New Macaron Recipe : Orange Blossom

New Macaron Flavor  So delicious!

For additional pictures and flavors, please see my earlier recipes:

Other recipes and pictures:
Lavender Vanilla Macaron Recipe
Chocolate Raspberry Skyr Macaron Recipe
Orange Blossom Macaron Recipe
Rose Vanilla Elderflower Macaron Recipe
Eggnog with Cinnamon & Nutmeg Macaron Recipe
Vanilla-Ginger Macaron Recipe
Snickerdoodle Macaron Recipe

Orange Vanilla Macaron Recipe

Green Tea and Honey Macaron Recipe
Green Tea Vanilla Macaron Recipe

Crunchy outer shell, creamy & chewy inside. 

Orange Blossom Macaron Recipe

Vanilla shell with creamy orange flavored meringue buttercream with a hint of floral orange blossom.  So good!

The recipe makes 36 1.75” diameter shells for 18 finished cookies. Recipe makes about 42 1.50” size macarons.

Dry ingredients.

In one bowl mix:

90g almond flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill Super Fine Flour)

90g powdered sugar (I used organic powdered sugar from Whole Foods)

Pinch of salt

Sift the dry ingredients through a sieve, or aerate with food processor to remove clumps.

In a separate medium-sized bowl make the meringue mixture.

You’ll need:

2 egg whites (about 70g)
1/4 tsp white vinegar

48 g granulated sugar (about 1/4 c)

1tsp vanilla
Food coloring if desired.

Additional ingredients for the Meringue Buttercream are listed below

Add the vinegar and vanilla to the egg whites. Whip until frothy.  Slowly add sugar, one tsp at a time, while continuing to beat egg whites until stiff peaks are formed about 3-5 minutes. (If you are adding food coloring, add 1-2 drops of gel coloring just before stiff peaks are reached.)

When meringue mixture is done, sprinkle 1/2 of dry mix over the meringue and gentle fold the dry mix into the meringue using a rubber spatula.  Be careful not to deflate the meringue.  Sprinkle other half of dry mix onto the meringue. Continue to fold the dry mix into the meringue mixture being careful not to deflate the meringue. 

The macaron mixture is done when the batter is thick and “lava like”.  It should fall off the rubber spatula in a thick ribbon and begin to self-level after about 20 seconds.  If the batter “ribbon” is still thick or bumpy, fold the batter a few more times.  Do NOT over mix.  It is better to undermix than overmix the batter.  

Pipe the macarons onto a silicone macaron template, or onto a parchment lined cookie sheet. About 1”- 1.25” rounds as they will spread before baking. Place them about an inch apart to allow them to expand. Tap the tray onto the countertop or tap the bottom of the tray with your hand to remove air bubbles.

Let sit for 30 minutes until the shells are dry to the touch. You may need to set in oven or put a fan on in the kitchen during the resting period to avoid the effects of humidity. (Don’t rush this step. It can take up to 40 minutes (or longer) for the macarons to dry out .... depending on the weather or texture of your batter.)

The cookie shells are ready to bake when you can touch the cookie and no batter sticks to your finger.  If you do not allow proper resting time, your cookies will not rise and create the “feet” that are such an identifiable feature of a macaron. While the cookies are resting, preheat the oven to 315 degrees.

During the resting period, begin the filling:

Orange Blossom Meringue Buttercream Filling (enough to make 20-22 sandwiched cookies)

1Tbsp dry egg white powder ( I used Judee’s Dry Egg White Powder)

2tbsp warm water

1tbsp fresh squeezed orange juice (at room temperature)

1tsp orange blossom water 

60g powdered sugar

6tbsp softened butter 

(For a thicker butter cream, increase the powdered sugar to 75g and the butter to 8tbsp)

Begin by rehydrating the egg white powder with the 3 liquid ingredients (water, orange blossom water and orange juice.) Stir gently and smooth out any clumps that form.   Whisk on low until soft peaks begin to form about 3-4 minutes.  Slowly add the powdered sugar while continuing to whisk on low speed.  Gradually increase the speed to high to get stiffer peaks. Gradually add in the softened butter and continue to whisk the mixture until a thick and creamy filling is created. 

Note: If the buttercream curdles. Do not be alarmed. The buttercream can be salvaged.  Simply boil hot water.  Place the buttercream in a glass or stainless steel bowl over the hot water.....don’t let it touch the water.  You just want to let the steam heat the edges of your bowl.  If you have a digital thermometer, heat until the edges are about 68-70 degrees Fahrenheit.  If you don’t have a digital thermometer, heat until the edges start to melt slightly, but the center remains cool. Remove from steam and whip the mixture at low speed initially and increasing to high speed to emulsify the ingredients again and regain the creamy consistency.  If the mixture becomes too cold again and begins to re-curdle, place bowl over steaming water again.

Spoon into a piping bag with a round tip and set in the fridge to chill slightly, if desired. 

When the macarons are dry to the touch, bake one tray at a time for 13-14 minutes in a 315 degree Fahrenheit preheated oven.

The cookies are done if they lift easily off the mat or parchment when cooled. If they are still moist or sticky, bake a couple more minutes or let them sit in the warm oven for a few additional minutes. Do not over bake or you will be left with a very brittle cookie.  You want the outer shell to be crunchy, but the inside to still be a little chewy.

Remove the filling from the fridge to soften slightly while the shells cool. Let the macaron shells cool completely before adding the filling.  Pair the macaron shells by matching sizes. Pipe a small amount of filling on one shell.  Gently twist the top shell onto the bottom shell to evenly distribute the filling around the shell.

Place the macarons into an airtight container and place in the refrigerator.  Best eaten within 3-4 days, or freeze any remaining cookies. Apparently they taste best after about 24 hrs when the flavors and textures have been able to meld.  But we love them within the first 5 minutes! 

When ready to serve, remove from fridge (or freezer) and let the cookies reach room temperature before enjoying!

Sifting the dry ingredients and pressing out the clumps

Frothing the egg whites for the meringue

Folding the dry ingredients into the meringue.

Macaron shells resting.

Ready to enjoy!

Materials Used:
You can use parchment paper in place of the silicone mats and you can use a plastic ziplock type bag in place of the pastry bag. I purchased the orange blossom water at Whole Foods.  I bought the one on Amazon (shown below), but it broke during shipping. Smelled great, but I couldn’t use it.)
 

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I purchased the above items at full-price. I did not receive a discount or a promotional credit in exchange for my post. I'm simply linking to the items that I actually bought and used in this recipe in case others might be interested.