Blood Orange Pecan Macarons
Step-by-step instructions to make the most delicious blood orange pecan macarons. They are the perfect treat for citrus season!
Servings: 16
Ingredients
For the Shells
- 1 1/2 C confectioners sugar
- 1/2 C pecans
- 1/2 C almond flour
- 1 zest of 1 blood orange
- 3 egg whites room temperature
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/2 C granulated sugar
- orange gel food coloring
For the Buttercream
- 8 Tb unsalted butter softened
- 1 1/2 C confectioners sugar
- 2 Tb heavy cream (or whole milk)
- 1 zest of 1 blood orange
- 1/2 tsp orange extract
- 1 juice of 1 blood orange
Instructions
To Make the Shells
- To start the shells, add the confectioners sugar, pecans, almond flour, and orange zest to a food processor and pulse until it’s very fine. Sift this mixture into a bowl. You’ll likely end up with some pecan pieces left in the sifter. Add 1 Tb of them to the mix and discard the rest.
- Using the whisk attachment on your mixer, begin mixing the egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt until it begins to foam.
- Slowly add the granulated sugar and continue to mix on medium/high until stiff peaks form. This can take up to 5ish minutes. You know you have a stiff peak when you pull out the whisk and a peak forms that does not fold over. Be careful not to overmix!
- Once you have stiff peaks, add gel food coloring and mix for another 30-60 seconds, until combined.
- Remove your bowl from the mixer and add the dry ingredients to the meringue mixture. Fold the mixture with a rubber spatula until it’s smooth, shiny, and can be drizzled into a figure 8 in the bowl.
- Transfer the batter to a pastry bag and pipe the batter to fill the circles on your Silicone Macaron Baking Mats. If you don’t have the mats, you can draw circles on a sheet of parchment and then pipe your macarons on the opposite side. Just make sure the silicone mat/parchment is on a baking sheet.
- Once all of your macaron shells are piped, tap the baking sheet on the counter a few times to release any air bubbles. Don’t be afraid to slam it pretty hard, just make sure you have a firm grip on the parchment if that’s what you use.
- Let the shells sit on the counter for 25-30 minutes to dry. The tops should be dry to the touch.
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. As soon as you put your macarons in the oven, reduce the temperature to 325. (I’ve tried 350, 325, and even 300, but this method works the best for these from my experience.)
- Bake for 13 minutes. They should have their signature ‘feet’ at this point. Remove from the oven and transfer the silicone mat/parchment to a rack to cool. Don’t try to remove them until they’ve had time to cool! If you’re doing a second batch, don’t forget to raise your oven temperature back to 375.
To Make the Buttercream Filling
- Use your mixer to whip the softened butter until it’s light and creamy.
- Add the remaining ingredients and mix for about 2 minutes.
- Fill a piping bag with the buttercream and fill your shells!
- Store your macarons in the fridge and let them come to room temperature before enjoying.