Lavender Macarons

My husband is leaving me tomorrow.  Ok, that's probably a bad way to say it.  Don't get any bad ideas!

Steve is leaving for about 1 week to go to Hawaii.  He's not going for vacation.  I know, who goes to Hawaii and doesn't plan to lay by the beach and hike to beautiful waterfalls?  We'll Steve isn't planning on doing any of this fun Hawaiian stuff.  He is going to Hawaii to remodel his grandma's condo.

This is a long time for us to be apart.  I know it doesn't seem that long, it's only 1 week.  But we are together all the time.  Like... All.  The.  Time.  We own a business together.  We work together. We eat together.  We do almost everything together.  So a week seems like eternity to not be together.

But my plan is to bake and cook, a lot!  This will pass the time.  I want to bake more complicated and time consuming desserts, like chocolate croissants, homemade puff pastry, and layer cakes.

And French Macarons, like these beauties!

Macarons are a complicated dessert to start making.  Start making being the key words.  The key to making macarons is to start with a good recipe and know the process.  Once you have these, then you will quickly get a hang of it and be addicted!  You also need to be patient.  Don't rush the process.  Follow directions and everything will come together.  Don't be discouraged if it takes you a couple times to get the process.  Be confident and you will get it!

These macarons are fun, colorful, and elegant.  They are lavender macarons filled with a pretty purple basic buttercream.  I dyed the macarons pink to add an extra girly touch.  To get the lavender flavor, I topped the macarons shells with small lavender buds that I purchased them from Williams and Sonoma.   These buds added just enough lavender flavor to add a perfect floral touch without being too overwhelming.

If you want to make macarons but don't have lavender (or don't want to go out and get lavender), you always make these without any extra flavorings.  No matter what you do, these Lavender Macarons are beautiful and delicious, and would be a perfect addition to any occasion.

PS -- I went to a wonderful Food Blogging Festival this past weekend!  Pictures & Details tomorrow :)

Lavender Macarons

For Printable Recipe, Click here!

Makes: About 30 Macarons

*Measuring the ingredients in weight in necessary in making macarons.  Because of this, a kitchen scale is needed in making them*

Macaron Shells
90 gr Egg Whites
30 gr Sugar
200 gr Powdered (Confectioners) Sugar
110 gr Almond

Basic Buttercream

1 ½ (3 sticks) Unsalted Butter (Softened)
3 cups Confectioners Sugar
1/8 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract

Lavender Buds, for toping the shells

Pink and Purple Food Coloring (Optional)

To make the macaron shells, place the egg whites in the bowl of stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment.  Whip the egg whites until they begin to foam, about 2 minutes. Slowly add the sugar to the egg whites while the mixer is still going.  You might need to stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl a couple times.  Continue to whip the egg whites until stiff peaks have formed.

While the egg whites are whipping, combine the powdered sugar and almonds in a food processor and pulse until the almonds are finely ground.  If you cannot get your almonds to grind fine enough, sift the mixture and then pulse the almonds again that did not sift. 

Once the almonds are finely ground, add the mixture to the whipped egg whites.  Fold the egg whites quickly at first to break up some of the air.  Then continue to fold the mixture carefully until the batter flows like a thick ribbon.  It should take no more than 50 folds for the batter to reach the right consistency.  To color the shells, add a few drops of the pink food coloring (I prefer to use gel or powdered food coloring to not add any extra water to the batter).  If desired, add more coloring to make the color more concentrated.

Using a piping bag fitted with large round tip (I used Ateco #808), pipe small rounds onto a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat (parchment paper works good too).  The rounds should be no larger than 1.5 inch in diameter.  Be careful to not pipe the rounds to close to each other – give space for them to spread.

Sprinkle the tops of each macaron shell with lavender, about 1/8 teaspoon. 

Let the macaron shells sit for at least 30 minutes, until their shells are hardened.  Preheat the oven to 280 degrees F. 

While the macarons are baking, make the buttercream.  Cream the butter in the bowl of stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. 

Add the confectioners sugar and salt and mix (gradually increasing in speed) until the sugar is fully incorporated, about 5 minutes.  You may need to stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl a couple times. 

Add the vanilla and whisk until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Once the buttercream is creamy and airy, the buttercream is done! 

To color the buttercream, add about 10 drops of the purple food coloring to the frosting.  Mix until the food coloring had colored all of the frosting and no white is showing. 

Back to the macaron shells.  Bake the shells for 15-20 minutes.

Cool the macarons on the baking sheets and then transfer to a wire rack.  Match the macaron shells in pairs.  Place each pair next to each other, with one of the shells topside down. 

To fill the macarons, pipe a small round on the macaron shell that it topside down.  Top with the other matching macaron shell.  Serve and enjoy :)!

Macaron recipe from Tartelette.  Buttercream recipe adapted from Annie Eats.