Raspberry Lemon Macarons Recipe ~ Barley & Sage (2024)

I had some leftover mascarpone frosting from my favorite raspberry lemon cupcakes, so I decided to use the same flavor in macarons! These raspberry lemon macarons have a light, French macaron shell filled with lemon mascarpone frosting and tangy raspberry jam! They're a fun treat to enjoy all spring or summer!

I'll walk you through how to make homemade French macarons and give you all my tips and tricks for success!

You might also enjoy these lemon curd cookies or these chocolate raspberry macarons!

Ingredient Notes

You just need a few ingredients to make these lemon raspberry macarons!

• Egg whites- I've recently started "aging" my egg whites and I've found it helps with my consistency. This is absolutely not necessary, but it's super easy to do so I recommend trying it out. Weigh out 100 grams of egg whites into a small bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and poke a few holes in the top. Place in the fridge for at least 24 hours but up to 3 days. Make sure to remove the egg whites from the fridge at least an hour before
• Almond flour- If you've ever seen macarons that look bumpy, it's usually because the almond flour isn't ground finely enough. I love usingBob's Red Millfor my almond flour because it's super fine. But if you have lumpy almond flour you can also just pulse it in a food processor for a few seconds to break it up further. Sifting your dry ingredients is also super important for ensuring smooth macarons.
• Lemon juice & zest- I highly recommend using fresh lemons for the best flavor! But you can always substitute with a little bottled lemon juice if necessary.
• Mascarpone cheese- Mascarpone is an Italian cheese that's very similar to American cream cheese. It's smooth and soft but more neutral in flavor compared to tangy cream cheese. And in my opinion, that mild flavor makes it much more versatile! But you can also just substitute cream cheese if that's all you can find!
• Raspberries- I prefer to use fresh raspberries, but frozen will also work well for the filling!
• Gel food coloring- Always usegel food coloring! Since macaron batter is so finicky, we don’t want to add any extra liquid to the batter. So gel food coloring is the way to go! The color is also even more concentrated so you need less. I used AmeriColor Lemonade to get the color of these cherry macarons!

The complete list of ingredients and amounts is located in therecipe card below.

Homemade Raspberry Jam

Making homemade raspberry jam is super easy and only requires a couple ingredients! Note: if using frozen raspberries, you might need to add in a little bit of cornstarch to help thicken the jam.

1. Add all of the jam ingredients to a large saucepan over medium-low heat.Allow the jam to simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently until thickened.
2. Transfer the jam to a glass jar and allow to cool to room temperature. Store in the fridge for up to two weeks.
3. That's it!

I recommend making the jam the night before you want to make the macarons so that it has time to fully cool. However, if you don't feel like making homemade jam, store-bought is fine! My favorite store-bought raspberry jam isBonne Maman.

How to Make French Macarons

Sift together almond flour and powdered sugar into a large bowl and set aside.

In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites on medium speed until they become foamy, then add in the cream of tartar.

Turn the mixer up to medium-high and gradually add in the granulated sugar. Once all the sugar is added, turn the mixer to the highest setting and whisk on high until soft peaks form.

Add in 1-2 drops of yellow food coloring, then continue to whisk on high until stiff peaks form.

Using a spatula, gently fold in half of the dry ingredient mixture until fully combined. Then gently fold in the remaining dry ingredients.

Continue to gently fold the batter until it reaches a “flowing lava” consistency. You should be able to make a “figure 8” with the batter before it breaks. As soon as you reach this consistency, stop mixing! If you over-mix the batter, the macarons won’t rise properly in the oven.

Line alarge baking sheetwith a silicone mat or parchment paper.

Scoop batter into a large piping bag fitted with alarge round tip. Hold the piping bag perpendicular to the silicone mat and pipe 1 inch rounds.

Pick up the baking sheet and drop it onto the counter 3-4 times to help bring any air bubbles to the surface of the macarons. Then use a toothpick to pop any visible air bubbles to make a smooth surface.

Let the macarons sit at room temperature for 30-40 minutes or until a skin forms on the surface. You should be able to lightly touch the surface without any batter being disturbed.

*The macaron batter will look like photo 6 before banging out the excess air, and photo 7 afterwards.

While the macarons are resting, preheat the oven to 300°F.

Bake one sheet at a time on the center rack of the oven for 13-15 minutes or when they do not move on their “feet” when touched.

Let the macarons cool completely on the baking sheet before removing them. They should easily peel off when fully cooled.

Match up your shells before piping, and then turn one side over. Pipe the lemon mascarpone frosting around the edge of the macaron shell. Then add a small scoop of homemade raspberry jam in the center (about ½ teaspoon) then top with the other shell.

Put the assembled raspberry lemon macarons in an airtight container, then place them in the fridge to mature for 12-24 hours. Store in the fridge for up to 5 days. However, for the best taste/texture, let them come up to room temperature for about an hour before eating! [Directly out of the fridge they can sometimes be super hard but at room temperature they're perfectly soft and tender!]

Macaron Tips & Tricks

Macarons can be tough so setting yourself up for success is key!

• Buy akitchen scaleif you don’t already have one! Macarons are incredibly finicky, so weighing all your ingredients is super important!
• Clean the mixing bowl and whisk attachment of your stand mixer with lemon juice or white vinegar to make sure there are no trace fats on either (if you don’t, your meringue may not form).
• Use a super sturdy baking sheet that won't warp and conducts heat evenly! TheseCuisinart baking sheetsare my favorite for macarons!
• Invest in somesilicone macaron mats! They aren’t expensive and they will make your lifesomuch easier!
• Also invest in anoven thermometer! We want our oven as close to 300 degrees as possible to make perfect macarons but just because your oven says it's 300 degrees, doesn't mean it actually is. My oven tends to run hot, so I usually end up having it set to about 290.

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