Brightly colored two-toned macaron shells, bursting with super citrusy blood orange buttercream and a dollop of blood orange curd. These blood orange macarons are like biting into a piece of sweet citrus fruit, what’s not to love?
Ahhh, the macaron! A notoriously tricky cookie to master. It took me many attempts to feel comfortable with the process of making macarons but I promise the payoff will be worth all the effort. With a little practice and patience, you too can be baking up these little beauties in your own kitchen!
One of the many awesome things about macaron is the endless amount of flavor options! The primary flavors of macarons come from the fillings. While the shells maintain a signature texture and look, they are most easily transformed by their color rather than flavor.
What does a blood orange taste like?
Today I’m sharing my recipe for blood orange macarons! They are sweet, just barely tart, and bursting with juicy citrus flavor. If you never had a blood orange before they taste like a cross between a navel orange and berries. Some varieties even have a slightly floral aspect to their taste as well.
Blood oranges have a distinctively colored inside flesh that can range from mottled red/orange to a deep ‘blood’ red. In this recipe we’re using both the juice and zest from the blood orange to make a curd and buttercream for double the flavor!
The color of both the curd and buttercream will vary depending on what color the insides of your blood oranges are. It’s super fun to see the different shades of orange, pink or purple that can appear when baking with this special fruit.
Before getting started…
- Read through the recipe at least twice to fully understand the method and equipment needed.
- Make the blood orange curd the day before or several hours before making the macarons. The curd requires lots of time in the fridge to chill and set up properly.
- Measure out all macaron ingredients prior to starting and allow the egg whites to come to room temperature.
- If you are new to baking macarons start by coloring the shells with just one gel color. It’s more important to get the technique right first before attempting multiple colors. 😊
How to Make Macarons
This post and recipe may feel long and daunting but don’t worry. Stick with me here and I’ll fill you in on everything I know about making macarons. Everything from necessary equipment, tips and things to watch out for, and how to make multi-colored macaron shells (see the recipe notes).
Equipment Needed:
- Kitchen scale – this is non-negotiable! A good scale is required to properly measure out the ingredients for the macaron shells.
- Candy or Infrared Thermometer – needed to measure the temperature of the sugar syrup. A candy thermometer will attach to the side of your saucepan and sit in the liquid syrup. I find that it’s such a small amount of syrup that you need a very small saucepan to properly submerge the candy thermometer in for an accurate temperature reading. If you run into a similar issue, try using an infrared thermometer instead. You can pick one up from a local hardware store.
- Heavy duty stand mixer – such as a KitchenAid. We’ll use this to whip the eggs whites and sugar syrup into a thick and glossy meringue.
- Large sieve – or food processor. You’ll need the almond flour and confectioners sugar to be well sifted and free of any large lumps.
- Large mixing bowl – for mixing the batter.
- Large rubber spatula – to fold the meringue and dry paste mixture together.
- Piping bag & round piping tip – to create even and round piped macarons.
- Parchment paper or silicone baking mats – to line the baking sheets and prevent sticking.
- 2-3 High quality baking sheets – higher quality baking sheet pans will resist warping in the oven.
Tips for success:
- Consistency of dry ingredients – use a finely ground almond flour and sift together with the confectioners sugar, discarding any large granules. If necessary, use a food processor to grind the two ingredients into a fine powder.
- Sugar Syrup – carefully monitor the temperature of the syrup so as not to over heat it. Heating beyond 244°F will cause the sugar to become too firm.
- Meringue – whip the meringue just until stiff peaks are reached. Meringue should be thick and glossy. If you over mix it will become lumpy and dry, causing hollow shells.
- Macaronage (mixing) – swipe the spatula around the outside of the bowl and cut through the middle of the batter to combine the meringue with the dry ingredient/paste mixture. The batter should flow smoothly but not become runny. Stop mixing often to check the consistency. Better to under mix than over mix. You should be able to draw a figure 8 with the batter as it falls off the spatula without it breaking.
- Piping – hold the piping bag straight up and down. Apply even pressure while piping each round. Release pressure before flicking away the piping tip.
- Air Bubbles – bang the baking sheets on the counter to release any air bubbles that may be trapped in the piped macarons. If any stubborn air bubbles remain, use a toothpick to pop them. Air bubbles can lead to cracking or bumpy shells, so best to get rid of them.
- Drying – allow the macarons to dry at room temperature until a ‘skin’ forms on the outside of the shell. The shell should not be sticky when lightly touched. The ‘skin’ encourages the macarons to pop up when baking, rather than spread out, creating the little ruffled feet at the bottoms of the shells.
Phew, that felt like a lot! I hope you made it through all of that information and found it helpful. If you have any further questions about making macarons please leave a comment on this post or reach out on Instagram!
Happy baking friends!
Print
Blood Orange Macarons
- Prep Time: 1 – 1.5 hours (includes resting)
- Cook Time: 12 min
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: about 30 filled macarons 1x
Description
Two-toned macaron shells filled with bright blood orange buttercream and a dollop of blood orange curd.
Ingredients
Scale
Blood Orange Curd
- 1/4 cup blood orange juice
- 2 tsp blood orange zest
- 4 egg yolks
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter, diced & room temperature
Macaron Shells
- 150 grams almond flour
- 150 grams confectioners sugar
- 110 grams egg whites (divided into two 55 gram portions)
- 150 grams granulated sugar
- 50 grams water
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Crimson, Orange, & Yellow gel food coloring (optional)
Blood Orange Buttercream
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar, sifted
- 1 tsp blood orange zest
- 3–4 tsp blood orange juice
Instructions
Blood Orange Curd
- In a small saucepan, whisk together the blood orange juice, zest, egg yolks and sugar. Cook over a medium heat, stirring continuously, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, or until it reaches a temperature of 160°F.
- Remove from the heat and strain the curd through a fine mesh sieve into a clean bowl. Add in the diced butter and whisk until butter is fully incorporated. Cover curd with plastic wrap, pressing it directly against the top of the curd to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight, until the curd is fully set.
Macaron Shells
- Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. If desired, place a template under the parchment paper with 1 1/4 – 1 1/2 inch diameter circles to use as a piping guide.
- Sift together the almond flour and confectioners sugar into a large bowl, discarding any large granules that remain in the sieve. Gently whisk to combine. Add in the first portion of egg whites (55 grams) to the bowl. Use a rubber spatula to mix egg whites into the dry ingredients to form a paste. (It might seem like there is not enough liquid to coat all of the dry ingredients, but keep mixing and a thick paste will form.)
- In a small saucepan, add in the granulated sugar and water. Gently stir to moisten all of the sugar. Use a candy thermometer to measure the temperature of the sugar mixture closely while cooking. Begin heating over a medium high heat and bring to a boil. (As the syrup boils it may splatter onto the sides of the pan. Use a damp pastry brush to gently wipe any splatters back into the syrup. This will help prevent crystallization.)
- When the sugar syrup reaches 240°F add the second portion of egg whites (55 grams) to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Begin whisking the egg whites on a medium – high speed until frothy. Once the sugar syrup reaches 244°F reduce the mixer to low speed and very carefully add in the hot syrup into the egg whites in a slow stream. Avoid hitting the whisk when adding the syrup to prevent it from splattering around the sides of the bowl.
- Once all the syrup is added increase the speed to high and whisk for 3-4 minutes, until the egg whites begin to form soft peaks. At this point, stop the mixer and add in the vanilla extract. You can also add in gel food coloring at this point, but only if you are making the shells one color. (*See note below for how to make two-toned macarons.) Continue whipping the egg whites for a few more minutes until they are thick, glossy and form stiff peaks (do not over beat). The meringue should have cooled down to room temperature.
- Take a large spatula full of the meringue and add it into the almond-sugar paste. Fold the meringue into the paste to begin to loosen the consistency. Add in the remaining meringue and continue folding into the batter, sweeping the spatula around the outside of the bowl and then cutting through the middle to combine. Keep mixing until the batter falls off the spatula in a “ribbon” and moves like slow lava. You should be able to draw a figure “8” with the batter as if falls off the spatula. The “ribbon” should smooth itself back into the bowl of batter after about 10 seconds. This is when the batter is ready to pipe.
- Transfer the batter to a large piping bag fitted with a medium sized round tip. Secure the end of the piping bag with a bag clip or a rubber band to prevent the batter from spilling out of the top. Onto the prepared baking sheet, pipe batter into even circles, about 1 1/4 – 1 1/2 inch in diameter, leaving about an inch spacing between each circle. Gently but firmly tap the baking sheet on your work surface a few times to release any air bubbles from the piped macarons. Pop any stubborn air bubbles gently with a toothpick.
- Let the piped macarons sit on the counter for 30-60 minutes to dry out and form a skin. Or until they no longer feel sticky when touched. This is when they are ready to bake.
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Bake one sheet at a time for 10-12 minutes. Macarons are done when the tops are set and there is little to no jiggle from the “feet” when lightly touched. Let macarons cool completely before removing from the baking sheet.
Blood Orange Buttercream
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until light and creamy. Add in the sifted confectioners sugar and continue mixing until fluffy, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- Add in the blood orange zest and 3 tsp blood orange juice. Beat together for 1 minute. If buttercream is too thick add in an additional tsp of blood orange juice. Beat on a medium to high speed for a few more minutes until everything is well mixed and the buttercream is light and fluffy.
- Place buttercream into a piping bag fitted with a medium round tip.
Assembly
- Match up pairs of similarly sized macaron shells. On one flat side pipe a ring of buttercream, leaving a hole in the middle. This will create a dam to hold in the curd.
- Dollop about 1/2 tsp or so of the blood orange curd into the center of the buttercream dam. Place the second macaron on top of the filling and press together gently to adhere.
- Allow filled macarons to rest in the fridge for a few hours or overnight for the best results. The meringue cookie will meld with the filling and create a soft chewy center while keeping the crisp outer shell.
- Let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving. Store macarons covered tightly with plastic wrap or in an airtight container in the fridge.
Notes
To make two-toned macarons:
- When whipping the meringue do not add any gel coloring. Instead divide the almond-sugar paste in half and place into two large bowls. Once the uncolored meringue has reached stiff peaks, divide in half to use among the two bowls.
- Add desired gel coloring to each bowl of the almond-sugar paste mixtures. For this recipe, I used crimson gel color for one bowl, and a combination of yellow and orange for the second bowl. (I used Wilton Color Right Gel Food Coloring).
- Continue with Step 6 in the recipe: adding the meringue to the almond-sugar paste and folding together until a “ribbon” consistency is reached. While you mix in the meringue the gel color will also be incorporated. Repeat with second bowl of paste / meringue.
- Piping: Fill two separate piping bags with each color of batter. Carefully snip off the ends of each piping bag and place both into a larger piping bag fitted with a medium round tip. Gently squeeze from the top of the large piping bag until both colors of batter begin to flow from the tip. Pipe macaron circles as instructed.
Keywords: macarons, cookies, blood orange, citrus, buttercream, curd
Check out a few of my other Macaron recipes!
- Salted Caramel Macarons
- Dark Chocolate Peppermint Macarons
- Classic French Macarons (using the French meringue method)
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