Lemon poppy seed macarons didn’t quite make the grade for citrus summer, but they are delicious enough to share with you all here on the blog!
Lemon & poppy seed is such a classic combination and these macarons really allow them both to shine through. The shells are studded with poppy seeds and the filling is a luscious, light lemon buttercream. The buttercream is honestly good enough to just eat with a spoon, but I really recommend using it to make these macarons. They’re goooood.
I left the shells their natural colour without using any food colouring, but the problem with this is they often brown slightly as they’re baking. You can see in the photos, some are a nice off-white colour & some are brown. Feel free to use food colouring if you want to. Maybe a nice light yellow to really emphasize the lemon? It’s up to you, a choose-your-own-adventure story!
I used lemon curd for the buttercream because I feel it has a slightly gentler flavour that straight lemon juice. It also gives a nice creaminess to the buttercream, which I love. Lemons and poppy seeds, you guys, it’s a winning combination. If making macarons still makes you a little nervous, check out my tips & tricks!
Lemon Poppy Seed Macarons
Ingredients
- Macaron Shells:
- 275g almond flour
- 250g powdered sugar
- 210g sugar
- 210g egg whites
- 2 tbsp. poppy seeds
- Lemon Buttercream:
- 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/3 cup lemon curd
- 2 tbsp. heavy whipping cream
Directions
- Step 1 Shells:
- Step 2 To start, put the almond flour, powdered sugar, and poppy seeds 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. Add in vanilla bean seeds and food colouring, beating to combine. 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 Filling:
- Step 8 Place the butter in a bowl and beat until light and fluffy. Add in the powdered sugar and mix to combine.
- Step 9 Add the lemon curd and heavy cream, then beat for 3-4 minutes, until the buttercream is light and fluffy.
- Step 10 Assembly:
- Step 11 Pipe the buttercream onto one half of each macaron pair. Place the other half on top and sandwich together slightly.
- Step 12 Store in an airtight container in the fridge. Allow to come to room temperature before eating.
