18 April 2025
Vanilla and Caramel Crème Brûlée Macarons
RecipeShare Test Kitchen
Macarons inspired by crème brûlée, featuring a vanilla ganache with salted butter caramel shards, sandwiched between vanilla and caramel-flavored macaron shells.
✨ Vanilla & Caramel Crème Brûlée Macarons
These elegant macarons take inspiration from the timeless French dessert crème brûlée 💛. With their fragrant vanilla ganache, buttery caramel shards, and beautifully contrasted shells, they bring together everything we love about refined French pâtisserie. Each bite offers soft chew, silky filling, and delightful crunch — a true homage to caramelised sugar and vanilla.
🌟 What Makes These Macarons Special?
This recipe layers three standout elements: deeply aromatic vanilla, rich caramel notes, and the playful texture of caramel shards woven into a smooth ganache. The combination of vanilla and caramel shells also creates a visual duality that feels luxurious and festive.
If you love crème brûlée — the silky custard, the crackly sugar top, the aroma of warm vanilla — these macarons recreate that moment in petit four form. Perfect for special occasions, edible gifting, or simply indulging your inner pastry chef.
🔥 The Art of Caramel in Macarons
Caramel plays a starring role here twice: first as salted butter caramel shards folded into the ganache, and again in the caramel-tinted macaron shells. The shards add subtle crunch and depth, mimicking the classic brûlée topping, while also balancing the sweetness of the vanilla ganache.
Preparing the caramel shards a day ahead ensures they stay crisp and dry — a small detail that makes a big difference in the texture of the finished macaron.
🌼 Triple-Vanilla Elegance
Using Tahiti, Madagascar, and Mexican vanilla gives the ganache a rounded, complex bouquet of floral, creamy, and slightly spicy notes. When infused into warm cream and paired with white chocolate, they form a filling that’s both luxurious and unmistakably “crème brûlée”.
🥚 Perfecting the Shells
Both shell variations follow the classic Italian meringue method for stability and shine. The vanilla shells stay pale and fragrant, while the caramel shells get a subtle amber tone from yellow coloring and coffee extract — enhancing the dessert-inspired aesthetic.
Letting the shells dry properly before baking, controlling syrup temperature, and resting filled macarons overnight all help achieve the sought-after smooth tops, defined feet, and melt-in-the-mouth texture.
🍬 Bringing Everything Together
Once the shells are paired and filled with the vanilla-caramel ganache, the macarons mature in the fridge, allowing the filling to gently soften the interior. The result is the perfect harmony of chew, creaminess, and caramelised crunch — just like the first spoonful of a perfectly torched crème brûlée.
🎉 Serving & Enjoying
Serve these macarons at room temperature so the vanilla aromas bloom fully and the ganache reaches its ideal creamy texture. They make a stunning addition to dessert platters, afternoon tea, or a French-inspired celebration.
Embrace the artistry of classic French flavors — these crème brûlée macarons are a show-stopping treat for anyone who loves the magic of vanilla and caramel. 💫
Vanilla and Caramel Crème Brûlée Macarons
RecipeShare Test KitchenMacarons inspired by crème brûlée, featuring a vanilla ganache with salted butter caramel shards, sandwiched between vanilla and caramel-flavored macaron shells.
Chef's Tips
Prepare the caramel shards a day in advance and store them dry at room temperature.
Allow macarons to mature 24 hours in the fridge for best texture and flavor.
Tools Used
Stand Mixer(opens in a new tab)Piping Bags With Round Tip (size 11)Candy Thermometer(opens in a new tab)Baking Sheets(opens in a new tab)Parchment Paper(opens in a new tab)Rolling PinFine Sieve(opens in a new tab)
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Ingredients
USMetric
Salted Butter Caramel Shards
Vanilla Macaron Shells
Caramel Macaron Shells
Vanilla Ganache with Salted Butter Caramel Shards
Instructions
Prepare the Salted Butter Caramel Shards
- 1
Bring glucose and sugar to a boil until a deep amber caramel forms.
- 2
Stir in the salted butter and bring back to a boil.
- 3
Pour the caramel between two sheets of parchment paper and spread thinly with a rolling pin.
- 4
Let cool completely, then crush into fine shards. Store dry at room temperature.
Prepare the Vanilla Macaron Shells
- 1
Sift powdered sugar, almond flour, and vanilla powder together.
- 2
Add 55 g egg whites without mixing.
- 3
Boil mineral water and granulated sugar until 118°C.
- 4
Start whipping the other 55 g egg whites when the syrup reaches 115°C.
- 5
Pour the syrup at 118°C over the whipped whites, beat until cooled to 50°C.
- 6
Fold the meringue into the dry ingredients carefully.
- 7
Pipe 3.5 cm rounds onto parchment-lined trays, tap trays to flatten slightly.
- 8
Let dry for at least 30 minutes at room temperature.
Prepare the Caramel Macaron Shells
- 1
Sift powdered sugar and almond flour together.
- 2
Mix food coloring and coffee extract into 55 g egg whites and add without mixing.
- 3
Boil mineral water and sugar to 118°C.
- 4
Start whipping the other 55 g egg whites at 115°C.
- 5
Pour the syrup at 118°C over the whipped whites, beat until cooled to 50°C.
- 6
Fold the meringue into the dry ingredients.
- 7
Pipe 3.5 cm rounds onto parchment-lined trays, tap trays to flatten slightly.
- 8
Let dry for at least 30 minutes at room temperature.
Bake the Macaron Shells
- 1
Preheat oven to 180°C fan-assisted.
- 2
Bake vanilla and caramel macaron shells for 12 minutes, opening oven twice to let out steam.
- 3
Slide parchment sheets with baked shells onto a work surface to cool.
Prepare the Vanilla Ganache with Caramel Shards
- 1
Split and scrape the vanilla beans, infuse the seeds and pods in the heated cream for 30 minutes.
- 2
Melt white chocolate to 45-50°C.
- 3
Reboil and strain the cream, then emulsify into the melted chocolate in three additions.
- 4
Cover the ganache with cling film directly touching its surface and refrigerate for 4 hours until creamy.
- 5
Fold in the caramel shards.
- 6
Transfer the ganache to a piping bag with round tip.
Assemble the Macarons
- 1
Pipe ganache onto the flat side of vanilla macaron shells.
- 2
Top with caramel macaron shells, pressing gently to sandwich.
- 3
Refrigerate the macarons for 24 hours before serving.
- 4
Remove from fridge 2 hours before enjoying.
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Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 1 macaron
Calories 90
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 5g6%
Saturated Fat 2g10%
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 10mg3%
Sodium 20mg1%
Total Carbohydrates 10g4%
Dietary Fiber 0.5g2%
Sugars 9g
Protein 1g
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
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