the almond flour mixture one more time directly onto the meringue. Using a spatula, fold and press the dry ingredients into the meringue by hand. Resist overmixing; the batter should flow slowly like lava but not be runny.
5. 5 Fit a large piping bag with a ¾-inch round tip (Wilton 12A) and fill with batter. Pipe rounds about 1½ inches wide onto a parchment-lined sheet or silicone mat with macaron guides. Twist the tip slightly as you pipe each shell to avoid any peaks or nubs.
6. 6 Give the baking sheet several firm taps on the countertop to release trapped air bubbles; listen for popping sounds subtle but important. Let the piped shells rest at room temperature for 1 hour until a dry skin forms to the touch — this step is critical to getting proper feet.
7. 7 Preheat the oven to 300°F while waiting. Once rested, bake the shells for 9 to 10 minutes. You'll notice the tops crisping and a delicate ridge forming at the base, known as the 'feet.' The aroma shifts to a light toasted almond fragrance.
8. 8 Let macarons cool on the sheet for 10 minutes before attempting removal. They should gently twist off parchment easily; if stubborn, spritz a little water between parchment and pan to create steam and help release.
9. 9 Cool completely before sandwiching.
10. 10 For the filling, blend softened butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract until creamy. Add milk one teaspoon at a time to reach a spreadable consistency. Keep at room temperature until assembling.
11. 11 Fill one macaron shell with a heaping teaspoon of buttercream ensuring enough to ooze slightly out the sides so crushed candy canes stick well.
12. 12 Spread crushed candy canes on a plate or shallow bowl. Roll the edges of assembled macarons in the candy to coat the frosting sides generously.
13. 13 Store the macarons in the refrigerator to set and intensify flavors.

Nutritional information

Calories

120

Protein

3g

Carbs

16g

Fat

6g

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Tips for the Best Peppermint Twist Macarons

Age your egg whites overnight if you can but honestly leaving them out for an hour works fine too. The slightly dried-out whites whip up with more stable peaks than fresh ones straight from the fridge.

When you’re folding the batter do it in stages—fold 15 times then check the consistency by lifting your spatula and watching how it falls. If it sits in a blob on top of the rest keep folding in sets of 5 strokes until it flows right. This saved me from guessing.

The tap test isn’t just for air bubbles. I noticed the shells that got tapped hard enough to slide slightly on the parchment always had better feet than the ones I was gentle with because I was worried about messing them up.

Your oven probably has hot spots so rotate the pan halfway through if one side of the sheet is browning faster. Mine runs hot in the back left corner and I didn’t figure that out until my third batch when half the shells were darker than the others.

Don’t fill them right after they cool or the buttercream will be too soft and squish out everywhere before the candy canes even touch it. Let the shells sit for 30 minutes at room temperature first and the frosting holds better when you press the halves together.

Serving Ideas

Stack them on a white cake stand for parties because the red and white edges show up better against plain backgrounds. I did this last Tuesday and people grabbed them before the actual cake.

Serve them with hot chocolate that has real peppermint extract stirred in, not just a candy cane stuck on the side. The double mint thing sounds like overkill but it works because the macaron isn’t that minty on its own.

Pack them in clear boxes with tissue paper for gifts. They look fancy enough that people think you spent money on them and the candy cane coating doesn’t smudge if you’re careful about stacking.

Put them out at room temperature 20 minutes before serving so the centers soften just enough to not feel like biting into cold butter.

Variations

Chocolate peppermint version uses the same shells but you add 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder to the almond flour mixture and use chocolate buttercream instead of vanilla. The shells come out darker and honestly taste more like the store-bought mint cookies everyone loves.

Skip the candy canes entirely and roll the edges in crushed freeze-dried strawberries if you want a different look. The pink specks stick just as well and you get this weird berry-vanilla combo that my sister liked more than the peppermint ones.

Coffee buttercream with the plain shells makes these into a totally different cookie that’s good for people who don’t like mint. Just replace the vanilla with 1 tablespoon of espresso powder dissolved in the milk and leave off the candy coating completely.

Matcha macarons need you to add 1 tablespoon of matcha powder to the dry ingredients but honestly they’re tricky because the green color bakes darker than you’d think and they end up looking army green instead of that nice bright shade you want.

FAQ

Can I use regular almond flour from the baking aisle or does it need to be superfine

You need superfine almond flour or the texture will be grainy and bumpy on top. Bob’s Red Mill makes a superfine version that works or you can pulse regular almond flour in a food processor with the powdered sugar for 30 seconds then sift it twice.

What happens if I skip the resting time before baking

Your shells will crack across the tops instead of forming feet at the bottom because the skin that develops during resting is what forces the batter to rise from underneath. I’ve tried baking them immediately and every single one cracked.

How do I know when the batter is mixed enough

Lift your spatula and let the batter fall back into the bowl—it should form a ribbon that takes about 10 seconds to disappear back into the surface. If it sits on top in a blob keep folding, if it runs off like water you overmixed and there’s no fixing it.

Can I make the shells ahead and fill them later

Yeah the unfilled shells keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days or in the freezer for a month. Fill them the day you want to serve them because the buttercream makes them soggy if they sit too long.

Why did my macarons stick to the parchment paper

They weren’t fully cooled or you tried to peel them off too soon. Wait the full 10 minutes and if they’re still stuck spray water under the parchment to steam them loose—don’t force them or the bottoms will tear off.

Do I really need cream of tartar or can I skip it

You can use ¼ teaspoon of lemon juice instead but don’t skip the acid completely because it stabilizes the egg whites and keeps them from deflating when you fold in the dry ingredients. I tried making them without once and the batter went flat.

How long do these last in the fridge

They’re good for 5 days in an airtight container and actually taste better on day two when the shells absorb some moisture from the filling and get slightly chewy. After day five the candy canes start getting sticky and weird.

Can I use different extract flavors instead of vanilla in the buttercream

Almond extract works but use half the amount because it’s stronger than vanilla. Peppermint extract in the buttercream plus the candy canes is too much mint and tastes like toothpaste—I learned that one fast.

What size piping tip do I actually need

A ¾-inch round tip like Wilton 12A gives you the right size for 1½-inch shells. You can use a ziplock bag with the corner cut off if you don’t have tips but the circles won’t be as uniform and it’s harder to control.

My shells have hollow insides what did I do wrong

You either undermixed the batter so too much air stayed trapped or your oven temperature was too high and they puffed up too fast then collapsed. Check your oven with a thermometer because most run 25 degrees off what the dial says.

Can I pipe them smaller to make more macarons

Sure but adjust the baking time down to 7 to 8 minutes for smaller shells or they’ll dry out. The ratio of shell to filling gets off though and they’re not as satisfying to eat when they’re tiny.

Do they need to be refrigerated or can I leave them out

Keep them in the fridge because the buttercream has real butter in it and will get soft and gross at room temperature after a few hours. Take them out 20 minutes before serving so they’re not too cold.

Why do some of my shells have feet and others don’t from the same batch

Your piping wasn’t consistent so some shells were thicker than others or you didn’t tap the pan hard enough to get all the air bubbles out. The thinner shells always get better feet than the fat ones.

Can I color the shells with food coloring

Add gel food coloring to the meringue after you reach stiff peaks but before folding in the dry ingredients. Liquid coloring adds too much moisture and throws off the batter consistency so stick with gel.

What if I don’t have a stand mixer can I use a hand mixer

Yeah but it’ll take twice as long to get stiff peaks and your arm will hurt. Use a metal or glass bowl not plastic because the fat residue in plastic bowls keeps egg whites from whipping up properly.

How crushed should the candy canes be

About the size of coarse salt or a little bigger—if they’re too fine they dissolve into the buttercream instead of staying crunchy and if they’re too big they fall off when you bite into the macaron.

Can I use store-bought frosting instead of making buttercream

Technically yes but it’s sweeter and has a different texture that doesn’t spread as smoothly. The homemade buttercream takes 5 minutes and tastes way better so I don’t see the point in using jarred stuff.

My shells cracked even though I let them rest what happened

Your oven was too hot or you opened the door during baking which let out the steam and caused the tops to crack. Don’t touch the oven door for the full 9 to 10 minutes even if you want to check on them.

Do I need special macaron mats with circles printed on them

They help with consistent sizing but you can trace circles on the back of parchment paper with a pencil and a round cookie cutter as a guide. Flip the parchment over so the pencil marks don’t touch the batter and you’re good to go.