- Easy
- 20–30 minutes
- No glue
- about 4.3 × 3.5 in (10.8 × 8.9 cm)
With its rosy pink shells, ruffled cookie feet, creamy vanilla middle, and sweet smiling face, this plump French treat looks good enough to eat. Grab the free macaron paper squishy template in US Letter or A4, featuring 3 versions: ready-to-make pink, a coloring page for custom flavors, and a blank outline. Finished, your pillow measures about 4.3 × 3.5 in (10.8 × 8.9 cm). Pair it with our strawberry shortcake paper squishy for a full kawaii bakery set!
What you need
How to make it, step by step
1Print the template
Print your macaron sheet at 100% scale on plain printer paper, making sure to turn off the “fit to page” setting. Check the test line in the top corner—it should measure exactly 2 inches (50 mm on A4). If you picked the coloring page to design a mint, lemon, or chocolate cookie, color the shells and filling now and let any marker ink dry completely.
2Tape the pieces
Lay strips of wide clear packing tape over the 2 macaron pieces only, not the whole sheet. Smooth each strip from the center of the cookie outwards without stretching the tape, because stretched tape will wrinkle later. This glossy coat makes your pastry shiny, strong, and extra squishy.
3Cut out both pieces
Cut out the front and back cookie pieces along the solid black outer line. Take your time following the rounded top dome and the little side indents where the creamy filling sits, and be sure to keep the small white border all the way around.
4Add a tape border to the back
Place the back macaron piece printed side down onto strips of regular tape, with the sticky side facing up. Cut the tape about 1 cm (½ inch) past the paper edge, then snip this sticky border every 2 cm (1 inch) right up to the paper. These little flaps will hold your rounded cookie shape together.
5Join front and back
Line up the front piece right on top of the back piece, keeping the white unprinted sides together. Fold the sticky tape flaps over the front edge one by one and press them down firmly around the domes and side indents. Leave a gap of about 4.5 cm (1¾ in) open at the bottom (the pink line in the picture shows where)—that gap is where you will stuff your cookie.
6Stuff it
Tear your plastic bags, cotton, or fiberfill into small pieces and push them in through the bottom gap. Fill the far corners of the top pink dome and side curves first, then work toward the bottom until the macaron feels soft and puffy. Stop there, as too much stuffing makes the seams pop.
7Close the gap
Fold the last tape flaps over the bottom edge of the cookie and tape the gap shut with an extra strip of tape. Run your finger firmly along all edges, especially around the side indents, to press the tape seams down well.
8Squish!
Done! Squeeze your kawaii French pastry and watch the plump pink shells puff right back up. Want a slow-rising squishy? Prick one tiny pinhole in the back of the cookie so the air escapes slowly.
Free Macaron Squishy Template
- Color
- Coloring page
- Blank, design your own
- Step-by-step guide
One free PDF: the template in three versions (pages 1–3) and the step-by-step guide (pages 4–5). Print the template at 100% on plain printer paper.
Tips for the perfect squish
- Keep the cookie soft. If your macaron feels hard like a stale biscuit, it has too much stuffing inside. Open the bottom gap, take some out, and tape it shut again.
- Smooth out tape wrinkles. Wide rounded domes can wrinkle if the tape is stretched tight. Use shorter strips across the pink shells and lay them on without pulling.
- Fix a split side indent. The little curves next to the cream filling take extra pressure when you squeeze. If an edge splits open there, put a new short strip of tape across the edge, overlapping the old ones.
- Avoid smeared pastel ink. When coloring custom pastel flavors with markers, let the markers dry fully before taping so the dark cookie outlines do not smear. Printer ink is fine right away.
Questions
Can I use this as a cookie paper squishy template in different flavors?
Yes! While the color version is strawberry pink, the PDF also includes a black-and-white coloring page and a blank template. You can color the shells green for pistachio, purple for lavender, or brown for a chocolate cookie paper squishy.
Can I use glue instead of tape for my paper squishy macaron?
Not for the edges. Glue does not stick to tape-covered paper, so the seams would open when squeezed. Folding the snipped tape border over the curved cookie edge holds best.
What paper and stuffing work best for this macaron?
Plain printer paper (80–100 gsm / 20–24 lb) works best because cardstock makes the shells stiff so they will not squish as nicely. Stuff it with plastic grocery bags (crinkly and light), cotton balls or fiberfill (soft), or small pieces of memory foam for a slow-rising squishy.
Can I print a bigger macaron or make a dessert set?
Yes, print the page at a larger scale, for example 120%, and print the front and back together on the same sheet so they match. You can also craft a matching cheesecake paper squishy to build a cute play bakery display.
Can I make these cookie paper squishies with a class or group?
Yes, plan about 30 minutes for a group activity. Print 1 sheet per person and cut tape strips in advance so kids can color their own cookie flavor on the coloring page while you help with taping.
More paper squishies to make
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