I spent this entire month of May making various macaron recipes. It started as a way to have more content, but it developed into me really feeling like I understand macarons in a way I never had before. And if you're not familiar with macarons, the recipe always calls for almond flour. So when my friend with a nut allergy asked about macarons she can eat, I took it as a challenge! I tested making macarons with a few different flours, and ultimately oat flour was my favorite. And that inspired the idea for these Oatmeal Cream Pie Macarons.
Why this recipe works
The main contributions of almond flour to macarons is flavor and texture. When using oat flour, you definitely can taste the difference, but it's a nice, subtle oat flavor which, while different from the taste when made with almond flour, is still delicious! The oat flour also still gives macarons a chewy texture, like the almond flour does. I find that the oat flour gives it a softer chewiness than almond flour macs which can be almost too chewy sometimes. The macarons also still grow feet with oat flour. Feet are the textured platform underneath the smooth tops of macarons, which is what you want to see when the macarons are baked. The only downside I've noticed to using the oat flour is related to appearance. The macarons do not hold the smooth tops in the same way almond flour macarons do. The layer on top that slightly crusts is much more fragile with an oat flour macaron, so it wrinkles ever so slightly as it cools. But if your main goal is a delicious and chewy macaron with feet, (or if you can't have almond flour) these are perfect!
Ingredients and notes
Oat Flour - This is the key ingredient in this recipe in terms of flavor and texture. Oat flour can be purchased or can be made by grinding oats in a food processor. I have tested multiple flours and each has different elements that impact flavor, texture, and measurements. I would not recommend substituting for a different flour for this recipe or you'll lose the oatmeal cream pie flavor.
Egg Whites - Whipping egg whites into meringue creates the light and airy texture of macarons. This works best when the egg whites have been brought to room temperature. Aging your egg whites, or letting them sit outside the shell for at least 24-48 hours is also ideal.
Cream of Tartar - You can whip egg whites into meringue without adding cream of tartar, but egg whites can be very finicky and cream of tartar helps stabilize them. A bit of an extra assurance that you'll get stiff peaks out of your egg whites!
How to make this recipe
Macaron Shells
Step 1
Combine oat flour and powdered sugar. Sift or stir with a fork to break up big chunks or pieces, and set aside.
Step 2
Using the whisk attachment of a stand or hand mixer, begin beating egg whites at medium speed. When the egg whites become foamy, add cream of tartar.
Step 3
Continue beating on medium, and once you start to see the whisk leaving a pattern in the foaming egg whites, slowly and gradually add in the granulated sugar.
Step 4
Once all the granulated sugar is added, turn mixer up to high speed and beat until stiff peaks form. You can stop your mixer as needed to check the peaks to avoid over-beating.
Step 5
Add the oat flour/powdered sugar mixture to the egg whites, and mix with a rubber or silicone spatula by running the spatula around the outside edge of the bowl, and going underneath the egg whites to gently fold them over.
Step 6
As you continue doing this, you'll notice the batter will start to loosen up. Once you get to the point where the batter falls off the spatula in a ribbon, it's ready to go! You can test this by trying to draw a figure-8 in the bowl with the batter on your spatula. If you can draw figure-8s without the batter stream breaking, it's ready.
Step 7
Fit a piping bag with a larger round tip. I like to use the Wilton 2A tip. Fill the piping bag with the batter.
Step 8
Holding the piping bag straight up and down over a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and squeeze the piping bag for 2-3 seconds to pipe small round circles of batter at least an inch apart.
Step 9
Once the batter is all piped or the pan is full, bang the pan on the counter or floor a few times. You do not need to be gentle here. This is to get all the air bubbles out of the batter.
Step 10
Let the batter sit on the pans for at least 30 minutes. I let them sit longer if it's humid.
Step 11
Preheat the oven to 300 F. When the batter is ready, you should be able to touch the tops of the macarons and they should feel dry and not sticky. Bake for 15-18 minutes.
Step 12
Let the macarons cool complete on the pan.
Cream Filling
Step 13
Beat butter until soft and fluffy.
Step 14
Add in remaining ingredients, and beat until smooth. Place in piping bag.
Step 15
Once macarons have fully cooled, pair similar-sized shells together. Holding the piping bag vertically over the bottom of one shell in a pair, squeeze bag for 2-3 seconds. Place the bottom of the other shell in the pair onto the icing. Repeat for each pair.
Recipe FAQs
No! They can definitely be finicky, but they are so much easier than I expected. If a batch doesn't turn out quite right, I can promise you that it will still taste delicious. And the more you do it, the more you get the hang of it. But I truly found them to be much more approachable than I ever would have thought!
A macaron is a light and airy sandwich cookie made with whipped egg whites. They are smooth, fragile, soft, and slightly chewy. A macaroon is a mound of coconut, sometimes dipped in chocolate. It's dense, rough, and chewy.
Humidity can lead to wet and sticky macarons. It's best to bake them on a low-humidity day, but if you absolutely have to bake them on a humid or rainy day, your best bet is to let them rest for a longer period of time before baking.
Tips & Tricks
- To determine if your egg whites are ready, stick the whisk straight down into the egg white mixture and pull it straight out. If the egg whites stand straight up in a peak, it's ready!
- When folding the oat flour into the egg whites, you'll want to fold it very gently. You will deflate some of the egg white as you mix, but you don't want to deflate it completely. The air whipped into the egg whites is what gives macarons a light and airy consistency.
- Macaron batter tends to be a bit runny which can make it tricky to fill your piping bag. Holding the piping bag with the tip down and the bag's opening up, fold the tip up so the opening of the tip is pointing up. Place the bag into a cup, and fold the top opening of the piping bag over the edge of the cup. This holds the opening of the piping bag open, making it easier to fill, and the tip folded up keeps the batter from leaking out.
Related Recipes
French Toast Cookies
Creme Egg Cookies
Meringues
Coffee Milk Cookie Sandwiches
Fluff Oreos
Did you try this recipe? Review and comment below, and share a photo on Instagram and tag @flourdeliz!
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Small Batch Oatmeal Cream Pie Macarons
Equipment
- Hand or stand mixer with whisk attachment
- Piping bag or Ziplock bag and piping tip
- Kitchen scale
Ingredients
Macaron Shells
- 50 grams egg whites at room temperature
- 45 grams sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 63 grams oat flour
- 63 grams powdered sugar
Filling
- 1 stick butter
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 cup Marshmallow Fluff
Instructions
Macaron Shells
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.
- Prep a piping bag with a larger round tip. I use Wilton 2A.
- Combine oat flour and powdered sugar, and set aside.
- Beat egg whites on medium speed until foamy.
- Add cream of tartar, and continue beating until you start to see a pattern from the whisk in the foam.
- Slowly and gradually add the sugar while still beating.
- Once all the sugar is added, turn the mixer up to high speed and beat until the egg whites form stiff peaks.
- Add the oat flour mixture to the egg whites. Stir by running a spatula around the edge of the bowl, and under the egg whites, folding over.
- Continue doing this until the batter forms a ribbon when it comes off the spatula, and you can draw a figure-8 in the bowl withouth the batter breaking.
- Add the batter to a piping bag, and pipe onto the lined baking sheets about an inch apart.
- Bang the baking sheet on the counter or floor to release any air bubbles.
- Let rest for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 300 F.
- Bake for 15 minutes. Let cool on the pan completely.
Filling
- Beat butter until light and fluffy.
- Add remaining ingredients and beat until desired consistency.
Assembly
- Pair similar sized shells.
- Pipe the filling onto the bottom of one shell in each pair.
- Place the bottom of the other shell onto the piped frosting, forming a sandwich.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know what you think!