Samantha Cookie Ingredients
Lemon Butter Cream Ingredients
Special Equipment
Cookie Instructions
- Add confectioners sugar and almond flour to a food processor.
- Pass almond mixture through a fine-mesh sieve.
- Transfer solids in sieve to food processor. Grind and sift again, pressing down on clumps. Repeat until less than 2 tablespoons of solids remains in sieve. Set aside
- In a second mixing bowl whisk egg whites and granulated sugar by hand to combine.
- Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Increase speed to medium-high and beat for another 2 minutes. Then beat on high for 2 – 4 more minutes. Stop beating when the egg mixture forms stiff glossy peaks when you lift the whish out of the bowl.
- Add food coloring. I have a gel paste food coloring in a little jar and find it hard to measure. I just use a knife and get a little dab on the end of it. I keep on adjusting amount until the desired color is achieved. Beat in the food coloring on high speed.
- Add dry ingredients all at once. Fold with a rubber spatula from bottom of bowl upward. Use the rubber spatula to scrape the sides while folding the mixture gently. Repeat just until batter flows like lava, 25 to 30 complete folds.
- Rest a pastry bag fitted with a 3/8-inch round tip inside a pint beer glass. Fold down the sides of the bag. Transfer batter to bag. Tie off the pastry bag to close.
- Place silicon mats on baking sheets.
- Pipe batter into each circle on the silicon mats. Start from the outside and work inward in a circular motion.
- Firmly tap baking sheets 5 times onto the counter top to release air bubbles.
- Let the macarons rest and dry for 30 – 60 minutes. To see if it’s ready to be baked, lightly touch it. If the batter doesn’t stick to your finger, then it’s ready.
- Preheat the oven to 300°F with the rack in the middle of the oven.
- Bake the macarons for 20-22 minutes. To check the doneness, remove one macaron. If the bottom does not stick, they are done.
- Let cool the macarons on baking sheets for at least 15 minutes, and then remove from the baking sheets onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Lemon Buttercream Instructions
- While macarons are drying, prepare the lemon buttercream.
- In mixing bowl use a hand or stand mixer with whisk attachment to beat the butter until fluffy.
- Add powdered sugar, heavy cream, lemon juice, lemon zest and salt and beat until well combined.
- Transfer the buttercream into a pastry bag and fill the macarons.
- It’s best to serve macarons the next day.
- Store the filled macarons in airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also freeze the filled macarons in airtight container for up to 5 months.
After writing this recipe and testing it our review was the butter cream was too sweet. Next time I will try 1/2 cup of confectioners sugar and adjust up to 3/4 cup depending on taste. Also there wasn’t butter cream. Next time I will double or triple the recipe.
