Lemon French Macarons
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
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!
Yield: About 25 filled macarons
Cook Time:20 min
Total Time:2 hours (including resting and cooling time)
Ingredients:
- 100gr almond flour
- 100gr powdered sugar
- 70gr (1/3 cup) egg whites
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 50gr sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice
- Yellow gel food coloring
- 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
Directions:
- 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.
- 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.
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I have a question, after I put the lemon juuce and the zest, the egg white starting to get fizzy, then the batter do the same. No feet after bake
Hi, Chau. What do you mean by fizzy? Like the meringue starts bubbling?
What does the ribbon mean when checking the batter?
Hi, Wendy. Ribbon means the batter falls on itself in ribbon-like pattern, then it dissolves into the main batter. I included a short video on folding the batter and how to check the consistency. The video is in the blog post above. Hope that helps.
1) I added my lemon zest but it just made my shells look ugly. How did you get such a smooth shell without the zest sticking out?
2) How long does it take for the butter to fluff up? I tried but it was just so little butter that the whisk just couldn’t whisk it properly. Should I just beat it by hand? (because the bowls that come with the kitchen aid have a raised middle it doesn’t seem to be able to whip properly)
Hi, Kris. What kind of zester did you use? I use this microplane zester (<- affiliate link), which makes super fine zest. I use the same bowl and I feel like that raised middle actually helps to whip small amount of butter nicely. It usually takes a little bit (about a minute or so) to start fluffing up. I've never tried hand whipping, but you could definitely do that too.
I use a store bought zest. Is it better to grate it by hand?
Oh, I didn’t know you could buy zest. Typically, zest loses its potency really quick, so I’d say freshly grated zest is always better.
this really recipe really works. you just have to kinda nail it and get used to making them in general.
Ditto, Christy! It’s all about the technique and finding your groove. Thank you for your feedback!
A couple of friends and I wanted to make French macarons together but had never made them before. We were really nervous (as macarons are notoriously finicky), but we found this recipe and followed it to the letter and they came out beautifully! Feet on our first attempt! We couldn’t be more pleased. Thank you! 🙂
That’s fantastic, Kayla! I bet you had a great time! Reminded me of the time when I used to bake with my friends. Thank you for sharing your feedback!
Just made these last night, which was my first ever attempt at macarons! Thank for working out all the issues and providing such great guidance! Mine turned out pretty great (FEET!!) for the first attempt! Plus they are delicious and perfect for summer.
Yay, so happy to hear your macaron success! Thank you for sharing your feedback, Brittany!
The recipe is good, I just have 2 things. You say to let them cool on a wire rack BEFORE removing them from the cookie sheet?And you specify vanilla in the ingredients but I don’t see where it’s supposed to be added in. The recipe turned out well, but those things threw me off.
Gotta add. I got the macarons out.of the oven. Baked at the temp & time you say. But they are still very goopy and sticky and in my attempt to check them, I wound up breaking several. I put them back in, but I’m really disappointed.
Do you have a gas oven or electric? Becuase temps and times differ, and I think specifying which one you use helps the process so people know it wont be exactly the same for others.
Hi, Megan. Sorry my directions were confusing. I can see how cooling the baking sheet on a wire rack is confusing. 🙂 And as for vanilla extract, I had it in the original recipe, but since any additional liquid affects the batter, especially in humid climates, I removed it. And it looks like I forgot to remove it from the directions. Thank you for pointing those out.
As for oven, I bake the macarons in a regular electric oven without fan. I have no experience with gas ovens. That said, EVERY oven is different (whether it’s electric or gas, conventional or convection) and the temperature could fluctuate up to 50°F up or down. And that’s why I highly recommend getting an oven thermometer to check how your oven heats. You can read more about it in this post.
Thank you so much for your feedback. I’ll update the recipe to reflect these details.
I’ve made this recipe dozens of times and it’s turned out amazingly every time EXCEPT for when I’ve used a gas oven. I was never able to figure out why, but even after I made sure the temperature was accurate they never cooked right.
Hi, Katie. Thank you for your comment. When I was shopping for a new oven last year, I read that gas ovens are finicky when it comes to baking. No idea what may be the problem, but I stick to electric oven. 🙂
Well, first let me say thank you for posting the videos. Those are very helpful for a first time macaron baker. I have been wanting to make these for a long, long time. Your recipe had the almond flour and the confectioner’s sugar in grams. I don’t deal in grams so I converted it to cups based on the conversion table on the internet. When I was making them, I could tell that it wasn’t enough flour but I followed the directions to a t. When folding, I could also tell that it was off but since I followed the directions, I just went ahead and baked them (after resting which took 1 1/2 hours). Well, they came out as cookies. Good lemon cookies but not macarons by a long shot.So I went back to this site and read more reviews. Lo and behold, way down on the reviews, you posted the recipe in cups. and it didn’t match the internet conversion at all. The internet said 100grams is 1/2 cup and 50 grams is 1/4 cup. Well, you said to use 1 cup (not 1/2 cup) of almond flour and 3/4 cup of confections sugar (not 1/2 cup). Well….no wonder mine didn’t turn out. I am so disappointed that I did all the right things and the reason it didn’t work out was because of your recipe not being correct. So disappointed.
I need to add to my review. Per checking grams/cups on the internet. If you say 1 cup of almond flour, that is equal to 150grams (not 100 grams as per your recipe) and if you say 3/4 cup confectioners sugar, that is equal to 97grams (not 100 grams as per your recipe). I just wanted to put that on there from reading it. I am disappointed because mine came out like cookies but they do have a good flavor so if I do it again with the CORRECT amounts of flour and conf. sugar, they should be good.
Hi, Colleen. I understand how disappointing it is when you have a macaron fail. Believe me, I know that feeling all too well! But it completely baffles me how you came to conclusion that my recipe is all wrong when you didn’t actually followed it. When I provide metric and volume measurements for my recipes, I don’t just convert it by googling it. I actually put a measuring cup on a scale, fill it with the ingredient and weigh it. I have no idea what website you’ve consulted to find the volume info for the dry ingredients, but I just googled 1 cup of almond flour in grams, I got 2 websites that tell me 1 cup of almond flour equals to 96 grams. So, it seems like my measurements are not that far off, are they?
I’ve tried many different recipes for macarons, and this one has turned out perfect almost every time!! Thanks so much
Awesome! Thank you so much for your feedback, Melody! So glad my recipe is working for you!
I used this recipe to make my very first macarons and they were perfect! Thank you so much! My third batch I overmixed and they were too runny (which baked up thin and hard/crispy-chewy), but that was totally my fault. 🙂 We used them as macaron “chips” to scoop up the lemon buttercream “dip” and no one was disappointed because your flavors are so good even when I messed up the texture. Thanks so much!
So great to read your feedback, Heather. And I totally agree macarons are so delicious even when they don’t look right. I absolutely love your attitude about your “fails”.
Hi Shinee, we just tried making these macaroons and they failed!!! Our batter was the right consistency and we let it sit and it didn’t stick to our fingers. What do you think went wrong? It was a big disappointment for us since we are bakers! Please tell us what went wrong!!!!😡
Without the details as to what was wrong with your macarons, I won’t be able to troubleshoot the issue. Please provide as much details as you can about what was the problem, how they look, etc. and I’ll do my best to help you out.
Here is a picture of how they turned out. https://share.icloud.com/photos/0YtDwlmFtN5YlOWUqizBawmlw
Love the reciepe! What are your thoughts on using Lemon extract?
Thank you, Rade. I’ve never used lemon extract, but I’m sure it’d work just fine.
Made these yesterday and they came out perfect
AWESOME! Thank you so much for your feedback, Crystal!
I made this recipe this past weekend and it was delicious! My wife has been waiting for me to make lemon macarons and these did the trick. The only question I have is that in step 2 you say to add vanilla extract but no measurement is given under the macaron shells for it in the ingredients list. I just used half a teaspoon, but I wondered whether this was a mistake because some of the macaron’s shells were a little more wrinkly than I was used to.
Hi, Joshua. So glad the recipe turned out for you! And I apologize for confusion with vanilla extract. I used to have it in the ingredient list, but removed it as some people have issue with excess moisture, which sounds like you had the same issue. Soft wrinkly shell is an indication of excess moisture. I live in a dry climate, and extra teaspoon of liquid usually doesn’t cause an issue for me. Thank you for your comment. I had updated the recipe now.
Hey, I was just wondering, instead of using almond flour can I use AP flour instead?
Hi Marisa. Unfortunately, french macaron is nut-flour based cookies, AP flour won’t work.
So I was wondering if cream of tartar is a cream? Because here in Germany they sell it as a powder. Do I have to do something with the powder to turn it into a cream?
Also when adding lemon juice do I just add normal store bought lemon juice from the juice section or does it mean squeezed lemons?
Hi, Taehee. Cream of tartar is the same here in the U.S., it’s powder, not cream. I prefer freshly squeezed lemon juice, and that’s what I’d recommend.
Hi Shinee, I found this recipe online and is about to make it for my first French Macaron. Well, not my first because I made it long time ago and failed. But I’d like to give a try after seeing your detailed instructions and beautiful pictures. I have set up all the ingredients and about to make it. Just one one question about the lemon zest. How fine you ground the zest? Just fresh grounded from lemon? Will it cause the shell not smooth enough if it is not finely grounded? Thanks!
-Rusha
I made these macaron recipe and it was AMAZING! I tried others, but you have the best out there!!
Aww, thank you so much, Kerri!!!
Can you advise on what pastry bag to use? (I’m ordering online right now… found the flour and powdered food coloring!) And what size tip to pipe through, or no tip?
I have a reusable bag (if I can find it) but it looks like you used a disposable one. Loved the idea of filling it in a glass. For me, the daunting part is not whipping the eggs whites or folding in the flour, but rather the whole pastry bag thing!
I might not see this in time because I’m doing a little last minute baking, but I was wondering what type of lemons you would use in this recipe?
Hi, Gabreala. I use just regular lemon for this recipe.
I wonder if I can use liquid food coloring?
Hi, Kou. Adding liquid food coloring increases the risk of too much moisture in the batter, which could lead to macarons with thin wrinkly skin.
I can’t wait to make them! Can I substitue caster sugar with raw sugar?
Hi, Quin. I wouldn’t recommend that.
I used to make this recipe all the time and it was perfect. I book marked it to my phone browser. Now I come back after a few months and it’s not working for me. I don’t recall things being in grams? Did you change it??
Hi, Samantha. I did update the recipe and listed everything in grams only. Did you use to measure everything by cups? If so, here’re cup measurements for you.
1 cup (100gr) almond fl our
3/4 cup (100gr) powdered sugar
2 large egg whites (about 70gr)
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
¼ cup (50gr) sugar
1 teaspoon lemon zest
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ teaspoon lemon juice
Yellow gel food coloring
Yes, THANK YOU SON MUCH!!
oh this is so frustrating!! I am making this for the first time and I thought it didn’t look like enough batter but I followed your directions. I went online to convert grams to cups and it said 100grams is 1/2 cup not a full cup that you posted here. Same for the powdered sugar. I am still waiting for them to be ready for the oven so not sure how they will turn out but definitely the amounts were wrong. I hope that in the future, you will post not using grams.
Hi, Colleen. Not sure what website you’ve used, but when I just googled 1 cup of almond flour in grams, I got 2 websites that tell me 1 cup of almond flour equals to 96 grams. Most of my recipes include both metric and volume measurements, but for my macaron recipes I decided to only share metric measurements, because precision is utmost importance in macaron success. And if you’re serious about making perfect macaron, I highly recommend using a scale to weigh all the ingredients to up your chances for perfect macarons.
Thanks so much for the detailed instructions and visual aids! I’ve made macarons following your recipe three times and all three times they turned out absolutely perfect—visually indistinguishable from the expensive ones at specialty bakeries but fresher and more flavorful. All three batches received rave reviews from everyone who tried them. I tried a different citrus variation each time (lemon, blood orange, and lime) using your basic ratios and they’re so yummy I can’t decide which is my favorite! Thanks for making an intimidating bake so accessible!
Yay, Hilliary. So happy to hear your macaron success. Thank you for sharing your feedback.
Just made these tonight and they turned out perfect and tasted delicious! Thanks for sharing!
Awesome!!! Thank you for your feedback, Brittini!
Love this recipe! I want to make matcha shells, can I just use the normal macaron batter and add a small amount of matcha green tea macarons?Thanks for sharing!
Hi, Michelle. Yes, that should work. I think about 1 tablespoon of matcha. Let me know how it turns out.
I just started to make macarons and I’ve done 3 batches, different flavored creams, but same shells. I do have to say that I’ve tested 3 different flours, using a new one on this one and I’m not sure if it was the flour, the zest, the lemon liquid or what, but these had multiple issues. I folded the batter and got the nice figure eight so I stopped, dumped into my piping bag and began squishing em out. I actually ran out of batter before I got to the final row(I have the Michael’s Wilton silicone pad), They did get feet, but even after 20 minutes of baking @ 300 degrees, they still stuck. I let them rest 30 minutes to let them cool, but they still stuck. The bottoms were still very sticky. I’d have to say unfortunately these were the worst of the batches 🙁 . I’m not sure if I’ll do this recipe exactly next time, but we’ll see. I’ll probably try them one more time with the better of the three flours I have. :).
Hi, Sean. Thank you for your detailed feedback. I personally never liked baking macarons on silicone mat, I’ve tried specific macaron mat, regular silicone baking mat, etc. But they never peel off nicely, and baking usually takes longer. Maybe try parchment paper next time and see how it turns out?
Hi, I’ve made this recipe twice and both times the batter has come out dense. I was unable to get proper form or feet, instead the macarons came out looking like yellow domes. I even broke a spatula mixing the macaronage the first time. Any ideas on what I could be doing wrong?They taste really great though :/ specifically the lemon butter cream
Hi, KJ. Sorry about your spatula. I’m surprised that your batter turned out soo thick. I wonder if the ratio for dry and wet ingredients were off. Did you weigh the ingredients, including the egg whites?
What kind of almond flour do you use in this recipe? Seems like half the sites I read say to use Bob’s Red Mill and the other half prefer to make their own from blanched ground almonds. What do you recommend?
Hi, Amy. I’ve used Bob’s Red Mill almond flour in the past, and it’s great option. But now I order mine from Amazon. This brand (Nature’s Eats) almond flour has been my favorite for years. And I’ve never made my own almond flour. Hope this helps.
HiI
I was hoping I can get some help. I’ve tried this recipe two times, but couldn’t get it right. The first time, when it came to the macaronaging, the batter would remain super thick. I literally sat there mixing for 45 minutes, and the mixture would remain stuck on the spatula. I baked them anyways, and they pretty much came out as lemon cookies that looked like small pieces of bread.
Then the second time, the batter was still pretty thick and still stuck to the spatula. I did 55 rotations of macaronaging, and just stopped there because I didn’t want to be mixing for 45 minutes again. I went ahead and baked them, and they looked a lot better. There was small feet on the cookies. However, they all cracked on top and still had the “nipples” from piping. Any ideas of what I’m doing wrong?
Note that I did see somewhere else that you mentioned being off by 3-5g of egg whites would throw things off. With two eggs, I came out to 65 g of egg whites and didn’t feel like cracking another egg just for another 5 g. Maybe that could be it as well? Thanks for your help!
Hi, Justin! Yeah, I tried to replicate the thick batter issue myself, and in my testing, I learned that 5gr of egg whites (I know it sounds ridiculous!) does affect the texture of the batter. When I purposely put less egg whites, my batter never thinned and stayed thick no matter how long I folded. Just curious, are you using large eggs? I’m in the U.S., and use store-bought large eggs for my macarons and 2 eggs yield about 69-71gr of egg whites.
Hi there!
In the past, I’ve stuck with a tried and true recipe for macaron shells, which I’ve had lots of success with. That was basic though, with no flavor in the shell. Now though, I’ve been commissioned to make lemon macarons for a baby shower! I tried your recipe twice this week, and both times I’ve failed. Hoping you can give me some guidance as to what I’m doing wrong 🙂
The first time, it was a super hot and humid day, and my macarons cracked and never got feet. I assumed that was due to the heat and humidity, so last night, I tried it again with the air conditioning and fan on. While they did get feet, they turned out a bit wrinkly on top, and not matte at all. Any ideas as to what I could be doing wrong? If it’s too much moisture in my batter, would I be able to omit the vanilla? Thanks! Really want to succeed at this one, rather than having to go back to the basic almond shell.
Hi, Becca! So sorry the recipe didn’t turn out for you. It does sound like you’re having issue with humidity, because whinkled soft shells are typically due to too much moisture in the batter. In your case, since it sounds like you’re in relatively humid climate, I suggest aging the egg whites and omit vanilla extract. And make sure to use powder or gel food coloring, and avoid liquid food coloring because it’ll add more moisture. Also, you can still enjoy lemon macarons with plain shell but with zesty lemon buttercream. If you let the filled macarons mature in the fridge 1-2 days, the shells will absorb the flavor from the filling. Hope this helps. Becca. And good luck!
Ever since we traveled to NOLA last year, and tried macarons for the first time, I wanted to try to make these. I followed your recipe and they turned out great!! My first time making buttercream too. I am not a big “zest” fan, so I may try to omit that in the future, but I know now I can make these and cannot wait to try other flavors! Thank you for the videos too. They helped.
Yay, so happy you loved making macarons. Got your photos and they turned out beautiful! Thank you for your feedback!
My question is only about the filling, not the whole macaroon. Could the lemon filling be used as a filling in molded chocolates? and if so, could a little food coloring be added to the filling? and how much filling does this make?
Thanks
Hi, April. I think you could use the filling in molded chocolate, and yes, you can definitely add food coloring. This recipe makes about 1/3-1/2 cup of filling.
This was the first macaron recipe I ever tried! They were amazing. The first time I ever had macarons was from Laduree in Paris, so…Thanks for sharing!
Awesome! I’m so glad your 1st macaron baking was a success! Thank you for your feedback, Nancy!
Hello!! Please where did you get that plate from the first picture?? Thank you!
Hi, Camila. I got this one at a thrift store, but here’s a very similar one on amazon.com. (<- affiliate link)
It’s a Crate and Barrel Olive serving plate or very close to it . They don’t sell it anymore but you can find it on eBay sometimes. That’s where I got mine.
Thanks for the tip, Teresa!
First time I attempted macarons and friends and family couldn’t believe they weren’t baked professionally! So good! Thanks
Yay, so happy for your macaron success, Nancy! Thank you for your feedback!
These needed more almond flour ~120 grams and less lemon juice. Otherwise the batter is too wet and doesn’t rise properly.
how do you not make a peak on your macaron when your piping?
Hi, Julie. The peaks usually dissolve into the batter on its own when I tap them, or as they rest before baking.
Is there any other flour you can use instead of almond flour?
Hi, Cynthia. I’ve never tried making macarons with anything other than almond flour, with an exception of pistachio macarons where I used a mix of almond and pistachio flour.
Hi Shinee!
I am about to attempt macaroons for the first time, and I live at 7000ft elevation. Are there any adjustments I need to make for high elevation?
Hi, Morgan. Boy, hard question. And unfortunately, I have no experience baking in high elevation, and I’m afraid I have no advice.
Hi, I’m about to make these but I won’t be adding the food coloring. Will that affect the macarons in any way? Will I have to change something in the recipe or is it fine if I just omit the food coloring? Thank you.
Hi, Heesung. No, food coloring won’t affect the texture of the macarons. They just won’t be yellow, that’s all. Hope yours turned out good. Keep us posted. Thanks!
Hi again! I just made these again and followed the recipe exactly except with liquid food coloring and they came out perfect except they were a little wrinkly on the top. Is there any way to fix that? Thanks
Hi, Heesung. The thin wrinkly macaron shells mean the batter had excess moisture. And it sounds like liquid food coloring is the culprit. How much did you add? I highly recommend using gel or powder food coloring for macarons for this very reason. Hope this helps.
About the buttercream, mine may have curdled or ‘broke’ and not sure what could have caused it. I did add yellow gel coloring. Could that have been it or perhaps overmixing?
The consistency is not completely smooth.
Any ideas?
Hi, John. I don’t think gel food coloring would cause the texture change. How soft was your butter? Maybe it was too soft and curled when you added lemon juice? I think if you stick it in the fridge for bit, the texture would improve. Sorry for my tardy response.
We tried this recipe and we had troubles with the final steps. When we added the lemon juice and vanilla it became very thin and when we added the dry ingredients it became soupy, we added the right amounts and weighted the ingredients can you tell us what might have gone wrong?🤔😞
Hi, Amelia & Lexi! How much lemon juice and vanilla extract did you add? So you whipped the egg whites till hard peaks and added lemon juice and vanilla extract. And are you saying that after that the whipped egg whites became thin and runny? That never happened to me. There could be 2 possibilities I’m guessing happened. 1. The egg whites weren’t whipped long enough and they were not reached hard peaks. You should be able to flip the bowl with egg whites upside down and egg whites would stay in. 2. You may have accidentally added too much lemon juice or vanilla extract. Hope this helps.
The same happened to me!!!
I thought macarons were supposed to be made with aged egg whites? I made this recipe just now, but aged my egg whites because so many recipes call for that. I didn’t realize this recipes doesn’t call for aged whites. Unfortunately thats probebly why mine didn’t turn out. not enough moisture, so the batter remained gritty no matter how many times I folded it. So sad!!!
Hey, Melanie, so sorry for your experience. Yeah, I never age my egg whites, and I believe it’s not an absolute must for perfect macarons, as long as you don’t live in a super humid climate. Hope you’ll give it another try. Let me know if you do. And thanks for leaving your feedback.
When I was folding the batter, I noticed that it was very gritty. I also used normal food coloring instead of gel food coloring. Could that have changed the consistency of the batter?
What kind of almond flour did you use? Was it fine powder like, or with large grains? Homemade or store-bought? I don’t think adding liquid food coloring will make the batter gritty.
I made these a few weeks ago, and they were absolutely delicious! I’m not very experienced with macarons, in fact, this was the first recipe of them I’ve made, but they actually turned out beautiful and with a perfect, sweet, lemony flavor! They were very soft and decadent, but also melt-in-your-mouth, just how I think a macaron should be! I definitely recommend these! I am looking forward to making your chocolate macarons soon! Thanks, Shinee!
Yay, so happy to hear your macaron win, Cecilia!! Thanks for sharing your awesome feedback. 😉
I absolutely love this recipe and I made it successfully before but the second time I did it the macarons were very soggy/ the batter was runny. I don’t know what I did wrong as I am an amateur with these.
Hi. It sounds like the meringue might not have whipped long enough, or you may have folded the macaron batter for too long making the batter too thin.
I LOVE this recipe! It’s so simple to follow and delicious! I want to make them plain vanilla – can I just omit the zest and juice?
Hi, Tiffany! So happy to hear you love this recipe. And yes, you can totally omit the zest and lemon juice for plain macarons. Enjoy!!
I’ve used a few macaroon recipes from different websites and it was succeed but I tried your recipe. My macarons turn out cracks on every single one. I always weight everything for my baking but I noticed that when you add lemon juice and Vanilla extra that will add extra moistures with the amount of flour and the amount of the powered sugar from your recipe. Your recipe may need some adjustments.
Vickie, extra moisture isn’t the main reason macarons crack. If your macarons has thin wrinkly skin with cracks then it’s probably due to excess moisture. If you’ve looked at my Visual Macaron Troubleshooting guide, you can tell the difference of crack on those. I can’t tell much specifics in your case without actually seeing it. If you want, feel free to send me a photo.
As for the quality of the recipe, it’s the most made recipe on my site and many people have made it with success. You can check out my community page where you’ll see ton of them from my readers. That being said, as you may know, macarons are finicky. Absolutely anything could go wrong, and they can be a flop. It certainly happens to me more times than I’d like to admit. 🙂 Sounds like you’ve got some trusted recipe in the past, hold onto them. It might be the best one for your climate.
HI Shinee, I just tried your recipe but it was unsuccessful. I used the Digital Kitchen scale to measure the almonds flour, the powdered sugar and the egg white. I notice that your recipe use more almonds flour than powdered sugar. I compared to some other macarons recipe sites that I always use and it looks like they seem to have more powdered sugar than almond flour. Is there a reason why your recipe use more almond flour than powdered sugar? Do you know why my macarons cracks?
Hi, Vickie! Sorry to hear your didn’t turn out. My recipe calls for equal amount of almond flour and powdered sugar (weight-wise). When I developed this recipe, I didn’t based off of other recipes, so I can’t tell you why. This proportion works best in my opinion. There’re number of reasons macarons can crack. Have you seen my Macaron 101 post? I’ve included visual troubleshooting guide, which may help you find the culprit to your issue. But let me know if you need further assistance.
Hi Shinee! I’ve made this recipe tons of times with success flavor-wise. However, my macarons sometimes end up being a lot less yellow then when i put them in the oven. They turn out either dark yellow or even light brown. I’ve tried your trick with the tray on top but i normally give up because when I make macarons i normally make them in big batches so i normally put 2-3 trays in at once so the empty tray tends to slow down the process. Any other tips?
Hi, Lauren! Sorry for delayed response. I’m taking some time off and hasn’t been here for a few days. I have no tips other than rotate the trays in the last 5 minutes or so? But personally I bake one tray at a time. Hope this helps.
Hi Lauren – I’ve read that most colorings that we get here in the states is not heat proof, so they will either fade a lot or if something is supposed to be pink for example, it will actually turn brown due to the temperature [i’ve piped beautifully pink macarons, only to pull out icky brown ones from the oven]. I’ve had success with Americolor gel paste just recently, with yellows and greens. Do a google search on ‘bravetart & avoiding brown macarons’ for a thorough explanation.
Hey, Gigi, thanks so much for your input! I didn’t know about it. I’ve always used Wilton’s gel food coloring, which worked great, but lately I switched to McCormick’s powder food colorings. The yellow one worked beautifully!
Success! Great tasting recipe. Easy to follow precise instructions, Love the videos.Thank you for sharing!
Fantastic!! So happy you got to enjoy these. Thanks for your feedback, Karen!
Lemon curd is awesome in lemon macarons too and it isn’t nearly as difficult as it sounds. One you make a lemon curd, you can then make any type of curd, such a passionfruit curd, blackberry curd, etc. I like them much better as a filling than any type of butter cream but my I have to perfect my hollow shells before I can be really impressed by any of my fillings. Also, HUGE fan of white chcolate ganache and just recenty use crème de banane white chocolate ganache for some minion macarons I made for my daughter’s teacher. That ganache was to die for!!
I love homemade lemon curd, Dani. In fact, I have a recipe on my blog too (right here). I’m not a huge buttercream fan, but this lemon buttercream is honestly the best! I’ll have to add a little bit of lemon curd into the mix though. It’d be just so good! Great idea, Dani! And what? Crème de banana white chocolate ganache? That sounds insanely good!!
Just made these, they never got runnier? In the video you mention you might have 2-3Tbsp extra of almond flour/powdered sugar mixture after sifting, so are you to re measure it then? Or did I beat the egg whites too much or…. The batter still taste good but they never smoothed out.
Hi, Yvette. I don’t re-measure the dry ingredients after sifting. When you measured almond flour and powdered sugar, did you go by cups or weigh them on a scale? If you had measured by cup, it’s possible you added a tad bit more dry ingredients. If the batter is still too thick, you can add a little bit of egg white (no need to whip it) to thin it out. But add a little bit a time. Hope this helps. Let me know how they turn out.
I measured by the cup. I will try again, thanks for the reply.
There are some recipe use 1 cup of power sugar and 3/4 cup of almond flour. What is the different? BTW, it looks really good and I’m gonna try it this week.
Hi, Abby. I can’t say for sure what’d be the difference. People develop recipes with different ratios, and the only way to find out is to try them. Sorry for not being able to provide much more help on this. Let me know you try it.
Hello,
Is the 300 degrees a regular oven setting or a convection oven setting?
Hi, Angela. Regular oven (no fan).
Thank you for posting. My first try failed and your 101 article explained I over mixed. My second try turned out perfectly! But I now know how much sugar I am eating. Wishing for a ‘diet’ version…
Hey, Albert! So glad my 101 guide helped you with your issues. And congrats on your macaron success!! I know if you find a ‘diet’ version let me know, because I’d love to know too. 🙂 In all seriousness though, I’ve received comments from other readers that my recipe has less sugar than most macaron recipe out there. Thanks for coming back and leaving your feedback!
Hi Shinee,
I love the tray that you display the lemon macarons on in the first photo, where they are displayed in rows. Was wondering where you got it from.? I live in Australia so I may not be able to get it but just curious. Thanks for the tips on macarons., I have made some but there is room for improvement.!
Cheers Nichola
Hi, Nichola! I found that tray at a local thrift store, it was a great find for sure. Hope you keep making those macarons, practice makes it better. 🙂
These are soooo good! Thank you Shinee for sharing this recipes with us! I also tried making lime macarons using the same method, turned out perfect, I loved both flavors! Plz post more flavors!
Mmm, lime macarons sound amazing! So glad you got to try these and loved it. I have lots of other flavors on the blog. You can check them all out here. More flavors are also coming. Stay tuned. 😉
Hi! I’m Olivia and I tried making these for the first time and they turned out great, but mine had little bits of almonds from the almond flour. Is this something I can fix or not? Thanks!!
Hi, Olivia! So glad you’ve tried and love the recipe. I have to ask couple questions to answer your question. What kind of almond flour did you use, homemade or store-bought? If you made your own almond flour, I’d suggest to process it a bit more so it’s finer. Also, don’t skip the sifting steps, because it’s imperative for fine-textured macarons. You should toss (or save for cereal or smoothie) the chunky bits of almond flour that’s left in the sifter. Hope this helps. If you got some photos, I’d love to see them. Share on Instagram with #sweetandsavorybyshinee. 🙂
Hey, thanks for this great recipe! I was curious if you can substitute the lemon buttercream filling with a different type of buttercream or filling? Also, does his recipe work well in high altitude? Otherwise, this recipe has been excactly what I have been looking for!
Hi, Allison. Yes, you can use any buttercream or filling as you wish. Unfortunately, I can’t advise on the altitude, as I’ve never tested this recipe in that climate. If you try it, let me know how it works out, so others in high altitude would know in the future. Thanks!!
Today I tried making the macarons (For the first time) and they are delicious! They made perfect feet and had delightful flavor. The only problem that occured is the batter seemed quite thick, no matter how much I folded it, and as a result the tips from the top of the shells stood up a fair bit. But otherwise I highly enjoyed this recipe and will be sure to make these macarons again.
Congrats, Allison. So glad to hear your first try was a success! And it’s so interesting to hear that the batter was thick. I’ve gotten similar comment on my other macaron recipes, and I couldn’t recreate the problem. Maybe the high altitude is the culprit. I’ll have to follow up with other commenters to investigate further. Thanks for coming back and letting me know.
Hello, thanks for sharing this recipe. Mine turned out with feet and all, but I thought the macaroon was a bit chewy. I don’t know if it was because i followed the cup measurement. I looked at the ratio of the cup measurement and the Gram being inconsistence. You called for a cup of flour say 100 gr, the 3/4 cup of powder sugar and also stated 100gr. Not sure which one is correct. Can you please clarify. Thanks. The filling was amazing though. I want to get the shell right.
Hi, Vivian. Thanks for trying my recipe. What do you mean by chewy? Like sticky chewy or something? In my opinion, french macarons are meant to be chewy but in a good way. The measurements are correct both by cup and weight. The reason for discrepancy is due to density. 1 cup of almond flour won’t weight the same as 1 cup of powdered sugar. This also applies to all dry ingredients in general, that’s why it’s best to weigh the dry ingredients. And I’m so glad to hear you loved the filing, I love that lemon buttercream so much, and I’m not even a buttercream fan. 🙂 I have a few other detailed posts regarding making macarons that you may find helpful for your next batch: French Macaron 101 and 8 Tools You Need to Make Perfect Macarons. And please don’t hesitate to ask any more question.
Hi! I’m a huge fan. can i double the amount of ingredients to make more batches of macaron? Is that a good idea? I’m going to host a party and i need at least 150pcs- 200. Thank you
Hi there! If this is your first try at making macarons, I wouldn’t recommend doubling the recipe. If you’ve already familiar with the technique, I think you could. One thing I would suggest is to fill the pastry bag with half of the batter at a time, because while you’re piping the macarons, you’re squeezing the batter, which thins it out a bit. And have fun baking them. Sounds like you’re going to have a fun party! 🙂
Made macaron using your recipe tonight. The macaron came out a bit chewy after baking for 19 minutes. I wonder why. Using Wilton yellow gel food coloring but the color turn out more like over bake color. Could you advise me on this?
Hi, Ploy! How chewy were the macarons? Like sticky chewy, or tough chewy? In my opinion, you kind of want the macarons to be on chewy side, but it’s a good kind of chewy. As for the color, did the macarons turn brownish? It might have been over-baked, or maybe your oven runs a bit too hot. Next time, I’d try increasing the amount of coloring, and then shielding the macarons from the top by placing another rack with an empty baking sheet above the macarons. Hope this helps.
Hey there! I tried this recipe but the only difference is that I increased the portion for each ingredient in the batter by 1.5x.
This was my second time making macarons but sadly, it failed. My macarons have no feet!!! 🙁
Is there any reason(s) why the feet failed to develop?
Thank you so much!
Hi, Dennis! So glad you tried the recipe. It’s tricky to change the amount of the recipe, especially with finicky macarons. There’re number of reasons to why macarons bake without feed. Check out my Macaron Troubleshooting Guide and I hope that’ll help to find out the issue.
Thank you for posting such an easy yet AMAZING recipe! I’ve always heard that French Macarons were a little testy so I was completely expecting a first failed attempt but these were awesome!! They were the perfect consistency thanks to your photos and your directions! Thank you for sharing such a great recipe! For one batch, I added strawberry jam to the icing mixture and so good. There are so many possibilities with this recipe! Thank you again!!!
Heidi, so happy to hear you tried and loved the recipe. You’re right, there are so many possibilities! Strawberry jam sounds awesome. Check out my other macaron recipes for inspiration. Thanks for leaving your feedback, Heidi!
Hi there! I loved the recipe and it was super easy to follow. I was wondering if any of your test batches came out brown around the edges? I just pulled mine out from a 300* oven only after 15 minutes and most, if not all, of them are brown around the edges. On my next batch should I lower the temperature or possibly leave them in for less amount of time? Thanks again!
Hi, Liz! So glad you tried and loved my recipe. Browning is usually due to high oven temp. It’s pretty common for an oven to vary 50 degrees, so it’s possible your oven runs hotter than specified. So I’d suggest to bake the macarons 25°F lower than the specified temp and see if it helps with browning. Hope this helps. And if you happened to have a photo I’d love to see it. You can share it on social media with #sweetandsavorybyshinee, or simply e-mail me.
Hi, i am just starting to learn to make macarons. i will try your lemon ones. They look fabulous. Where did you get the ceramic holder from? super cute. Thanks
Hi, Michelle! So happy you’re going to try making macarons. It’s such a fun process. Make sure to read my French Macaron 101 post before you start. I got that dish at a thrift store.
I really love this recipe! It’s the first one that I found that actually makes it sound relatively easy. 🙂 They have turned out several times, but the last time I made them I think I over-mixed the batter and it was too runny. I have also changed the recipe and made it with oranges instead… They didn’t have feet and the tops weren’t the best but they tasted amazing! I would totally recommend this recipe!
Hi, Karina! So happy to hear you’re enjoying my recipe! And the orange macarons sound amazing. Thanks for the inspiration and your feedback!
I can’t wait to make these! The technique sounds great. I’ve made other macarons, but they didn’t turn out well. I will be sure to try these. ????
Yay, have fun baking these macarons, Sarah! And don’t forget to tag me #sweetandsavorybyshinee.
Oh, and sorry if I’m over-watchful, but I noticed a typo in the buttercream. It said 1 teapsoon of lemon zest. You might want to switch the p and the s. Thanks! ????
Ah, Sarah, thank you for pointing that out to me! I really appreciate that. I just fixed it.
Hi!
I tried out your recipe for an article I am writing and it worked really great! Thank you for sharing the tips on how to fold… they were definitely needed! I’ll be sure to give you the credit for the recipe and link back to this page!
Thanks again! 🙂
Hi, Lindsay! So glad you’ve tried the recipe and happy to hear the video was helpful. And yes, please do share the link when you publish it. I ‘d love to see it.
Here is the link to the article… it was hit! Thank you so much for your help!
http://www.hercampus.com/school/kent-state/collegiettes-try-french-macarons
Lindsay, thanks for sharing! I’m glad you give these gems a try!
Hi, used this recipe on the weekend and they were awesome. Would like to use the same recipe mixtures for chocolate macarons and was wondering how much unsweetened cocoa I should add and if the qty’s of the almond flour, sugars would change at all when adding the cocoa..
Hi, Rob! So glad you loved these lemon macarons! I do have this chocolate macaron recipe. However, a few of my readers were having a problem with thick batter and I’m planning to re-test the recipe again. Until then, I can’t provide any detailed measurements.
These look SO GOOD. Im making these over the weekend!
Thank you, Margar! Have fun baking!
Are you kidding me GOOD!!! Just made these yesterday for a group coming over tonight and WOW!!! Hope I don’t eat them all before guests arrive! Little time consuming but REALLY good. Thanks for the video!
Yay, Vickie, so happy you loved these macarons. They’re truly my favorites! Hope your guests enjoy them as well. Glad that video was helpful!
Hi so I am wondering if what kind of sugar to use. In some of the comments you said to use white sugar, but in the recipe it says to use powdered sugar. And is powered sugar the stuff that looks more like cornstarch then salt?
Hi, Lily! My recipe actually calls for both types of sugar. First, we sift 100gr of powdered sugar (and yes, it looks like cornstarch) with almond flour. Then later the recipe calls for 1/4 cup of regular white sugar to add into the egg whites to make meringue. Hope this helps. Have fun making macarons!
I did something wrong! I just pullled them out of the oven…and they are thin crispy waffers! I dont know what step i missed. I was sure i followed everything to a T. Haha. They taste AMAZING. They are just not fluffy. They look like nilla waffers. Ive never been good with egg whites so im 100% sure this is definitely my doing. Your tutorial was awesome and like i said once the taste is delicious. Mine just fell flat. Ha. Im going to try again another day. Im all macarooned out for now 🙂
Hi, Liana! Macarons are so finicky. You’d think you’ve done everything right, and you can still get not so perfect macarons. Believe me, I’ve been there many times. 🙂 I’m sure not-so-perfect-looking macarons tasted amazing regardless. Here is my thought on what might have gone wrong. Since your macarons spread thin and flat, I suspect your batter might have been over-mixed. Next time, fold the batter just until it’s thin enough to run slowly off the spatula, but still thick enough to hold its shape. Good luck! 🙂
Hello dear. Thank you for your recipe. It is great. I just have a question about the filing freshness. Can I keep the macaron sandwiches outside of fridges for a week ? How long can they be fresh without freezing them ? As you used heavy cream can I used something else to keep the macarons outside of refrigerator for a longer time ?
Hi, Aida! I wouldn’t recommend storing the macarons at room temperature for a week. 1. The buttercream will get too soft. 2. It’s unsafe to eat. I think Nutella for filling will be the only filling I could think of that you can keep at room temperature for a few days. You can check out my hazelnut chocolate macarons for that.
These are such happy little cookies, so sunny and bright! Thanks for linking up with What’s Cookin’ Wednesday!
Thanks, Karly!
Hi Shinee, just letting you know I will be featuring your macarons on Best of the Weekend at 8pm tonight!
Yay, that’s awesome, Amy! Thank you!
I love French macaroons and when I see them on a market I’m always sorely tempted to buy some. Although they tend to be expensive I always tell myself that they are notoriously difficult to make and so worth the price. I might try out your recipe instead. They look so beautiful. Love the zesty lemon colour. Perfect for a summer party. Such beautiful photography too. Thanks for sharing xx Kat I
Once you make macarons yourself, there is no way to stop it! They are addictive! 😉 Thanks for visiting, Kat!
This is such an amazing idea! Thanks for sharing it. I’m Anita visiting from Creative Ways Link Party.
Thank you for stopping by, Anita!
Oh my…two of my favorites! Macaroons and lemon! This recipe looks fantastic!
Thank you, Sami!
I’m so glad I found you (on link party palooza) because I had been wanting a lemon macaron recipe! Thanks for sharing. Pinned!
Thanks, Amber!
What could be a possible substitute for cream of tartar, since it’s not readily available where I live. Could I omit it completely?
Hi, Adu! So sorry for delayed response. You can omit cream of tartar. It’s just helps to stabilize the egg whites, but it’s not essential.
Beautiful web site, terrific recipes, very nicely done. So glad I just found your site. I especially like the idea for the cream cheese, jalapeno won tons, can’t wait to try those. I love won tons!!! Here in Oregon a restaurant I used to frequent makes spinach, feta cheese won tons, served with a gourmet mustard dip, those are also quite nice. Just wanted to take a moment, to mention what a terrific site you’ve got here…., I’ll be back!!
Aww, thank you so much for your kind words, Jules! Those cream cheese wontons are my favorite! Thanks for stopping by!
I’m 11, and I made these for my mother’s birthday. They were a big hit! I overcooked the shells a little, but I think I like them that way. I also added more lemon to the filling. Anyway, they turned out really great. Thank you so much for the recipe. I would send a photo, but they were gone before I could take a pic!
Olivia, thank you so much for your comment! I’m so glad your macarons were a hit, and what an amazing gift for your mom!
Hi, I have a silly question, maybe, when you are making multiple batches, do you use a new sheet of parchment paper for each batch? or do you reuse them until you are done baking all of the macarons? I trippled your recipe (whipped each one separately) and my first one worked great! all of the macarons came out “feetly” fine…. but the second one …. :(:(:(:( they have no feet :(:(:(:(:( i cant think of any other reason why they wouldn;t work 🙁
Hi!
I made the shells yesterday and will be serving them tomorrow evening. Is it okay if I go ahead a put the frosting in them?
I’m really excited about these little sunshine beauties, I’m going to be serving them with lavender iced lattes. It’s hot in Texas!
That sounds awesome, Kenzi! Yes, go ahead and frost them and store in the fridge. It’s actually better the next day, as the flavors from filling will soak into the shells. 🙂 Enjoy! And if you have a photo, I’d love to see it.
They turned out absolutely marvelous! One of the best macaron recipe I’ve come across, thank you.
Aww, thank you so much, Emily! I’m happy you loved them. 🙂
i can’t wait to practice this recipe for a bridal shower i’m throwing! one question….where did you purchase the serving tray that’s in the first photograph?
Hi, Stephanie, I’m so excited for you to make these macarons. I got that dish from a thrift store. On the bottom of the dish, it says Indoor Outfitters/ Over and Back Inc. Maybe try googling it and see if you can find it online.
My niece is getting married in September and wants these french macrons for her shower in July. We have a long weekend in Canada this wknd so I will try and try until I get this recipe right over the 3-day weekend. I may go through a lot of almond flour and icing sugar but practice makes perfect. Like so many others who commented I, too, am intimidated a bit but it will be a good challenge for myself. Thank you for sharing. Keep your fingers crossed for me.
You’re so right, Janet! Practice makes perfect. Have fun baking, and let me know how it goes. Fingers crossed. 🙂
hi for the sugar, do we use icing sugar?
Nope, just regular granulated sugar.
I had my first go at macaroons today and these came great! I only wish the made recipe made more. I’m really fighting the urge to eat then ask right now!
That’s awesome to hear, Colleen! If you took a photo, I’d love to see it. 🙂 You can e-mail it to me, or share on Instagram with hashtag #sweetandsavorybyshinee. Thank you for trying my recipe!
Hi Shinee! I’m just wondering, do you think I could use this exact recipe but substitute the lemon juice/ zest for lime?? Thanks! 🙂
Yes, you can, Kelsey. Have fun!
Hi Shinee!
I stopped by to say special thank you for your wonderful recipe and tutorial. My macaroons came out better than I expected! Now after I discovered that I can do it, I am going to experiment more with different flour, flavors and fillings! 🙂
Viktoria, I saw your beautiful macarons. They turned out perfect! I’m so glad that you gave my recipe a try. I have a few other flavors, if you want to try more. Have fun!
That lemon buttercream sounds amazing!! Actually your whole recipe looks fantastic! And your photos are just stunning! Pinning…at some point I will get the nerve up to try these…I know they are tempermental.
Mine came out chewy.does that mean I didn’t cook them long enough or did I mix it too much?
Hmm, yeah, it might be due to undertaking them. I don’t think it’s due to mixing too much, unless you had other issues like hollow shells, etc.
Can you replace the heavy cream with regular whole milk for the filling?
Sure, just add 1 teaspoon of milk.
Love this recipe! Made it at school and turned out great! Although the yellow food gel didn’t really work would it still be okay to use food coloring drops?
That’s awesome, Maya! Thanks for reporting back. 🙂 I’m sure liquid food coloring will work. I always use gel ones without any problem though.
Hello,
Your recipe looks amazing! I would like to try it out, but my cousin is allergic to all types of nuts. Is there a substitution for the almond flour? Such as baking flour?
Thank you 🙂
Hi Nadia! Unfortunately, there is no substitution for almond flour here. The whole point of macarons is using a nut-flour, the regular flour just won’t create the texture, flavors and characteristics of macarons. Sorry.
I failed it… why?
first time i’m bake it nicely but the second time i failed it..
i used the same ingrediants and method..
Hi, Wan. So sorry to hear that, but macarons are quite temperamental. Even the smallest things affect the final result. Without knowing how your macarons failed, I can’t really chime in with advise.
About how many does this recipe make ? And do you have any more flavor recipes? Very excited to attempt these!
Hi, Camilleq. This recipe makes about 28 macarons (or 56 shells). Yes, I have 3 other flavors. Here are all my french macaron recipes.
Can you replace the lemon flavor with other things? If so, how much would I need?
Sarah, I’ve made mint macarons and chocolate macarons. Click on each one for the recipe.
Love this recipe! My first batch wasn’t pretty so I order a mat to help me make uniformed cookies. Just set out to make my second batch and boy does the sifting part really make you want to give up.
Any suggestions on making the sifting part easier?
Thanks for sharing!
Heidi
Hi, Heidi. Yeah, sifting multiple times is annoying, isn’t it? I totally hear ya. What kind of sifter do you use? I use this one and it makes the process a lot easier. Hope you’re enjoying your macarons. 🙂
hi,love this, thanks for sharing…. Can you please tell me, when you said it yealds 28, does this meen 28 sandwitched macoroons or individual macorons? Thanks a million.
Hi, Angie. You will get about 28 sandwiched macarons, 56-60 individual cookies.
Thank you very much. Have a good one. 😉
Thank you so much for your help. I’ll be sure to let you know how they turn out. Hopefully, I’ll have a good report.
As a first timer, I have a few questions. Can I make macarons using a hand held electric mixer or is the KitchenAid mixer really the only way to mix it to get the best consistency? I’ve read that the egg whites must be aged, does your recipe call for that? Lastly, where can I purchase the square slotted macaron dish you have pictured above? Thank you for your help. I look forward to trying this recipe.
Hi, Carire! Yes, you can use handheld mixer. In fact, I’ve made my very first macarons with handheld mixer. It’s a little challenging to add the sugar with one hand and hold the mixer with another, but it’s possible. I’d advise to place a rag under the bowl, so that the bowl won’t move while you’re trying to whip the egg whites with one hand. 🙂
As far as aged eggs, it never made any difference for me. I get farm fresh eggs from my MIL, and I’ve never had any problem. Just make sure they are at room temperature.
I got that slotted dish from a thrift store. On the bottom of the dish, it says Indoor Outfitters/ Over and Back Inc. Not sure if it’ll help.
Good luck with macarons and let me know how they turn out!
I’m having trouble keeping macarons yellow.. I tried first with a few drops, then they turned brown. I tried a second batch, uses extra food coloring and they are still brown.. They are not over cooked at all so I’m so confused.. I make perfect pink macarons all the time.. Any idea what I’m doing wrong? The only difference is I use a yellow gel food coloring vs the red liquid coloring.. Did you use gel coloring for this reciepe? Thanks!!!
That’s really weird, Candra! I have no idea what causes that. I also use gel food coloring. I even tried liquid food coloring, but it didn’t turn out perfect.
My second ever attempt at macarons…they look amazing! Thank you so much for this recipe, instructions were perfect and I can’t believe how fantastic they look. Not to mention, taste great 🙂
Melanie, I’m so happy for you! I love these lemon macarons, and I’m glad you had success with my recipe! Thank you for your feedback as well. It made my day!
can i replace heavy cream with whipped cream and how to make the lemon zest?
Hmm, I’ve never tried using whipped cream, but you can use heavy whipping cream though. To make lemon zest, just grate the lemon on the small grater, or zester.
If I refrained from frosting these bad boys, do you think I could freeze them successfully for a later date?
Hmm, I never froze macarons, so I have no idea. Sorry, Christina.
Freezing works perfectly! Like you say, with a buttercream filling it is better to freeze the shells by themselves. With a chocolate ganache or jam filling, you can complete the macarons and freeze them. 15min in the fridge, and they are ready to be served again. Check out my macaron blog for more tips: en.1001makron.com 🙂
Awesome tips, Christine! Thank you so much for letting us know about freezing! 🙂
Shinee, your macarons are beautiful! I’ve got baking macarons on my culinary bucket list, but I’m SO afraid of screwing up the process! Your video will come in so handy 🙂 Pinned and Stumbled this post for later use!
Becca, thank you so much! Im glad that you found my video helpful! I think the folding technique is the most important and the rest is pretty easy. Good Luck! 🙂
What do you mean by “fine sugar”? Am I using regular white sugar or powdered??
Thank you!
Hi, Andrea. Sorry for confusion, it’s white granulated sugar with smaller granules. You can substitute with regular sugar. The only thing is fine granulated sugar dissolved faster.
apologies, typo error in my email add. it should read as [email protected]
Hi, Jan! I’m glad you found my video helpful! It’s really not that difficult. Good Luck!
Will definitely try it out. All the while I thought it was a difficult task but with your video, it’s sure going to be simple. Tks for sharing.
they look lovely!
Thank you, Dina!
Beautiful! Love the lemon! I’ve been too intimidated to try making them at home but maybe when equipped with your video tutorial, it’ll be a success!
Thank you, Lindsey! I hope my video is helpful. No reason to be intimidated, the macarons are too good to pass!
This looks SO delicious!! I’ve never made my own macarons (or even dreamt I would) but I love lemon macarons so much and you just made it look so easy. Now I HAVE TO try! thanks for sharing!
Jessica, you should definitely make these! I’m obsessed. They’re really not that hard to make, and the reward is the best!
I feel that they tasted delicious but we’re hard to make and took a while over they were pretty good
Hi, Mary! Glad you liked the macarons. 🙂