Best Lemon Pistachio Macaroons Recipes

PISTACHIO MACARONS

Steps:

• For the pistachio cream filling: Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
• Spread the pistachios onto a baking sheet and toast for 15 minutes. Let cool.
• Place the granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon water in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat (brush down the sides with water to avoid any clinging granules of sugar and prevent crystallization). Cook the syrup until it reaches 250 degrees F on a candy thermometer. Add the toasted pistachios to the hot syrup and stir until the nuts are well coated. When all the sugar coats the pistachios and any remaining syrup turns powdery white, pour the nuts onto a baking sheet to cool.
• Once cooled, place the pistachios in the bowl of a food processor with the almond flour. Blend until the nuts resemble a coarse meal, approximately 1 minute. Slowly drizzle in the oil while continuing to blend the mixture. Add the butter, almond paste, almond extract and 3 tablespoons water. Keep mixing until mixture is a smooth paste, approximately 3 minutes.
• For the macarons: Mix the powdered sugar, almond flour and salt in a bowl using a whisk; set aside. In a separate bowl using a hand mixer, mix the granulated sugar, vanilla, food coloring and egg whites. Whip until the batter has firm shiny peaks. Take one-third of the wet mixture and fold into the dry ingredients. Gradually fold in the remaining batter. Once the dry ingredients have been absorbed, run a rubber spatula over the mixture to create a shine. This process is called macaroning and is key to the overall recipe.
• Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Transfer the batter to a piping bag with a 1/4-inch round tip. Pipe the mixture in 1-inch rounds onto the cookie sheets. It's important to create a consistent size for each cookie. Let stand for 30 minutes to create a thin crust on the outside.
• Adjust the oven racks: Put one in the lower third of the oven and a second in the upper third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Bake until the macarons puff and rise to form ''feet'' and are crisp, 17 to 20 minutes. Let cool completely on the cookie sheets before filling.
• Put about 1 teaspoon of pistachio cream filling between 2 cookies to create the finished macarons.

LEMON MACAROONS

Steps:

• These cookies are light and fun to make. They can be a great fall or winter addition to some chocolate treats.
• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. In a medium bowl, sift together the powdered sugar and almond flour.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the 5 egg whites for 1 minute to combine. Add the cream of tartar and continue beating the whites on high speed until soft peaks form, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the scraped vanilla bean seeds and continue beating until it is fully incorporated and the whites are glossy, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the bowl from the mixer and use a rubber spatula to gently fold in the lemon zest and the powdered sugar mixture.
• Coat 1 or 2 large baking sheets with a layer of parchment paper. Spray the paper with a thin layer of nonstick spray. Put heaping teaspoonfuls of the batter about 2-inches apart on the tray(s). Take care to leave the space between each mound because this batter spreads as it bakes.
• Put the tray in the center of the oven and bake for 8 minutes, then raise the temperature to 375 degrees F and bake until the cookies are golden brown around the edges and form a nice shell-like exterior, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool for a few minutes before gingerly removing them from the tray with an offset spatula. Take care! They can stick to the paper.

CHOCOLATE-PISTACHIO MACAROONS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk the egg whites, cherries, sugar salt and the vanilla and almond extracts in a large bowl until combined; fold in the coconut.
• Scoop heaping tablespoonfuls of the coconut mixture about 1 inch apart onto the baking sheet. Use your fingers to form into pyramids. Bake until golden brown around the edges, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
• Melt the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl on medium-high power in 30-second intervals, stirring, until smooth, about 2 minutes. Dip the macaroons in the chocolate and sprinkle with pistachios, then transfer to a sheet of parchment paper and let cool.

LEMON PISTACHIO CAKE WITH ROSEMARY, MASCARPONE LEMON MOUSSE AND LEMON CURD

Steps:

• For the lemon pistachio cake: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a half-sheet tray with parchment paper.
• In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the pistachios and 1/4 cup flour until the nuts are finely ground.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and granulated sugar until very light. Beat in the pistachio paste and lemon zest and juice, then add the eggs one at a time. Scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula and beat in the pistachio and vanilla extracts. In a small bowl, mix together the nut and flour mixture, salt, baking powder and remaining cup flour. Beat the dry ingredients into the batter.
• Spread the batter evenly in the lined half-sheet tray. Bake for 15 minutes, then rotate the tray and continue to bake until the cake springs back lightly when touched and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, another 10 minutes. Allow the cake to cool in the tray for 10 minutes, then gently remove from the tray.
• For the lemon curd: Combine the lemon zest, juice, granulated sugar, eggs and salt in a medium saucepan and whisk to a homogeneous consistency. Place over medium heat. Cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture has thickened, 12 to 15 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter, 2 pats at a time, until it's incorporated and has a silky consistency. Transfer to a bowl. Place a piece of plastic wrap over the top, pressing down on the surface of the curd to prevent a film from forming. Put in the fridge to chill for 1 hour.
• For the lemon mascarpone mousse: In a large, chilled bowl, whip the heavy cream to stiff peaks. In another large bowl, whip the mascarpone and granulated sugar together until fluffy. Whip in half of the lemon curd. Fold in the whipped cream and use a rubber spatula to fluff the mousse. Transfer the mousse to a piping bag fitted with a star tip.
• To assemble the cake: Cut the cake into individual cakes with a 3-inch ring cutter.
• Spread a dollop of lemon curd on the bottom of a plate. Place 2 cake rounds on top. Pipe a round of mousse onto each cake.
• Garnish each cake with chopped pistachios, a dusting of powdered sugar and the chopped rosemary.