Red White and Blue Macarons (July 4th Cookies!)

A recipe for red, white, and blue macarons featuring classic French macaron shells, swirls of buttercream, metallic gold paint, and sparkly foil stars. The best July 4th cookies!

What Inspired These July 4th Cookies?

Ever since pastry school, I’ve loved making French macarons. Although they’re far from the easiest cookies to make (moreso than any other pastries, macarons definitely come with a steep learning curve!) I think they’re well worth putting in the extra hours. And the more you practice, the easier it gets. Before long you’ll find yourself coming up with creative macaron ideas, from new colors, fillings, and decorations to novelty designs like cheeseburger macarons or macarons shaped like tacos.

In this recipe, I’ve opted for a red, white and blue color scheme. Featuring blue macaron shells filled with swirls of red-and-white-striped vanilla bean buttercream plus metallic gold paint and sparkly stars on top, these make the perfect patriotic treats for US holidays like July 4th or Memorial Day; Bastille Day in France; or Bank Holiday celebrations in the UK.

Macaron Shell Ingredients

To make the blue French macaron shells, you’ll need the following ingredients:

• Almond Flour – Opt for finely ground almond flour, not coarse almond meal or ground almonds. Try to choose a brand that isn’t overly oily. (If you haven’t made macaron shells before, you’ll probably test several brands before settling on the one that works best for you.) 
• Confectioner’s Sugar – A.k.a. icing sugar or powdered sugar. You’ll sift this powdery white sugar with the almond flour before folding it into the meringue.

  

• Egg Whites – Use fresh egg whites, not the boxed kind. You won’t need the yolks for this recipe, so save them to make buttermilk ice cream or lemon curd.
• Caster Sugar – Finer than granulated, caster sugar (or superfine sugar, in the US) makes smooth macaron shells.
• Gel Food Coloring – To tint the blue shells, I used Chefmaster gel food coloring in Royal Blue.

Troubleshooting the Macaron Shells

If you haven’t made macarons before, don’t get discouraged if they don’t come out right on the first try—macarons are finicky! (If I’m using new appliances or working in a new kitchen, I nearly always wind up with at least one batch of “macawrongs” before I get it right.) Below are a few tips to help make the process easier:

Use a kitchen scale. To make macaron shells with precision, do not attempt this recipe without a kitchen scale. “Tante pour tante” (almond flour and powdered sugar in equal weights) holds the key to successful shells. Unfortunately, you can’t measure these ingredients precisely enough with a measuring cup.

Tap tap tap! After piping the shells, tap your tray firmly on the countertop to remove any air bubbles. (The shells will spread slightly, so don’t forget to allow some space in between.) If you still see bubbles after tapping, use a toothpick/cocktail stick to pop each one.

Line the trays. You can line your trays with silicone mats or baking parchment. Do not grease the trays or pipe directly on an unlined tray.

Tint the meringue. I recommend tinting the meringue before adding the dry ingredients. I used Royal Blue for my shells, but Sky Blue, Navy Blue, Neon Brite Blue, or Turquoise are all good choices.

Making and Piping the Buttercream

To make the frosting, start by whipping the softened butter with a hand mixer or stand mixer. Mix in powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla, then divide the buttercream into two portions and tint one with gel food coloring. (I used Chefmaster‘s Red Red.) Scoop each color into a separate disposable piping bag:

Next, pipe alternating stripes of each color across a sheet of plastic wrap, then wrap it around the buttercream to make a tube:

Cut the tube in half, and place each half in a larger piping bag (I love these blue bags) fitted with a star tip:

Finally, pipe swirls of buttercream on the flat sides of half of the shells before sandwiching with another shell to form the classic macaron shape!

This red-and-white buttercream is a variation on my rainbow buttercream, just with different colors. If you want, you can use the same technique to make red white and blue buttercream, introduce more shades of red and blue, or even add a swirl of gold.

Tools and Equipment for Making Red White and Blue Macarons

To make and decorate these patriotic July 4th cookies, you’ll need a few special tools:

• Paintbrush – You’ll need a clean, food-safe paintbrush to apply the gold cocoa butter. Do not use a paintbrush which has previously been used for painting or other art projects.

• Plastic Wrap – Clingfilm/plastic wrap creates the tube wrapping for the buttercream.

• Disposable Piping Bags – You’ll need one piping bag for the macaron shells, and two more for the white and red buttercreams. I recommend disposable bags for easy cleanup—reusable bags can retain traces of oil which will quickly ruin a batch of macaron shells.
• Piping Tip – I used a 5/8-inch round tip to pipe the macaron shells, and a star piping tip for the swirls of buttercream.
• Mesh Sieve – Sifting the confectioner’s sugar and almond flour with a fine mesh sieve removes coarse pieces of almond, hard sugar pieces, and bits of shell.
• Kitchen Scale – For weighing the almond flour and sugars. I do not recommend making macarons without a scale.
• Parchment or Silicone Mats – For lining your trays. I prefer silicone because it doesn’t slip around like parchment, but it’s up to you. Some bakers also use mats printed with a round template, but I just pipe mine freehand.
• Hand or Stand Mixer – You’ll need an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer to make the meringue and the buttercream.

For more macaron must-haves, see this list of Macaron Tools I Love.

Customizing and Serving July 4th Cookies

Feel free to get creative with the decorations. You can use different metallic cocoa butters (like silver or antique gold); add gold sprinkles; use red white and blue nonpareils or a patriotic sprinkle mix; make red shells instead of blue; or add blue stripes to the buttercream.

To gift, I recommend windowed cardboard boxes; or red white and blue treat boxes; or patriotic cello bags.

Make-Ahead and Storage Suggestions

You can refrigerate the filled and decorated macarons for up to five days, or freeze for up to three months.

You can also freeze baked, un-filled macaron shells.  I recommend layering the cooled shells between sheets of parchment to prevent them from sticking together. (And be careful—frozen macaron shells are delicate. If you drop the container, the shells will shatter!) Thaw at room temperature when ready to assemble.

The buttercream can be prepared up to 24 hours in advance, assembled in the piping bag, and refrigerated until ready to pipe.

Other red, white and blue recipes you might enjoy:

White Chocolate Bark Recipe with Berries
Spun Sugar Sparklers
Feta and Watermelon Salad
Triple Berry Eton Mess

And for more macaron inspiration, try my classic French macaron recipe or these cheese burger macarons, too!

And if you do make these, or any of my recipes, don’t forget to tag me @bastecutfold or use the hashtag #bastecutfold on Instagram. I always love to see what you’re making!

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