Macaron Fillings

Ganache (classic chocolate filling):

100 g dark chocolate
100 ml (33%) double cream

Coffee filling:

150 ml milk
1 tsp granulated coffee
2 egg yolks
30 g (1 tbsp with a heap) sugar
1 tsp flour
1.5 tsp corn starch
1 tsp butter, at room temperature
50 g milk chocolate
50 ml (33%) double cream

White chocolate filling (buttercream):

115 g (8 tbsp) butter, at room temperature
170 g white chocolate, melted and cooled to room temperature
1/2 - 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted

Grapefruit curd:

1/4 cup freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
1 grapefruit, freshly grated grapefruit zest
2 tbsp cold water
3 tbsp corn starch
2 egg yolks
2 tbsp butter, at room temperature
3/4 boiling water
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 tsp salt
2 – 3 drops pink gel food colouring

Lemon curd:

2 lemons, freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 lemon, freshly grated lemon zest
1 tsp freshly grated ginger
140 g sugar
3 eggs
175 g butter, at room temperature
50 g white chocolate
1/2 tsp yellow powdered food colouring (optional)

Coconut filling:

150 g white chocolate
100 ml coconut cream
50 g fine coconut shavings

Pistachio filling:

120 g butter, at room temperature
120 g powdered pistachios
80 g icing sugar
1/2 tsp green powdered food colouring (optional)
3 – 5 drops pistachio flavour (optional)

Ganache (classic chocolate filling):

1. Break chocolate into pieces and put them into a small bowl.

2. In a small saucepan, almost bring the cream to a boil. Remove from the fire and pour over the chocolate pieces. Let them melt for 3 – 5 minutes, without stirring.

3. Using a whisk, gently and slowly stir the mixture in circular motions, while constantly touching the bottom of the bowl with the whisk. Keep whisking until the colour is even. Let cool and then use to fill macarons.

Coffee filling:

1. Place a small saucepan with milk and granulated coffee on medium heat and bring to a boil.

2. In a separate bowl using a whisk, beat the egg yolks with sugar, flour and corn starch.

3. Add 1/2 of warm coffee to egg mixture and keep stirring swiftly and constantly with a whisk.

4. When well combined, add this mixture to the rest of the coffee (still on medium heat), and continue whisking swiftly.

5. Once the mixture begins to thicken, add butter (still stirring constantly).

6. Piece by piece slowly add milk chocolate, and continue stirring.

7. Set aside to cool, then transfer in a plastic wrap (spread the filling evenly in one layer on a plastic wrap, cover the top with the wrap as well, then roll the filling in the plastic wrap) to fridge for 1 hour.

8. (1 hour later) Remove the filling from the fridge. Using an electric mixer, whip the cream.

9. Carefully fold in (moving from the bottom to the top) the whipped cream into the coffee mixture using a spatula. Use immediately to fill the macarons.

White chocolate filling (buttercream):

1. In a mixer bowl with the paddle attachment or using a fork, cream the butter until fluffy.

2. Add the melted and cooled white chocolate to the butter and mix to combine.

3. Gradually add the powdered sugar, until the frosting is of the desired consistency. Use immediately to fill the macarons.

Grapefruit curd:

1. In a saucepan, combine the sugar, corn starch, and salt. Gradually blend in the cold water and grapefruit juice.

2. Add the egg yolks, butter, and food colouring, blend until smooth.

3. Gradually add in the boiling water, stirring constantly.

4. Place the saucepan on medium high heat and bring to a full boil, stirring gently with a spatula and scraping the bottom (to prevent burning). Once the mixture begins to thicken, reduce the heat and simmer for 1 minute.

5. Remove the curd from heat and mix in the grapefruit zest. Let cool and then use to fill macarons.

Lemon curd:

1. In a small saucepan, combine freshly squeezed lemon juice, lemon zest and ginger, and place on medium heat. Add 70 g sugar (about 3 tbsp) and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and strain the liquid.

2. Beat eggs with the rest of the sugar (70 g) using a whisk.

3. Pour strained and still hot lemon liquid into the beaten eggs while stirring swiftly and constantly with a whisk.

4. Return the mixture to the saucepan and bring it to a boil, and continue whisking swiftly. Keep cooking for another 10 minutes after boiling. Remove from the heat (and strain again).

5. Add piece by piece 50 g cubed butter at room temperature. Keep stirring.

6. Add piece by piece 50 g chocolate. Keep stirring.

7. Add piece by piece the rest of the cubed butter. Keep stirring.

8. Place the mixture to a glass bowl and cover it with a food plastic wrap in a way that the latter touches the surface of the mixture (there has to be no air between the plastic wrap and the mixture). Transfer to a fridge for 1 hour.

9. Using a whisk, stir the curd several times (about 3 – 4 times) during this 1 hour. Use immediately to fill the macarons.

Coconut filling:

1. In a small saucepan, bring to a boil coconut cream.

2. Gradually (piece by piece) add white chocolate and stir the mixture, until the chocolate completely melts.

3. Mix in fine coconut shavings. Let cool in a fridge and then use to fill macarons.

Pistachio filling:

1. In a mixer bowl with the paddle attachment or using a fork, cream the butter until fluffy.

2. Gradually add the icing sugar and the powdered pistachios, and combine until the frosting is of the desired consistency. Let cool in a fridge and then use to fill macarons.

My Tips:

All of the ingredients have to be at room temperature, if not stated otherwise.
If cooking a filling with eggs or egg yolks keep stirring the mixture on heat swiftly and constantly to avoid formation of clumps.
Before adding ingredients to a hot/ warm mixture, cut or break them into small cubes (about 1 sq. cm) or pieces, and add one at a time while stirring. If you add a big amount at once, the temperature of the mixture will drop instantly and these ingredients (e.g. butter, chocolate) won’t melt down properly, and you won’t be able to incorporate them properly.
You can make more changes to the filling, than to the shells. You can improvise and add powdered or freshly grated ingredients (e.g. zest), food colourings and flavours.
The resulting amount of each filling is more than enough for all macaron shells, thus if you’re doing several types of macarons, you’ll have a lot of the fillings left.
Don’t forget: macaron shells with the filling can be stored in a fridge for 3 days and without filling for 1 week.