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Strawberry Lemonade Macaron

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Strawberry Lemonade Macaron have the sweetness of strawberries in the shells and the tartness of lemons in the buttercream. They taste like the delicious summertime drink in a macaron.

Strawberry Lemonade Macaron have the sweetness of strawberries in the shells and the tartness of lemons in the buttercream. They taste like the delicious summertime drink in a macaron. #BrunchWeek

You knew I had to make a macaron, right? I mean, they’re perfect for #BrunchWeek. I think I could have stopped at they’re perfect. And this strawberry lemonade flavor came out perfect, too!! I was totally thrilled with how they turned out on the second batch. Yes, even I have some accidents and must remake the batch.

Who invented lemonade?

Egyptians? At least that’s what I’ve read. They combined the juice of the lemon with sugar cane and called it qatarmizat. Eventually it wound up in Europe where it was immensely popular in France. And street stands, the first lemonade stands, were quite popular throughout Paris and other large cities. And, as with all things, European travelers to the new world brought lemonade and seeds to grow lemon trees.

Strawberry Lemonade Macaron have the sweetness of strawberries in the shells and the tartness of lemons in the buttercream. They taste like the delicious summertime drink in a macaron. #BrunchWeek

Since Florida, California, and parts of the Caribbean could grow lemons, it became a popular drink. Especially with the increase of sugar plantations. Lemonade become an inexpensive and refreshing drink throughout the new world.

The first recipe appears in an 1824 book called The Virginia Housewife. I think I have a copy of this book, but don’t quote me on that. However, this recipe continues eggs making it more like a cream and a lemonade as we know it today. Finally, when ice was readily available, the popularity of lemonade really skyrocketed.

Strawberry Lemonade Macaron have the sweetness of strawberries in the shells and the tartness of lemons in the buttercream. They taste like the delicious summertime drink in a macaron. #BrunchWeek

What is strawberry lemonade?

Sometimes I think these questions are sort of obvious. I mean, it’s strawberries and lemons with simple syrup or sugar and water or agave and water. Some sort of sweetener with water. It also has a distinct color but not quite like pink lemonade.

The history of strawberry lemonade is sordid. Like most recipes. There’s 2 stories; one more disgusting than the other. One involves red hot style candies and the other a vat of water colored pink from dirty stockings. The latter of the two was sold as “strawberry lemonade” to circus patrons. Even though there are no strawberries in the original “recipe” it did get people to realize that lemonade could be flavored with more than just lemons, sweetener, and water.

Strawberry Lemonade Macaron have the sweetness of strawberries in the shells and the tartness of lemons in the buttercream. They taste like the delicious summertime drink in a macaron. #BrunchWeek

Science in the Kitchen from E. E. Kellogg features a pink lemonade recipe that suggests adding strawberries, raspberries, currents, or cranberry juice to make lemonade pink. This means that basically any lemonade with a red fruit added is pink lemonade. Today, they make pink lemonade with watermelon, grenadine, strawberries, or raspberries. And to be honest, I have never had pink lemonade. I’m not a huge lemonade fan. It’s usually too sweet for my taste. Funny. Now I want some lemonade.

What is in strawberry lemonade macaron?

I don’t know if you can see it, but there’s a slightly pink hue in the shells. That’s the freeze-dried strawberries in there. Now, the first batch I made had the full ounce of strawberries in there. Don’t do that. Or if you do use the full ounce, make sure to remove at least a half ounce of powdered sugar from your recipe. The shells in the first batch just did not come out well at all. So, the second batch has the half ounce of strawberries in there. And they came out perfect!

Strawberry Lemonade Macaron have the sweetness of strawberries in the shells and the tartness of lemons in the buttercream. They taste like the delicious summertime drink in a macaron. #BrunchWeek

There’s also a hint of lemon extract in the shells, too. I like the sweet tart flavor of the shells with the strawberries and lemon in there. But be careful about the type of extract you use. If there’s too much alcohol it might prevent the shells from making feet. I had that happen with the butter pecan macaron I made.

The buttercream is a vanilla and lemon buttercream. I wanted the buttercream to not just be all lemon. It needed to have a rounded out sweet flavor. And for me, that’s vanilla. It’s that in the background flavor that sort of tones down the lemon and make it so delicious.

Strawberry Lemonade Macaron have the sweetness of strawberries in the shells and the tartness of lemons in the buttercream. They taste like the delicious summertime drink in a macaron. #BrunchWeek

What do strawberry lemonade macaron taste like?

The shells alone taste amazing, but with the vanilla lemon buttercream? Oh my goodness y’all. These macaron taste just like I hoped. The strawberry sweetness is in the shells. The lemon flavor is in both the shell and buttercream. I added fresh lemon zest so the lemon flavor has a natural backing and not all extract. For me, sometimes lemon extract just taste a bit too fake. And I like to enhance it with lemon zest. And it works perfectly in these strawberry lemonade macaron.

You can sort of sweet the hint of pink in the shells in this shot. And you can see how chewy and delicious the shells are! The strawberries really do add not just flavor to the shells, but keep them chewy and delicious like macaron shells are supposed to be. I couldn’t resist snacking on the shells. They tastes delicious!

Strawberry Lemonade Macaron have the sweetness of strawberries in the shells and the tartness of lemons in the buttercream. They taste like the delicious summertime drink in a macaron. #BrunchWeek

Yes. The buttercream is a little on the crumbly side. I always struggle with buttercream. Even when following other people’s recipes. I don’t understand how I can fail at it all the time. This needed more cream in there. Feel free to add as much as you want to reach the consistency you want.

For me, I’m sort of looking for something between cake frosting and Oreo filling. I mean, I don’t want the filling to squirt out when you’re biting into the cookies. Nothing is more disappointing than taking one bite and have the filling just squirt out into your hand. I keep trying to make buttercream though. Maybe one day it will click and I will find that perfect balance for these cookies.

Strawberry Lemonade Macaron have the sweetness of strawberries in the shells and the tartness of lemons in the buttercream. They taste like the delicious summertime drink in a macaron. #BrunchWeek

No, I did not add any coloring to the shells or the buttercream. They’re naturally pink and yellow-ish just from their ingredients. But if you feel you want better colors, then by all means add some coloring. But make sure you head my warning about the extract with the coloring, too. I prefer the paste or even powdered food coloring. The color lasts longer and doesn’t usually hinder the creating the macaron feet.

Signature

Strawberry Lemonade Macaron have the sweetness of strawberries in the shells and the tartness of lemons in the buttercream. They taste like the delicious summertime drink in a macaron. #BrunchWeek
Yield: 18

Strawberry Lemonade Macaron

Cook Time: 18 minutes
Additional Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 3 minutes

Strawberry Lemonade Macaron have the sweetness of strawberries in the shells and the tartness of lemons in the buttercream. They taste like the delicious summertime drink in a macaron.

Ingredients

For the macaron:

  • 4 ounces almond meal
  • 1/2 ounce freeze dried strawberries
  • 7 ounces powdered sugar
  • 4 ounces egg white, room temperature
  • Pinch cream of tartar
  • 50 grams sugar
  • 1 teaspoon lemon extract

For the lemon buttercream:

  • 3/4 cup butter
  • 1/4 cup butter flavored shortening
  • 4 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 teaspoon lemon extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1 - 2 tablespoons milk

Instructions

  1. Pulse the 7 ounces powdered sugar and 4 ounces almond flour together with the strawberries in a food processor to form a fine powder. Sift three times into a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
  2. Place the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer (or large, metal mixing bowl). Sprinkle the cream of tartar over the eggs and hand mix the two together with the whisk attachment for the stand mixer (or hand mixer).
  3. Fasten the whisk attachment and beat the mixture on medium speed until foamy.
  4. Slowly add the granulated sugar and continue to beat on medium speed until soft peaks form. Increase the speed to high and beat until stiff peaks form.
  5. Add the lemon extract along with 1/3 of the almond mixture into the meringue.
  6. Continue folding and adding the almond mixture until all of it is incorporated into the meringue and the mixture should drip slowly off the spatula; like lava flowing. (Think conditioner dripping out of a bottle. That works for me.) The mixture will have a sheen to it when it’s ready to pipe.
  7. Transfer the batter to large piping bags fitted with a 1/2 inch tip and pipe 1 1/3 inch rounds onto a silpat covered baking sheet. There are several different templates out there. Two that I like are here and here.
  8. Preheat oven to 315.
  9. You’re going to LOVE this next part! Once all the batter has been piped or your sheets are full, grab the edges of the pan, secure the silpat with your thumbs (or any extra batter) and rap the pans on the counter. That’s right! You heard me! Bang them on the counter!! This releases any remaining air bubbles in the meringue. Continue rapping the sheets, turning occasionally, until no more air bubbles surface.
  10. Allow the macaron to rest on the counter at least 30 minutes or more depending on the humidity level of your kitchen. If it’s a humid day, set them on the stove and turn the vent hood on to help the tops dry.
  11. Once they’ve rested and the tops are no longer sticky to the touch, bake at 325 for 7 to 9 minutes. Rotate the pans front to back and top to bottom and bake an additional 7 to 9 minutes.
  12. Do the wiggle test to see if the meringue is cooked; carefully grab the top of the shell and see if it moves easily from side to side when wiggled. This indicates that the meringue isn’t completely cooked.
  13. Continue to cook in 2 to 3 minutes intervals until they wiggle just slightly. They will continue to cook as they cool.
  14. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely before filling.
  15. Beat the shortening and the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment until creamy.
  16. Add the lemon extract and vanilla extract and stir until combined.
  17. Add the powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time until the desired consistency is reached. I used about 3 1/2 cups of powdered sugar but depending on the humidity you may use more or less.
  18. Match the cookies into pairs based on size and shape.
  19. Put the frosting into a piping bag with a star tip.
  20. Pipe the frosting on one of the shells then top with the other shell.
  21. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Nutrition Information

Yield

18

Serving Size

1

Amount Per Serving Calories 288Total Fat 14gSaturated Fat 7gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 6gCholesterol 28mgSodium 93mgCarbohydrates 40gFiber 1gSugar 38gProtein 2g

Did you make this recipe?

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Tuesday #BrunchWeek Recipes

Beverages

Appetizers and Salads

Breads, Grains, and Cereals

Egg Dishes

Desserts

  • Strawberry Lemonade Macaron from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures

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