coral french macarons with citrus buttercream filling

okay, i finally got around to posting the recipe for these coral shell french macarons with citrust buttercream. yeah, as mentioned before... i've just been busy with life in general. ;)

a few weeks ago i test baked some coral color macarons for a friend's baby shower (that's the link for the awesome photos she took of the baby shower) she was hosting. i haven't made any in that particular color before so i wanted to make sure i got the color right before doing the real thing. well… the test macarons turn out fantastic! the coral color was spot on and super vibrant. the shells were baked perfectly and the whole cookie flavor combination was pretty good (i only say pretty good because i'm not that fond of citrus buttercream or citrus baked goods too much). if only the ones i delivered was just like these test versions, i wouldn't have had to bake 3 consecutive nights just to get them to par. yeah, it sucked the first two nights getting hollow cookie shells after hollow cookie shells. on the surface they look perfect… yeah, until you break into them and all you see is an empty shell. boo. so yeah, i tried correcting them as much as i could and finally was able to get some decent ones. just sucked it took so long and so many batches. a lot of macaron shells ended up in the garbage. some, i did save and kept them as is (without filling) to have them available for a sweet treat.

alright, here's the recipe. now, just don't over whip the egg whites or fold too much okay? that way your shells will come out perfect and not crazy hollow or spread like crazy and have no feet. good luck and enjoy! :)


for any citrus flavor fan, these should hit the spot. try adding in some marmalade and it's even better. the ones i delivered for the baby shower had a little spread of kumquat marmalade on top of the buttercream.


here's a photo of the macarons (vanilla, mint-chocolate and citrus) i made for the baby shower. notice how the coral color isn't as vibrant as the test ones above? yeah, i did try! photo via sabrina ko.


here's a shot of the coffee nutella french macarons. these are always a hit. photo via sabrina ko.

coral macarons with citrus buttercream filling

ingredients:

macaron batter:
1 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cup almond meal
1/8 tsp pink and 1/4 tsp orange gel food coloring (or any food coloring of your choice)
1 tbsp citrus (orange, lime & lemon) zest
2 large egg whites, at room temperature
5 tablespoons granulated sugar

citrus buttercream:
1 tbsp citrus zest
2-4 tbsp citrus juice
1/2 stick of butter, room temperature
2 cups of powdered sugar

directions:

to make the macaron batter/shells:

1. line two baking sheets with parchment paper and have a pastry bag with a plain tip (about 1/2-inch, 2 cm) ready.
2. sift together the powdered sugar and almond meal so there are no lumps. add in the citrus zest and stir it to make sure it's fully incorporated with the sugar and almond meal mixture. set aside.
3. in the bowl of a standing electric mixer (or if you prefer, you can use a bowl and hand mixer), beat the egg whites until they begin to rise and hold their shape. while whipping, beat in the sugar until very stiff and firm, about 2 minutes.
4. add in the gel food coloring.
5. carefully fold the dry ingredients, in two batches, into the beaten egg whites with a flexible rubber spatula. when the mixture is just smooth and there are no streaks of egg white and the colors have combined, stop folding and scrape the batter into the pastry bag (standing the bag in a tall glass helps if you’re alone).
6. pipe the batter on the parchment-lined baking sheets in 1.35-inch circles evenly spaced one-inch apart.
7. rap the baking sheet a few times firmly on the counter top to flatten the macarons. then let it sit for at least 30-60 minutes depending on humidity before baking them in the oven. about 10-15 minutes before baking, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. bake for 15 minutes.
8. once macaron shells are out of the oven, let them sit for 30-60 seconds before removing the hot baking sheet underneath. let the macarons cool completely before removing them from the parchment paper.

for the citrus buttercream filling:

1. in a medium bowl combine the butter and sugar and mix until incorporated.
2. then add in the citrus juice (1 tablespoon at a time) and zest and mix until combine and you've reached the right consistency for buttercream. if it's too thick, thin it out with a little bit with more juice or milk or cream. if too thin, add in a little more powdered sugar.

to assemble the macaron cookies:

1. before assembling these cookies, make sure to pair up all the cookie shells so they are as close as possible in size.
2. using a knife, spread a good amount of the buttercream on the inside of the macarons then sandwich them together. note: you can certainly put the buttercream in a piping bag and pipe the buttercream onto the cookie. it's a lot easier i think and less mess. but i can't be bother to do this so i almost always just spread it with a knife.
3. let them stand at least one day (keep them refrigerated) before serving (serve at room temperature), to meld the flavors.

store in airtight container for up to 5 days. makes 20-24 macarons.