Directions

Lemon Macaron Shells

1. Sift AP flour and confectioner’s sugar a minimum of two times to ensure no clumps are in the batter, and whisk together. Whisk in the grated lemon.

2. In a large bowl, beat the egg whites using a hand-mixer or stand-mixer on medium speed for about 2 minutes until soft peaks form. Add the granulated sugar and beat on high for 2 more minutes until soft, glossy peaks form.

3. Add vanilla and beat on high for another 30 seconds, just until it is incorporated.

4. Gently fold in dry ingredients and repeat until mixture is smooth and shiny, (no dry mixture should be visible) and 2 figures 8s can be drawn with a stream of ribbony batter. Add 3-4 drops of yellow food coloring and stop folding once incorporated.

5. Take a pastry bag fitted with a ½ inch round tip and fill with the batter.

6. Line 1 baking sheet with parchment paper / silpat sheet and pipe batter into ¾-inch thick round circles about 1 inch apart (allows space for the batter to spread and even bake while in oven).

7. Tap the baking sheet firmly against the countertop to release any air bubbles (to ensure a smooth cookie). If visible air bubbles still do not pop, gently poke with a toothpick.

8. Let stand in dry place for 30-40 minutes or until they form a skin. When you touch the top of the cookie there should be no batter transfer to your finger.

9. Preheat the oven to 325 F and bake for 25-30 minutes. The cookies should have developed feet at the bottom of the cookie.

10. Let cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely. If cookies are sticky on the bottom or are hard to remove from the sheet put it back in the oven for a few minutes at a time. While the cookies are cooling it’s time to make the filling!

Lemon Curd

1. Combine eggs, sugar, lemon juice, and salt in a medium-sized saucepan. Whisk until well-combined. Transfer to stovetop over low/medium-low heat and add butter and lemon zest.

2. Cook, stirring constantly (do not let curd boil) until thickened and it reaches 160 F (to ensure the eggs have been cooked all the way through).

3. Remove from heat and pour through a fine mesh strainer into a heat-proof bowl.

4. Cover with plastic wrap touching the surface of the lemon curd to avoid a skin from forming. Allow curd to cool to room temperature (20-30min) then transfer to the refrigerator to set. Chill for 2 hours.

Optional: Lemon Buttercream

1. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, cream butter until soft and smooth.

2. Add powdered sugar, lemon juice, vanilla and mix until light in color and fluffy.

Assembly

1. If using buttercream, fill a piping bag with a ½-inch piping tip, pipe a stream of buttercream around the edge of the cookie, and set in the fridge for 1 hour.

2. Then, fill another piping bag (no particular piping tip is required) with lemon curd and pipe onto the cookie (inside the buttercream wall if used). Find a similar sized cookie to place on top.

3. Lightly sift about 1 tsp of powdered sugar over macarons.

4. Once assembled, the macarons can be immediately enjoyed. However, I like to put them in the fridge for a couple days. The lemon flavors will have more time to meld, will become much more flavorful, and will have had plenty of time to set.

5. Enjoy!