Macarons (Peanut Butter Cup and Lemon)

My foray into the world of macarons was very stressful. Macarons (not to be confused with macaroons, totally different cookie) are notoriously tricky to make. You can go from beautiful to what-even-is-that simply by stirring too many times. 

*sigh*

They are not impossible but they are one of the most difficult and unpredictable things I have ever made. I'm sharing my chocolate macarons and lemon macarons here because I seem to have the most success with them. 

I've also tried cinnamon bun macarons and bailey's and coffee macarons.

Above is the cinnamon bun macarons. Filled with cream cheese, yum! (You can see that the "feet" did not properly form on these ones)

My first attempt was the Bailey's and coffee. Tasted great but did not look very macaron-y. The "feet" did not really form at all and they were very pointy. 

If you've never made macarons but want to try I would definitely recommend searching how-to videos on Pinterest and Youtube. Watching the videos and getting a good visual on what they are supposed to look like is important. 

Also, my directions are going to be just basic directions. If you are looking for more in depth instruction, be sure to do some Googling! 

Are they worth it though? Yes. The texture and flavor are super-de-duper amazing and like nothing else you can make. Be prepared to make more than one batch. 

Peanut Butter Cup Macarons

Ingredients

Cookie

2 cup icing sugar

1 cup almond flour

1/2 cup baking cocoa powder

4 egg whites

1/2 cup sugar (granulated)

Filling

1/2 cup peanut butter

6 Tbsp icing sugar

1 Tbsp coconut oil

1 Tbsp milk (or almond milk)

Directions

Preheat oven to 325. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside.

In a food processor (or blender), combine icing sugar, almond flour, and cocoa powder. Process until very fine. Sift into a large bowl. 

In a stand mixer, beat egg whites using the whisk on medium speed until light and frothy. Reduce speed to low and slowly add in sugar. Increase speed to high and beat until stiff peaks form. Be patient, it will take a few minutes. 

Add the dry ingredients to the egg whites and gently fold in using a spatula. Once ingredients are combined, fold for just another few turns of the wrist. **Be careful, this is where things can go wrong. Under mix and you will have pointy shells, over mix and you will have a soupy mess.**

Transfer to a piping bag and carefully pipe mixture onto prepared baking sheet about an inch apart. 

Tap the sheet on the counter several times to remove any air from the cookies. Let sit for 30 minutes, until tops are glossy and smooth to touch. (They should be dry!)

IMPORTANT - do not skip tapping the the sheets on the counter or letting them sit out. 

Bake at 325 until just set, about 10 - 12 minutes. 

Cool completely before filling.

Prepare peanut butter filling - beat together the filling ingredients until smooth. Pipe a small amount onto the flat surface of one of the macarons, lightly press the flat surface of another macaron on top. Note - they are quite fragile so be sure to do this carefully!

The lemon macarons are very similar. 

Lemon Macarons

Ingredients

1 cup almond flour

3/4 cup icing sugar

2 egg whites

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp lemon zest

1 tsp lemon extract

yellow food gel coloring

Filling

1/4 cup butter

1 cup icing sugar

2 tsp cream (or milk)

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp lemon extract

Directions

Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper (or silpat), set aside.

Preheat oven to 300.

Sift together the almond flour and icing sugar, twice. Set aside.

In a stand mixer, beat egg whites using the whisk on medium speed until light and frothy. Add in the cream of tartar. Reduce speed to low and slowly add in sugar. Increase speed to high and beat until stiff peaks form. Add in the lemon zest, extract, and food coloring. 

Add the dry ingredients to the egg whites and gently fold in using a spatula. Once ingredients are combined, fold for just another few turns of the wrist. **Be careful, this is where things can go wrong. Under mix and you will have pointy shells, over mix and you will have a soupy mess.**

Transfer to a piping bag and carefully pipe mixture onto prepared baking sheet about an inch apart. 

Tap the sheet on the counter several times to remove any air from the cookies. Let sit for 30 minutes, until tops are glossy and smooth to touch. (They should be dry!) (FYI - If it is humid this can take as long as an hour.)

IMPORTANT - do not skip tapping the the sheets on the counter or letting them sit out. 

 Bake at 300 for 18 - 20 minutes. 

Transfer to wire rack and cool at least 15 minutes before removing. 

Prepare filling - beat together the filling ingredients until smooth. Pipe a small amount onto the flat surface of one of the macarons, lightly press the flat surface of another macaron on top. Note - they are quite fragile so be sure to do this carefully! 

Macarons are best eaten the next day. They can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for about 5 days. They also freeze very well. 

If you read through both the above recipes you can see that they are a bit different. In ingredients and in method. I'm not sure which is my favorite way but they both seem to work pretty good. Sifting can be a pain in the butt and is probably what takes the longest to make these. 

From top to bottom: bailey's and coffee, peanut butter cup, lemon, and cinnamon bun. 

One of the nice things about macarons is that your flavor combos are limitless. 

I'm going to try again with some new flavors. 

Practice, practice, practice. 

I ended up sharing my trials with the local hospital and medical clinic. Sue and I wanted to thank the nurses and doctors and administrators for all the hard work they do. 

Need an idea for something a little different for a bake sale? Macarons sell like crazy. 

Because they taste even better the next day, they are great for gifting to people too!