I absolutely love experimenting with different colors and flavors when it comes to macarons. These Easy (Nut-Free) Strawberry Cheesecake French Macarons are my favorite creation so far. Strawberries are my favorite fruit and cheesecake is my favorite dessert. I can’t believe it took me so long to combine the two!
Easy (nut-free) Strawberry Cheesecake Macarons start just like all of my other nut free macaron recipes, sunflower seeds and confectioners sugar. For the strawberries I am adding in freeze fried strawberries. They are great for adding both color and flavor. This is the same method I used with my Easy (Nut-Free) Blueberry Cheesecake French Macarons. Some other freeze dried fruits I am looking forward to trying in my macarons are pineapples, raspberries, bananas and apples.
After blending your raw sunflower seeds (I sometimes purchase mine from here), confectioners sugar and freeze dried strawberries together in a food processor, you are going to do your macaronage. This is basically folding your dry ingredients into your whipped egg whites until the consistency is similar to flowing hot lava.
The next step is to pipe them on your sheet pan and allow them to sit out for about 30 minutes or until dry. You want them to be dry enough to touch with out them sticking to your finger. For detailed instructions on this step, check out my original Macaron post Easy French Macaron Recipe.
I didn’t add any food color to mine, but feel free to add color for a more vibrant pink color. I really like the subtle color you achieve with just the berries.
These came out so good and I can’t wait to try even more colors and flavors.
Give these Strawberry Cheesecake French Macarons a try and let me know what you think. Any suggestions for my next flavor/color combinations? I’d love to hear what you think.
Other nut-free Macaron recipes you will love…
Easy (Nut-Free) Strawberry Cheesecake French Macarons
Ingredients
- 71 grams of raw sunflower seeds 2/3 cup
- 117 grams confectioners’ sugar 1 cup
- 2/3 cup freeze dried strawberries
- 2 large egg whites room temperature
- 53 grams granulated sugar 1/4 cup
Jam or cream cheese filling below:
- 1 cup cream cheese softened
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup confectioners sugar
- 2 TBS Heavy Cream
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Place sunflower seeds in a food processor along with confectioners sugar and freeze dried strawberries. Process until combined, about 1 minute.
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Pass seed/sugar mixture through a sieve. Transfer bits that didn’t go through the sieve back to the food processor; sift again, pressing down on clumps. Repeat until less than 2 tablespoons of solids are left.
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Whisk egg whites and granulated sugar by hand to combine first. Then whip on medium speed and increase the speed every 2 minutes until stiff peaks form. This should take between 6-10 minutes.
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Add dry ingredients and fold in with a spatula. Repeat just until batter flows like lava.
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Pipe small circles onto parchment paper or on a macaron sheet. Tap sheets firmly against counter 2 or 3 times to release air bubbles. Allow to dry for 30 minutes.
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Bake until risen and just set, 10-12 minutes. Let cool. Pipe or spread filling on flat sides of half of cookies; top with remaining half. store in airtight container and refrigerate.
Recipe Notes
It’s best to refrigerate overnight. I like to let them come back to room temp before eating. I have also eaten them after assembly and they are great then as well!
