This easy Oreo Crunch French macaron recipe makes a batch of the most dainty, delicate, and delicious cookies that will float right into your mouth and disappear. Not only have I packed the macaron batter with loads of Oreo cookie crumbs and a drizzle of white chocolate ganache but I’ve packed all my tips into this post to help you out!

Oreo Crunch Macarons

prep time: 45 MINUTES cook time: 15 MINUTES additional time: 15 MINUTES total time: 1 HOUR 15 MINUTES

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups almond flour
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 3 eggs, whites only
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup finely crushed Oreo cookies
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 3/4 cup white chocolate chips
• 1 stick butter at room temperature
• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 4 tablespoons heavy cream at room temperature

Instructions

Macarons

1. Sift your almond flour and powdered sugar together into a large bowl. You can either use a sieve, sifter, or food processor. Set aside.
2. In a separate mixing bowl, or the bowl of your stand mixer, add in your egg whites.
3. When your egg whites begin to foam, and cream of tartar.
4. Next, you’ll want to slowly add in your white granulated sugar.
5. Add in your vanilla.
6. Whip your egg whites on a high speed until you have very firm peeks.
7. After whipping for 3 minutes, begin to add your food gel color.
8. Continue to whip until meringue forms stiff peaks.
9. Once you’ve reached full stiffness with your meringue, transfer to a large mixing bowl.
10. Add in a third of your almond flour mixture and lightly take your rubber spatula and roll it around the batter in the bowl and fold the mixture over itself a few times.
11. Next you’ll add in the remainder of your almond flour mixture to your meringue and continue to incorporate together. It will look like it just isn’t mixing and that you have too much of the almond mix; keep mixing. You want to do this and then when it is coming together, start to drag (pressing the batter against the sides) the mixture around the bowl.
12. You will know it is time to stop mixing when you pick up the batter with the spatula, try to create an “8” pattern with a solid, streaming ribbon of batter. If you can make a figure “8” and see the entire shape not disappear into the batter, you have mixed the batter to piping readiness.
13. Lastly, fold in your finely crushed Oreo cookie crumbs.
14. Transfer you macaron batter to piping bags and lay your macaron mat flat on your cookie tray.
15. With your piping bag perpendicular to the macaron mat, and while gently squeezing your piping bag, pipe your macarons in a circular motion. When done piping, and while still moving in that same circular motion, stop squeezing and pull away.
16. After your macaron mat is filled with macaron shells, give your cookie tray 3 good taps on the counter to release any air bubbles that may have snuck through.
17. Let your macarons rest on the cookie tray for a full hour. This resting period creates a slight air dried crust on the shells that will trap in the heat at the base of the macaron and push the edges upward, creating those little feet.
18. Preheat your oven to 300 degrees and back your macarons for 18 minutes. I like to rotate my tray half way through to get a more evenly baked macaron shell.

White Chocolate Ganache

1. Place white chocolate chips into a heatproof bowl.
2. In a glass measuring cup, pour 1/4 cup of heavy cream and heat for 60 seconds in microwave.
3. Pour hot heavy cream over white chocolate chips and allow to sit for 1 – 2 minutes.
4. Mix white chocolate chips & heavy cream until fully combined and you are left with a silky smooth white chocolate ganache mixture. Set aside and allow to cool for 10 minutes.

Chocolate Buttercream

1. Sift 4 cups of powdered sugar & set bowl aside.
2. Cream butter & shortening.
3. Add cocoa powder & vanilla.
4. Scrape down the sides.
5. Place your mixer on the lowest speed & slowly add in your powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time.
6. Do not worry if your buttercream looks crumbly & dry because we will fix that next.
7. Scrape down the sides one last time.
8. With your mixer on, slowly add in heavy cream.
9. Turn mixer up to a medium speed until you have light & fluffy consistency you are looking for (about a minute or so).

Assembly

1. Pipe your filling onto the back of half the shells. Form a sandwich and repeat.
2. Drizzle each macaron with white chocolate ganache.
3. Macarons should be aged in the fridge for 1-3 days for best results. This allows the filling to soften the shells inside.

Notes

• I like to run my almond flour and powdered sugar through the sifting process twice to really get a fine powder mixture.
• If you get even the slightest drop of yolk in your egg whites, start over. Macarons are a meringue based cookie so we want no fat in our mix.
• The meringue needs to be whipped until stiff peaks are present. Don’t settle for any droopiness.
• If you forget to add your food gel color while whipping your egg whites, you can add color when you’re folding in your dry ingredients.
• Lightly, take your rubber spatula and roll it around the batter in the bowl and fold the mixture over itself. It will look like it just isn’t mixing and that you have too much of the almond mix; keep mixing. You want to do this and then when it is coming together, start to drag (pressing the batter against the sides) the mixture around the bowl. This is called the macaronage. — The actual goal here is to deflate the mixture a bit, while still mixing the ingredients to the perfect consistency. 
• when you pick up the batter with the spatula, try to create an “8” pattern with a solid, streaming ribbon of batter. If you can make an “8” a few times over top of itself and see the entire shape not disappear, you have mixed the batter to readiness to pipe.
• Room Temperature Ingredients: Be sure to allow your dairy ingredients to reach room temperature. Room temperature ingredients not only combine more effortlessly (no over-mixing needed) but they also trap air so much better. This trap air will expand and produce a fluffy texture during your baking process.
• Prepared Pan: There will always be the “next best way to prepare your pan” article. Simply put however, the most effective way i find in my kitchen is a light rub of shortening around the sides, parchment paper on the bottom of the pan, & a very light dusting of flour (cocoa powder for chocolate baked goods) all throughout.
• You can use this buttercream right away or place it in an airtight container in your fridge until ready to use. Just be sure to whip before using.
• If you’d prefer to skip the shortening, simply swap it out with 1 additional stick of room temperature butter.
• If you’d prefer a more white, stiffer, buttercream then simply omit the butter & replace with 1 additional cup of shortening. Also be sure to swap out the vanilla extract for clear vanilla extract.
• Make sure you sift your powdered sugar. This will help the sugar mix into the butter & shortening smoothly.
• When all your powdered sugar has been added in, the buttercream will appear dry. Don’t raise the alarms. When adding in your milk or heavy cream, your buttercream will start to have the fluffy texture it‘s known for.
• Keep in mind that your heavy cream should be added in 1 tablespoon at a time. I do this way to make sure I am not drowning my buttercream to the point of a soupy mess.
• Also worth mentioning, if desired, you can easily swap out the heavy cream for equal parts of your preferred milk such as whole milk or buttermilk.