Lemon Macarons with Cranberry-Mascarpone Filling

Yes, it¿s possible to make a lemon macaron recipe at home! This fruity French dessert recipe will walk you through the process of baking the macarons and piping on the cranberry-mascarpone cream filling recipe.

Lemon Macarons with Cranberry-Mascarpone Filling
Photo: Blaine Moats
Prep Time:
40 mins
Stand Time:
30 mins
Bake Time:
9 mins
Total Time:
40 mins
Servings:
12
Yield:
12 sandwich cookies

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cup finely ground almonds

  • 1 ¼ cup powdered sugar

  • 3 egg whites

  • ½ teaspoon vanilla

  • ¼ teaspoon salt

  • ¼ cup granulated sugar

  • 1 teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel

  • 1 Recipe Cranberry-Mascarpone Filling

Cranberry-Mascarpone Filling

  • ¼ cup mascarpone cheese or cream cheese, softened

  • 1 tablespoon butter, softened

  • 1 tablespoon honey

  • 1 cup powdered sugar

  • 2 tablespoon dried cranberries or cherries, finely snipped

  • ½ teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel

  • Few drops red food coloring

  • 2 teaspoon lemon juice

Directions

  1. Line three large cookie sheets with parchment paper; set aside. In a medium bowl stir together almonds and powdered sugar; set aside.

  2. In a large mixing bowl combine egg whites, vanilla, and salt. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until frothy. Gradually add granulated sugar, about 1 tablespoon at a time, beating on high speed just until soft peaks form (tips curl). Stir in almond mixture and lemon peel.

  3. Using a large pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round tip, pipe mixture into 2-inch flat circles onto prepared cookie sheets, leaving 1 inch between circles. Let stand for 30 minutes before baking.

  4. Preheat oven to 325°F. Bake, one sheet at a time, for 9 to 10 minutes or until set. Cool on cookie sheet on a wire rack. Carefully peel cookies off parchment paper.

  5. Spread Cranberry-Mascarpone Filling on bottoms of half of the cookies. Top with the remaining cookies, bottom sides down.

Cranberry-Mascarpone Filling

  1. In a medium mixing bowl beat mascarpone cheese, butter, and honey with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating well. Stir in dried cranberries and lemon peel. Stir in enough food coloring to tint the filling pink. Stir in enough lemon juice to reach spreading consistency.

Layer unfilled cookies between sheets of waxed paper in an airtight container; cover. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. To serve, thaw cookies if frozen. Fill cookies as directed in Step 5. (You may store any leftover filled cookies in the refrigerator, but they will soften and be less crisp.)

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

216 Calories
9g Fat
32g Carbs
4g Protein
Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 12
Calories 216
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 9g 12%
Saturated Fat 2g 10%
Cholesterol 9mg 3%
Sodium 74mg 3%
Total Carbohydrate 32g 12%
Total Sugars 29g
Protein 4g
Vitamin C 0.6mg 3%
Calcium 30.3mg 2%
Iron 0.5mg 3%
Potassium 101mg 2%
Folate, total 8.1mcg
Vitamin B-6 0mg

*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

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