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Lemon Macarons (Swiss Meringue Method)

Lemon Macarons (Swiss Meringue Method)

Yesterday marked the first day of fall! I’m so excited to start sharing more recipes using fall ingredients in season. This recipe can be the last hurrah for the summer season!!

These macarons remind me of lemon bars. They are filled to the brim with lemon buttercream and a tangy lemon curd.

Make sure you check out this video so you can have the best success!

Also, here are some additional tips:

  1. Remove fat: Wipe down your bowl with an acid before making the meringue. Lemon juice or vinegar works great! The reason behind this is that fat prevents the amino acids from clinging to air bubbles which are crucial for a fluffy meringue.
  2. Add acid: Some cream of tarter, vinegar, or lemon juice will increase stability. It also neutralizes things. (Ph of 4.6 - 4.8 is optimal)
  3. Set out your eggs! Room temperature eggs are MUCH easier to whip, when egg whites are cold the amino acids are very tightly bound together and it takes a lot more effort to separate them.

Happy Baking! As always, remember… whenever you’re in the kitchen, you’re not only a baker, but a chemist too!

  • 22 - 25 WHOLE COOKIES
  • Total Time: 2 hours and 30 minutes
  • Prep Time: 45 minutes
  • Bake Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

Lemon Shells:

  • 1 cup (100g) almond flour, spooned and leveled
  • 7/8 cup (105g) powdered sugar, spooned and leveled
  • 3 large (100g) egg whites, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp lemon juice

Lemon Buttercream:

  • 1 1/3 cups confectioners’ sugar sifted
  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter softened
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 -1 tbsp whipping cream as necessary
  • 1/2 tbsp lemon zest

Lemon Curd:

  • 1 large egg at room temperature
  • ⅓ cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup lemon juice
  • ½ teaspoon lemon zest
  • 2 tablespoon butter

Directions

Lemon Shells:

  1. Sift together the almond flour and powdered sugar and set them aside.
  2. Heat up a small pot of water on the stove to create a double boiler for the Swiss meringue. Whisk the egg whites and granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer over the double boiler until the sugar is fully dissolved and the egg whites are frothy (about 120F/49C).
  3. Remove the mixture from the heat and use the stand mixer with the whisk attachment, at high speed, to beat the egg whites and sugar just until stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes. Add in the vanilla bean paste and mix for a few seconds, until it is fully incorporated.
  4. Sift the almond flour and powdered sugar mixture over the meringue and use a firm spatula to fold the dry ingredients into the meringue. The method that I use to fold the batter (use photos for reference) is by pressing the batter up against the wall of the bowl and then scraping it off of the bowl.
  5. Do this until the mixture is able to ribbon off and form a complete figure ‘8’ without breaking. This may take a while, just keep folding but don’t over-mix so test the figure ‘8’ every 5-10 folds.
  6. Using a piping bag, with a small circle tip, pipe out 1 1/2 inch size circles onto a lined cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart. Rap tray on the counter a few times to remove any air bubbles from within the batter (use a toothpick to remove any air bubbles that are visible and won’t come out).
  7. Allow the cookies to rest while preheating the oven to 300F (149C) conventional (no fan). Bake one pan at a time in the center of the oven for 13 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and allow the cookies to cool completely on the pan.

Lemon Curd:

  1. In a medium saucepan, bring the lemon juice and lemon zest to a boil.
  2. While the juice is heating up, whisk the egg, and granulated sugar in a medium bowl until the sugar is dissolved.
  3. Very slow pour in the lemon juice into the beaten egg mixture while whisking rapidly to keep the egg from cooking and curdling.
  4. Pour the mixture back into the medium sauce pan and cook over medium low heat, stirring constantly. Once the lemon curd is thick, remove from the heat and add in the butter. Continue stirring until everything is combined.
  5. You can now press the lemon curd through a sieve to ensure it’s super smooth.
  6. Transfer the lemon curd to a bowl, then press plastic wrap onto the surface of the lemon curd to keep it from forming a skin on top and chill in the fridge. The curd will thicken as it cools.

Lemon buttercream:

  1. Cream butter at medium speed in the bowl of an electric mixer for about 1 minute. With the mixer off, add all of the powdered sugar, and lemon zest in.
  2. On low speed, beat the sugar and butter together. Once they are incorporated, turn speed to medium and cream for 1-2 minutes until very fluffy.
  3. Add vanilla and cream in, beat for another 30-45 seconds. Only add 1/2 tablespoon of cream if necessary, sometimes you may find that the consistency of the buttercream is already perfect and doesn’t need any more liquid. If the buttercream seems too stiff, add a tiny bit of cream as necessary. If the buttercream seems too runny, add more sifted powdered sugar until you obtain a firm, but smooth and creamy consistency.

Assembly:

  1. Match up each shell with another similar sized shell. Pipe the buttercream on half of the cookies, leaving some room on the edge. Sandwich with the top cookies and allow them to sit in the refrigerator for a couple of hours before serving.
  2. Now, enjoy!

Notes

Make sure you allow the lemon curd to set before assembling.

Read the instructions carefully and watch the video on Swiss Meringues.

These Macarons will last for up to a week when stored sealed in the fridge.

This recipe is adapted from https://lifestyleofafoodie.com/small-batch-lemon-curd-recipe/#recipe-link, https://www.piesandtacos.com/lemon-macarons/#recipe, and https://www.piesandtacos.com/lemon-macarons/#recipe

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