Lavender Macarons
LAVENDER MACARONS WITH LAVENDER LEMON BUTTERCREAM FILLING
Macarons aren’t easy. I’m going to tell you this right now. At least for me anyways, it took me quite a few tries to get it right.
This is a good recipe for first time macaron’ers because I don’t add any color to the base recipe. I want to start slow here.
I added red and blue food dye to get that lovely lavender purple. You don’t need to mix too much, but I did have to get about 16 drops of each and I tend to drop them at the same time but on opposite sides of the stand mixer.
INGREDIENTS & INSTRUCTIONS
I had to turn to my friend of Cooking With Wine blog, Angela, because she makes some of the best macarons I’ve ever seen. Her base recipe is fool-proof, and I enjoyed making these. I’ll be using her recipe from now on!
Macaron Shells
112g almond flour (approx 1 cup)
230g confectioners sugar (approx 2 cups)
105g egg whites (approx 3 large eggs)
pinch of salt
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
50g granulated sugar (approx ¼ cup)
¼ tsp vanilla
Lavender Buttercream Ingredients
4.5 cups powdered sugar
8 tablespoons softened unsalted butter
1/2 cup whipped cream cheese
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon lavender paste
6 tablespoons oat milk (or any whole, 2% milk)
purple food coloring optional
Instructions
SHELLS
Combine almond flour and confectioners sugar in a food processor. Pulse several times until thoroughly combined and mixture no longer contains clumps. Set aside.
Measure out egg whites, then add to a large bowl with salt and cream of tartar. Beat on high speed until egg whites appear foamy (approx 30s).
Add granulated sugar slowly, and continue to beat on high speed until egg whites become a fluffy meringue (approx 3-5 min). You want the egg whites to have soft peaks at this point, meaning that when you stop the mixer and pull the beaters out, the egg white tips fold over onto themselves and don't stand up straight.
Add vanilla and continue to beat until you achieve stiff peaks, meaning the egg white tips do not fold over on themselves.
Take your flour and confectioners sugar mixture and sift it using a fine sieve or manual sifter onto the top of the meringue. Discard any clumps or balls that do not sift properly.
Using a spatula, fold the flour mixture into the meringue, in other words, do not furiously whisk, but gently scoop the ingredients onto the spatula and then over onto itself. You should expect to continue this folding process for about 50 turns. Make sure you press out some of the air as you do so. You will continue until the mixture is completely combined and resembles lava as you lift your spatula and let it drop into the bowl. It should flow slowly in an even stream. You are now ready to pipe your shells.
Prepare a silicon baking sheet or parchment paper on a baking tray. Transfer your batter into a piping bag with a 1a round piping tip attempting to avoid any extra air bubbles in the process.
Pipe ½ inch round discs onto your baking sheet, one sheet at a time. Pick up the baking sheet and slam it onto the counter or cooking surface 4-5 times to remove extra air bubbles. Use a toothpick to fill air bubble holes or pop larger air bubbles. Continue with the 2nd and 3rd baking sheet. You should be able to pipe approx 50-60 circles with this recipe.
Set aside and allow to dry for 45 min to 1 hr or until the shells are not sticky to the touch. You want the shells to form a nice skin and dry completely prior to baking. Place shells in a draft free location in order for them to dry evenly.
Preheat oven to 275°.
Bake one tray at a time at 275° for 15 minutes. If your oven is electric, you should not need to turn the tray mid-bake. If your oven often bakes uneven or is gas, you may need to turn your tray after 7-8 minutes.
Remove from oven and let cool completely before removing from baking mat/parchment paper. Add filling and enjoy! For best results, allow macarons to sit for 24 hrs before eating. This will allow the cookie to develop fully with better texture and flavor.
Buttercream
Sift the powdered sugar into a large mixing bowl.
Using an electric stand mixer with paddle attachment, combine the butter and whipped cream cheese.
Add in the lemon zest.
Beat on medium speed until mixed, and add salt.
Gradually add in the powdered sugar, 2 cups at a time. Scrape down the sides if necessary.
Add the lavender and milk.
Beat for about a minute before adding the rest of the powdered sugar.
Add the remaining sugar and continue to beat until smooth and creamy.
To complete the cookie, I wait until the next day to use the buttercream. I use a piping bag to pipe the cream into a simple big dollop that leaves some room on all sides so that when I press the top layer cookie down, it pushes out to the edges. Don’t let the buttercream push further out from the feet of the macaron.
