Lemon Vegan Aquafaba Macarons Recipe with Vegan Buttercream

I have been experimenting with my macaron recipe lately, troubleshooting, fine-tuning, and taking some constructive criticism to the kitchen so I can learn (and share) how to make some of the best vegan macarons! I’d like to start by saying that macarons are tricky little treats that can create all sorts of crazy results.

The ideal macarons (lets call them ‘Perfect Pretty Macs’), have smooth, uniform shells that are crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, with no hollow pits. The shells should have uniform “feet” (these are the air pockets you see at the base of the macaron shells – they develop when the batter rises in the oven), and are sandwiched together with a filling of your choice (often buttercream or ganache), to make these beautiful, uniform looking sandwich cookies that we call Macarons.

Some of the problems I ran into while learning how to make macarons, were:

Lopsided feet
No feet at all
Cracked tops
Hollow shells
Lumpy shells

These are just a few of the macaron problems that people run into while baking these lovely treats, but once you get it right, they really are spectacular. The most important thing I learned in order to overcome some of these obstacles, was proper macaronage technique (this is the method of mixing the almond flour into the meringue). Believe it or not, this is probably the one spot that causes the most issues when making macarons. If you over mix your batter, or under mix your batter, you can end up with some Messy Macs. While we won’t mind eating some lopsided or cracked macarons in the comfort of our own homes (lets be honest, they still taste great), we are aiming for Perfect Pretty Macs. In order to make these Perfect Pretty Macs, lets talk a little about macaronage…

Macaronage is the technique used to mix the almond flour into the meringue. Every baker has a method they prefer, and what works for one person may not work for you, so if you are having troubles with any macaron recipe, you could try altering your macaronage technique. When I make my macarons, I sift my almond flour and icing sugar together, and then sift it again directly on top of my meringue. I then use a rubber spatula to fold the ingredients together; once all the ingredients are combined, I continue folding until the batter comes off the spatula in a consistency that looks like ribbons when it’s lifted away from the bowl. Be careful not to overmix the batter – you don’t want it so runny that it pours like soup; and alternatively, watch that you don’t undermix it either – if it’s not fluid enough, the batter won’t flow back into itself and you will end up with lumpy, Messy Macs.

That all being said, while macaronage is important, there are other ways to fix Messy Macs, depending on what’s wrong with them. Sometimes it could be as simple as adjusting your oven temperature by 5 degrees. What is most important, is that you don’t give up – like I said before, macarons can be finicky little treats, and what works in one person’s kitchen, may not work for you – it may take some trial and error, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll be wanting to bake beautiful vegan macarons everyday! If you are having trouble with your macs, comment below or send me a message and I will do my best to help you troubleshoot.

In this recipe, I am making Vegan Lemon Macarons – which taste like little bites of lemon meringue pie cookies – however the lemon extract can be substituted for other flavoring extracts, so the possibilities for macaron flavors are endless!

How to Make The Home Baked Vegan’s recipe for Lemon Macarons made with Aquafaba:

Ingredients:

Macaron Shells:

3/4 Cup Aquafaba

1/4 tsp Cream of Tartar

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

1 1/4 Cup Sugar

1 Cup Almond Flour, finely ground

3/4 Cup Icing Sugar

1 1/2 tsp Lemon Exract
2-3 drops Food Coloring Gel – (optional)

Lemon Buttercream-style Frosting:

1/2 Cup Miyokos Vegan Butter

2 Cups Icing Sugar

1 Tbsp Lemon Juice

1 tsp Lemon Extract

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Method:

Prepare the Macaron Shells:

Preheat the oven to 235’F

Sift together the almond flour & icing sugar. Set aside.

In a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, whip the aquafaba on high.

Add the cream of tartar when the aquafaba starts to get frothy.

Once the aquafaba reaches soft peaks, add the vanilla extract and lemon extract.

When the meringue reaches stiff peaks, continue whisking on high, and slowly add the sugar, one teaspoon at a time, until stiff glossy peaks form and all the sugar is incorporated.

Remove the bowl from the stand mixer, and sift the almond flour/icing sugar onto the meringue.

*Optional: add the food coloring gel to the batter now.

Using a rubber spatula, fold the ingredients together until combined and the batter resembles the consistency of pancake batter (the batter should flow off the spatula in a consistency that looks like ribbons when it’s lifted away from the bowl).

Using a piping bag, pipe the batter into 1″ – 1 1/2” circles, equally spaced out on a silicone lined baking sheet.

Let the baking sheet sit at room temperature for 5 – 10 minutes before baking, and pop any visible air bubbles with a toothpick.

Bake at 235’ for 30 minutes. Once the macarons are done baking, turn off the oven and leave the macaron shells in the oven with the oven door closed for 20 minutes.

Remove the shells from the oven after 20 minutes, and let cool at room temperature.

While the cookies cool, prepare the buttercream icing:

With a hand mixer, whip together the Miyokos Vegan Butter, Lemon Extract, Lemon Juice, and Icing Sugar.

Use a piping bag to pipe the frosting onto half of the cookies, then sandwich them together with the remaining cookies.

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Enjoy!

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vegan macarons, vegan lemon macarons, aquafaba macarons,

vegan, dessert, gluten free

Dessert, French

Yield: 24

Author: Alexandra Tugade | The Home Baked Vegan

Vegan Lemon Macarons

Prep time: 30 MinCook time: 30 MinInactive time: 30 MinTotal time: 1 H & 30 M

Macaron Shells: 3/4 Cup Aquafaba 1/4 tsp Cream of Tartar 1 tsp Vanilla Extract 1 1/4 Cup Sugar 1 Cup Almond Flour, finely ground 3/4 Cup Icing Sugar 1 1/2 tsp Lemon Exract 2-3 drops Food Coloring Gel – (optional) Lemon Buttercream-style Frosting: 1/2 Cup Miyokos Vegan Butter 2 Cups Icing Sugar 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice 1 tsp Lemon Extract

Ingredients

Macaron Shells:
3/4 Cup Aquafaba
1/4 tsp Cream of Tartar
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 1/4 Cup Sugar
1 Cup Almond Flour, finely ground
3/4 Cup Icing Sugar
1 1/2 tsp Lemon Exract
3 drops Food Coloring Gel – (optional)
Lemon Buttercream-style Frosting:
1/2 Cup Miyokos Vegan Butter
2 Cups Icing Sugar
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1 tsp Lemon Extract

Instructions

Prepare the Macaron Shells:
Preheat the oven to 235’F
Sift together the almond flour & icing sugar. Set aside.
In a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, whip the aquafaba on high.
Add the cream of tartar when the aquafaba starts to get frothy.
Once the aquafaba reaches soft peaks, add the vanilla extract and lemon extract.
When the meringue reaches stiff peaks, continue whisking on high, and slowly add the sugar, one teaspoon at a time, until stiff glossy peaks form and all the sugar is incorporated.
Remove the bowl from the stand mixer, and sift the almond flour/icing sugar onto the meringue.
*Optional: add the food coloring gel to the batter now.
Using a rubber spatula, fold the ingredients together until combined and the batter resembles the consistency of pancake batter (the batter should flow off the spatula in a consistency that looks like ribbons when it’s lifted away from the bowl).
Using a piping bag, pipe the batter into 1″ – 1 1/2” circles, equally spaced out on a silicone lined baking sheet.
Let the baking sheet sit at room temperature for 5 – 10 minutes before baking, and pop any visible air bubbles with a toothpick.
Bake at 235’ for 30 minutes. Once the macarons are done baking, turn off the oven and leave the macaron shells in the oven with the oven door closed for 20 minutes.
Remove the shells from the oven after 20 minutes, and let cool at room temperature.
While the cookies cool, prepare the buttercream icing:
With a hand mixer, whip together the Miyokos Vegan Butter, Lemon Extract, Lemon Juice, and Icing Sugar.
Use a piping bag to pipe the frosting onto half of the cookies, then sandwich them together with the remaining cookies.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Enjoy!

Calories

160.35

Fat (grams)

6.55

Sat. Fat (grams)

2.82

Carbs (grams)

25.52

Fiber (grams)

0.71

Net carbs

24.81

Sugar (grams)

24.10

Protein (grams)

1.11

Sodium (milligrams)

31.94

Cholesterol (grams)

10.98

This nutritional information is just an estimate, and may vary with ingredients.

https://www.homebakedvegan.com/2020/02/vegan-lemon-macarons.html

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