Lavender Macarons

• Prep1 h
• Cook36 min
• Total3 h
• Serves26

Ingredients

For the shells

• 110 g superfine blanched almond flour (1 cup)
• 110 g powdered sugar (scant 1 cup)
• 100 g egg whites, at room temperature (from about 3 large eggs)
• 100 g granulated sugar (1/2 cup)
• 1/8 tsp cream of tartar, optional
• Purple gel food coloring, plus a tiny touch of pink

Lavender buttercream

• 1 tsp dried culinary lavender
• 150 g powdered sugar (1 1/4 cups)
• 115 g unsalted butter, softened (1/2 cup, 1 stick)
• 15 g heavy cream or whole milk (1 tbsp)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 small drop white gel food coloring, optional

To decorate

• A few sprigs of fresh, unsprayed lavender, optional

Instructions

1. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats. Place the lavender and the powdered sugar for the buttercream in the clean, dry mixing bowl and blend 20 sec/speed 10. Sift into a small bowl, discard the bits of lavender left in the sieve and set the lavender sugar aside.
2. Without washing the bowl, add the almond flour and the powdered sugar for the shells and blend 10 sec/speed 10. Sift into a large bowl, pressing it through with a spoon, and discard any coarse bits left in the sieve (1 tbsp at most).
3. Wash and dry the mixing bowl and butterfly whisk, then wipe both with a paper towel dampened with lemon juice or vinegar, since any trace of fat keeps the whites from whipping. Insert the butterfly whisk, add the egg whites, granulated sugar and cream of tartar and whip 5 min/50°C (122°F)/speed 3.5.
4. Remove the measuring cup and whip 8 min/speed 4, until the meringue is thick and glossy and holds stiff peaks. Add a small dot of purple and a tiny touch of pink gel color and whip 20 sec/speed 4 more, for a soft lavender shade.
5. Remove the butterfly whisk and scrape the meringue onto the almond mixture. Fold with a large spatula, pressing the batter against the side of the bowl, 40 to 50 strokes, until it flows off the spatula in a thick ribbon that sinks back into itself in about 10 seconds. Stop as soon as it gets there: overmixed batter spreads flat.
6. Spoon the batter into a piping bag with a 1 cm (1/2 in) round tip and pipe 3.5 cm (1 1/2 in) rounds about 3 cm (1 1/4 in) apart. Rap each sheet firmly on the counter 4 times and pop any bubbles with a toothpick. Let them rest 30 to 60 minutes, until the tops no longer feel sticky, and meanwhile preheat the oven to 150°C (300°F).
7. Bake one sheet at a time on the middle rack for 16 to 18 minutes, until the shells have risen on their ruffled feet and peel off the paper cleanly. Let them cool completely on the sheet.
8. Wash and dry the mixing bowl. Insert the butterfly whisk, add the butter and whip 1 min/speed 3.5. Add the lavender sugar, cream, vanilla, salt and white color, put the measuring cup in place and whip 2 min/speed 3.5, scraping down halfway, until light and fluffy.
9. Pair the shells by size, pipe a generous 1.5 cm (1/2 in) mound of buttercream on half of them and gently press the other shells on top. Refrigerate in an airtight container for 24 hours, then serve at room temperature on a small cake stand with a few lavender sprigs beside it.

Tips

• Use dried culinary lavender, sold for cooking in spice shops, health food stores and some supermarkets. A little goes a long way: too much tastes soapy, so start with 1 tsp and add more next time if you like.
• Fresh lavender sprigs are only for decoration. Use unsprayed ones and keep them beside the macarons, not on them.
• Central Florida humidity slows the drying time. Run the air conditioning or a fan nearby; on rainy days the shells may need up to 90 minutes before they feel dry to the touch.
• Filled macarons keep 5 days in the refrigerator or 1 month in the freezer in an airtight container.