Blueberry Macarons with Blueberry Cream Cheese Filling

With a delicately crisp exterior, a chewy interior, and a deliciously tangy berry cheesecake filling, these Blueberry Macarons are simply splendid. Featuring blue macaron shells that are naturally flavored with freeze-dried blueberries and a rich blueberry buttercream, my newest macaron recipe is the perfect way to welcome warmer weather.

I’m not sure if you know this about me, but making macarons is one of my all-time favorite pastimes. And while there are plenty of French macaron recipes to keep me in gluten-free Cookieland all year round, right now I’m all about bright, warm-weather flavors to celebrate the official end of winter.

As a pastry chef, I like to make my gifts — these orange chocolate cupcakes and berry layer cake recipes are fun but they don’t work for celiac friends. So, whether it’s for Easter, Mother’s Day, or even just an early spring birthday, a mixed box of homemade macarons is my go-to move. But, I’m often asked by readers, “What macaron flavors are good to mix and match?” 

My lovely London Fog macarons, lavender white chocolate macarons, and sweet-tart yuzu raspberry macarons are perennial favorites, especially in the earliest stages of spring. But my pretty new pale blue macarons are the cheesecake-cookie mashup your mixed box has been missing. They’re sweet, tangy, and perfectly complementary with the other flavors listed!

⭐ Why You’ll Love This Blueberry Macaron Recipe 

• Make-Ahead Friendly - One of my favorite things about making macarons is that the shells can easily be frozen for up to a month, so you can break up your baking tasks over several days. Read on below for more make-ahead tips!
• Inclusive - These blueberry buttercream macarons are naturally gluten-free thanks to almond flour. You can also make the blueberry buttercream filling dairy-free with a few simple swaps so that more folks get to jump in on the fun!
• Pretty as a Picture - I can’t think of a single cookie that has the elegant charm of these smooth-topped stunners. They look like little jewelry boxes! If you’re looking to impress, these blueberry cream cheese macarons are the way to go.

🍴Ingredients 

• Granulated Sugar - White sugar has a neutral flavor and pH, which is necessary for getting the crisp macaron exterior we’re after. Superfine (a.k.a. “caster”) sugar is also great!
• Room Temperature Egg Whites - Eggs act as both binder and leavening in macarons. Getting them to reach stiff peaks is much easier when they’re warmer.
• Almond Flour - While regular almond flour or almond meal works in other cookie and cake recipes, you need blanched almond flour for a perfectly smooth finish.
• Powdered Sugar - This fluffy white sweetener is made with sugar and starch, which adds structure to the macaron shells. If you’re out, you can make your own using a food processor, white sugar, and cornstarch or potato starch. 
• Freeze-Dried Blueberry Powder - You can easily turn freeze-dried blueberries into powder using a food processor. The resulting powder adds both a bright blueberry flavor and a natural blue tint.
• Gel Food Coloring - Optional, in case you want a more pronounced blue color. I don’t recommend using liquid food coloring as the higher moisture content and lower color saturation can mess with your macarons. Alternatively, consider using butterfly pea powder as a natural alternative. 
• Blueberry Cream Cheese Frosting - This creamy, dreamy, pale purpley-blue buttercream tastes like blueberry cheesecake. 😋

See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.

⏲️ Substitutions & Variations

• Dairy-Free - If you love the idea of blueberry cheesecake macarons but your tummy can’t deal with dairy, make the blueberry filling for macarons with plant-based butter and cream cheese. 
• Lemon Blueberry Macarons - Consider filling half your piping bag with limoncello buttercream or lemon buttercream and the other half with blueberry cream cheese frosting for a brightly flavored two-toned twist. 
• Blueberry Lavender Macarons - For a floral undertone, add ¾ tablespoon of dried culinary lavender buds to the food processor with your almond flour and powdered sugar mixture.

This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!

📖 How to Make Blueberry Cheesecake Macarons: Step-by-Step Instructions

These deeply luscious macarons can be a little tricky to make for the first time, but these detailed steps for the french method will easily guide you to macaron success:

Step 1: Make the meringue & sift dry ingredients. Whisk the egg whites in the bowl of a standing mixer at medium speed in a large bowl. Slowly add the white sugar when it starts to foam. Keep whisking until stiff peaks form and mix in your desired food coloring - I used blue. Meanwhile, pulse the dry ingredients in a food processor and sift into a medium bowl.

Step 2: Macaraonage! Pour your sifted dry ingredient mixture into the bowl with the meringue and slowly fold the two together. The batter should be thin, drippy, and slide easily off of the rubber spatula. Overmixed macaron batter is impossible to salvage, so don’t fuss with it too much.

Step 3: Pipe the batter & rest. Transfer the batter to a piping bag and pipe it into circle shapes on the parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving space in between each. Tap the baking sheet a few times to pop any air bubbles or use a toothpick. Allow the shells to set for about 30 minutes or until they feel dry to the touch.

Step 4: Bake and cool. Bake the meringues in a 310ºF oven for 9 minutes. Rotate the pan and bake for 2 minutes more. Your shells are done when they’re dried out and firm. Let the shells cool completely before removing them from the parchment paper, and finding each matching half.

Step 6: Assemble, chill, and enjoy! Pipe a nickel size amount of blueberry buttercream onto each of the bottom macaron shells and add a dollop of blueberry jam. Top each one with a top shell and place the assembled macarons in the fridge overnight. Then, enjoy the next day!

👩🏻‍🍳 Expert Tips

• Use a kitchen scale. Working with weights rather than measuring cups is the easiest way to ensure consistently delicious macarons.
• Parchment paper is your friend. Not only can you draw out your circles on it so your macarons are even, but it also makes cleanup a breeze. 
• Don’t rush the rest. Once you pipe out the macaron batter, you need to let it rest for 30 minutes. This helps to create a “skin,” which means they’ll look shiny and smooth. It’s also essential for getting your macaron shells to have “feet.”
• Separate your eggs when they’re cold. While we need room-temperature egg whites for this blueberry macarons recipe, the easiest way to separate eggs without the yolks breaking is to do it while they’re still cold from the fridge. This also has the added benefit of letting your egg whites “age,” which results in a stronger macaron structure.
• Don’t use liquid egg whites. It might be tempting to grab a carton of egg whites so you can skip separating them, but don’t give in. The pasteurization process makes it so they can’t whip up into a fluffy meringue.

💭 Recipe FAQs

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