Lemon macarons

Preparation – 30 minutes

Start with the lemon curd, so it can cool off in the meantime. You can ADD  a bit of corn flour so the curd will be a bit thicker, this way you make sure it won't be too runny if you add it between the macarons.

As soon as the curd has cooled off, add it to the piping-bag without nozzle. The almond flour has to be really fine, if there are any lumps the macarons will fail. During baking the lumps will end up at the bottom, that creates a hollow macaron.

It's best to add the almond flour along with the lemon zest and powdered sugar in a food processor or coffee grinder to make it as fine as possible. After that's done, you have to sieve to make really sure the lumps are gone.

It's important the macarons are equal, the easiest way to reach this is by drawing circles on parchment paper. The diameter should be around 3 cm (1,9 inch).

Turn the paper around after drawing, otherwise the ink will get onto the macarons during baking.  

Finishing the lemon macarons – 1,5 hours

Degrease the bowl of your standmixer, the easiest way is using a few drops of lemon juice and a paper kitchen towel. Add the egg whites and beat them until they're stiff. Gradually add 225 gram sugar, a pinch of salt and a few drops of lemon juice.

As soon as the egg whites has become shiny and soft, remove the whisk attachment and add the almond flour mixture. Combine well with a silicone spatula, but don't overmix it.

To finish add the yellow food colouring until you've reached the desired color. Don't use too much! add the egg white mixture into the piping-bag with a round nozzle and create the rounds on the parchment paper.

Make sure they're not too high. The pointy top will disappear, so don't worry.  

Now wait for an hour, so the top of the macarons will become dry. This is important for the look of the macaron, especially the bottom. Pre-heat the oven to 150 degrees celsius or 300 degrees fahrenheit.

Bake the macarons for about 12 to 14 minutes. The exact time depends on the oven and temperature. Don't open the oven too quickly and let them cool off completely.

You'll maybe think the macarons are too hard, but don't worry, they will be softer after adding the filling. Add a bit of the lemon curd in the middle of half of the macarons and place the second macarons op top.

Store them in the fridge in an airtight container. Enjoy!