Copycat Baymax Macaron Recipe (Nutella Macarons)

It’s no secret that macarons are a favorite around here and the Baymax Macaron from Disney California Adventure Park is near the top of that list. The Baymax Macaron is a vanilla macaron filled with buttercream, chocolate-hazelnut spread and a light sprinkling of crushed hazelnuts and here’s how to make this tasty treat at home! 

When visiting the parks, you can find this macaron at Lucky Fortune Cookery in San Fransokyo Square. They offer mobile order and it doesn’t often sell out since it’s a regular menu item so I highly recommend trying one on your next Disneyland Resort vacation!

For now, those of us at home can make them ourselves! My version is a standard macaron size and I skipped the crushed hazelnuts and Baymax decoration on top but make them your own! I went with standard size after I attempted Disneyland-sized macarons and found that I would only get around 4 macarons per batch! This made me appreciate the oversized macarons at Disneyland even more!  

If you’ve never made macarons, don’t let them intimidate you! I’ll give you step-by-step directions here and I welcome any questions to perfect your technique. Does it take a little time and attention to detail? Yes. Is it worth it? Yes! In my opinion, homemade macarons are second only to Disneyland macarons! Call me uncultured but yes, I’m including macarons from actual France in that ranking! 

The biggest thing to note for a beginner macaron baker is the list of tools and equipment. I like to write accessible recipes that don’t even require a stand mixer whenever possible but, in this case, there just isn’t a ton of wiggle room in that department.

I’ve heard the phrase, “it’s not easy but it’s simple” and I think that is a perfect way to describe making French macarons. Just have patience, have fun, and good luck! 

Ingredients to Make Copycat Baymax Macarons (aka Nutella Macarons)

• Egg Whites
• Powdered Sugar
• Almond Flour
• White Sugar
• Vanilla Extract
• Pinch of Cream of Tartar
• Unsalted Butter, Softened
• Salt
• Chocolate-Hazelnut Spread (Nutella or another favorite brand)

Tools to Make Copycat Baymax Macarons (aka Nutella Macarons)

• Kitchen Scale
• Food Processor
• Measuring Spoons
• Spatula
• Piping Bags
• Piping Tips (I prefer Wilton 1B and Wilton 12)
• Baking Sheets
• Mesh Strainers
• Parchment Paper
• Silicone Macaron Liner or Paper Printout Template
• Toothpicks

All About Ingredients for Copycat Baymax Macarons (aka Nutella Macarons)

Egg Whites

Egg white vary in size so it’s important to actually measure the egg whites with a kitchen scale for this recipe. Use the yolks for fresh pasta, homemade pudding or add to a breakfast scramble. Also, older egg whites work best so use the oldest eggs in your fridge and separate the whites from the yolk the day before if possible. Before you start your macarons, let the egg whites come to room temperature. 

Powdered Sugar

Use your favorite powdered or confectioner’s sugar here. Some of the more natural or organic options can be lumpier because some do not include cornstarch but I use them just fine in this recipe because the powdered sugar goes into the food processor and through a sieve or metal strainer for the macaron batter and through the strainer for the buttercream.

Almond Flour

Be sure to use almond flour for macarons and not almond meal. Almond meal is too coarse and can result in bumpy macarons. Ideally, try to use blanched almond flour. The almond skins have been removed in blanched almond flour so it works better for light color macaron shells. You can also use fine almond flour but I recommend using the food processor either way so any almond flour will work.

White Sugar

You are welcome to use extra fine granulated sugar in this recipe but I use my regular sugar and still wind up with smooth macaron shells so I say use whatever granulated sugar is in your pantry!

Cream of Tartar

This is an optional ingredient but it can help stabilize egg whites and, therefore, strengthen macaron batter when the weather is humid. I think it’s a great idea if you’re a beginner macaron baker because you can expect the most consistent results (pending you’ve also followed the steps) and you’re less likely to throw in the towel on macaron baking if you find some success! I still add it every time because I live in the rainy Pacific Northwest. 

How to Make Copycat Baymax Macarons (aka Nutella Macarons)

Separate egg whites from yolks. Ideally, do this the day before and store the egg whites in the fridge. Bring egg whites to room temperature before you start making macarons.

Prepare two baking trays. Flip each baking sheet upside down and bake macarons on what would normally be the bottom of the tray. Line trays with silicone mats printed with or printed macaron templates and a layer of parchment paper on top. You can find silicone macaron mats online, or at home stores, big box retailers, and arts and crafts stores. For a paper template, just search online for one to print at home. If you’re using silicone mats, you can skip the parchment paper but I find it so much easier to peel macaron shells from the paper and so much easier to clean if a batch doesn’t turn out. 

Prepare one piping bag for macarons. Drop piping tip Wilton 1B (or similar) into the bottom of the piping bag and use scissors to cut around the middle of the piping tip then simply pull off the tip of plastic. Make sure the piping tip is secure in the bag then twist the bag a few times to block anything from leaking while filling. Set aside.

Place powdered sugar and almond flour in the bowl of a food processor and process until the almond flour mixture is a fine powder. Now sift the dry ingredients 3 times through a sieve or metal mesh strainer.

Make sure your stand mixer bowl is clean, dry, and fitted with the whisk attachment, then add egg whites and cream of tartar and mix on medium speed. 

When the beaten egg whites start to look foamy, lower the mixer speed and slowly add the granulated white sugar while the mixer is still running. Increase the mixer speed to medium-high. 

When the meringue (the egg mixture) turns white, lower the mixer speed and add vanilla extract. Increase mixer speed to medium-high and mix for approximately 6-8 minutes. The meringue is ready when it has stiff peaks. To test this, remove the whisk attachment, swirl it in the bottom of the mixer a few times and turn it over. If the peak sticks straight up, the meringue is ready. Soft peaks will flop over at the top. If this happens, mix for a few more minutes and try again.

When meringue is ready, it’s time to macaronage or to fold the dry ingredients into the meringue. The first couple times I did this, I was so nervous to overmix the batter that I actually undermixed and ended up with bumps on my macaron shells. To get a smooth macaron shell, you need to mix enough but to avoid piped batter from spreading, you need to be sure to not overmix. Here are some tips. 

Macaronage Tips:

• Add the almond flour mixture in 3 batches.
• Fold the opposite of typical baking recipes. Scrape the side of the bowl then cut through the middle. 
• When you lift the spatula a few inches from the batter, you should have a smooth ribbon that holds it’s shape for a few seconds and the ribbon should not break until the spatula is several inches above the batter.

When the macaron batter is ready, add to the prepared piping bag. You can use a cup as a stand or just hold the piping bag with your hand. 

To pipe macarons, hold the piping bag straight above each circle, not at an angle. Use your bottom hand to guide the piping process and the top hand only to squeeze batter from the bag. Pipe until your template circle is filled (or until your desired size). Stop squeezing the piping bag and flick your wrists to separate the piped macaron from the piping bag without creating a peak.

If piped batter is spreading beyond the circle, you overmixed the batter but they could still turn out! Just leave space between each macaron as you pipe. Now take each tray, Lift it approximately one foot from the table and drop it. This seems wild but will help flatten out the macaron shells. Don’t worry, this won’t result in flat macarons, it will just help prevent too-round macarons.

Optional: Use a toothpick to pop any bubbles on the tops of the macarons and swirl to smooth out the batter. 

Let macarons sit to dry for 20-40 minutes and preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Macarons will dry faster on a warm, dry day and slower on a cold, humid day. Macaron shells are dry and ready to bake when you tap the side of a macaron and you don’t feel any wet batter or leave a mark.

Make the buttercream and prepare the chocolate-hazelnut filling while the macarons dry, bake, cool, or all of the above. See filing instructions below.

Bake one tray of macaron shells at a time for 12-14 minutes, rotating trays halfway through. To test doneness, place your finger on the top of one of the macaron shells and wiggle. If the top feels like it wiggles separate from the bottom (or the “feet” of the macaron), keep baking. 

Macarons should be done before shells start to brown. If the shells are browning but still wiggling under your finger, your oven temperature is too high. If macarons have baked for the recommended amount of time and the middles look raw or under-baked, they need to bake at a higher temperature. An oven thermometer is a great tool for baking but, honestly, every oven is a bit different so there is some trial and error here. 

Let macarons cool on trays and then flip over the parchment paper and peel the parchment off of the macarons rather than peeling the macarons off of the parchment. 

Filling

Prepare remaining two piping bags and fit with Wilton 12 piping tips (or similar). Set aside. 

Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or using a hand mixer, cream the butter. Sift powdered sugar and add in a few batches. When this mixture is smooth, add salt and vanilla extract and mix on medium-high for a few minutes until the buttercream lightens in color, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. 

Fill one piping bag with buttercream and one with chocolate-hazelnut spread.

Pair up macarons and flip half of the shells over. Pipe an open circle of buttercream along the outer edge of each of the flipped shells then fill the open circle with chocolate-hazelnut spread. Place the remaining half of shells on top of the filled shells and gently press and slightly twist to secure the top of the macaron in place.