Looking for a classic flavor in a fancy dessert?
These macarons may just look like fancy Oreos - and, to be honest, they are.
What makes this dessert worth it is the beautiful texture that macarons bring, paired with the classic cookies and cream Oreo flavor that we love. These macarons are filled with an Oreo pudding buttercream, which makes them extra light and fluffy! Hope you enjoy!
Makes approximately 25-30 macarons (50-60 macaron shells)
For the macaron shells:
1 cup finely ground almond flour
3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
3 egg whites, room temperature (eggs that are not perfectly fresh work best!)
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Black gel food coloring
For the buttercream:
1 (4.2 oz) package Oreo pudding mix
1/2 cup whole milk
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 tsp vanilla
Line two baker's half sheets with parchment paper.
Sift almond flour, cocoa powder, and powdered sugar together into a clean bowl. Sift a second time. Discard small flour pieces that do not sift through.
Place egg whites and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment and beat until foamy, approximately 30 seconds, then start to gradually add granulated sugar until a meringue begins to form. Beat until stiff peaks form. Add vanilla and mix. Add food coloring to desired color and mix.
Macronage: Add approximately 1/3 of the flour mixture to the meringue and fold gently with a rubber spatula until incorporated. Add the remaining flour mixture 1/3 at a time, folding gently with a rubber spatula until a "lava" consistency is reached, or you are able to lift the spatula and watch the dough run off the end in ribbons that create an unbroken figure 8.
Move dough into a piping bag fitted with a round tip and pipe 1-1.5 inch diameter shells on the parchment paper-lined baking sheets.
Allow shells to dry for 30-60 minutes, or until a film develops and you are able to gently touch the surface without dough sticking. (I use a small fan set to low over the surface of the shells).
Bake at 320 F for 12 minutes, rotating halfway through. Bake one sheet at a time.
Allow shells to cool before gently moving to a wire cooling rack in preparation for piping.
While shells are baking, make the buttercream:
Mix entire contents of pudding mix packet with 1/2 cup whole milk and whisk to combine; place in the refrigerator approximately 5 minutes to thicken.
Fit a stand mixer with a paddle attachment and add butter and shortening to a clean mixing bowl; beat until smooth.
Add vanilla and mix to combine. Add pudding and mix to combine.
Move mixture to a piping bag fitted with tip of choice (I use an open star tip to pipe these macarons). Pipe buttercream onto a cooled macaron shell and assemble, sandwiching two shells. Store in refrigerator and serve after 24 hours.