Blood Orange Macarons – An easy macaron recipe! Classic macaron shells filled with a blood orange buttercream. This is a classic French dessert that tastes incredible with the flavors of the beautiful blood orange!
Blood Orange Macarons
I am so excited to be back with yet another amazing macaron recipe. For this one, I decided to use the beautiful blood orange to give the filling a bright pop of citrus flavor and a pretty pink color! The shells of these macarons are classic macaron shells as I didn’t want to risk anything going wrong with those by adding extra ingredients while the filling is a buttercream made with freshly squeezed blood orange juice and blood orange zest. If you can’t find blood oranges at your local grocery store, feel fre to use regular oranges instead!
Now we all know that macarons are not the easiest dessert to make so to help you get through the process smoothly, I have pictures in the recipe card down below of the major steps so that you know that you are on the right track. Just take a deep breath, you’ve got this!
Common Questions About Making Blood Orange Macarons
What are blood orange macarons?
Blood orange macarons are classic macarons made by making shells from almond flour, powdered sugar, granulated sugar, and egg whites, baking them, and making a blood orange buttercream frosting to fill them with.
Why did my macaron shells crack?
Don’t forget to let the shells dry out for 20-30 minutes before baking them! This step is necessary to help prevent cracking.
What is the difference between a macaroon and a macaron?
Macaroons are a coconut based cookie while macarons are an almond flour and meringue based dessert that typically has a frosting filling in the middle of two macarons, like a cookie sandwich.
Are macarons hard to make?
Macarons are a difficult dessert to master but if you closely follow the instructions and are careful, they can be wonderfully rewarding to make!
What other types of macarons can I make?
Some of my personal favorite macarons include –
- Lavender Lemon Macarons
- Chai Macarons
- Earl Grey Macarons
- Strawberry Macarons
- Lemon Macarons
- Tiramisu Macarons
What do I need to make macarons?
So you can get as fancy or as basic as you want with your macaron supplies. I suggest having these items –
- Silicon mat or parchment paper – One of these are a must if you don’t want your macarons to get stuck to a pan and either will work perfectly fine. I usually use a plain silicon mat without any of the circles specifically for macarons because that’s just what I have but parchment paper will work well too. If you are new to making macarons and you want a guide, you can always draw circles that are 1.5″ across on parchment paper and place that right under your silicon mat so that you get the size right. Totally optional, I used to do it and it was helpful.
- Piping bags – These are a few dollars to pick up but I think they are super helpful for a wide variety of baked goods and decorating. Any type will do, just make sure that they are decently sized so that you can just put all of the frosting or batter in without having to refill it (because that just makes a mess). Worst case, use a gallon sized ziploc bag.
- Piping tips – So when I make macarons, I use a Wilton 2A or #10 as they are both pretty basic round tips that are about the same size across. I really suggest that you get one of those from your local craft or grocery store, they are a few dollars. Worst case, snip the end of a ziploc or piping bag so that there is a 3/8″ hole on one corner. For the filling, use any piping tip you want.
Do you need almond flour to make macarons?
Yes, almond flour is the key ingredient in a macaron. While some recipes use alternative flours instead of almond flour, it can be tricky to get right with how finicky macarons can be.
Do you eat macarons cold?
Yes, macarons should be stored in a refrigerator and only removed immediately before serving to keep them at their best.
Can I use other types of oranges?
Yes! Blood oranges can be tricky to find some times so feel free to use any type of orange such as valencia or navel instead. Alternatively, you can use 1/2 cup of orange marmalade in the frosting instead of the juice and zest.
What else can I make with blood oranges?
So many great things! Some of my favorites include –
Blood Orange Macarons
Blood Orange Macarons – An easy macaron recipe! Classic macaron shells filled with a blood orange buttercream. This is a classic French dessert that tastes incredible with the flavors of the beautiful blood orange!
Ingredients
For the Shells
- 90 grams egg whites *(See notes for imperial measurements)
- 90 grams granulated sugar
- 95 grams powdered sugar
- 95 grams almond flour
For the Filling
- 1 stick butter (softened)
- 2 1/4 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup blood orange juice
- 1 teaspoon blood orange zest
Instructions
For the Shells
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat mats.
- Over medium-low heat, warm up a small pot of water to simmering. In a heatproof bowl set over the water, add in the egg whites and granulated sugar and whisk until the sugar has fully dissolved - about 2 minutes.
- Transfer the egg and sugar mixture to a large mixing bowl and beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form.
- Using a mesh sieve, sift the powdered sugar and almond flour into the mixture, discarding large lumps.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the egg whites, making sure not to deflate them yet. Be gentle and make a J shape with your spatula, making sure to fold all the way to the bottom of the bowl. Once all of the dry ingreients have been incorporated, continue folding the meringue, but this time smushing the batter against the sides of the bowl. Continue to smush and fold the meringue until you can draw an 8 without the stream breaking - this is known as the "ribbon" or "lava" stage.
- Transfer the meringue to a piping bag fitted with a small round tip (I like Wilton 2A) and pipe 1" macaron shells onto the baking sheet, making sure to pipe them at least 2" apart.
- Hold the sheet a few inches off the counter and drop it straight down to remove air bubbles from the macarons - repeat 5-6 times. Pipe and drop the second tray the same way.
- Let the macarons rest for 25-30 minutes at room temperature, or until they have developed a skin.
- While the macarons rest, preheat your oven to 325 degrees F.
- Bake the rested macarons for 13 minutes, turning the tray halfway through baking.
- Allow the macarons to cool to room temperature before trying to remove them from the pan - otherwise they might stick.
For the Filling
- In a large mixing bowl, beat butter until it is light and airy.
- On low speed, add in the powdered sugar slowly.
- Add in the blood orange juice and zest. Turn the mixer to high speed and beat until the buttercream is fluffy- about 2 minutes.
- Transfer the mixture to a piping bag fitted with your choice of tip.
Assemble and Age
- Place the macarons into similar sized pairs.
- Pipe a small amount of the blood orange buttercream onto one shell of each pair and place the other shell on top.
- Press down gently, just until the buttercream reaches the edge of the macaron.
- Transfer the filled macarons to an airtight container and place them in the fridge to age overnight.
- Bring to room temperature before enjoying the next day.
Notes
* Don't have a kitchen scale? Don't worry, I translated the metric measurements to the imperial system (i.e. cups, tablespoons, etc).
- Egg whites - Just a touch over 1/3 cup (fluid measurement)
- Granulated sugar - Just under 1/2 cup (dry)
- Powdered sugar - 3/4 cup (dry)
- Almond flour - 1 cup
I've tested the recipe using these exact measurements and found that it worked perfectly. Obviously, it's ideal if you have a kitchen scale but this will work.
* Aging the macarons overnight is not necessary but it does help bring out the flavors.
* Piping around the edge of the macarons and then filling the center with white chocolate sauce is really good!
Never miss a Mildly Meandering recipe
Facebook / Instagram / Pinterest / Twitter
Make sure to check out the web story for this recipe by clicking HERE.