Earl Grey Macarons

I’ve truly lost my mind down the macaron rabbit hole. This is batch number three in less than one week, but I simply cannot help myself. And again, I’ve got store-bought egg whites (not recommended for macarons, but I’m using them anyway) to use up before they expire.

These definitely need more tea flavor, so I think next time I’ll add two full bags – or possibly even three – of the tea. I chose to leave these macarons natural, without any color tint, so you can really see the flecks of tea. Lemon goes very well with Earl Grey, so it’s a great fit for the macaron shells; you could also use a lemon buttercream if you wanted more sweetness, but I like the sharpness of the curd against the mellow flavor of the shell.

Ingredients

• 120 grams egg whites, at room temperature (about 3 large eggs)
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 40 grams superfine sugar, sifted (about 3 tablespoons)*
• 200 grams powdered sugar (about 2 cups)
• 100 grams almond flour (about 1 cup)
• 1 1/2 bags Earl Gray tea
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Lemon curd, for filling

*You can make superfine sugar by placing granulated sugar in your food processor and pulsing it until it becomes like sand. 

Preparation

Line three large baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine powdered sugar, almond flour, and tea and pulse for about 30-45 seconds. Sift into a large bowl, discarding any large bits, and set aside.

Place egg whites and salt in clean, dry, grease-free bowl. Using the whisk attachment, whip egg whites on low speed, then increase to medium/medium-high speed and whip until egg whites are foamy and no longer translucent. Slowly add superfine sugar, about 1 tablespoon at a time, whipping until stiff peaks form. Add vanilla extract and whip again to combine, but be careful not to over-whip; you still want stiff peaks but don’t want to take the meringue too far and have it become grainy.

Add 1/3 of your dry ingredients at a time and fold in with a spatula, turning the mixture about 15 times with each addition, being very careful not to over-mix. The batter is mixed enough when it is sticky and smooth, and you can make an unbroken figure 8 with the batter as it drips off your spatula.

Place batter into a large piping bag fitted with a plain tip. Holding the bag upright, pipe rounds of batter about 1 1/2 inches in diameter onto the parchment, leaving about 2 inches between each circle. Gently tap or drop your baking sheets onto a counter top or table to release any air bubbles.

Let batter sit for about 30-60 minutes; the tops will form a skin that becomes dry to the touch.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Bake macarons, one sheet at a time, for about 17 minutes, checking halfway; the macarons should form “feet” on the bottoms, but have smooth tops. Remove from oven and allow to cool on the baking sheets.

Once macarons are cool, flip half the macarons onto their tops and spread lemon curd on the bottom, then top with another macaron. Store in an airtight container at least overnight before serving.