Description
Delicate French blueberry macarons dance with elegance, offering a perfect balance of sweet almond shells and luscious blueberry filling. Crisp meringue cookies melt gracefully, inviting you to savor sophisticated French pastry craftsmanship in each delightful bite.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients:
- 125 g (1 cup) almond flour
- 125 g (1 cup) powdered sugar
- 30 g (1/4 cup) granulated sugar
Wet Ingredients:
- 100 g (3 large) egg whites
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
Blueberry Filling and Decoration:
- 150 g (1 cup) fresh blueberries
- 100 g (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
- 100 g (1/2 cup) granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- Purple food coloring (optional)
Instructions
- Sift almond flour and powdered sugar together in a large bowl, ensuring a smooth, lump-free mixture.
- In a separate clean, dry bowl, whip egg whites with cream of tartar until soft peaks form.
- Gradually add granulated sugar while continuing to whip, creating a glossy, stiff meringue that holds its shape.
- Gently fold the dry ingredients into the meringue using a spatula, employing a delicate macaronage technique until the batter flows like lava.
- Transfer the mixture to a piping bag fitted with a round tip and pipe uniform circles onto parchment-lined baking sheets.
- Tap the baking sheets firmly on the counter to release air bubbles and let macarons rest at room temperature for 30-45 minutes to develop a skin.
- Preheat oven to 300°F (150°C) and bake macarons for 15-18 minutes, rotating halfway through for even coloring.
- For the blueberry filling, combine blueberries, sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice in a saucepan, cooking over medium heat until thickened.
- Remove blueberry compote from heat, stir in vanilla extract, and let cool completely.
- Cream butter until smooth, then blend in cooled blueberry mixture and optional food coloring.
- Once macarons and filling are cool, pipe blueberry buttercream between macaron shells.
- Refrigerate assembled macarons for 24 hours to develop optimal texture and flavor intensity.
Notes
- Ensure almond flour and powdered sugar are finely sifted to prevent lumpy, grainy macaron shells that can ruin the delicate texture.
- Use room temperature egg whites for a more stable meringue that whips up beautifully and creates those signature smooth macaron tops.
- Let macarons rest before baking to develop a crucial skin that helps create the classic crisp exterior and signature ruffled “feet” during baking.
- Experiment with natural blueberry powder or extract to intensify the fruit flavor without adding excess moisture to the buttercream filling.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 15-18 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: French
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 12
- Calories: 190
- Sugar: 16 g
- Sodium: 20 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 24 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 40 mg