Peppermint White Chocolate French Macarons

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The perfect combination of white chocolate and peppermint sandwiched between two crispy, chewy, and petit cookies. Peppermint White Chocolate French Macarons are classic cookies with a holiday twist that you are going to love.

Peppermint white chocolate french macarons sitting on a white cake stand, with a few around the base

It's day two of Christmas Cookie Week 2020 and I am so excited to share Peppermint White Chocolate French Macarons with you. These cookies will add a colorful and festive twist to your Christmas treat lineup. Peppermint and white chocolate might be the best flavor combination of the season. It's just so beautiful on your cookie board or in your cookie box. If you're searching for more festive ideas for your spread, make sure to check out my Christmas Cookie Round Up and pick out your favorites!

Ingredients

three peppermint white chocolate french macarons stacked on top of each other, with more macarons in the background

Sugar- Powdered sugar will sweeten the macarons perfectly

Flour- Almond flour is always the flour to use for classic french macarons

Eggs- Egg whites will be whipped up until they reach stiff peaks, giving it the right consistency

Egg White Powder- This will stabilize the batter and give the cookie the right structure

White Chocolate- White chocolate chips to melt down for the ganache

Cream- Heavy whipping cream to give the ganache the perfect richness

Peppermint Extract- For the minty pop of flavor

Directions

Close up of three peppermint white chocolate french macarons, one stacked on top of the other two

How To Make Peppermint White Chocolate French Macarons
French Macarons are made in two steps; first, the filling so that it can set, and then the macaron cookie. The filling will be the flavor of your macaron and the cookie recipe stays the same but can vary in color.

Prepare the Peppermint White Chocolate Ganache

Place the white chocolate in a medium bowl; set aside
In a small saucepan bring the heavy cream to a simmer, remove the pan from the heat, add the peppermint extract and the white chocolate chips and whisk together until smooth.
Pour the ganache into a heatproof bowl and allow the ganache to cool and let it sit for 3-4 hours or overnight before using (it will become thick and spreadable)

Close up of several peppermint white chocolate french macarons, surrounded by pieces of peppermint

Prepare the Classic French Macaron Cookie

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a Silpat
Add almond flour (115 grams) and powdered sugar (200 grams) to the bowl of a food processor; turn the food processor on for one minute
Sift the almond flour and powdered sugar mixture into a large bowl; set aside
In a mixer with the whisk attachment, whisk egg whites and egg white powder until stiff peaks
Slowly add powdered sugar (30 grams) to egg whites
Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in powdered sugar and almond flour
Fold until smooth and can make ribbons with batter (do not over mix)
Separate a quarter of the batter into a small bowl and color the small amount of batter with red food coloring

three peppermint white chocolate french macarons stacked on top of each other

Transfer the batter into a piping bag, adding the red colored batter on one side of the bag and the white batter on the other
Pipe 1.5” round about an inch apart onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper or a Silpat to create a red and white swirl
Let the macarons sit on the sheet pan for 20-30 minutes before baking (they will form a crust on top of the cookie)
Bake for 12 minutes, turning the sheet pan halfway through the baking time
Remove the macarons from the oven and allow them to cool before filling
Fill half of the macaron shells with the Peppermint White Chocolate Ganache and then stack the other half of the cookies on top
Enjoy immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 24-48 hours

Tips and FAQs for Peppermint White Chocolate French Macarons

French macarons are simple but require patience, so the key is slow and steady!
Make sure you have a food processor to run the almond flour and powdered sugar through to create a fine texture
Add the food color to the meringue while it is mixing instead of adding the color at the end of the process because you can overtax the batter which will cause the macarons to be too flat
Allow the macarons to sit for 20-30 minutes to create a crust on top (this allows the french macarons to have feet when they bake)

What's the difference between Macaroons and French Macarons?

French Macarons have become quite popular, but there is still sometimes confusion between a macaron with one "0" and a macaroon with two "o's". Although I am a big fan of both, there is a difference and you don't want to confuse the two.

French Macarons, with one "o", are an almond-based cookie that is made by combining almond flour and powdered sugar, pulsed in a food processor to create a fine texture while egg whites are whipped to stiff peaks. This type of macaron is made using a meringue base and then folded together with the almond flour and powdered sugar mixture. This cookie is crunchy on the outside, chewy in the middle, has beautiful feet that form while they are baking, and are sandwiched together with a creamy filling.

Macaroons with a double "o" are more traditionally made with coconut. This macaroon was in the spotlight for many years, but the French Macaron has taken over.

What is egg white powder?

Egg white powder is a stabilizer that is necessary when baking the perfect french macaron.

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