How to Make Your Macarons Appearance Unique
Sprinkling your macaron shells over with coconut flakes or freeze-dried berries is also a great way to make your macarons look and taste good.
It is also super easy to do – just sprinkle the flakes on unbaked macarons and put them in the oven. Doing that, the flakes will stick to the macaron shells. Keep in mind that not all of them will look the same after baking.
For example, coconut flakes tolerate heat pretty well. Some of them might get slightly brown, however the quality is still largely preserved. On the other hand, freeze-dried raspberries will turn brown in the oven and won’t look the best. That’s why I don’t recommend baking them in the oven.
I recommend you to drizzle the baked macarons over with some melted chocolate and sprinkling the chocolate drizzles over with freeze-dried berry pieces. By doing that, the berries will stick to the chocolate and also look great!
Adding sparkling edible luster dust to the macarons
Adding edible luster dust to your macarons is the easiest thing, but can change the macaron’s appearance a lot. Just brush the edible luster dust over the macaron shells to make them look special.
There are a lot of different luster dust powders on the market and many different ways on how to use them. I highly recommend reading my detailed blog post about the same topic as it provides many sneaky tips and great product recommendations.
Painting watercolor flowers on the macarons
Painting watercolor flowers on your macarons will make them so much more personal and sweet. It is the perfect decoration if you are baking for someone very special and close to you.
You will need a brush, an edible food marker, and a little bit of food coloring. Everyone can draw a flower and paint it using a brush. You can always use Google to search for inspiration and use it as a template. It is very easy, yet so special to decorate macaron shells by painting them by yourself. For example, this method is perfect for Mother’s Day gift!
Adding gold leaf to the macaron shell
An edible gold leaf is used to add elegance and luxury to desserts. It instantly makes them look more expensive. Adding a gold leaf to your macarons is super easy. You won’t need any glue to stick it to the macaron’s shell as it will stick by itself.
Always make sure you are using high-quality food-grade edible gold leaves! Personally, I like to use both: Gold Leaf Sheets and Gold Leaf Flakes.
Adding a mini macaron on top
Adding a mini version of this French dessert on top of the regular macaron will make it look absolutely exceptional. Take the mini macarons and stick them on top of the bigger ones to make your macarons look fabulous.
While baking your regular-sized macarons, take a little extra time to make some mini macarons as well! Just pipe out less batter at a time.
Mini macarons are perfect for decorating any desserts. For example, they can be creatively arranged to make your cakes or cupcakes even more breathtaking.
Macarons with fresh seasonal berries
Adding fresh seasonal berries to your macarons is the easiest way to make them look special. You can add the berries inside the macaron – place them between the filling. Make sure the wet parts of the berries are not touching the macaron’s shell as it might melt it.
Be sure to cover the shells with filling before placing the berries in there. You can also add berries on the sides of the macaron or even on the top – they look so fresh and tasty either way.
Blueberry macarons with fresh berries are my all-time favorite! I have written a comprehensive blog post on how to make these!
Adding chocolate or candies to the macarons
Less is not more when it comes to macarons. Adding a piece of chocolate on top of a chocolate macaron makes the basic chocolate macaron even more tempting and gorgeous. You can also stick a mini piece of brownie, chocolate chip cookie, or a mini marshmallow into the macaron filling.
Most candies and chocolates won’t stand the heat so putting them into the oven can change their appearance and in some cases can ruin the macaron’s shell. Mini marshmallows will lose their texture in the oven but as they are very light-weighted, they won’t ruin the macaron’s shell. On the other hand, large pieces of candies or chocolates can sink into the macaron and break it in heat. Keep that in mind while using candies and chocolates on your macarons!
The best way to add candies and chocolates to your macarons is to glue them on the baked macaron shells using melted chocolate or edible glue. By doing that, you can be sure that the consistency and appearance of the candies and chocolates won’t change.
Nonpareils on the macaron’s shell
A quick and simple way to make your basic macarons have a little spark is to just sprinkle them over with some nonpareils. Almost every grocery store has a huge variety of those and I’m sure, many of you already have at least one bottle of these at home as well!
TIP: Before sprinkling your macarons over with nonpareils, make sure that they can handle the heat and won’t melt in the oven! If that happens, it can ruin your macaron shells.
Write a personal message on the macaron’s shell
Make your macarons remarkable by writing on them! Such a special way to make your macarons personal. You can use personalized text on macarons for so many different occasions as the possibilities are endless.
Imagine using personalized macarons as place cards at your wedding. I’m sure your guests would love the idea that they can eat the “place card” macaron with their name on it!
You can also use handwritten text on macarons instead of paper cards and write any kind of congratulations on it using an Edible Food Marker.
Crushed cookies on top of the macaron’s shell
Using crushed cookies on top of your macaron shells is a great idea. The cookies will give the macaron a crunchier texture and makes the macaron even tastier. It also gives a lot to the macaron’s look making it unique. This rare look will definitely catch everyone’s attention.
Just smash the cookies between your fingers or blend them in a food processor. After that, sprinkle crushed cookies over the macarons and make sure, you do it before putting them in the oven. By doing that, the cookie dust will stick to the macaron’s shell.
Coconut flakes and freeze-dried berries over the macarons
Sprinkling your macaron shells over with coconut flakes or freeze-dried berries is also a great way to make your macarons look and taste good.
It is also super easy to do – just sprinkle the flakes on unbaked macarons and put them in the oven. By doing that, the flakes will stick to the macaron shells. Keep in mind that not all of them will look the same after baking.
For example, coconut flakes tolerate heat pretty well. Some of them might get slightly brown, however, the quality is still largely preserved.
On the other hand, freeze-dried raspberries will turn brown and will not look the best after being baked. That’s why I don’t recommend baking them in the oven.
I recommend you drizzle the baked macarons over with some melted chocolate and sprinkle chocolate drizzles over the freeze-dried berry pieces. By doing that, the berries will stick to the chocolate and it also looks great!
Macarons in different shapes
Last but not least, one of the hardest ways to make your macarons look special is to bake them in different shapes! I’m not going to lie – it’s gonna be very difficult when you try it for the first time. I recommend that you first learn how to make basic round macarons before trying, for example, unicorn-shaped macarons!
For different-shaped macarons, it is better to use a macaron template. This will allow them to fit together perfectly when they come out of the oven. That’s why using a macaron template is the best way to ensure that you get the perfect shape every time.
Use these little extras to make your macarons stand out. It is guaranteed that your macarons will elicit lots of compliments when served! 🙂
Enjoy your macarons!
Belli xx