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These delicious Apple Crisp Macarons are the perfect fall dessert. Drizzled with homemade caramel and sprinkled with a gluten free oat crisp topping, apple crisp macarons are always a best seller. Such a fun macaron filling idea, they are made with wholesome ingredients like granny smith apples, rolled oats, and butter. A wonderful way to celebrate fall and use up all those apples.

I know I say this a lot, but this is absolutely one of my favorite macaron recipes I’ve ever made. The homemade crisp, the homemade caramel, and the apples together are perfect for fall and make your home smell AMAZING.

If you’re looking for a fall macaron recipe to add to your lineup, this is the best macaron filling recipe for this season. And since it’s made with oats, it’s a gluten free macaron too!

I wasn’t sure I was going to share these because there’s so many steps and they take awhile to make, but the final result is so good I had to share. Make sure you watch the video so I can show you exactly what to do.

Apple Crisp Macarons: The Recipe

For these apple macarons, you can start with any plain macaron shell. My favorite recipe is this one: https://michellesmacarons.com/french-macaron-recipe/

We’re going to start by making the homemade caramel, then, while that’s cooling, we’ll make the apple filling. After that we’re going to make the crisp topping, then the apple buttercream.

Make the Caramel

First, we’re going to make the caramel. I like doing this first because it takes awhile to cool. So, add the unsalted butter to a pan on medium low heat. Let it melt a bit then add the granulated sugar, brown sugar, heavy cream, corn syrup, salt.

Bring this to a boil (stirring frequently) until it reaches about 220 degrees Fahrenheit on a candy thermometer. Remove it from the heat and add the vanilla extract and stir until combined (it will bubble up a little when the vanilla is added but that’s completely normal).

Make the Apple Filling

Now we’re going to make the apple filling. This part is easy and you can set it aside and let it cook while you’re preparing the rest of the parts of this recipe.

Peel and cut the apples into little cubes and put the apples and butter into a pan on medium low heat. Stir a little, then add the cinnamon. Cover with a lid and let cook until they are really soft (stirring occasionally).

Once done, mash the apples up a bit with a fork and let cool until it’s at room temperature.

Make the Crisp Topping

Now we’ll make the crisp topping. First, we’re going to toast the oats in some butter in a pan over low heat. You’re toasting these, stirring constantly, until they smell nutty.

Remove the oats from the heat.

Now, in a separate pan on medium low heat, we’re going to add the butter, brown sugar, and salt. Let it cook, stirring frequently until the brown sugar has melted a bit and it looks smooth.

Then, add the toasted oats to the brown sugar/butter mixture, and stir until all the oats are coated. Keep stirring this (I like to use a heatproof spatula so the mixture doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan) until the brown sugar mixture starts to clump up on the oats (watch the video at the beginning of this post to see what it should look like). Remove the oat/brown sugar mixture from the heat and it will start to get crispier as it cools.

Make the Buttercream

Now this is the easy part. Put the butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, and heavy cream in a bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, and whip until it’s all combined and pretty fluffy. It will be pretty thick, but that’s okay.

Then you’re going to add part of the COOLED apple mixture. It’s very important that it’s cooled or it will melt your buttercream. Whip that until it’s combined and the apples are sort of mushed into the buttercream.

Assemble the Macarons

The fun part. Now you’re going to pipe the buttercream around the edge of one of your macaron shells. Then, put a dollop of the apple mixture in the center and sandwich another macaron shell on top. Drizzle with caramel and sprinkle a hefty amount of the crisp on top. I like to press it on to make sure the crisp really sticks.

Now this is the hardest part. You’re not allowed to eat these… yet.

Put the macarons in an airtight container and refrigerate at least overnight, but 24 hours is better. This will allow the macarons to mature and soften up a bit, making the texture and the flavor even better.

When you’re ready to eat them, let them sit at room temperature for 15-20 minutes then enjoy!

These are such a fun treat for fall. And even though it seems like they would be very sweet, the tartness of the Granny Smith apples and the addition of the crisp perfectly balances out the flavor. Even macaron naysayers will find themselves reaching for another.

Looking for more macaron filling recipes? Check out these:

Cinnamon Roll Macarons

Brownie Batter Macarons

Frosted Animal Cracker Macarons

If you make these Apple Crisp Macarons, be sure to leave a rating and comment. I’d love to hear if you enjoyed it. And if you make this macaron filling recipe, tag me on Instagram. I’d love to see how they turn out.

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