Orange Macarons
Bright and citrusy orange macarons are filled with fresh mandarin orange buttercream that tastes just like an orange creamsicle!
Ingredients
Shell Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups + 2 tsp powdered sugar
- 1 ¾ cup blanched super-fine almond meal
- 3-4 large egg whites
- ½ cup + 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- ¼ tsp cream of tartar
- 1-2 drops orange gel food coloring
Orange Buttercream
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- pinch fine sea salt
- 2 tablespoon mandarin orange juice
- 2 mandarins, zested
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped mint
Instructions
Make the Shells
- Flip two baking sheets upside down and line them with silicone baking mats (my preferred method) or parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, sift together the powdered sugar and almond meal.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk the egg whites and cream of tartar on medium-low speed until foamy. Slowly sprinkle in the sugar and add the food coloring. Increase the speed to medium-high and continue whisking until stiff peaks form.
- Use a rubber spatula to gently fold the almond meal/powdered sugar into the stiff egg whites. Scrape the batter against the sides and bottom of the bowl. The batter is ready when it looks glossy and flows in slow ribbons off the spatula. You can also try to draw a figure 8 with the batter. After 30 seconds, look for the 8 to have soft edges to know it's ready.
- Fill a piping bag fitted with a small round piping tip. Pipe the batter into 1 ½-inch rounds spaced 2 inches apart. Tap the baking sheets on the counter to release any air bubbles. You can pop them with a toothpick.
- Let the macarons sit at room temperature until the shells feel dry, about 30-60 minutes.
- While the macarons are resting, preheat your oven to 300F/149C. This temperature could range from 275 F-325 F, I recommend testing a few and seeing what works best for your oven!
- Bake each tray separately for about 13-14 minutes. Touch the top of the shell. If it moves, give it 2 more minutes. The top shouldn't budge from the food when they are done baking. Remove the tray from the oven and let it cool completely on a wire cooling rack before filling.
Make the Buttercream
- In a stand mixing bowl, combine the butter and powdered sugar. Mix on low until combined, then increase the speed to medium and mix until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Add the mandarin juice, zest, and fresh mint and mix on low until completely combined. Then increase the speed to medium again and whip until light and fluffy.
Assemble
- Match up like-sized shells. Pipe about 1 tablespoon of buttercream onto one shell and sandwich it with the other half.
- Place the cookies on a baking sheet or container and let them mature in the fridge overnight to soften.
Notes
*Measure your flour properly. This is my #1 baking tip! Do not ever scoop a measuring cup into your flour as this always leads to using too much flour. Instead, use the spoon-level method. This means fluffing the flour first, then spooning it into your measuring cup/spoon. For the BEST results, use a kitchen scale!*
Sprinkles: You can use any kind of sprinkle you want for the shells, or you can leave them plain!
Color: As long as you use gel or powder food coloring, you can color the shells any way you desire.
Filling: Not a fan of orange buttercream? You could fill these with ganache, orange curd, vanilla buttercream, or lemon buttercream!
NOTE: Naturally, the macarons will harden in the fridge so before eating, leave them out at room temperature for 30-60 minutes to soften.