Now, wait a minute, I know what you’re thinking… “MACARONS! That’s for the pros!” Believe it or not, this was actually our first time making macarons and they turned out perfect! Macarons can be intimidating to anyone, especially if you’ve never made them, but when you follow directions precisely and cross your fingers, they’ll be good! We still had some blood oranges in the fridge calling our name so we made these wonderful, tangy macarons. The smooth blood orange buttercream paired with the crisp macaron shell is practically a burst of spring in your mouth. Let’s get baking!

Ingredients:

Macaron

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 cup almond flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 egg whites
• 1/4 tsp orange extract
• orange food coloring

Blood Orange Buttercream

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 4 tbsp butter, softened
• 1 1/2 tsp blood orange zest
• 2 tbsp blood orange juice

1. Start by lining 2 sheets with parchment paper.

2. Now, sift together your powdered sugar and almond flour. You can use a sifter or a strainer if you don’t have one. It is very important to sift these ingredients, otherwise the macarons could have lumps and the texture will be wrong.

3. Next, whip the egg whites on medium with a stand mixer and whisk attachment until foamy. About 1 minute.

4. Once foamy, gradually add the sugar in and continue beating on medium-high until soft peaks form. Do NOT add the sugar at once; only a little at a time while mixing. This takes about 2 minutes.

5. Next, add in your orange extract and coloring and whip on medium-high until stiff peaks form. This takes another 2-3 minutes.

6. Once the stiff peaks have formed, add your dry ingredients on top and gently fold with a rubber spatula. Start by scooping from the bottom and folding it on top twisting the spatula over. At first it will be thick and lumpy, but it takes a few minutes for the batter to come together fully. To test if the batter is done, draw a figure 8 in the air with the spatula and if the batter can make it without breaking, it’s done.

7. Once folded, add the batter to a large piping bag with a round tip. We used the Wilton 12 tip, but you can also use 2A. If you are concerned about piping identical rounds, you can print out macaron template or just freehand.

8. Pipe the macaron into a 1 1/2″ circle. Continue this for the whole pan. They don’t have to be far apart because they won’t spread.

9. After piping, give the pan a few generous taps on the counter or a hard surface to get rid of any air bubbles. If there are bubbles, they could rise and affect the top of the macaron or cause a hollow shell.

10. Next, let the macarons sit for 30 minutes – 1 hour to dry. During this time they will create a film on top. You’ll know when they’re done if you can touch them without it sticking to your finger.

While the macarons are sitting, pre-heat the oven to 300 F.

11. Bake the macarons for 18-20 minutes, flipping the pan around halfway through the time. They’ll be done when the top are crisp and the little feet have formed. (The foot of a macaron is just the little pop up it gets on the side.) If you are baking a couple of sheets of macarons, only bake one sheet at a time.

12. Once they are baked, let them sit for 5-10 minutes. After, remove from the pan and let cool.

13. While the macarons are cooling, let’s make the buttercream.

14. Start by mixing together your butter and zest.

15. Next, add in your powdered sugar and mix until smooth. Then, add in your blood orange juice and a little orange food coloring if you choose. If your buttercream is a little too soft, chill it for 10-15 minutes before piping.

16. Once it’s ready to pipe, add the buttercream to a piping bag with a tip. We used Wilton tip 4B.

17. Pipe a small amount of frosting in the center of once macaron and take another and gently press it together. Continue this for all your macarons.

Store in the fridge covered for up to 7 days.

Ta-da! 😋

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