Follow this French method London fog macarons recipe to excite your tastebuds or impress your friends. These have an earl grey flavored French shell with a London fog buttercream filling. Macarons are generally considered a “harder” dessert to make. But with step by step pictures to help guide you through this recipe, you’ll be a master in no time!
Gather and measure all of your ingredients before starting. I recommend using an aluminum 1/4 sheet pan. If you are using a different kind of pan, the baking time may be different
Special Equipment Required:
- Handheld Mixer or Stand Mixer
- 1/2 Baking Sheet – Aluminum
- Silicone Baking Mat
- Piping Bags (2)
- Kitchen Scale
- Sifter
In a large bowl whisk the egg whites until they start to foam like picture 1. Then add the cream of tartar and whisk. Then gradually add the granulated sugar while whisking. Once all of the sugar is added whisk at high speed until you have medium peaks. Add in gel food coloring to achieve desired color. I used blue with a touch of orange.
Whisk until you have stiff peaks. This is the meringue. Then sift the almond flour, powdered sugar, and crushed up (or blended) tea leaves into an empty bowl. Then sift half of the already sifted mixture into the meringue. Double sifting guarantees no lumps in the shells.
Next, you will start the macaronage. This is essentially just folding the dry ingredients into the meringue. I have pictured above the two directions I switch back and forth from. The dot being the starting point. Once the first half of the dry ingredients are mostly combined, sift the rest into the shell mixture. Then continue to macaronage.
You will macaronage until you get a “flowing lava” consistency. You should also be able to make a “figure 8” with the batter like in picture 8.
Prepare the baking sheet by flipping it upside down (this helps the air flow be even so the feet are all even) and placing a silicone baking mat down. Then fill a piping bag with the macaron shell batter.
You can fit the piping bag with a round tip prior to filling it with the batter but, I prefer just cutting a straight line about 1.25 inch up from the tip of the bag. Then pipe circles 1 inch in diameter. Leave enough space so when they slightly flatten, the circles don’t connect. You should have 24-26 shells. Then lift the baking sheet above the counter and drop it back down. Do this 3-4 times to pop any air bubbles. Then let the shells rest for 45 minutes to form a “film” on the tops. Once you have 15 minutes left on the wait time, preheat your oven to 315 degrees Fahrenheit.
Once the 45 minutes are up, place the shells on the middle rack in the oven. Bake for 15-16 minutes. Let them cool then remove from the silicone baking mat. Now it’s time to match up the shells with their twin in preparation to fill.
Once the macaron shells are paired up, make the buttercream. Add room temperature butter and powdered sugar to a bowl. Mix on medium for a couple of minutes. Then add the vanilla extract, honey, and sifted crushed earl grey tea leaves. Mix on medium-high for another couple of minutes.
Put the buttercream in a piping bag and fill your macarons. Once you’ve piped the buttercream on the bottom shells, take the top and “sandwich” your cookies. These need to mature for at least 12 hours in the fridge before eating. Store in an air tight container. Before eating, take them out of the fridge to bring up to room temperature. This will soften the buttercream. Finally, enjoy your London fog macarons!
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London Fog Macaron Recipe
Description
Macaron Shells
Buttercream
Instructions
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Sift the almond flour, powdered sugar, and crushed up tea leaves into a bowl and set it aside. Measure your sugar in a small bowl, and also set that aside.
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Then in a large bowl add egg whites. Start whisking the egg whites and add the cream of tartar once they start to foam. Then gradually add the granulated sugar. Once you've reached medium peaks, add in the food coloring. Continue to whisk on high speed until you have stiff peaks. This is the meringue.
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Then sift half of the already sifted almond flour, powdered sugar, and crushed tea leaves into the meringue and gently fold with a rubber spatula until it is mostly incorporated. Then sift in the remaining dry mixture and fold it in until the batter has the consistency of “flowing lava.” It is important to not over mix.
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Prepare the baking sheet by flipping it upside down and lining it with a silicone mat.
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Fit a piping bag with a round tip. Then fill the bag with the batter and pipe the shells by holding the bag perpendicular to the pan. Pipe until the shells are 1 inch in diameter. Do not lift the bag while piping. Once all of the shells are piped, pick up the baking sheet and drop it on the counter 3-4 times to pop any air bubbles that may be in the batter.
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Let the shells rest for 45 minutes. Preheat your oven when there is 15 minutes left on the timer. Bake @ 315 degrees Fahrenheit for around 15 minutes. Every oven is different, so the time may vary.
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Cream the room temperature butter and powdered sugar. Then add in the honey, crushed tea leaves, and vanilla. Beat for 2 minutes.
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Before filling the macarons, match each macaron shell with its “twin”. Once they are matched, start filling. Take the bottom shell, pipe the buttercream, and put the top on while slightly “squishing” the buttercream.
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Place the assembled macarons in an airtight container and refrigerate overnight to mature. (<Don’t skip this step. It is CRUCIAL.) Let the macarons come up to room temperature before eating.
I’m Addicted!!