Lemon Raspberry Macarons Recipe (video)

closeup raspberry lemon macaron

Macarons – the elusive, dreamy cookie recipe that haunts home pastry chefs! This French macaron recipe for sweet lemon raspberry macarons filled with a tart lemon filling is the first macaron recipe I ever tried! To add the most raspberry flavor, I add freeze dried raspberry powder to the macaron batter for real raspberry flavor, plus some more on top as garnish. The zesty lemon buttercream filling is the perfect complement to the sweet raspberry cookies!

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Lemon Raspberry Macarons Recipe (video)

1 hour 30 minutes prep + 15 minutes cook
20 cookies
The best lemon raspberry macarons with freeze-dried raspberries and lemon buttercream frosting!

Ingredients 

  • 110 grams almond flour
  • 200 grams confectioner’s sugar
  • 10 grams freeze-dried fruit powder, plus more for decorating
  • 100 grams aged egg whites, or at room temperature
  • 50 grams white granulated sugar
  • gel food coloring

For Lemon Buttercream:

  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
  • Zest from 1 lemon
  • 2 to 3 tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 cups confectioner's sugar

Instructions

Preparing the Dry Ingredients:

  • For the berry flavor in this recipe, use freeze-dried berries. Simply place the berries into a food processor, pulse for a few seconds and sift through fine mesh strainer.
  • Premeasure all your ingredients using a digital kitchen scale. Sift the freeze-dried berry powder, almond flour, and confectioner's sugar into a large mixing bowl and discard any large pieces that don't pass through the sifter.

Making the Meringue:

  • Next, prepare the meringue. Place the egg whites and sugar into a medium-sized mixing bowl or stand mixer. Whisk on high speed until stiff peaks form. (turn the bowl over, egg whites should not move)!
  • Add the meringue to the dry ingredients then begin folding. Fold and mix from the bottom of the mixing bowl, until a uniform mixture forms.
  • The macaron batter needs to have a specific consistency. Not too thick or too thin, should fall off of your spatula in a ribbon. Fold and flatten the batter against the side of your mixing bowl until it reaches the right consistency.

Piping & Resting:

  • Line two large baking sheets with silicon mats or parchment paper.
  • Transfer the macaron batter into a pastry bag tipped with a simple round tip. If you have the time, you can draw circles on the back of the parchment paper to use as guides.
  • Pipe even sized dollops onto the baking sheet, spacing the cookies at least an inch apart and pipe directly from the top. Tap pan multiple times to release any air bubbles.
  • Let the cookies stand for 1 HOUR (very important, do not skip this step!) to form a thin film or shell over the top. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 300F.

Baking Instructions:

  • Bake the macarons at 300F for 16 to 18 minutes. They should lift off the parchment paper easily but not brown on top. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Making Filling & Assembling:

  • For the lemon filling: Whisk the softened butter in medium-sized mixing bowl for a few minutes until fluffy. Next, add the lemon zest, lemon juice, and confectioner's sugar. Continue to mix until a light and creamy buttercream forms.
  • Pair up the macaron shells and turn half of them over. Transfer the buttercream into a piping bag and pipe onto half the macaron shells, then sandwich with the second half.
  • For best results, place the macarons into an airtight container and refrigerate for 24 hours. Soften them at room temperature for 30 minutes prior to enjoying. These will keep in the fridge for 1 week, or in the freezer for 1 month.

Nutrition

Calories: 144kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 18mg | Sodium: 69mg | Potassium: 14mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 213IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 1mg

Supplies & Tools for the Recipe

Need some supplies or tools to make this recipe? You can get them here (Amazon affiliate links):

lemon raspberry macarons with lemon buttercream filling

Tips For Making Lemon Raspberry Macarons!

I won’t lie – I took me three attempts at this recipe before getting it right! I was so frustrated by round 3, I almost gave up on making them again! But I’m so glad I pushed myself to try again and again.

Now, I absolutely LOVE making macarons! They’re one of my favorite desserts to make and I experiment with different flavors all the time. In my video tutorial, I’m breaking down the recipe to show you to make these elegant cookies! Here are a few crucial tips for making these cookies:

  • Whisk the egg whites just until they reach stiff peak stage. Under mixing will result in a flat batter; over mixing can cause the cookies to spread while baking.
  • Fold the batter thoroughly, flattening the egg whites against the side of your mixing bowl. BUT, be careful – you don’t want to over mix the batter! That will also cause your cookies to be just flat, shapeless disks.
  • Allow those cookies to REST! Let the cookies stand for an hour at room temperature, allowing a thin shell to form on the outside. This shell gives the cookies their shape so it’s crucial! If your macarons are cracking on top, you might need to let the cookies rest longer. If you live in a humid climate, extend the timing even more as humidity and moisture will prevent a shell from forming.

Storing French Macarons

These raspberry macarons are perfect all on their own, or you can use them to garnish a cake (I do that all the time!).

Once you have the cookies assembled, I recommend placing them into an airtight container and set them into the refrigerator to ‘mature’ for 1 to 3 days. This will allow the macaron shell to soften, creating an unforgettable cookie!

When you’re ready to enjoy them, simply take them out of the refrigerator about an hour before serving them, to allow the filling to thaw.

Lemon Buttercream Filling

These delicate raspberry cookies are filled with a simple lemon buttercream made with lemon juice and lemon zest! This recipe would also work great with my newest Lemon Buttercream recipe, featuring lemon extract and citrus acid to make the lemon filling extra tart!

fluffy lemon buttercream recipe; lemon frosting

More Recipes!

Looking for more fruity macaron recipes? I’ve got you covered with so many different options! Check out some of my other unique macaron recipes!

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Lemon Raspberry Macarons video recipe