Remember earlier in the week when I shared a tip for making macarons that I stumbled upon accidentally? Well, now is your time to use it.
*this recipe was created for my friends at Imperial Sugar
Bright, sunny, tangy, and sweet, these macarons are the bite of citrus flavor you've been craving! A thin crispy shell gives way to a chewy interior and two fillings - orange buttercream and a "cheaters" orange curd.
Completely optional, but oh-so-cute are the tiny leaves made from melting wafers.
Because macarons taste best after chilling in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours, you can make the parts in any order you choose - macaron shells, orange buttercream, orange curd, or green leaves.
I start with what I'm calling "cheaters" orange curd because it's the easiest, and it feels good to cross a component off of the list.
Grab a jar of store-bought lemon curd. Bonne Maman makes a lemon curd that is freaking scrumptious. Use a microplane to zest and orange into the curd. Boom. Orange curd.
The second filling is simple, too. It's a straightforward buttercream flavored with orange extract, orange zest, and orange juice. If you make this ahead, you may want to re-mix it before assembling the macs, adding a little more juice if needed.
All you need to make the little leaves: green candy melts. But them online or at any craft store, like Michael's. Use a leaf tip to pipe leaves onto a sheet of waxed paper. Let set up and set aside until the macarons are baked and filled.
Let's make the orange macarons!
While the shells themselves aren't flavored orange, as orange oil and zest can sometimes cause issues with macaron formation, they are colored with a bit of orange gel paste food coloring. All of the zippy orange flavor comes from the two fillings.
Using a gel paste or powdered food coloring rather than liquid here is essential.
When making macarons, beat the eggs and granulated sugar until a stiff peak forms. A stiff peak is when the whisk attachment is pulled from the bowl and the peak on top stands up and doesn't flop over, even when the whisk is jiggled.
You're not finished once you've reached the stiff peak phase, though. You'll want to continue beating until the egg/sugar mixture clumps inside the whisk attachment. It will look dry; that's ok.
When adding the almond flour and powdered sugar, the mixture might seem like it won't come together initially. Keep stirring. As you go, what started as a dry batter will become shiny and fluid. You're looking for a batter than can be dropped back onto itself in a ribbon. The batter will smooth back out in about 20-30 seconds.
Another key to forming those macaron feet? Resting the batter after piping. Let the piped unbaked macs rest until the tops are dry. You'll know they're ready to bake when you lightly press a finger onto a macaron, and it comes off dry.
Macarons are done when they can be easily peeled from the parchment paper. If they won't come off the paper, leave them in the oven for a couple more minutes, then check again.
I'm sharing my recipe over at Imperial Sugar today! Grab the recipe and make some macaron magic!
