‘How wonderful yellow is! It stands for the sun.”

– Vincent van Gogh

Macarons, macarons, macarons – was there ever such a persnickety-yet-precious confection? Making them is a mood thing for me but when I am in the mood, there’s nothing quite like them. With endless filling and flavor possibilities, they require the perfect blend of technique and creativity.

The Macaron Shells

As I discovered when making my macarons with Earl Grey tea buttercream, the Italian meringue method really upped my macaron game. You can read all about why here, as well as get more tips for perfect macarons.

The Steps

Reality Bakes

What popped up on this macaron challenge was cracked shells on the first trays in the oven. Given that my batter was adequately mixed, I put on my detective hat and determined that the shells hadn’t dried out enough before putting them in.

The other issue I had was the shells on the silpat just wouldn’t work out. In addition to taking forever to dry out, they wouldn’t bake through once in the oven. One batch developed feet but hollowed out and cracked and the other rose like domes, cracked, and were footless (picture below).

The free-handed versions on parchment fared much better. On my last two batches, I also used convection. Instead of lowering the temperature from my preferred 300 degrees (as you often do with convection baking), I shortened the baking time to 12 to 14 minutes. Worked like a charm.

As I’ve mentioned before, Mimi has the most comprehensive trouble-shooting guide for macarons. Check it out if you can’t suss out what’s going wrong.

The Lemon Curd Buttercream

You could easily just fill these macarons with straight-up lemon curd if preferred and here’s my lovely recipe for a homemade version. (Only 5 ingredients!) I wanted more of a buttercream, so I’ve included the instructions for a lemon curd buttercream with the macaron recipe below.

This bake is dedicated to my niece Caleigh, who just had her first child.

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Macarons with Lemon Curd Buttercream

Delicious, delicate macarons with tangy lemon curd buttercream.

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 6 minutes minutes

Drying Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 45 macarons

Author Jen Leigh, adapted from Pierre Hermé

Ingredients

For the Macarons Shells:

• 300 grams almond flour, sifted at least twice
• 300 grams confectioners sugar, sifted
• 110 grams egg whites (about 3 large eggs)
• 300 grams granulated sugar
• 75 grams water
• 110 grams egg whites (about 3 large eggs)
• Food coloring, gel or powder

Lemon Curd Buttercream

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 4 oz cream cheese, cut into pieces
• 1/2 cup lemon curd, homemade or store-bought*
• 3 to 3 1/2 cups confectioners sugar, leveled with a knife and sifted

Instructions

For the Macaron Shells:

• Whisk together the sifted almond meal and sifted powdered sugar in a large bowl.
• Create a well in the center of the almond/sugar mixture and pour 110 grams of egg whites in. Gently fold in until the mixture is well combined and resembles paste. Set aside.
• Put the other 110 grams of egg whites into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Leave to sit while you make the syrup.
• Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan over medium-high heat and stir only until dissolved. (You want to avoid crystals on the side of the saucepan.) Get your thermometer handy, or clip to the side if using a candy thermometer. Once syrup is boiling, turn the heat down to medium.
• When the syrup reaches 225°F, turn the stand mixer on high and start whisking the eggs. You’re looking for soft peaks so as soon as you reach the soft peak stage, turn the mixer speed down to low.
• When the syrup hits 240°F, carefully pour it into the side of the mixing bowl in a slow-but-steady stream while the mixer is running.
• Whip on high for 2 minutes, then reduce the mixer speed to low and continue beating until the bowl has cooled and the whites have formed glossy stiff peaks.
• Add 1/3 of the meringue to the almond mixture and completely fold in until combined and smooth. Add the next third, gently folding it in, and finally the last third, folding only until the batter is smooth and ribbons off the spoon. The batter should have a lava-like consistency.
• If you are adding gel coloring, or want to divide the batter and add coloring, do it at this stage. After adding coloring, gently fold it in until the batter is smooth and shiny again and ribbons off the spoon.
• Fill piping bags with a round tip (I usually use a 1/2" tip) and preheat oven to 300°F.
• Line baking sheets with parchment paper and pipe small rounds, holding the piping bag perpendicular to the baking sheet. Try to develop a rhythm so that the macarons are of consistent size. (Don’t worry if there’s a little nipple on top. It should settle out if the macarons batter was mixed properly.)
• Lift and drop the baking sheets on the counter to knock out bubbles. Let the macarons sit out until they're less shiny and have developed a slight crust, about 30 minutes usually. No batter should stick to your finger if touched.
• Bake for 16 to 20 minutes.* To test for doneness, open the oven and press gently on the top of a macaron and wiggle it. If there's a lot of wiggle, give them another minute or two.
• Remove parchment with the macarons from the baking sheet and let cool completely before removing paper. (The same goes if using silpat.)
• Wait until completely cool before piping filling.

Lemon Curd Buttercream:

• In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, mix butter on medium speed until fluffy.
• Add cream cheese and lemon curd and mix on medium until creamy and smooth.
• Add confectioners sugar 1/2 cup at a time until mixture is creamy but stiff enough to pipe. You may not need all the sugar.

Assembly:

• Pipe buttercream with a round tip onto the bottom shells, then pair and twist together.

Notes

*I like my buttercream really lemony so I add an additional tablespoon or two of the lemon curd.

*If using convection keep the heat at 300 degrees but start checking for doneness at 12 minutes. My macarons are usually done at 14 minutes when baked in a convection oven.

Course Dessert

Cuisine French

Keyword buttercream, Italian meringue, lemon curd, macarons

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