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I'm trying out making macarons, and I'd like to get some strawberry flavor incorporated, but I don't have access to flavored powder.

I've seen some recipes that use an Italian meringue instead of French, and I'm wondering if I could just make the meringue with a flavored syrup instead of just simple syrup? Like maybe strawberries and sugar instead of just plain water and sugar. I'm sure I'd need to run it through a sieve, but are there any chemical reactions due to the berry juice I need to worry about?

Matthew Chase
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  • Another option is to use freeze dried strawberries and sprinkle them into the batter. https://www.sweetandsavorybyshinee.com/strawberry-macarons/ – noumenal Feb 16 '18 at 19:35
  • [How to Make Fruit Powder and Why You Should Bother](http://www.cupcakeproject.com/2013/04/how-to-make-fruit-powder-and-why-you-should-bother.html) – noumenal Feb 16 '18 at 19:36

2 Answers2

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Have you tried looking for strawberry compound? The only issue perhaps with cooking the strained strawberry juice is that the flavour might become less intense! This could easily be fixed by putting strawberry jam or compound inside the macaron alongside whatever other filling you are going to put in it.

Strawberry compound is awesome, a ton of flavour in a very small amount, so it is perfect for applications where you don't necessarily want to incorporate too much additional liquid. But I do think it is a 'specialty' product. I have never seen it in a store (even specialty), you would probably need access to a good supplier or go online. Worth it though.

On second thought, there are usually 'essential oils' or natural flavouring, I am sure there is strawberry - which would be effective to add to your meringue during last whip. Add some food colour as well, and voila!

soup4life
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I've never done that, but I think it's an excellent idea. Just do it and report back here.

I'm not aware of any adverse chemical reactions. Just make sure the syrup is warm.

BaffledCook
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    I think the concern would be less about chemical reactions and more about water and flavor. The sugar syrup for Italian meringue is cooked to 240F, which means soft ball stage, not much water left. For comparison, traditional jam sets at 220F. So you'd have to either cook your strawberry syrup way past jam temperature (and maybe lose flavor) or use a lower temperature, and maybe still have too much water for the meringue. – Cascabel Feb 10 '18 at 02:02