Lavender Macarons
Lavender Macarons! French Macarons scented with lavender blossoms and sandwiched with lavender buttercream. Add a dollop of optional fruit preserves in the filling for contrasting flavor.
If this is your first time making French Macarons you might want to visit my Vanilla Macaron page. In that post you’ll find lots of macaron making tips, troubleshooting photos and detailed information.
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
- Lavender – You can adjust the amount of lavender based on the potency of your lavender and your personal preference.
- Egg Whites – Use fresh egg whites that have been aged overnight in the refrigerator. Do not use pasteurized egg whites unless the carton specifically states they can be used for meringue.
- Cream of Tarter – Acidifies the batter. Acidic foods don’t brown as well as less acidic foods. The added acidity prevents over-browning of the macarons shells.
- Food Color – Optional. But we do eat with our eyes so the pale purple color helps reinforce the lavender flavor.
- Apricot Preserves – The preserves are a nice compliment to the lavender. See the tips section below for more suggested fillings.
How to make Lavender Macarons
See the recipe card for detailed measurements and instructions.
- Place the almond flour, sugar and lavender buds in the bowl of a food processor.
- Pulse to combine the ingredients and break down the lavender.
- Sift the mixture. Rub any lavender buds left in the sieve to finish breaking them down.
- Whisk the ingredients to distribute the lavender.
- Whip the egg whites to soft peak then add the sugar.
- Add drops of purple color until you get the color you like. Whip to full peak.
- Fold the macaron base into the whites in two batches.
- Continue folding until the mixture is smooth and shiny but not runny.
- If you drizzle the batter over the surface it should hold a ribbon shape for several seconds before smoothing out.
- Pipe the macaron shells onto a sheet of parchment paper set over the guide to keep the size of the shells consistent. Set the shells aside for 30 minutes to dry while the oven preheats.
- To check if the shells are baked gently shimmy the top of the shell. If it jiggles separately from the “foot” the inside is still too soft. If it feels soft but is attached to the foot it’s done.
- Pair up the cooled shells by size. Flip over one shell per pair.
- Pipe buttercream over each flipped shell. If using preserves, pipe a ring of buttercream around the edge of each flipped shell. Pipe a dollop of preserves into the middle of the buttercream rings.
- Sandwich the cookies gently, handling the cookies by the edges and not the tops.
Pastry Chef tips for making Lavender Macarons
- Apricot preserves are a nice complimentary flavor to the lavender buttercream filling. Lemon curd, Blueberry Preserves and Blackberry Preserves also pair nicely with lavender. White Chocolate Ganache would also be a lovely filling for these macarons.
- If your oven retains a lot of steam while baking you may want to prop the door of the oven open with a wooden spoon to release excess moisture. Excess moisture will cause the shells to buckle and crack while baking.
Storage
- The finished cookies should be refrigerated in a covered container for a couple of hours or overnight before serving.
- Macarons can be stored at room temperature for 1-2 days or in the refrigerator to up to a week.
- The cookies can be frozen for up to a month.
More lavender recipes:
- Crisp & Thin Lavender Cookies
- Lavender Lemon Angel Food Cake
- Blackberry Lavender Preserves
- Lavender Honey Ice Cream
- Apricot Lavender Shortbread
More Macaron Recipes:
- Chocolate Macarons
- Lemon Blueberry Macarons
- Strawberry Rosé Macarons
- 100% Pistachio Macarons
- Baileys Macarons
- Eggnog Macarons
If you love this recipe as much as I do, I’d really appreciate a 5-star review.
Lavender Macaron Recipe
Lavender scented French Macarons sandwiched with Lavender buttercream. Add a dollop of optional fruit preserves in the filling for contrasting flavor.
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Ingredients
Macaron Base Mix
- 6 oz almond Flour
- 2 oz granulated sugar
- 8 oz confectioner sugar
- 1 tablespoon lavender blossoms (see note)
Macaron Shells
- 3 large egg whites (aged, see note)
- 1 ½ oz confectioner sugar
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 12 oz Macaron Base Mix
- Purple gel food color (optional)
Buttercream
- 4 oz unsalted butter (room temperature)
- Remaining Macaron Base Mix
- Purple gel food color (optional)
Assembly
- ½ cup apricot preserves (see note)
Instructions
Make The Base Mix
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Pulse 6 oz almond Flour, 2 oz granulated sugar, 8 oz confectioner sugar and 1 tablespoon lavender blossoms in a food processor to combine. Move the mixture to a sieve and sift into a bowl. If some of the lavender blossoms are in the sieve rub them against the sieve to break them down. Whisk the ingredients after sifting to be sure they are well combined. Divide the base – setting aside 12 oz (336g) for the macaron shells and the remaining for the buttercream filling.
Make the Macaron Shells
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Use a biscuit cutter to draw 24 2" circles on a 1/2 sheet of parchment paper. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and put the paper with the circles underneath the parchment on one of the pans.
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Whip 3 large egg whites with ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar to soft peak. With the mixer running add 1 ½ oz confectioner sugar. Reduce the speed to medium low and add the food coloring, 1 drop at a time, until you have a color that you like. Whip to full peak.
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Fold the 12 oz Macaron Base Mix into the whites in two batches. Continue folding until it becomes soft and shiny, but not thin and runny. Scoop the batter into a pastry bag fitted with a round tip (or cut the tip of a disposable bag). Pipe the batter using the circles as a guide to keep the size consistent. Set the pan aside to allow the cookies to dry for 30-60 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 300 °F.
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Touch the top of a cookie to make sure it's dry to the touch, it can be a bit tacky but shouldn't completely stick to your finger. Bake for 7-8 minutes then rotate the trays. Bake for another 5-6 minutes until the shells are dry and the centers are soft (see note).
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Allow the shells to cool completely. You can use a small offset spatula to release the shells from the parchment. Be careful handling the shells, it’s very easy to crack the smooth surface.
Make the Buttercream Filling
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Combine 4 oz unsalted butter with the Remaining Macaron Base Mix and the optional food coloring. Whip on medium-high speed until the buttercream lightens in color and becomes aerated.
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Scoop the buttercream into a clean pastry bag fitted with a small plain tip or cut the tip of a disposable bag. If using, pour the apricot preserves into a clean pastry bag fitted with a small plain tip or cut the tip of a disposable bag.
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Pair up the cooled shells by size. Flip over one shell per pair. Pipe buttercream over each flipped shell. If using preserves, pipe a ring of buttercream around the edge of each flipped shell. Pipe a dollop of preserves into the middle of the buttercream rings. Sandwich the cookies gently, handling the cookies by the edges and not the tops.
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The finished cookies should be refrigerated in a covered container for a couple of hours or overnight before serving. The cookies can also be frozen for several weeks.
Equipment
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Video
Notes
Adjust the amount of lavender based on the potency of your lavender and your personal preference.
Separate the egg whites at least a day and up to 3 days before baking. Store the whites in a bowl in the refrigerator. Remove from the refrigerator and allow them to come to room temperature before mixing the batter.
To check if the shells are baked gently shimmy the top of the shell. If it jiggles separately from the “foot” the inside is still too soft. If it feels soft but is attached to the foot it’s done.
Apricot preserves are a nice flavor partner for the lavender. You can just use buttercream as the filling. Lemon, blueberry or blackberry preserves also pair nicely with lavender.
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @eileen.bakingsense or tag #bakingsense!