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Lemon Macarons Recipe

5 from 6 votes
prep 1 hour
cook 40 minutes
Additional Time 1 hour
total 2 hours 40 minutes
Serves 22 cookies
Sweet and tangy lemon macarons filled with cream cheese frosting and lemon curd!
Author: Bernice Baran
Servings 22 cookies

Ingredients

Lemon Macaron Shells

  • 100 grams almond flour, spooned and leveled
  • 100 grams powdered sugar, spooned and leveled
  • 100 grams egg whites, room temperature
  • 100 grams granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp lemon extract
  • 3 drops yellow Gel food coloring

Lemon Curd

  • 50 grams granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg, room temperature
  • 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
  • 60 mL freshly-squeezed lemon juice, 1 large or 2 small lemons
  • 1 tsp lemon zest, 1 lemon
  • 42 grams unsalted butter, melted
  • 1/8 tsp of salt

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 56 grams cream cheese, room temperature
  • 56 grams unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 tsp vanilla bean paste, or extract
  • 120 grams powdered sugar, spooned and leveled

Method

Lemon Macaron Shells

  1. Line 3 cookie sheets with a silpat mat or parchment paper. Sift together the almond flour and powdered sugar and set them aside.
    100 grams almond flour spooned and leveled, 100 grams powdered sugar spooned and leveled
  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).
    100 grams egg whites room temperature, 100 grams granulated sugar
  3. Remove the mixture from the heat and use the whisk attachment, on high speed, to beat the egg whites and sugar just until stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes. Add in the vanilla extract, lemon extract, and food coloring and mix for a few seconds, until they are fully incorporated.
    1 tsp vanilla extract, 1 tsp lemon extract, 3 drops yellow Gel food coloring
  4. Use a firm spatula to fold the dry ingredients into the meringue. This may take a while, just keep folding and pressing the batter against the wall of the bowl until the mixture is able to ribbon off and form a complete figure '8' without breaking. Don't over-mix.
  5. 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).
  6. Allow the cookies to rest on the baking sheet while preheating the oven to 300F (149C) conventional (no fan). Bake one tray at a time in the center of the oven for 13 minutes. Remove the tray from the oven and allow the cookies to cool completely on the tray.

Lemon Curd

  1. Combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan over medium-low heat and whisk continuously until it thickens, about 5 minutes. The curd should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
    50 grams granulated sugar, 1 large egg room temperature, 1 large egg yolk room temperature, 60 mL freshly-squeezed lemon juice 1 large or 2 small lemons, 1 tsp lemon zest 1 lemon, 42 grams unsalted butter melted, 1/8 tsp of salt
  2. While it’s still hot, press the curd through a sieve into another bowl/jar, cover it and allow it to cool completely to room temperature. Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator.

Cream Cheese Frosting

  1. Use an electric mixer to beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla until they are well combined.
    56 grams cream cheese room temperature, 56 grams unsalted butter room temperature, 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
  2. Add the powdered sugar and beat slowly until it is mostly combined, then turn the speed up to a high and beat for 2-3 minutes until the sugar is fully dissolved.
    120 grams powdered sugar spooned and leveled

Assemble

  1. Use a piping bag with a circle tip to pipe a border of cream cheese frosting on half of the macaron shells and then fill it in with the lemon curd. Sandwich with the other half of the macaron shells and refrigerate for a few hours to set.

Notes

  • Store leftover lemon curd in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1-2 weeks
  • Store leftover cream cheese frosting in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week or in the freezer for 2-3 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 147kcalCarbohydrates: 18gProtein: 2gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 38mgSodium: 37mgFiber: 1gSugar: 16g
Course: Cookies
Cuisine: French
Keyword: cookies, cream cheese frosting, lemon cookies, lemon curd, Lemon Macarons, macarons