Macarons… I don’t care what kind you have, they are all uh-mazing. I mean, what’s not to like?! I’ve always been obsessed with them, but I’ve never been brave enough to try to make them, especially because it seemed as though gluten-free + vegan macarons were impossible. Well I knew they were possible to make because there’s a local sweet shop here in town that makes them, but I didn’t think they were possible for ME to make.

But this is proof! And let me tell you, my family is already begging me to make more. To that, I say gladly! And now you can make them too!

So I recently hit 10k on Instagram! Guys, thank you for your support and following so much! Now I can add that nifty little swipe up feature in my stories and it’s just kinda a new level for me. So to celebrate I thought I’d make something really great. I thought maybe a cake would be cliche (not that I’m ever opposed to cake) but I wanted to challenge myself and these pretty little macarons have been bouncing around in my head for a while now.

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Now I can’t take complete credit for these Pretty Pink Macarons because my friend Holly over at Little Blog of Vegan is wayyyy ahead of the game and has made some super fantastic macarons. Seriously- check it out (and btw, hers are so much cuter than mine!)! Unicorn Birthday Cake Macarons

So, with her guidance, I decided to tackle this challenge and guys, I did it!!! Now these Vegan + Gluten-free Pretty Pink Macarons are a little finicky- I mean you really have to follow the instructions closely for them to turn out. In fact, the first batch I made with sprinkles didn’t turn out bc I didn’t cook them long enough and I took them out of the oven too fast, so they caved in. You have to let them cool slowly. Now I will warn you, this recipe does take longer than 30 minutes, but trust me- these little gems are worth every extra minute (and you get to take breaks in between steps).

So what the heck is in these little cuties you ask? Let’s take a peek.

☆ almond flour
☆ aquafaba!! (if you have no idea what the heck this is, let me tell you- the genius that figured this out is like my new favorite person. It’s the brine from a can of chickpeas! You beat it with your electric mixer and it fluffs up like egg whites… no, I’m not joking… seriously it’s miraculous)
☆ powdered sugar
☆ sugar
☆ cream of tartar
☆ pink sugar crystals
☆ “buttercream” frosting

Crazy, huh? Now you could also add in vanilla extract, I was supposed to and forgot lol, but they were scrumptious without, so I’m just gonna go with it. My next macaron recipe will include it though, so stay tuned (and I bet it’ll be in the near future), but in the meantime, I know you’re going to love these Pretty Pink Macarons! BONUS! get 15% off superfood powders used in this recipe if you purchase through me!

p.s. funny (not so funny at the time) story… these adorable pink flowers came from these bushes I have out front at my house. So I go out there and pick some and of course I would pick the one with a spider and like a thousand microscopic bugs… gasp, scream, swear word! Ugh, so that was a whole fiasco before shooting these. The price you pay for real flowers in your photos lol.

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Pretty Pink Macarons (Gluten-free + Vegan)

Ingredients

3/4 cup almond flour (not meal)
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 can chickpea brine, (set chickpeas aside to use for dinner!)
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1/2-1 tsp pitaya powder, (to make these the pretty pink color!)
sprinkles or crystal sugar, (opt)

"Buttercream" Frosting Filling

1/2 cup vegan butter, (I used Earth Balance)
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp almond extract
pitaya powder, (optional)
spirulina powder, (optional)
matcha powder, (optional)

Instructions

"Buttercream" Frosting

First, make your "buttercream" frosting. Beat the softened butter and vanilla extract on low with your hand mixer. Add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time. If making multi-colored frosting as seen in these macarons, separate your frosting into separate bowls and add pitaya powder for the pink frosting, matcha powder for the green, and a mix of spirulina and pitaya for the purple. You will then add all these in your piping bag together to get the swirly frosting look
Keep your frosting in the fridge while you make the macarons
Place the chickpea brine into a small saucepan and bring to an almost boil medium heat. Simmer for about 10-15 minutes (the liquid will reduce by about 1/3). Once reduced, set aside to cool for about 5-10 minutes
Place the chickpea brine into a mixing bowl and blend with an electric hand mixer on high until fluffy. This will take around 5 minutes.
Blend the cream of tartar
Slowly add in the powdered sugar a little at a time while still mixing on high until the mixture turns thick and glossy
Turn your mixer off and gently fold in the almond flour & sugar using a rubber spatula
Heat the oven to 230 degrees f then place your silicone macaron baking mat on a baking sheet (or alternatively line a baking tray with parchment paper).
Transfer the mixture into a piping bag and pipe 3-4-inch round circles on the lined tray, then swirl the tip off to one side. Add some vegan sprinkles, or crystal sugar if desired. Repeat for all of the batter
(make sure to space out the macarons if not using the macaron baking mat)
Tap the tray firmly against counter 2 or 3 times to release any air bubbles
ALLOW THE MACARONS TO STAND AT ROOM TEMPERATURE FOR 1 HOUR, until you can touch the top of the macarons and no batter comes off on your finger
Pop the macarons into the oven and bake for 15 minutes, then turn the oven off and let the macarons cool in the oven for an additional 15-20 minutes (Doing this helps to bring down the temperature of the macarons slowly so they don't collapse in quick temperature changes.)
Repeat these steps with extra batter. I got 3 batches out of this recipe. Allow the macarons to cool completely before filling with frosting
Pipe your frosting on one macaron and top with another. Store in the fridge
**NOTE: you may need to soften your frosting to make it easier for piping for about 15-20 minutes