Rosemary Salted Caramel Macarons (2024)

These Rosemary Salted Caramel Macarons are sweet and herbaceous. Homemade caramel is elevated with rosemary salt and sandwiched between two crisp macaron shells, transforming this classic French dessert into the perfect treat for spring and summer.

⭐ Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Put the fresh herbs in your garden to use with this Rosemary Salted Caramel Macarons recipe. Each bite features a crisp macaron shell, sweet homemade caramel, and herbaceous rosemary sea salt. It’s an elevated salted caramel macaron you and your guests are sure to love!

These sweet and herby macarons fit in perfectly at all kinds of spring and summer events, like garden parties, bridal showers, Easter, Mother’s Day, and more. They’re also easy to prepare ahead of time so there’s no need to stress before the celebration. Once you master the art of macaron making, pile them high next to more fresh flavored macarons, like Dark Chocolate Rose Macarons, Yuzu Raspberry Macarons, and Dark Chocolate Jasmine Macarons.

For more tips on making homemade foolproof macarons, check out my complete guide here!

❓ Macaron vs. macaroon

Don’t let the almost identical spelling fool you. Macarons (pronounced “mack-a-ruhn”) and macaroons are very different! Macaroons are made with shredded coconut, eggs whites, and sugar, while macarons are like a sandwich cookie made with almond flour and customized with various flavors.

🍴Ingredients

• Almond flour - Blanched almond flour (not almond meal) is the traditional choice when making macarons because it gives the cookies a light and fine texture.

• Sugar - You’ll need granulated white sugar and powdered sugar to help the meringue form stiff peaks.

• Egg whites - Room temperature egg whites are essential to a smooth and sturdy meringue.

• Caramel filling - This is the indulgent and creamy filling we’ll sandwich between the macarons. It’s a surprisingly simple process you can make on the stove using granulated sugar, heavy cream, and unsalted butter.
• Rosemary salt - Traditional salted caramel is flavored with plain sea salt but in this macaron recipe, we’re taking it up a notch with homemade rosemary salt. It’s made with a mixture of sea salt and rosemary (dried or fresh) and lasts for weeks or even years. Keep a batch in your cupboard to season poultry, roasted vegetables, fresh bread, or more macaron recipes.

📖 Step by Step Instructions

Step 1: Make the meringue. Whisk the egg whites with a whisk attachment on medium speed until they start to foam in the bowl of a stand mixer. Increase the speed and gradually add in the granulated sugar until stiff peaks form. Add the food coloring and whisk to incorporate.

Step 2: Sift the dry ingredients. Blend the powdered sugar and almond flour together in a food processor, and then pour the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. Set aside.

Step 3: Macoranage! Add the sifted ingredients in the bowl with the meringue and fold the two together with a spatula. The batter should be thin and slide easily off the spatula.

Step 4: Pipe the shells. Now pour the batter into your piping bag and pipe onto your prepared baking sheets. Let them rest until the tops are dry to the touch.

Step 5: Bake and cool. Bake until the shells are firm to the touch. Let them cool completely before peeling from the parchment paper.

Step 6: Make the caramel. Heat the sugar in a saucepan until it melts and becomes a deep amber-brown color. Stir in the cream and butter and continue melting until the mixture becomes a silky caramel sauce. Remove from the heat and let it cool completely before pouring into your piping bags.

Step 7: Make the rosemary salt. Stir the rosemary and salt together in a bowl.

Step 8: Assemble, decorate, and enjoy. Pipe a nickel size amount of caramel filling onto half of the macaron shells. Sprinkle the rosemary salt on top, then add another shell on top. To decorate, paint a little gold gel food coloring on the top shell. Let them harden overnight, then enjoy!

See Also

Salted Caramel Macarons Recipe ~ Barley & SageSatisfy Your Sweet Tooth with Salted Caramel Macarons: A Step-by-Step RecipeSalted Caramel Buttercream MacaronsSalted Caramel Macaron

🎨 Adding Paint to French Macarons

Adding a swipe of color to the tops of your macaron shells is a fun and simple way to decorate these little French cookies. To do this, you only need a few tools and ingredients…

Ingredients and tools needed to paint French macarons

• French Macaron Shells
• Gel food coloring
• Vodka or Vanilla Extract
• Fine tip paint brushes (reserved for decorating food!)

How to Paint French Macarons

1. First off, you’ll want to create the color you’d like to use for painting! Mix together yourgel food coloringuntil you have the color of your choice.
2. Then, in a small cup or container, add a drop or two of vodka along with your desired paint color. You’ll want to use alcohol because it evaporates really fast, whereas water or another liquid can make the shells soggy.
3. Add the paint to your cooled macaron shells then allow them to dry for the next ten minutes or so before filling the macarons!

👩🏻‍🍳 Expert Tips

• Mise en place - Macarons are time-sensitive! Prepare your mise en place before you get started so your ingredients and equipment are ready when you are. Grab that large mixing bowl, sheet of parchment paper, piping tip and electric mixer - then get going!
• Do not overmix - Overmixed macaron batter is impossible to salvage, try not to fuss with it too much.
• Pop the air bubbles - Piping the batter without any air bubbles can be tricky, but tapping the baking sheet firmly on a flat surface will help smooth it out. You can also use a toothpick for popping any tiny bubbles that may rise to the top.
• Practice makes perfect - Making macarons isn’t as forgiving as other baked goods. Just keep practicing and experimenting with different macaron flavors, and you’ll be a pro in no time!
• Don’t like rosemary? Swap it for fresh or dried sage, tarragon, or thyme to customize your herb salt.

🧂 More ways to use rosemary salt

Herb salt can elevate all kinds of sweet and savory meals. These are my favorite ways to use it:

• Sprinkled over savory babka bread
• Popcorn seasoning
• French fry seasoning
• Mixed with fresh ricotta
• Sprinkled on scrambled egg and cheese toast
• Added to freshly baked rosemary shortbread

💭 Recipe FAQs

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