This isn’t going to be one of those blog posts complaining about how mysteriously difficult and finicky macarons are to make. I’m starting to believe that people over-think them and stress out over making them so much that that might be the actual problem. I used to be like that – I was mystified by the extensive directions and odd variables that came along with every long-winded post about making macarons. I watched videos on YouTube, studied photos, read countless recipes.
I’m no expert (I’ve only made macarons a handful of times) but I had a lightbulb go off in my head this time I made them: there’s a few basic steps to making macarons, all things I’ve done a million times before in other recipes. Whip egg whites to stiff peaks, fold in dry ingredients, pipe onto a baking sheet. 3 basic steps. I didn’t worry about the consistency of the batter, I didn’t dry out my almond meal in the oven, I didn’t use superfine sugar, and I didn’t age my egg whites for 3-5 days.
And you know what? They turned out fine.
When I was looking up more information about aging egg whites (which I’m not convinced you need to do really), I ran across this post on BraveTart: macaron mythbusters. A professional baker debunks many of the methods that I’ve read in most macaron recipes. It’s a good read for anyone out there who is intimidated about making macarons.
These Meyer lemon macarons are the perfect answer to the question my Meyer lemon curd recipe poses: what do you do with 6 leftover egg whites? Make macarons! It made sense to fill them with the Meyer lemon curd itself, but you can fill them with store-bought lemon curd or a more traditional ganache filling.
My only complaint about these is that the curd is much gooier than a ganache, so it was a bit messier than a traditional macaron. However, that being said, the Meyer lemon curd has such a bright citrus flavor, it’s like biting into sunshine. It makes these little cookies taste like bites of spring, and I wouldn’t change that one bit.
How to make macarons:
If you use store bought almond meal, sift it and weigh to 110 grams
Put sifted almond meal in food processor with powdered sugar, process for a minute
Beat egg whites until foamy
Put mixer on low and add granulated sugar to foamy egg whites
Beat egg whites to soft peak
Add powdered food coloring to egg whites
Continue beating until egg whites hold a stiff peak
Add 1/3 dry ingredients from food processor and carefully fold into stiff egg whites
Fold remaining dry ingredients into batter
Prep piping bag with large round tip. Place a clip near the tip to stop the batter from flowing out and place it in a tall glass. Fill will batter, twist the top of the bag closed and remove clip when ready to pipe.
Pipe macaron batter onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat (and try to make them more even than I did). Pipe batter onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Let batter rest for at least 45 minutes, or until they no longer feel sticky to the touch. Brush your finger against the cookies – if they don’t feel dry, wait and try again in 15 minutes.
Check to see if macarons are done by grabbing the top of one macaron and trying to shake it. They are done when the top barely slides against the skirt. If they are not done, extend baking time by two minutes intervals, checking after each extension. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack.
Pair up macarons of the same size. Spoon a little lemon curd onto one cookie. Place the other cookie on top and press down gently.
Recipe:
Meyer Lemon Macarons
Makes 20 large macarons (around 2-3″)
Macarons:
- 220 grams almond meal (you can make your own using blanched slivered almonds)
- 400 grams powdered sugar
- 200 grams egg whites (around 5-6 large eggs), aged in the fridge for 3-5 days (I only left them overnight; not sure how necessary this step is)
- 100 grams granulated sugar
- Powdered food coloring (optional)
- Homemade Meyer lemon curd (or store-bought lemon curd)
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mats.
If you’re using almonds: place in food processor and pulse until finely chopped.
If you’re using almond meal: run through a sifter. Place in food processor.
Add powdered sugar to food processor and pulse a few times until everything is incorporated. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat the egg whites for a few minutes until they are foamy. Place mixer on low and slowly add the granulated sugar to the foamy egg whites. Continue beating until egg whites have soft peaks. Add powdered food coloring if desired. Continue beating egg whites until they hold stiff peaks.
Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients to the egg whites and fold them in with a spatula. Add remaining dry ingredients and fold them in.
Fit a large round tip (I used one that is 1 1/2 inches) onto a piping bag and place a clip above it so batter won’t flow out while you fill the bag. Place the bag on a tall glass to hold it up and fill it with the batter. Twist the top shut and remove the clip. Pipe circles (I made them 2-2 1/2 inches) onto the prepared baking sheets.
Let batter rest for around 45 minutes, until it feels dry (and not sticky) to the touch. In the meantime, preheat your oven to 300°F.
Bake for 15-17 minutes (if you made them smaller, bake them for 12 minutes). Check to see if macarons are done by grabbing the top of one macaron and trying to shake it. They are done when the top barely slides against the skirt. If they are not done, extend baking time by two minutes intervals, checking after each extension. Remove from oven and let cool completely before adding filling.
Store macarons in the refrigerator. Let sit out for 30 minutes at room temperature before serving.
Do you have a lemon recipe you want to share? Join the Sweet Adventures Blog Hop! Each month a different ingredient is featured, and this month is lemon. To join, post a lemon recipe between now and April 23rd. Go here to get the code for your post, add the image above to your post, and add your link here. Follow along on Twitter with #SABH and Pinterest.
33 Comments on Meyer Lemon Macarons
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[…] Macaron ingredients are listed in grams as it's best to use a precise measurement. Macaron Source: 52 Kitchen Adventures […]
Lynn
April 18, 2012 at 12:32 pm (13 years ago)Nice, I like these! I made macarons for the first time this winter. It began as a big deal but ended with “That wasn’t so hard!.” Jamie at Life’s A Feast inspired me with her gingerbread macarons. I still have a meyer lemon tree with 30+ lemons on it. I think I’ll get busy with your recipe 😉
Stephanie
April 18, 2012 at 4:43 pm (13 years ago)@Lynn – that’s a lot of Meyer lemons! I hope you enjoy the curd and macaron recipe. I also made some lemon mousse with the curd (recipe coming next week, but you just mix it with whipped cream or Cool Whip). I’ve also made cupcakes, candied Meyer lemon peel…they’re so delicious!
Foodness Gracious
April 18, 2012 at 12:32 pm (13 years ago)I agree 100%! I used to stress like crazy but now I go into with a carefree attitude but following the basic rules and I’ve had 3 success turn outs in a row 🙂 I love that you used curd too..
Thanks..
Foodness Gracious recently posted Green Mountain Coffee Review and Giveaway…
Stephanie
April 18, 2012 at 4:48 pm (13 years ago)@Foodness Gracious – I’m glad I’m not the only one! That’s awesome that you had 3 successes after relaxing about it. How rewarding!
Candice
April 18, 2012 at 12:55 pm (13 years ago)These look delicious! Thanks for posting step-by-step tutorials. You definitely made it look easy to make.
Would you be able to convert the recipe into tsp, tbsp, cups for me? Where did you buy the powdered food coloring?
Stephanie
April 18, 2012 at 4:57 pm (13 years ago)@Candice – macarons usually use weight measurements because they’re more accurate. Here is a recipe from David Lebovitz that lists both cups/tbsp/tsp as well as weight: http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2005/10/french-chocolat/ You can use more powdered sugar in place of the cocoa powder, and double the recipe to make a bigger batch like I did.
I think I bought the powdered food coloring at Michael’s in the cake decorating aisle. Good luck!
Candace P
April 18, 2012 at 3:50 pm (13 years ago)Can you just elaborate a bit on “the top barely slides against the skirt”? Is the “skirt” the bottom?
Stephanie
April 18, 2012 at 4:58 pm (13 years ago)@Candace – yes, the “skirt” is the ruffled part at the bottom (also called the foot). I find it really difficult to tell when they’re done baking, and this is the best tip I’ve found. If you touch the top and it moves/jiggles a lot from the bottom of the cookie, it’s not done. When it barely moves, it’s ready.
Jennifer (Delicieux)
April 18, 2012 at 5:05 pm (13 years ago)Your macarons are gorgeous Stephanie! Thanks for sharing your macaron tips too. I’ve only tried making macarons once but had issues with my oven. I can’t wait to try them again, and I think lemon macarons will be the first thing I make.
Thank you for joining the Sweet Adventures Blog Hop.
Jennifer (Delicieux) recently posted Honey Roasted Fig Ice Cream
Geraldine
April 18, 2012 at 7:50 pm (13 years ago)I was recently in holland, and your macarons so reminded me of it. There were huge street wooden stands selling all kinds of macarons, with dozens of different kinds of icing.
I seriously MUST make this one 🙂 It looks delicious!
Geraldine recently posted Phases of the HCG Diet Plan
Lizzy (Good Things)
April 19, 2012 at 1:21 am (13 years ago)I like your style Stephanie, you are my kind of food writer!
Lizzy (Good Things) recently posted Honey ANZAC Biscuits
Stephanie
April 19, 2012 at 8:37 pm (13 years ago)@Lizzy – thanks! Your comment made my day 🙂
Sharon
April 20, 2012 at 6:38 am (13 years ago)These sound yummy. I was looking for some lemon zest in the cookie part. Has anyone tried that?
If the lemon curd is too gooey you could try beating it with some mascarpone. I fill a lot of my Macarons with mascarpone, whipped heavy cream and a flavor, often from the liquor cabinet.
Sharon recently posted Green Tea Crème Brûlée
Stephanie
April 20, 2012 at 8:15 am (13 years ago)@Sharon – I haven’t tried putting zest in the cookie, but I bet it would work. Really, macaron cookies are often unflavored (but colored) and provide a sweet, neutral flavor as a foundation to the flavored filling. When you eat the whole thing, you can’t tell the cookie part isn’t flavored with lemon because it all comes in one bite.
Thanks for the mascarpone idea! That sounds delicious and the perfect solution to my problem.
Erica
April 20, 2012 at 11:55 pm (13 years ago)They’re just beautiful, Stephanie! Macarons are just so pretty, aren’t they? I couldn’t resist making them for this month’s blog hop either 🙂
Stephanie
April 21, 2012 at 8:43 am (13 years ago)@Erica – thank you! Macarons are so pretty (and so tasty). I’m going to hop over to your blog to check out your lemon macs…
JJ @ 84thand3rd
April 21, 2012 at 6:03 am (13 years ago)‘like biting into sunshine’ I love that! These look so good and you’re analysis of all the drama around macarons made me giggle 😉
JJ @ 84thand3rd recently posted Lemon Curd – rules and bending the rules
Stephanie
April 21, 2012 at 8:36 am (13 years ago)@JJ – I’m glad I gave you a giggle 🙂 It’s all so over-the-top and silly! Btw, I lOVE your cake with lemon curd – it’s gorgeous! If I had any lemon curd left, I would be trying that out next.
Choc Chip Uru
April 21, 2012 at 1:10 pm (13 years ago)You have done a fabulous job on this! They look utterly divine 😀
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Michelle
April 21, 2012 at 4:44 pm (13 years ago)Thanks for your comment on my macarons! I picked the best ones, you didn’t see the not so successful looking ones… I’m going to try your salted caramels ones next. They were my fave Zumbo ones.
Michelle recently posted Sarap in Parap
Stephanie
April 21, 2012 at 5:53 pm (13 years ago)@Michelle – salted caramel is the best! I think you’ll like them 🙂
Christina @ The Hungry Australian
April 21, 2012 at 9:47 pm (13 years ago)Your lemon macarons look fantastic. I can’t wait to try my first batch.
Christina @ The Hungry Australian recently posted Mini Lemon Meringue Pies
Emily @ Life on Food
April 22, 2012 at 10:31 am (13 years ago)This is the best way I have seen to use lemon curd thus far…great recipe!
Emily @ Life on Food recently posted Weekend Edition: Louisville Kentucky
Becky
April 23, 2012 at 5:08 am (13 years ago)Your macrons are gorgeous, and I love the Meyer Lemon Curd filling. I will be trying these soon. Thanks for the tutorial.
Congrats on the Top 9 today!
Becky recently posted Strawberry Spinach Salad
Amy from Appetite for Discovery
April 23, 2012 at 8:23 am (13 years ago)So happy to have found your blog through the Sweet Adventures Blog Hop – have added you to my RSS feed and look forward to future posts 🙂 You’ve managed to make macarons sound easy but I am still a bit hesitant! Better give them a go I guess!
Amy from Appetite for Discovery recently posted Croquembouche with Lemon Curd & Lavender Cream
CJ at Food Stories
April 23, 2012 at 8:26 am (13 years ago)Major congrats on your foodbuzz top 9, today!
CJ at Food Stories recently posted National Picnic Day
Abdulla
August 13, 2012 at 3:27 pm (12 years ago)I rarely comment on blogs but I just had to! This is the first time that I gain the courage to make my own macarons but when I saw at all the detailed steps and pictures you graciously provided, I got the strength to venture on! Let me just say…they were fabulous! My cousins, aunts, friends and even my grandmother thought that I purchased them from a high-end bakery! Your recipes is truly outstanding and I look forward to more of your amazing macaron recipes! Thank you from the bottom of my heart!
Stephanie
August 13, 2012 at 9:33 pm (12 years ago)@Abdulla – I’m so glad this gave you the courage to try baking macarons! That makes me so happy! Good for you.
Camilla
October 22, 2012 at 6:06 pm (12 years ago)I made these yesterday, and though my macs didn’t turn out so great (not shiny enough and no foot huhuhu) they still taste amazing! The curd especially really does taste like sunshine. Bookmarking this recipe and gonna try to make a better batch soon. Thanks for this! 🙂