My easy to follow step-by-step directions will guide you to these pretty lemon macarons with zesty lemon buttercream. A short video is included!
[I get a lot of questions about this white serving dish. I bought this particular one at a local thrift store, but I found similar one on amazon.com.]
Sometimes I feel fortunate that we don’t have any bakeries close by that sells French macarons. I probably would be spending way too much to satisfy my cravings.
Instead, when the craving hits, I bring out my mixer and get to whipping the egg whites. Did you know that you can make these delightful confections yourself way cheaper than $2/each?
Yeah, sounds pretty exciting, but you might have been putting it off because it’s too difficult, or intimidating. Well, fear no more! I’ve made a short video tutorial to show you how I fold my French macaron batter to make perfect little macarons!
In this video, I wanted to show you how the batter consistency changes with each fold. Therefore, I opted not to cut anything out, but instead I simply sped up the folding process in some places. The whole folding process took about 3 minutes.
UPDATE: I also made this full video tutorial to show you the entire process of making macarons. Hope you find it helpful.
I hope after watching the video you’ll start whipping those egg whites and sifting the almond flour!
I’m personally not a huge fan of basic buttercream. But I’m totally head over heels about this lemon buttercream. It’s so light and zesty, sour, yet sweet. Absolutely awesome filling for my lemon french macarons.
Oh by the way, french macarons taste way better on 2nd or 3rd days. The flavors from the filling really soak into the shells and the whole thing becomes just absolutely heavenly! And the bonus, it won’t break the bank! It’s always cheaper and better when it’s homemade!
Enjoy!
Lemon French Macarons
Ingredients
For macaron shells:
- 100 gr almond flour
- 100 gr powdered sugar
- 70 gr 1/3 cup egg whites
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 50 gr sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice
- Yellow gel food coloring
For lemon buttercream:
- 3 tablespoons 40gr unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup 130gr powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Helpful Equipment:
- • Pastry bag with Wilton Extra Large Round Tip #1
Instructions
- In medium bowl, sift together almond flour and powdered sugar twice. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl with whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on medium speed until foamy. Add cream of tartar and continue to beat. Slowly add sugar one tablespoon at a time. Increase the speed to medium high and beat until hard peaks. Add lemon zest, lemon juice and yellow food coloring. Beat on medium speed for one more minute. (Watch this meringue video for more information.)
- Sift the almond flour/powdered sugar mixture over the whipped egg whites. Gently fold the mixture running the spatula clockwise from the bottom, up around the sides and cut the batter in half, as shown in the video above. The batter will look very thick at first, but it will get thinner as you fold. Be careful not to over mix it though. Every so often test the batter to see if it reached the right consistency. To test the batter, drop a small amount of the batter and count to ten. If the edges of the ribbon are dissolved within ten seconds, then the batter is ready. I repeat, do NOT mix again. If you still see edges, fold the batter couple more times and test again. I posted a few pictures above to show you how just couple of folding changes the consistency of the batter. This step is so crucial, so please make sure to test often to ensure not to over mix the batter.
- Transfer the batter into a pastry bag with a round tip. (I use this Wilton A1 large plain round tip.)
- Pipe out 1.5-inch rounds about an inch apart on two baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
- Tap the baking sheets firmly on the counter a few times to get rid of any air bubbles. If you don’t release the air bubbles, they will expand during baking and crack the beautiful macarons shells. And who wants cracked macarons, right?
- Let the macarons rest and dry for 15-30 minutes. On a humid day, it might take an hour or so. To see if it’s ready to be baked, lightly touch it. If the batter doesn’t stick to your finger, then it’s ready. Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C).
- Bake the macarons for 18-20 minutes. To check the doneness, remove one macaron. If the bottom does not stick, they are done.
- Let cool the macarons on baking sheets for at least 15 minutes, and then remove from the baking sheets onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- While macarons are drying, prepare the lemon buttercream. In a mixing bowl with whisk attachment, beat the butter until fluffy. Add powdered sugar, heavy cream, lemon juice, lemon zest and salt and beat until well combined.
- Transfer the buttercream into a pastry bag and fill the macarons. It’s best to serve macarons the next day.
- Store the filled macarons in airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also freeze the filled macarons in airtight container for up to 5 months.
Cindy Liles says
Where can I purchase the template mat that has the cross-hair in the middle? Wonderful video! Thank you!
Shinee says
Hi, Cindy. So glad you found my video helpful. Do you mean the silicone mat with the template? If so, this is the one.
Victoria Randle says
Hey there I would like to know what is the quantity amount for this recipe. How many macaroons does this make?
Shinee says
Hi, Victoria. Thank you for your question. Sorry, it wasn’t available right away. This recipe makes about 20-25 filled macarons, or 40-50 shells, depending on the size.
Savannah says
i’ve used other recipes before and i didn’t like this one. the shells aren’t as crinkly as they should be and the insides are more “cookie”-like. i made lemon curd for the filling instead of buttercream because the shells weren’t very lemony, so i wanted more tart lemon flavor. some of the shells also rose and cracked a little in the oven.
Shinee says
Hi, Savannah. Bummer that my recipe didn’t work out for you, but I’m glad you’ve had success with other recipes. I’d suggest stick with those. And as for filling, my lemon buttercream is nice and zesty and adds plenty lemon flavor. But I love adding lemon curd in the middle too! Thank you so much for trying my recipe and for sharing your feedback.