Finally getting around to combining two of my favourite things: tea and macarons! Introducing, Earl Grey macarons.
I’ve been wanting to make Earl Grey macarons for the LONGEST time and I finally got around to doing it a couple of weeks ago. I don’t know what took me so long to make these, but I’m so glad I did.
I was getting my ingredients ready to make these and was trying to think of what colour I wanted the shells to be and I instantly thought “PURPLE!”. Honestly, I had no idea why I thought purple was the right colour for these. Then I saw my Pinky’s Up tea in the cupboard and it all made sense.
My coworker got me this tea and if I’m honest I’ve only used it a couple of times. As much as I like the idea of loose leaf tea, I’m a tea in a hurry kind of girl. At work I have an entire draw filled with tea bags.
You could say I’m obsessed.
The Perfect Earl Grey Buttercream
I used an Earl Grey Swiss meringue buttercream from a cookbook I have for the filling and you guys, it is DELICIOUS. You steep the tea leaves in butter as it’s melting, let it sit, strain it, then put the infused butter in the fridge until it is a similar consistency to room temperature butter.
It smells good and it gives the Swiss meringue buttercream the perfect Earl Grey flavour. We’ve talked about this before, but I like this buttercream because it’s much less sweet than a traditional American buttercream. For all my baking, I definitely prefer treats that aren’t cloyingly sweet.
Anyway, we’ve got our traditional macaron shells dyed a beautiful purple. Then they are filled with the fluffiest, most delicious Earl Grey buttercream. I mean, they are the perfect treat for having with your cup of tea. Happy baking, friends!
Earl Grey Macarons
Ingredients
- Macaron Shells:
- 275g almond flour
- 250g powdered sugar
- 210g sugar
- 210g egg whites
- Purple gel food colouring (optional)
- Earl Grey Buttercream:
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened
- 3 tablespoons loose Earl Grey tea
- 3 large egg whites
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract
Directions
- Step 1 Shells:
- Step 2 To start, put the almond flour and powdered sugar in a food processor and blend thoroughly. Sift into a bowl to ensure there are no lumps.
- Step 3 In the bowl of a stand mixer (make sure it’s clean and dry), beat the egg whites until foamy. Slowly add the sugar, about 2 tbsp at a time, beating on a medium speed. Once the sugar has dissolved, increase speed to medium high and beat until a thick glossy meringue forms (if adding food colouring, add it now). The mixture should form stiff peaks and you should be able to tip the bowl over your head with none of the mixture coming out.
- Step 4 With a large, flat rubber spatula, gently fold 1/3 of almond flour/powdered sugar mixture into egg whites until combined. Repeat until all of the almond mixture has been added. Fold to combine until you see no streaks of almond flour in the batter. The batter should be pretty fluid, a lot of people describe as a lava-like consistency. It should run smoothly off the spatula when you pull it out. This part comes with practice. Once you know the consistency, you’ll just be able to feel when it’s ready.
- Step 5 Pipe the batter into circles onto parchment or silicone lined baking sheets. Bang the tray a few times on a table to remove air bubbles and allow to sit for about 30 minutes before baking. To see if they’re ready for baking, touch your finger to them. If you get batter on your finger, they need to rest longer.
- Step 6 While resting, preheat your oven to 300°F with a rack placed in the lower third of the oven. Bake, one sheet at a time, for 15-18 minutes (this depends on your oven, my old one was fine at 15 minutes, this one needs 17-18). The shells should cool completely before you remove them from the parchment/silicone.
- Step 7 Earl Grey Buttercream:
- Step 8 Place 3/4 cup of the butter in saucepan with the loose tea. Heat over medium heat until the butter melts, then reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let the tea steep for 5 minutes. Strain the butter through a fine mesh sieve set over a bowl and refrigerate the butter until it reached the same consistency as softened butter, about 30 minutes. Small bits of tea may remain in the butter.
- Step 9 Place the egg whites and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Gently whisk until combined.
- Step 10 Place mixing bowl over a pan of simmering water to create a double-boiler. Whisking intermittently, heat the egg mixture until it registers 160°F on a candy thermometer (or very hot to the touch). Carefully transfer the bowl back to the stand mixer.
- Step 11 Using the whisk attachment, whip the egg mixture on high for 8 to 10 minutes until medium-stiff, glossy peaks and the outside of the mixing bowl returns to room temperature. Turn the mixer to medium-low and slowly add both the remaining plain butter and the Earl Grey tea butter (a couple tablespoons at a time).
- Step 12 Stop the mixer and switch to the paddle attachment. Add vanilla and mix on medium-high until silky smooth, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Step 13 Assembly:
- Step 14 Pipe the Earl Grey frosting onto one half of each macaron pair. Sandwich gently together. Macarons should be refrigerated until ready to eat. They are best if they have been out of the fridge for 30 minutes before eating. Refrigerating helps the flavours build and letting it sit out a bit before eating will mean you are enjoying it at the ideal macaron texture.
