These weren’t easy to make, but they are definitely delicious. Perfect for Spring. I had always heard about how difficult and finicky macarons can be to make so I thought I’d challenge myself and give it a shot. Overall I think they are slightly overrated, (I know, how dare I?) but I think you should attempt to make macarons at least once. There are tons of flavors you can do. Give it a shot.
Macaron
- 3 egg whites
- ¼ cup white sugar
- 2 cups confectioner’s sugar
- 1 cup almond flour
- a pinch of salt
- ¼ tsp cream of tartar
- 1 tsp lavender extract
- purple food coloring
Lemon Curd Filling
- 2 lemons, zest and juice
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 stick of butter, room temperature
- 4 eggs
- 1/8 tsp salt
Make your filling first so it will be cool when you assemble your macarons. Zest 3 lemons, put the zest in a food processor. Add the sugar and pulse until mixed well.
Cream the butter and beat in the lemon sugar. Mix in the eggs 1 at a time and then add the lemon juice and salt. Pour into a saucepan and cook over medium low heat until thickened (about 10 minutes) stirring constantly. It should thicken at 170 F. Remove from the heat and refrigerate. Once cooled, place in a piping bag.
Now make the macarons. Preheat oven to 300F degrees
Beat egg whites until foamy, then add salt, cream of tartar and white sugar. Egg whites should be room temp. Whip until they forms a stiff peak. Add the food coloring.
Sift almond flour, and powdered sugar 2 to 3 times. Discard almond pieces. Fold flour/sugar mixture into the egg white mixture.
If you under mix your macarons will be lumpy/cracked with no feet, over mix and your macaroons will be flat. Transfer batter to a pastry bag. Pipe out 1 inch rounds on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Beat the pan on the surface 2-3 times to release the air bubbles. Let them sit for 30-60 mins. This allows them to air dry which helps them bake up giving them the feet that you want on macarons. Bake for 18 – 20 mins. If you under bake they will stick to your tray. Let them cool on a wire rack.
Pipe lemon curd onto a macaron and assemble. Eat immediately or refrigerate for later.
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