These blood-spatter macarons are the perfect gory treat for any Halloween party. The macarons have a crunchy outer shell with a soft and chewy centre. They are sandwiched together with a bright red chocolate ganache.
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Reasons to Love This Recipe
Macarons are one of the most frustrating bakes ever. It has taken me over a year but I have finally cracked them and I am obsessed. If you haven’t already you should check out these Strawberry Daiquiri Macarons or these Malteser Macarons.
They have a delicious white chocolate ganache filling. The ganache is made using white chocolate, cream and red food colouring. It makes the perfect macaron filling as it isn’t as sweet as buttercream.
These are perfect for any Halloween get-together or as an individual snack.
Macaron Shell
Macaron shells can be a bit finicky to make but trust me it is worth it.
Start by adding the ground almonds and icing sugar to a food processor and blitz them for 2 minutes. I know this is oddly specific but stay with me. Once you have blitzed the almond and icing sugar sieve it into a large bowl.
Don’t force any of the lumps through, just put these into a separate bowl. Now put the sieved mixture into the food processor again and blitz this time for a minute. Sieve it back into the large bowl. Again, don’t force it, if there are any lumps that won’t go through the sieve then leave these to one side. Leave the bowl of almond and icing sugar mix to the side too while you make your meringues.
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How to Make the Perfect Macarons
To make the meringues start by separating your egg whites into a large bowl. Using the whisk attachment on your stand mixer or your hand whisk whip the egg whites until they are soft peaks.
You will know they are soft peaks because when you take the whisk out of the mixture it there should be a peak that flops over to the side.
When you reach this stage start adding the sugar 1 tablespoon at a time leaving 30 seconds-1 minutes in between each addition. Once you have added all the sugar whisk for another few minutes until the mixture is thick and glossy.
How Do I Know My Meringue is Ready?
So your meringue should be able to hold stiff peaks. This means that when you remove the whisk from the mixture it should peak and hold its shape it shouldn’t flop down to the side.
Another way to tell your meringue is ready is by holding the bowl upside down. If it doesn’t move then it is ready.
Macaronage
Macaronage is the process of mixing your egg whites and almond mixture together. The frustrating part about this is that we have spent so long whipping air into our egg whites and now we are going to knock the air back out of the mixture.
The easiest way to macaronage is to add the egg whites to your bowl of the almond mixture. Now fold it though using a silicone spatula. I find the easiest way to fold the mixture is to go around the sides of the bowl and fold the mixture in on itself, and then cut through the middle again folding the mixture in on itself. Keep doing this until the egg whites and almond mixture are completely combined and the mixture flows like molten lava.
Put the mixture into your piping bag with a small round nozzle.
Piping the Macarons
I prefer to pipe the macarons onto a silicone baking mat, this way I know they are all going to be the same size. You could also use greaseproof paper with a macaron template underneath.
I turn my baking trays upside down and put the mats on the bottom of the tray. This way the air gets to all the macarons if you use them the correct way up the lip on the sides of the trays may prevent the air from getting to your macarons and they might not rise as they should.
Pipe the mixture onto the mats. You want to hold the piping bag completely vertical to the mat or your macarons feet will be lopsided. Once you have piped all your macarons gently bang the tray on the worktop 3-4 times. This will help any air bubbles come to the surface. Now with a skewer gently pop any air bubbles on the top of your macarons.
Resting
Now it is time for you and the macarons to rest for 45 minutes – 1 hour. You will know they are ready to bake because they will have formed a skin on top and will feel dry to the touch. None of the batter should end up on your fingers.
Preheat the oven 10 minutes or so before the end of the resting time.
How Do I Know My Macarons Are Baked?
To test if the macarons are ready I do a wiggle test on them. If you remove the tray from the oven and gently try and wiggle the macaron if they move quite a bit then they aren’t ready. Pop them back into the oven for 2-3 minutes and repeat. If they barely move then they are ready.
They also aren’t ready if you try and remove one and the bottom stays stuck to the mat.
Decoration
Once your macarons have cooled we can decorate them.
In a small bowl add 20ml of Vodka. Don’t worry the macarons won’t taste like vodka. To this add a tiny amount of red food colouring. Like with the ganache add a little at a time and mix until you reach the desired colour.
Dip the paintbrush into the red mixture and flick it over the top of the macarons to create the splattered blood.
Leave to one side to let them dry before filling.
White Chocolate Ganache Filling
You can make the filling while the macarons are cooling because we need to pop it into the fridge to set.
Start by adding your white chocolate and cream to a microwave-safe bowl. Put it into the microwave on 20-second bursts stirring in between until it is completely melted and smooth.
Leave the ganache in the bowl and stir every few minutes or so until it becomes a spreadable consistency.
Once it reaches a spreadable consistency add the red food colouring a little at a time until it reaches the desired consistency.
I used this red food colouring in these macarons, but I also really like this red food colouring. Both will give you a bright and vibrant red.
Add the ganache into a piping bag with a small round nozzle. Once your macarons have cooled pair them all up and pipe the ganache into the centre of one of the shells and sandwich them together.
Alternatives
You could use a red buttercream filling for the centre of these if you prefer. Just mix together the butter and icing sugar and then add in the red food colouring.
Equipment
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Blood Spatter Macarons
Ingredients
For the Macarons
- 200 g Icing Sugar
- 100 g Ground Almonds
- 3 Large Egg Whites
- 75 g Caster Sugar
For the Blood Spatter
- 20 ml Vodka
- Red Food Colouring
For the Filling
- 100 g White Chocolate
- 30 ml Double Cream
- Red Food Colouring
Instructions
To Make the Macaron Shells
- Add the icing sugar and almonds to a food processor and whizz for 2 minutes.
- Sieve the mixture into a large bowl.
- Put the almond mixture back into the food processor and whizz for a further minute.
- Re-sieve the mixture into the large bowl and leave to one side.
- Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks. I did this using the whisk attachment on my KitchenAid but you could use a hand mixer too.
- Gradually add in the caster sugar 1 tablespoon at a time. Leaving a minute or so in-between each addition.
- Once all the caster sugar has been added continue to whisk the meringue until they form stiff peaks and are glossy and shiny.
- Gently fold the egg whites into your almond mixture until it is fully incorporated.
- Press the mixture into the sides of the bowl. This is called macaronage and you are trying to get the mixture to be as smooth as possible. You know it is ready when it flows like molten lava from your spatula.
- Add the mixture to your piping bag with a small round nozzle and pop to one side.
- Line your baking trays with a macaron mat or baking parchment.
- Pipe the batter onto the mats or baking parchment. You need to hold the piping bag completely vertically or you will end up with wonky feet. Pipe the macarons around an inch or so apart so that they don't touch
- Tap the trays on your worktop to knock out any air bubbles. If you see any air bubbles on top gently pop these with a skewer.
- Leave the macarons for 45 minutes to 1 hour so that a skin forms and they are completely dry to the touch.
To Bake the Macarons
- Towards the end of the 45 minutes – 1 hour rest time preheat your oven to 150C (130C Fan).
- Bake the macarons for around 20-25 minutes until they have risen and have 'feet'. You can tell when they are ready if you touch them they are just starting to peel away from the mat or are a little wobblily if you move them from side to side.
- Leave the macarons to cool fully on the mat.
To Decorate
- Once the macarons have cooled completely in a small bowl add the vodka and a small amount of food colouring and mix. If you need to you can add more red colouring a little at a time until you reach the desired colour.
- Dip a paintbrush into the bowl and flick it over the top of the macarons
- Leave the macarons to one side to let the blood spatter to drip.
To Make the Filling
- Add the white chocolate and double cream to a bowl and pop it into the microwave in 20-second bursts until it is completely melted and smooth.
- Leave to one side. Stirring every few minutes or so until it is a spreadable consistency.
- Once it is a spreadable consistency, add the red food colouring a little at a time stirring in between each addition until you reach the desired colour.
- Add the ganache to a piping bag with a small round nozzle and pipe onto the top of your macarons, sandwich together and enjoy.
Notes
- These Macarons will last for up to 1 week in the fridge.
The visual effects here are great and ghoulish.
Thank you!
I never thought of a shot of vodka blood as the perfect accompaniment for these macarons. Macarons can be quite finickity to get right but I am glad you found this post easy to follow.
Your macarons look so beautiful! I always mess them up every time I attempt to make some. I loved the Halloween theme, too. I’m from Hungary and we don’t celebrate Halloween here, but my daughter and I love it.
Ah really? I didn’t know that Halloween wasn’t celebrated in Hungray. Macarons do take a lot of patience and persistence but it will pay off.
What a creative Halloween recipe! These blood spatter macarons looks brilliant! x
Lucy | http://www.lucymary.co.uk
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This is such a creative idea! I love how they look and I bet they taste amazing too!
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Oh I love macarons but as you said, they are hard to crack! I really need to try and bake them again because these look like a must-try and perfect for this season! x
They are perfect for Halloween. Yes! Don’t give up you will crack them eventually.
These look so good! Thank you for sharing.
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These look so cute! And they’re perfect for halloween!
Thank you! They are so much fun and perfect for Halloween.
Thank you so much!
These are awesome! I’ll admit I’ve always been a little afraid to try baking macarons…but they are one of my favorite treats! These ones look SO cool and perfect for the Halloween season.
Ahh, you should definitely do it!
Oooh these look so good! The vodka blood spatter is such a cool addition 🙂
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