Pistachio Macaron Recipe with Raspberry Buttercream

Pistachio Macaron Recipe with Raspberry Buttercream

Written by Becky

Pistachio Macarons are my absolute favorite flavor of macaron, being perfectly salty and of course intriguingly green.  It is strange but I feel like I’ve turned a corner or something and have been enjoying more salty and savory flavors lately, especially pistachios!  Is there a certain age where you start craving more salty foods and less sweets? In Europe, my gelato flavor of choice for the whole trip was always either pistachio or hazelnut. I’m definitely entering into some salty-sweet phase of life, where the best sweets are ones with a little more salt than required. Anyone else with me on this?!

Pistachio Macaron Recipe

While we were in France we saw a whole rainbow of macarons. Flavors like: Matcha Green Tea, Dulce de Leche, Apricot, Cappucino, Salted Caramel, Cassis, Chestnut, Passion Fruit, Honey Lavendar, Lychee, Rhubarb, Tahini, and even Creme Brulee.  Now I have a flood of new ideas!

These macarons were made by my friend Haley and I and we came up with a few tips for your macaron making:

Pistachio Macaron Recipe

  • *have multiple pans so that you don’t have to wait for one set to bake before baking the other half of the mixture
  • *slide a macaron print out template (see photo above) under your parchment or silpat so that you can get exact sizes of macaroons as you pipe them dough out into perfect circles
  • *use a silpat if you have one so the shells don’t stick to the pan, if you don’t use parchment paper
  • *don’t over-whip your egg-white mixture
  • *let your egg whites age in room temp for a couple of days before making the macarons
Pistachio Macaron Recipe
Pistachio Macaron Recipe
Pistachio Macaron Recipe

Macarons have a reputation for being difficult but if made with care I promise they’ll come out perfectly.

Pistachio Macaron Recipe with Raspberry Buttercream

Pistachio Macarons

Here's a no-fail recipe for pistachio macarons. 
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American, French, Gluten Free
Servings 32 macarons

Ingredients
  

  • 4 egg whites, aged for 2-3 days in an air-tight container at room temp
  • 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 1 cup fine granulated sugar, caster sugar
  • a few drops green food coloring
  • 1/2 cup almond flour
  • 1/2 cup finely ground pistachios
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/2 recipe perfect buttercream frosting
  • 6 oz fresh raspberries, lightly mashed

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with silpat silicone mats (preferable) or parchment paper. Place macaron printouts mentioned in this blog underneath the silpat or parchment.
  • In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat aged egg whites and cream of tartar on medium speed until soft peaks form. Slowly incorporate the sugar. Quickly mix in a few drops of green food coloring and mix until still peaks form.
  • Using a food processor finely ground both nuts. In a separate bowl, stir together ground almonds, pistachios, and powdered sugar. Carefully fold in egg white mixture.
  • Place the mixture in a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2 inch round tip. Following the printed guide, pipe circles onto the silpat or parchment paper. Let rest about 30 minutes, until the top of the macaron is dry.
  • Bake macarons for about 15 minutes, until the macarons are set and have some nice feet on them (small rim at the base of the shell). Cool before CAREFULLY removing them from the baking sheet.
  • Make the buttercream frosting. Fold in slightly crushed raspberries. Spoon a bit of the frosting onto half of the cookies. Place the other half of the cookie on top. Then do a little happy dance because you've just made the most beautiful and delicious macarons you've ever had 🙂

Pistachio Macaron Recipe

Haley’s Perfect Raspberry Buttercream:

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup liquid egg whites
1/2 cup butter, room temp and cut into squares
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/8 teaspoon vanilla bean powder
8 ounces fresh raspberries, mashed

Set a stainless steel bowl over a pot of simmering water (about an inch worth, make sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water).
Pour the sugar and egg whites, into the bowl and whisk constantly. Check the temperature every few minutes, while whisking, until it reaches 160 degrees F.
Pour hot sugar-mixture into a bowl of a mixter fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high until stiff peaks form and the mixture is cool.
With the mixer still running, add the butter, one tab at a time, until it is all fully incorporated. Add the vanilla bean powder (or vanilla extract).
Turn off the mixer. Add the powdered sugar and turn the mixer on low and mix until fully incorporated.
Fold in the mashed raspberries.

Comments (12)

  1. You have honestly inspired me to want to try making macarons! I always see them on blogs, and they are always cute, but they never seem like something I want to spend precious time and calories on. This flavor combination you have displayed seems amazing!

  2. I tried your beautiful macarons at one of the SLC Foodie events. I just bought all the ingredients and am including them on my brunch menu tomorrow. Serving them with a sparkling Spanish Moscatel.

    • Actually, the only pistachios I had were also roasted and salted so I just used a paper towel to wipe off most of the salt. A little salt is okay, especially if you prefer a bit of salt on your desserts. Enjoy!

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