Lavender Macarons with Lemon & White Chocolate Ganache
Delicious and decadent macarons filled with a lavender and lemon ganache.
These lavender macarons are eye catching and delicious. Fresh lavender flowers are baked on the macaron cookies to give a colorful touch.
What are macarons?
A macaron cookie is made from egg whites, sugar and almond meal. It’s a very mild flavored cookie, that is usually sandwiched together with a filling. Because of the cookie’s mild flavor profile, a macaron is a perfect match for a fancy filling. A filling like a lavender and lemon white chocolate ganache.
Lavender Macarons
The lavender macaron themselves use this easy macaron recipe base but with the added touch of fresh lavender flowers. The flowers don’t add much flavor once dried in the oven, but they add a really pretty touch.
You can use any fresh lavender variety, as they are all edible. However, the English lavender has the best flavor for cooking.
Lavender, Lemon and White Chocolate Ganache
This is where all the flavor comes in. White chocolate ganache is infused with both fresh lavender and lemon. It’s decadent, zesty with a light floral touch.
Lavender when used properly adds amazing flavor to desserts, peach preserves and other sweet dishes.
Adding the Lavender to the Macarons
The method comes from this simple macaron recipe, but with the addition of lavender flowers.
Once your macaron mixture has been piped into circles, drop lavender flowers carefully on the still wet batter. If you have tweezers, use those. It makes it much easier to gently press the flowers into the batter. Leave the macarons to sit until they form a slight skin and are no longer sticky.
Preheat a standard oven to around 284°F – 300 °F (140°C -150 °C). If using a convection/fan-forced oven, start lower, at 266 °F (130°C ). The oven temperature with macarons is always low as to not brown the egg whites too quickly, however it is extra important when baking delicate lavender flowers.
You’ll need to test your own oven and keep a close eye on the macarons to find exact perfect temperature that works for your oven.
Bake the macarons for around 15 minutes. The lavender flowers will dry quickly and shrivel to a much smaller size. Keep an eye out as the macarons bake, and tweak the oven temperature if needed.
Once baked, remove them from the oven and leave them to cool before peeling off the baking paper.
The Ganache Method
In a saucepan, add cream, lavender flower heads and lemon zest Heat until it is just simmering. Take it off the heat and leave the lavender and zest to infuse for 5 minutes.
Break good quality white chocolate into pieces and place it in a heat proof bowl.
Bring the cream mixture back to a light simmer, then pour the hot cream, through a sieve, over the chocolate. Leave it to sit for 5 minutes before stirring it together along with lemon juice.
Place it in the fridge to cool. Removing it every 15 minutes to stir it will speed up the cooling process. Once it is very thick and scoop-able, it can be piped on one macaron shell, then sandwiched together with another macaron shell.
Storing the Macarons
The macarons are best stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Looking to bake some other delicious treats? Check out these delicious Belgian waffles or this buttermilk donuts.
Lavender Macarons with Lemon & White Chocolate Ganache
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 x unbaked Easy Macarons Recipe
- 6-7 lavender flower heads
Lavender, Lemon & White Chocolate Ganache
- 180 g good quality chocolate white
- 150 g heavy cream
- 3 lavender flower heads
- 1 Tbsp lemon zest
- 1 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Spoon the macaron mixture into a piping bag fitted with a ¼ inch round tip and line two cookie trays with parchment paper. Use a dab of macaron mixture to keep the parchment paper stuck down on the tray.
- Pipe 30 x 1 inch (2.5cm) circles on the baking sheets. Once piped, bang the tray on the bench once or twice to remove any air bubbles.
- Remove the prettiest petals from the lavender heads. Use tweezers to carefully place the petals on the macarons. Leave the macarons to sit out for about a 40 minutes until they are no longer sticky when touched.
Preheat a standard oven to around 284°F – 300 °F (140°C -150 °C). If using a convection/fan-forced oven, start lower, at 266 °F (130°C ). You’ll need to test your own oven and find the exact perfect temperature that works for your oven.
Bake the macarons for around 15 minutes. The lavender flowers will dry quickly and shrivel to a much smaller size. Keep an eye out as the macarons bake, and tweak the oven temperature if needed.
Once baked, remove them from the oven and leave them to cool before peeling off the baking paper.- Lavender, Lemon & White Chocolate Ganache
- In a saucepan, add cream, the lavender flower heads and lemon zest. Heat until it is just simmering. Take it off the heat and leave the lavender and zest to infuse for 5 minutes.
Break good quality white chocolate into pieces and place it in a heat proof bowl.
Bring the cream mixture back to a light simmer, then pour the hot cream, through a sieve, over the chocolate. Leave it to sit for 5 minutes before stirring it together along with the lemon juice.
Place it in the fridge to cool. Removing it every 15 minutes to stir it will speed up the cooling process.Once it is very thick and scoop-able, it can be piped on one macaron shell, then sandwiched together with another macaron shell.
