Carrot Cake Macarons
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Carrot Cake Macarons will be a great addition to your Easter baking. They are made with cream cheese, buttercream, and carrots with walnuts filling inside. These macarons are truly small carrot cakes. Did I mention that they are gluten-free?
Ingredients
- Carrots: Shredded fresh carrots.
- Nuts: Walnuts were used in this recipe.
- Butter: Unsalted butter was used in this recipe.
- Sugar: Granulated white sugar.
How to Make This Recipe
- Bake macaron shells. For macaron shells please check macaron shell recipes with detailed instructions and tips. I also have an online video lesson on how to make macaron shells using the No rest Method.
- Prepare carrot walnut filling. This could be done a day or two ahead. Just make sure you keep filling in the fridge before use.
- Make cream cheese buttercream.
- Assemble macarons.
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Tip from Marina: I would recommend using a small shredder, as this is a delicate dessert.
Chop walnuts into small pieces. You can also use a blender. Wash and shred carrots. Melt unsalted butter in a frying pan. Add shredded carrots and cook for a few minutes. Add chopped walnuts. Mix well. Add granulated sugar and cook, mixing with a spatula for a few minutes more. Transfer the filling to a small bowl and set aside to cool.
Ingredients for Cream Cheese Buttercream
- Cream cheese. For this recipe, I’ve used Philadelphia cream cheese.
- Butter. Unsalted butter.
- Sugar. Powdered sugar.
In the mixing bowl, beat butter with the paddle attachment. Add cream cheese and beat again until smooth. Then add sifted powdered sugar and beat again until light and fluffy. Transfer into a piping bag with an Ateco Sultan pipping tip.
How to Assemble
When macaron shells are baked and cooled, match similar-sized shells with each other. On the flat side of one shell pipe, the cream cheese buttercream. In the middle, add carrot walnuts filling. Top macaron with matching shell and press lightly. Place macarons in an air-tight container in the fridge for 12 hours to mature. Enjoy!
Recipe FAQs
Store Carrot Cake Macarons in the fridge for 2-3 days in an air-tight container.
I do not recommend to freeze these macarons. Buttercream includes cream cheese, and after defrosting, macaron shells will be very moist.
There are many reasons for that, the most common are stable meringue and correct oven temperature.
This happens when macarons are not rested enough before baking. Macaron shells need to form a skin (rest) before you place them in the oven.
Gently touch the macaron shell with your finger. It should feel dry and not sticky to your finger.
Flat macarons can be the result of overmixing batter and not stable meringue.
If you make these Carrot Cake Macarons, please tag me on social media and make sure to leave a rating down below. I would love to see your creations!
Recipe
Carrot Cake Macarons
Equipment
- 1 stand mixer or electric hand mixer
- 1 frying pan
- 1 spatula
Ingredients
Carrot Walnuts Filling
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- ½ cup walnuts
- 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
- 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
Cream Cheese Buttercream
- 1 cup cream cheese (226 gr)
- ½ cup unsalted butter ( 113 gr)
- 2 cups sifted powdered sugar
Macaron Shells
- 125 gr almond flour (1 cup)
- 150 gr powdered sugar (1 1/4 cup)
- 100 gr egg whites room temperature (from 3 large eggs)
- 100 gr white granulated sugar (1/2 cup)
- 1 gr orange food coloring
Instructions
How to Make Carrot Walnuts Filling
- Chop walnuts into small pieces.
- Wash and shred carrots.
- Melt unsalted butter in the frying pan.
- Add shredded carrots and cook for a few minutes.
- Add chopped walnuts. Mix well with a spatula.
- Add granulated sugar and cook, mixing with the spatula for a few minutes more.
- Transfer the filling to a small bowl and set aside to cool.
How to Make Cream Cheese Buttercream
- In the mixing bowl, beat butter with the paddle attachment.
- Add cream cheese and beat again until smooth.
- Add sifted powdered sugar and beat again until light and fluffy.
- Transfer buttercream into a pipping bag with an Ateco Sultan pipping tip.
How to make Macaron Shells
- In the mixing bowl, sift together almond flour and powdered sugar. Set aside.
- In the mixing bowl of a stand mixer, add room-temperature egg whites and start whisking on low speed. Start adding sugar one tablespoon at a time. Add orange food coloring. Increase speed to medium-high and whip until stiff picks. This will take 10-15 minutes.
- Add dry ingredients and start folding the butter when macaronage drips down from the spatula “like lava,” transfer it into a piping bag with a round tip.
- Pipe macaron shells on the baking mat.
- Top baking sheet pan with pipped macaron shells a few times. Let shells rest on the countertop until no batter sticks to your finger when you touch it.
- Bake macaron shells in the preheated oven to 275o F (134o C) -300o F (150oC) for 12-14 minutes. Oven temperature and baking time may vary, depending on your oven.
- Remove baked macaron shells from the oven and let them cool on the baking mat with a baking sheet pan. When shells are cooled, completely remove from baking mat and pair them with similar size.