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Edible strawberry and raspberry “blood” encircled by a cheesecake filling, sandwiched between to macaron shells. I didn’t know if I’d be able to fit in a new recipe this Halloween, but I made it! Not only did I finish a new recipe, it ended up scary delicious!
Edible Blood
My “blood” tastes so good you’ll feel like a vampire. This perfect sweet and sour berry syrup cuts through the rich cheesecake filling. To get a concentrated flavor in such a small amount I opted to use freeze dried raspberries. Adding cornstarch, lemon, and corn syrup helps get a good texture. Not too runny that it ruins the cookies, but just viscous enough and still able to drip sinisterly out of the macarons.
When assembling make sure you coat both the shells with the cheesecake frosting to form a barrier to keep the shells from absorbing the berry sauce.
The Cheesecake Filling
I wanted the cheesecake to taste more similar to a baked version than the no bake, so I added in 3 eggs via a custard. Of course, also added some sour cream to get that classic flavor. You don’t want this cheesecake to be too sweet since the shells and the berry jelly are plenty sweet, so keep it balanced!
These are great to make ahead the day before, you can even start the berry “blood” 2 days in advance. You won’t regret making these super delicious macarons!
Berry Bloody Cheesecake Macarons
Ingredients
SHELLS
- 3 egg large whites
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 ⅔ cup confectioners sugar
- ¼ tsp cream of tartar
- 1 cup almond flour
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- Food coloring optional
EDIBLE BLOOD
- 1 ½ tbsp corn syrup
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- ¼ cup water
- ¾ cup strawberries fresh or frozen
- 1 ½ tbsp freeze dried raspberry powder
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 3 drops gel red food coloring
CHEESECAKE FILLING
- 3 egg yolks
- 3 tbsp milk
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp sour cream
Instructions
EDIBLE BLOOD
- Add all ingredients to a sauce pot and cook on medium until bubbling.
- Mix well and smash strawberries when softened. Continue cooking until thickened, should coat the spoon.
- Strain hot mixture carefully through a sieve and chill for at least 4 hours or overnight.
SHELLS
- Grind up almond flour in a dry food processor and sift through a sieve. Do not force it through the sieve.
- Sift confectioners sugar into almond flour with a sieve and a whisk.
- Beat egg whites and cream of tartar on medium / high. Slowly add in granulated sugar.
- When the soft peak stage is reached add food coloring and vanilla. Mix till stiff peak stage.
- Add about ¼ the dry ingredients to the egg whites. Fold with spatula till combined.
- Then add the rest of the dry ingredients and gently macaronage (fold) till “lava” texture is reached. The batter should make ribbons that don’t break when you lift the spatula. Try making a figure 8.
- Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment, using a tiny dab of batter on each corner as glue.
- Add batter to a piping bag using a plain round tip.
- Pipe about 1 ½” circles, holding the bag perpendicular to the cookie sheet. To break off batter, make a little swirl motion on top.
- Bang sheet on counter to get rid of bubbles and to help tops get smooth.
- Let sit for 45 – 60 minutes on the counter uncovered. You should be able to touch the macarons, there will be a skin formed on top.
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
- Bake for 10 – 15 minutes. You should be able to see the “feet”.
- Let cool completely before piping in the filling. Make little macarons sandwiches by matching up with the same sized tops and bottoms.
CHEESECAKE FILLING
- Add egg yolks, milk, and sugar to a sauce pot. Cook on low heat while constantly whisking. Don’t let the eggs burn or curdle. You want a smooth custard.
- Once bubbling, cook for about 2 minutes on very low. Strain custard and add it to the mixer bowl with whisk attachment.
- Whip custard until cooled, add in cream cheese, vanilla, and sour cream. Mix until smooth.
- Smear a small amount of cheesecake frosting on each macaron shell to form a barrier between the shell and berry blood. Keeps the fruit jelly from soaking into the shells.
- Pipe a circle of cheesecake filling around one side of the macaron, drop a dollop of berry blood jelly in the center. Top with the other shell with a frosting barrier smeared on it.
- Store in the fridge. Cookies taste best the next day.
