Boozy gingerbread spice macaron shells that are filled with Baileys Irish Cream flavored chocolate ganache. Perfect for gift giving and holiday parties. So flavorful, delicious and sophisticated, tastes just like a mini liqueur chocolate bottle!

Boozy Gingerbread Treat for the Holidays

I’ve been planning feverishly for the holiday season since mid-November and I knew I wanted to create a new winter macaron flavour that would incorporate gingerbread spice macaron shells with some other festive flavour. Whatever would those flavours be? Cranberry, eggnog, peppermint were all obvious choices but I didn’t really want to use them with gingerbread. Although eggnog didn’t make the cut, it did get me thinking how nice it was to sit around a fireplace on a cozy fur rug sipping on a creamy drink laced with alcohol. That’s when I thought of Baileys Irish Cream! The creamy liqueur reminiscent of a boozy Frappuccino – born before Fraps were even a “thing” – had just the flavour profile that I was seeking: Irish Whiskey with notes of cream, coffee and chocolate.

I discovered a new appreciation for this liqueur and loved the Baileys Irish Cream flavour so much that I created two new winter macaron recipes with it. The filling for this Baileys chocolate ganache macaron is composed predominantly of chocolate and is the easier one of the two to execute. The other recipe is creamier and has a more subtle Baileys flavor, get the other Baileys macaron recipe here: Baileys Irish Cream Macarons with Gingerbreadman Template.

Please note, this post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Ingredients Needed

• Almond flour – I prefer to make my own almond flour via this tutorial. Many others have had success using this brand.
• Icing sugar – a.k.a powdered sugar. The kind I use and sold in most North American grocery stores contain some corn starch as an anti-coagulate.
• Castor sugar – aka berry sugar or extra fine granulated sugar dissolves easily making it ideal for meringues. This can be substituted with regular granulated sugar. Do not run regular sugar through a grinder as this will not achieve the same results.
• Egg whites, aged – aged egg whites is a method of separating the egg whites from the yolks and letting the whites sit in the fridge for a minimum of 24 hours to help the proteins relax. This helps the egg whites whip to volume without breaking. Read this tutorial on How to Age Egg Whites
• Ground ginger – the three spices in this recipe can be substituted with the equivalent amount of gingerbread spice.
• Ground cinnamon
• Ground nutmeg
• Semi-sweet chocolate couverture – avoid using regular chocolate chips as they may contain stabilizers and additives that won’t be compatible with this recipe.
• Baileys Irish Cream liqueur
• Heavy cream – can be substituted with regular whipping cream with a fat content of 33%, found in most grocery stores.
• Butter – unsalted, room temperature
• Vanilla extract

Tips for Making Baileys Macarons

• There is only a few ingredients in the baileys macaron filling so quality is key here. Use good couverture chocolate to make the ganache, the higher percentage of cocoa butter will make a huge difference to the overall taste and texture.
• Once the Baileys chocolate ganache is completed, place it in the fridge to set. Check on it every 15-20 minutes until it firms up to a consistency that is smooth and pipeable but not hard.
• Continuously watch over the Baileys Irish Cream as it heats, never leave alcohol on unattended heat as this may cause a fire. 

How to Pipe Macaron of Puppies in Ugly Christmas Sweaters

If you want to make these baileys macarons for gift giving during the holidays, you can get more character and flavor ideas on my Christmas Macarons Guide or you can try piping these sweet puppy dogs with their ugly Christmas sweater. Here’s how:

1. Before starting, watch accompanying video and print out puppy macaron template provided below. 
2. Double my Best Macaron Recipe, half the batter should be colored with brown color and the other left uncolored. If you don’t already know how to make multiple colored batters, see this tutorial: How to make Multiple Colors in One Batch of Macarons.
3. Using a fine round piping tip (ex. Wilton 5), pipe ears with gingerbread macaron batter. Do this for each puppy before moving onto next step. This will give them time to dry and develop a skin. 
4. Pipe sweater with white macaron batter. Do this for each puppy. 
5. Add the holly sprinkles or any holiday themed sprinkle you desire onto the surface of the white macaron batter. If the sprinkles are sinking into the batter, wait just a bit longer until a firmer skin forms before adding the sprinkles. But do this before the batter dries completely. 
6. Pipe the head, neck and back section of the puppy. Give these sections time to develop a skin before piping the legs and tail. It can be a weak skin, whats more more important is that the batter doesn’t transfer to your fingers when you touch it. 
7. Bake macarons for 12-14 min. at 320 F. The timing will vary depending on your oven. Read my oven guide for baking macarons if you are unsure. 
8. Once the macarons have come out of the oven, let them cool completely before taking off the mat. Be patient! The puppies might break apart at the seams if they are not completely cooled. 
9. Prepare royal icing acorrding to instructions on recipe card.
10. Add a bit of white royal icing in the middle of the break between the sweater and the puppy. 
11. Before it dries, quickly sprinkle the white nonpareil sprinkles onto the royal icing to create a fluffy sweater effect. 
12. Use an edible pen to draw in eyes and eyelashes.
13. Use a tiny dab of white gel colour to add a little “sparkle” to the eyes. 
14. Use a fine brush to add a bit of pink lustre dust to the cheeks. 
15. Use black royal icing to fill in the shape of the ears and nose. Make an outline of the ears, then fill in with more royal icing. Use a scribe tool or skewer to smooth out the icing. 
16. With the royal icing, draw in a small swirl for the tail. 
17. Let royal icing dry completely before assembling with filling and packaging. This may take a minimum of 8 hours. 

I hardly know a soul who doesn’t gush over a sweet puppy and these little guys proved to be quite a hit on Instagram too. Join me there and follow along for the fun.

Wishing you a very happy holiday baking season!

XOXO,
Mimi

Note: This is part 1 of 2 recipes I shared on AM1470 with Deborah Moore on November 28th, 2017

Baileys Chocolate Ganache Gingerbread Macarons

Yield: 12

Prep Time: 1 hour

Cook Time: 12 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 12 minutes

Boozy gingerbread spice macaron shells that are filled with Baileys Irish Cream flavored chocolate ganache. Perfect for gift giving and holiday parties. So flavorful, delicious and sophisticated, tastes just like a mini liqueur chocolate bottle!

Print

Ingredients

Gingerbread Macaron Batter

• 65 grams almond flour
• 65 grams icing sugar
• 45 grams castor sugar*
• 50 grams egg whites, aged
• 3/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
• Brown gel colour (Americolor Warm Brown was used here)

Baileys Irish Cream Chocolate Ganache

• 120 grams semi-sweet chocolate couverture
• 80 grams Baileys Irish Cream liqueur
• 40 grams heavy cream
• 20 grams unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Small Batch Royal Icing for Puppies (optional)

• 40 grams icing sugar
• 1 tsp meringue powder
• 4 tsp water
• Small spray bottle
• Small spatula
• Black gel colour

Supplies for decorating puppies

• White gel colour
• Edible pen in black
• Fine tipped brush
• Pink lustre dust
• Christmas holiday sprinkles
• White nonpareil sprinkles
• Scribe tool or a sharp toothpick or skewer
• Piping bag with fine piping tip

Instructions

1. This set of instructions is for an experienced macaron baker, if you're new to macaron baking, make sure to go over my original Best Macaron Recipe before starting.
2. Set aged egg whites out on counter until it reaches room temperature.
3. Sift the spices along with the almond flour and icing sugar.
4. Whip egg whites with a handheld mixer until foamy, add cream of tartar.
5. Once the beater starts leaving tracks in the egg whites and the bubbles have tightened up in size, add granulated sugar 1/3 at a time.
6. Once all the sugar has been fully incorporated and before reaching stiff
   peaks, add 1-3 drops of gel colour to your liking. Whip until Stiff
   Peaks.
7. Test meringue stiffness. It should have pointed peaks when the whisk is pulled out.
8. Pour a third of the spice/almond/powdered sugar mixture into the egg whites. Gently fold it into the egg whites. Then add the rest of the mixture and fold.
9. Stop folding once the dry ingredients have been fully incorporated and the batter has reached a “lava” like or honey consistency. The batter should pass the figure-8 test.
10. On parchment paper or silicone mats, pipe the batter to the size of the
    circle on the template. If making the puppies, refer to post on how to pipe dachshund puppy macarons.
11. Remove the paper template from underneath the parchment paper or mat.
12. Rap the tray several times on the counter to rid of excess bubbles.
13. Before the batter dries, pop any remaining bubbles with a toothpick.
14. Let it rest on the counter for 30 min. AND until a “skin” has developed.
    This will prevent the shells from cracking during baking.
15. Preheat oven to 320 F.
16. Place the tray on the middle shelf and bake for 12-14 minutes. Bake only one tray at a time.
17. Take them out and test doneness. The feet should not push back and the shell should not be wobbly.
18. Let them cool off on the pan (or off if they are overdone) while making Baileys Irish Cream chocolate filling.

Baileys Irish Cream Chocolate Ganache

1. Bring butter to room temperature.
2. Chop up chocolate into little chunks and place in a heat proof bowl.
3. In a small sauce pan heat the Baileys Cream and the heavy cream together on medium heat. Once you see steam and some bubbles form on the sides, immediately take off the heat.
4. Pour the hot cream onto the chocolate and wait for one minute.
5. Stir the mixture with a spatula to incorporate.
6. Add room temperature butter and stir to incorporate.
7. Add vanilla extract and stir to incorporate.
8. Place in the fridge to set before putting into a piping bag. (Approx. 30 min. to an hour)

Assembly

1. Find 2 matching sized shells, pipe a dollop of Baileys chocolate filling on one shell, assemble with the other shell.
2. Leave assembled macarons in the fridge in an airtight container and let them mature for 24 hours.
3. After 24 hours of maturation in the fridge, bring them back to room temperature 30 min. before serving. ENJOY!

Royal Icing for Puppies (optional)

1. Sift icing sugar and meringue powder into a mixing bowl.
2. Add 1-2 tsp of water to the dry mixture and stir with a spatula to get the mixture going. If it’s still lumpy, add another 1 tsp of water and stir again.
3. Add the rest of the water with a spray bottle by slowly spritzing it onto the mixture until it reaches the proper consistency of a “15 second” icing. When a knife cuts through the icing, it will take 15 second for the cut to disappear.
4. Place in a piping bag and seal the ends so the icing doesn’t dry out.
5. For this project, use a bit of the uncolored icing to create the “fur” portion of the sweater. Then add black gel to the remainder of the icing to use for piping the nose, ears and tail.

Notes

1. Alcohol in the liqueur does not fully evaporate from the boiling process. Take caution when serving to children, pregnant women, the elderly or those with compromised immune systems. 
2. Never leave alcohol on unattended heat as this may cause a fire. 
3. Castor sugar (aka extra fine granulated sugar or berry sugar) can be substituted with granulated sugar.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract, 4 ounces
• 
  Callebaut Chocolate Block Semisweet 54.5% cocoa (11 Lb)
• 
  Wilton Decorating Tip, No.5 Round
• 
  Round Piping Tip #10
• 
  Wilton Cookie Decorating Tool Set, 3-Piece Cookie Decorating Supplies
• 
  Wilton Deep Pink Color Dust
• 
  Rainbow Dust Professional Cake Decorators Food Pen Jet Black
• 
  McCormick Gourmet All Natural Cream Of Tartar, 2.62 oz
• 
  Simply Organic Nutmeg Ground CERTIFIED ORGANIC 2.3oz. bottle
• 
  McCormick Ground Ginger, 1.5 oz
• 
  McCormick Ground Cinnamon, 7.12 oz
• 
  Regular Sized Silpat Non-Stick Silicone Baking Mat

Nutrition Information

Yield 12 Serving Size 1
Amount Per Serving Calories 176Total Fat 8gSaturated Fat 4gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 4gCholesterol 7mgSodium 20mgCarbohydrates 21gFiber 1gSugar 18gProtein 2g

This information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although indulgewithmimi.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.

Did you make this recipe? Share your results with me 🙂

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Free macaron templates for this project:

Available for download for Newsletter Subscribers. Just sign up for the newsletter and wait for the double opt-in confirmation email. Confirm your subscription and you’ll be sent the password to the member’s only area. 

Baileys Irish Cream Macarons with Gingerbread Man Template

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