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featured blood orange macarons

Blood Orange French Macarons Recipe

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: French
Prep Time: 9 hours 30 minutes
Cook Time: 13 minutes
Rest Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 10 hours 8 minutes
Servings: 24 macarons
Calories: 139kcal
Author: Becky Hardin - Easy Dessert Recipes
Homemade Blood Orange Macarons are gorgeous, delicate, and flavored with fresh blood orange juice and zest. For a truly impressive dessert, follow the detailed steps below for perfect macarons every time.
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Equipment

  • Baking Sheet
  • Silpat Mat Optional
  • Kitchen Scale Optional, but recommended!
  • Stand Mixer
  • Piping Tip Set
  • Oven Thermometer Optional, but recommended!

Ingredients

For the Shells

  • 3 large egg whites 90 grams
  • ½ cup granulated sugar 90 grams
  • ⅘ cup powdered sugar 95 grams
  • 1 cup almond flour 95 grams

For the Filling

  • ½ cup unsalted butter 113 grams, room temperature (1 stick)
  • 2 ¼ cups powdered sugar 254 grams
  • ¼ cup blood orange juice 57 grams, from 1 blood orange
  • 1 teaspoon blood orange zest 2 grams, from 1 blood orange

Instructions

For the Shells

  • Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat mats. Set aside.
    ingredients for macaron shells
  • Heat a small pot of water on medium-low heat until it begins to simmer. Set a heatproof bowl over the water. To the bowl, add the egg whites and granulated sugar. Whisk until the sugar has fully dissolved, about 2 minutes.
    3 large egg whites, ½ cup granulated sugar
    whisked egg whites and granulated sugar mixture in a glass bowl over a saucepan
  • Transfer the egg and sugar mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form.
    meringue on a whisk attachment
  • Use a mesh sieve to sift the powdered sugar and almond flour into the egg white meringue mixture. Discard any large lumps.
    ⅘ cup powdered sugar, 1 cup almond flour
    granulated sugar and almond flour in a metal sieve over a metal bowl
  • Use a spatula to fold the dry ingredients into the meringue, making sure not to deflate them yet. Be gentle and make a "J" shape with your spatula, folding all the way to the bottom of the bowl.
  • Once the dry ingredients are incorporated, continue folding the meringue, this time pressing (smushing) the batter against the sides of the bowl. Continue to press and fold the meringue until you can draw an "8" without the stream breaking. This is known as the "ribbon" or "lava" stage.
    macaron batter in a metal bowl with a spatula
  • Transfer the meringue to a piping bag fitted with a small round tip (Wilton #10 or #12). Pipe 1-inch macaron shells onto the prepared baking sheets, making sure to space them at least 2 inches apart.
  • Working with one baking sheet at a time, hold the sheet a few inches off the counter and drop it straight down onto the counter to remove air bubbles from the macarons. Repeat this 5-6 times.
  • Let the macarons rest for 25 minutes uncovered at room temperature, or until a skin develops.
  • While the macarons rest, preheat oven to 325°F.
  • Bake for 13 minutes, turning the tray halfway through baking.
    macaron shells on a silpat mat lined baking sheet after baking
  • Allow the macarons to completely cool before removing from the pan. (If removed when still warm they might stick).

For the Filling

  • While the macarons cool, place the butter in a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat the butter until it is light and airy.
    ½ cup unsalted butter
    ingredients for blood orange buttercream
  • On low speed, slowly add the powdered sugar. Mix well.
    2 ¼ cups powdered sugar
  • Add the blood orange juice and zest. Turn the mixer to high speed and beat until the buttercream is fluffy, about 2 minutes.
    ¼ cup blood orange juice, 1 teaspoon blood orange zest
    blood orange macaron filling in a metal bowl
  • Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag fitted with your choice of tip. Set aside until ready to use.

For Assembly

  • Place the macarons into similarly-sized pairs.
  • Pipe a small amount of the blood orange buttercream onto one shell of each pair and place the other shell on top.
    macaron pairs on a cooling rack with blood orange buttercream piped on half of the macaron shells
  • Press down on the top shell gently, just until the buttercream reaches the edge of the macaron. Repeat until all macarons are filled and sandwiched.
  • Transfer the filled macarons to an airtight container and place them in the refrigerator to age overnight. Bring the macarons to room temperature before serving.

Notes

  • Storage: Store any leftover macarons in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
  • Temperature: Your oven must be at 325°F. Use an oven thermometer!
  • Shape: To get evenly round macarons, hold the piping bag perpendicular to the tray while you pipe the shells. Don’t try to draw a circle!
  • Macaronage: The process of folding the dry ingredients into the meringue is one of the most important steps when making macarons. You should be able to draw a figure 8 with the meringue without the stream breaking. There are lots of great videos online if you aren’t 100% sure what the meringue should look like.
  • I recommend using a kitchen scale and gram measurements for this recipe since macarons are a pretty specific recipe.

Nutrition

Serving: 1macaron | Calories: 139kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 7mg | Potassium: 13mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 124IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 12mg | Iron: 1mg