Cinnamon Macarons with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Filling

If you love sugar, spice, and everything nice, you’re going to fall head over heels for my Cinnamon Macarons. These delightfully dainty, warmly spiced French sandwich cookies are made with just 10 basic ingredients and are naturally gluten-free!

Of the many French recipes I learned to master in pastry school, macarons consistently top my Favorites List. Between their gorgeously smooth appearance, crisp-but-chewy consistency, rich fillings, and endless color and flavor combinations, they check all the boxes this baker could hope for.

And when it comes to herbs and spices, cinnamon is by far the most popular in my kitchen. It adds warmth and sweetness to everything it touches—from spicy orange cinnamon hot chocolate to cozy vin chaud, sourdough raisin bread to brown butter cinnamon rolls, pear compote to apple spice donuts, and so much more. 

So when I set about developing a new recipe for fall-flavored macarons, I thought to myself, “Why not make it cinnamon?” My friends, I couldn’t be happier that I did. Adding a hefty dash of spice to my foolproof macaron recipe and then stuffing the cinnamon macaron shells with cinnamon cream cheese frosting might’ve been one of my best ideas yet!    

⭐ Why You’ll Love This Recipe For Cinnamon Roll Macarons 

• Light But Rich - Melt-in-your-mouth almond meringues are so delicate, they have an almost ethereal quality. But when you pair them with a decadent cream cheese frosting and add plenty of spice to the mix they become a cinnamon roll macaron mash-up that’s nothing short of magnificent.
• Beautifully Basic - Just 10 easy-to-find ingredients are all you need to make these impressive-looking treats.
• Budget-Savvy - French macarons cost a pretty penny when you buy them from a bakery, but with my step-by-step recipe you can make a batch for just a fraction of the cost!

🍴Ingredients 

• Granulated Sugar - The neutral pH and low moisture content of white sugar are essential for creating perfect snickerdoodle macaron shells. You’re welcome to use superfine/caster sugar instead, which is simply white sugar that has been pulverized to a finer grain.
• Room Temperature Egg Whites - Room temperature “aged” egg whites create a more stable meringue than fresh, cold ones. Note that liquid egg whites will not work here, as they don’t properly whip into a meringue consistency. 
• Almond Flour - Make sure you’re reaching for fine blanched almond flour rather than coarser almond meal in order to achieve a perfectly smooth, glossy exterior. Extra almond flour on hand? Whip up a batch of Almond Frangipane!
• Powdered Sugar - This blend of white sugar and starch provides stability to both the cinnamon macaron shells and the frosting filling. If you’re out, you can make your own by blitzing granulated sugar with cornstarch or potato starch in a food processor. The ratio is 1 cup of sugar to 1 Tablespoon of starch.
• Cinnamon - There are many varieties of cinnamon to choose from, so have fun experimenting to find your favorite. Hard cassia cinnamon is the most widely sold as it is the most inexpensive to source, but you may prefer mild Ceylon cinnamon (a.k.a. Mexican cinnamon), sharp Saigon cinnamon, and sweet Korintje cinnamon’s unique flavor profiles.
• Gel Food Coloring - Optional, for coloring the macaron shells and/or filling. I recommend gel coloring over liquid as the pigmentation is more potent and the lower water content ensures you don’t throw off the meringue’s stability. You can also use natural powdered food coloring (e.g. beet powder, butterfly pea powder, matcha, etc.) if you prefer, but note that they often impart some flavor to whatever they are dyeing.
• Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting - In addition to more powdered sugar and cinnamon, you’ll also need unsalted butter, block-style cream cheese, and salt.

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

⏲️ Substitutions & Variations

• Almond-Free - If you want to try this recipe for churro macarons but can’t eat almonds, you have options. You can swap in other nuts (pistachios are a great option), or you can use sesame seeds or ground tiger nuts for a wholly nut-free version.
• Dairy-Free - Simply swap in your favorite plant-based butter and cream cheese for all the creamy, cinnamony flavor without the dairy.
• Different Filling - Cinnamon is a flavor that plays well with lots of other flavors. Try brown butter buttercream, chocolate buttercream, almond buttercream, dark chocolate ganache, salted caramel, or any other filling that strikes your fancy! 
• Chai Macarons - For an aromatic twist, swap the cinnamon for chai masala, a warming spice blend with cinnamon, cloves, ginger, black pepper, cardamom, star anise, and nutmeg. You can also use any other cozy spice blend like pumpkin pie spice or haiwaj if you prefer.

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!

📖 Step-by-Step Instructions

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. Meanwhile, pulse the dry ingredients including the ground cinnamon 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 cinnamon cream cheese filling onto each of the bottom macaron shells. Top each one with a top shell and place the assembled macarons in the fridge overnight. Then, enjoy the next day!

👩🏻‍🍳 Expert Tips

• Separate Cold, Whip Warm. It’s much easier to separate eggs when they’re still cold from the fridge, as the yolks are less likely to break. However, “aging” the yolks at room temperature ensures a stronger meringue, so let them sit out for about an hour or so after separating before making your cinnamon macaron shells.
• Use 3 Bowls. When separating your eggs, you want 3 bowls—one for the current egg you’re separating, one for the yolks, and one for the whites. After each egg is separated, empty the working bowl. This ensures that if one yolk breaks during separation, your whole batch of whites doesn’t get wasted. 
• Keep Your Whites Fat Free. Even the slightest bit of yolk or oil residue can cause your meringue to deflate. I recommend cleaning your equipment thoroughly before starting. If you hand-wash your dishes, consider dipping a cotton ball in lemon juice or vinegar and wiping down your beaters and bowl to remove any lingering grease.
• Waste Not, Want Not. If you don’t have any immediate designs for your egg yolks, they can be frozen for up to 3 months. If you’re looking for ways to use them up, fruit curd, creme anglaise, and ice cream are all great places to start!
• Use A Template. I have a Silpat macaron mat with circles drawn on it; this helps me pipe out perfectly round, equally-sized shells. For a cheaper DIY version, simply trace circles onto a piece of parchment paper using a small round biscuit cutter or cookie cutter.
• Don’t Rush The Rest. After piping the cinnamon macaron batter onto your lined cookie sheets, you need to let them rest for 45 or so minutes before baking. This allows a “skin” to develop, resulting in perfectly smooth shells with the signature macaron “feet.”

❄️ Storage

You’re welcome to make, bake, and freeze empty macaron shells for up to a month in advance. The cinnamon frosting can likewise be prepped and frozen ahead of time. Once assembled, I recommend allowing them to rest overnight in the fridge for the best texture.

Assembled cinnamon bun macarons should be kept under refrigeration for no longer than 3 days. To serve, allow them to rest at room temperature for 10-15 minutes to take some of the chill off. Assembled macarons can also be frozen for up to 2 months.

💭 Recipe FAQs

More Fall Recipes You’ll Love

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