I have to admit, I’m a little bit hesitant on sharing this recipe, because it has such good response from friends and family, I kind of want to keep it as a little secret to myself.
This lemon macaron is extra special because not only does it have a lemon buttercream, it has a dollop of lemon curd in the middle, making a tart surprise in the center. It is refreshing and has a delightful mouthfeel.
Lemon Macarons
Ingredients
Lemon Macarons
- 100g egg whites
- 100g granulated sugar
- 100g almond flour
- 100g powdered sugar
- pinch of salt
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
- Yellow food coloring (optional)
- 1/4 cup lemon curd
Lemon Buttercream
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 Tb lemon juice
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- pinch of salt
Method
Macarons
- Preheat oven to 300°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Over a double boiler, whisk together egg whites and granulated sugar until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is frothy, about 2 minutes. Transfer this to a stand mixer or a handheld mixer with a whisk attachment and beat on medium-high. Put in a pinch of salt, cream of tartar. Beat until stiff peaks, about 3-5 minutes. If you want to color your macarons, add a little bit of gel food coloring at this point and beat for 5 seconds only.
- In a food processor, combine the almond flour and powdered sugar. Pulse 5x. Sift the mixture into a bowl, Discard any remaining chunks that cannot be sifted.
- Carefully put the almond flour mixture into the egg white mixture bowl. Beat on medium-low for 10 seconds. Use a rubber spatula to fully incorporate the mixture. Do the figure 8 test by scooping some batter up with your spatula and draw the number 8. If the batter does not break, it’s done! Make sure you do not overmix.
- Pour macaron mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a round tip. Pipe out 1 1/2-inch circles on a baking sheet. Bang the pan on the countertop a couple times to release any air bubbles. Let it sit out to dry until the top forms a skin, about 20 minutes. You should be able to touch the top without anything sticking to your finger. When it’s dry, it’s ready to bake.
- Bake for 13-14 minutes on the middle rack, rotating the pan halfway.
- While macarons are baking, make lemon buttercream. Cream together softened butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in lemon juice, lemon zest, and salt.
- Find matching pair of macaron shells. Place them side-by-side and belly up. Pipe a ring of buttercream along the outer edge of the macaron. In the middle cavity, place about 1/2 tsp of lemon curd. Top with macaron shell and press gently.
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