Hoppy Citrus French Macarons
Originally published May 26, 2015. Updated on 3/18/2021
These Hoppy Citrus French Macarons may look traditional, but the bright burst of flavour from the hops is anything BUT traditional!
Today's post is a great example of how unbelievably spoiled my husband is at times 🙂
Last week, I was craving macarons.
As there was nothing open / nearby, I decided to just make my own. I find that commercially made ones don't have enough flavour, anyway.
So as I was deciding what kind of macarons I wanted to make, somehow the subject of cooking / baking with hops came up.
I hadn't done any hop recipe development in a while - the Hoppy Citrus IPA Glazed Wings and Hoppy IPA BBQ Sauce recipes were the last I'd done up, and that was during the harvest last fall - our current hop growth is already starting to threaten our entire side yard, this season!
Anyway, I ended up developing two separate hop flavoured macaron recipes yesterday.
Hoppy Citrus French Macarons
These were specially made for my hop head husband, who really believes that "The more bitter, the better!". Hops, chocolate, whatever - that's his thing.
This first recipe uses Centennial hops, known for their citrussy notes. Cascade hops would also work well, especially if you're less into the bitterness - Cascade has all the flavour of Centennial hops, but with less bitterness.
If SUPER hoppy IPAs aren't your thing, you'll probably want to cut back the hops to about 1 tablespoon worth.
I'm not a huge fan of hops on their own, and these are only slightly too bitter for me - the filling really balances it out. The bitterness builds and leaves a nice aftertaste.
As a final note, I recommend you read my first post about making macarons if you are at ALL intimidated by the idea of making these: Pistachio Macarons.
The only change I've made since then, is that I sifted the ingredients together, on account of the hop leaves. They turned out perfectly!
Oh, and I did eventually get to put on a batch of macarons for ME, after all of this hop macaron craziness 🙂
Some Tips for Making Hopped Macarons
- Mix the egg whites and sugar in a *very clean* metal mixer bowl.
It is very important that not only is the bowl and whisk attachment VERY clean, but that no specks of egg yolk are included with the egg white.
The presence of any egg yolk or grease on your bowl or whisk will prevent the egg whites from properly whipping up. This is the only “rule” you really need to be concerned about!
- Finely ground almonds may be referred to as almond meal” or “almond flour”, depending on where you find them.
- I like to use a spice / coffee grinder to get dried hop leaves down to a fine powder - even my mini food processor doesn't work so well, just blowing the leaves around in the bowl. Blitz to a fine powder, then measure.
More Hops Recipes!
Are you - or do you know - a die-hard hophead? Just interested in learning more about adding a punch of flavour to your culinary repertoire? Either way, I have some more recipes for you!
Homemade Hop Extracts
Homemade Hop Spa Bath Set
Hop Brownies
HopCorn - Hopped Popcorn!
Hop Flavoured Beer Lollipops - Lollihops!
Hop Flavoured Dark Chocolate Truffles
Hop Lemonade
Hop Marinated Chicken Skewers
Hopped Cheesecake with Citrus Glaze
Hoppy Citrus IPA Glazed Wings
Hoppy IPA BBQ Sauce
Hoppy Dill Pickle Relish
Hoppy IPA Pickles Recipe
Hop Sorbet
Fan of hops? You'll LOVE my cookbook, Hedonistic Hops: A Hop Head's Guide to Kitchen Badassery"!
Hops are prized for their ability to impart varied, complex flavours to beer… but did you know they can also be used culinarily? While hops may seem like a bizarre or exotic item to cook with, it’s the same as using other herbs and spices in your kitchen… you just have to know what to do with them. Appetizers, main dishes, beverages.. even desserts can be uplifted with hops! Even those who are not fans of beer will love the unique flavours that various types of hops can bring to their plate. Floral, earthy, peppery, citrusy… Cooking with hops is a great way to expand your seasoning arsenal!
Order your copy directly through this website, through Amazon, or through any major bookseller!
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Well, the published nonsense, anyway!
Hoppy Citrus French Macarons
Ingredients
For Meringue Cookies
- 1 ½ Cups Confectioners / Icing / Powdered Sugar
- 1 Cup Finely Ground Almonds*
- 2 tablespoon Finely Ground Hop Leaves** Centennial or Cascade
- 3 Large Egg Whites
- 4 tablespoon Granulated Sugar
- Green Gel Food Colouring Optional
Orange-Lemon Buttercream Filling
- ½ Cup Butter Softened
- 1 tablespoon Orange Zest About 1 Orange Worth
- 1 teaspoon Lemon Zest About 1 Lemon Worth
- 1 tablespoon Orange Juice
- 1-2 Cups pow
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 300 degrees.
- Mix together powdered sugar, ground almond meal, and hop powder. Sift through a wire strainer, discarding any large pieces. set aside.
- Mix egg whites and sugar in a *very clean* metal mixer bowl. It is very important that not only is the bowl and whisk attachment VERY clean, but that no specks of egg yolk are included with the egg white. The presence of any egg yolk or grease on your bowl or whisk will prevent the egg whites from properly whipping up. This is the only “rule” you really need to be concerned about!
- Affix your bowl to the mixer, and whip eggs on high until stiff peaks form. The whites will be pillowy, thick, and marshmallowy. When you remove the whisk from the meringue, it should leave a very definite “peak” – if the tip flips over a little, that’s ok. Add a small amount food coloring, if desired, whisk in.
- Dump bowl of dry ingredients into the meringue. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to gently stir the mixture until everything is well incorporated and very thick.
- Once mixture is fairly uniform, beat it until it’s still thick, but oozes a bit. You don’t want to beat it till it’s fully RUNNY, but you’d like it to settle back into place if you remove some and drop it back into the mix. It’s better to under-beat it than to over-beat it.
- Spoon macaron batter into a pastry / frosting bag with a ¼″ or so opening – whether a metal tip, or just the end cut off the bag.
- Pipe ~ 1.25″ – 1.5″ rounds onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. If the batter isn’t running all over the place, there’s no real worry about placing them close together – I’ll leave an inch or so between the rounds.
- Pick up the sheet of piped cookies, and rap it against the counter a couple of times to dislodge any air bubbles.
- Bake cookies for 13-16 minutes, or until they lift easily from the parchment. (Undercooked macarons will stick). Remove from oven, cool to room temperature, and prepare the filling.
For the Filling
- Whip butter until smooth. Add zests and orange juice and mix until incorporated.
- Slowly add 1 cup of powdered sugar a bit at a time, until incorporated completely. If mixture seems too thin, add a bit more powdered sugar, continuing to mix until thick (but spreadable!) and smooth.
To Assemble Macarons
- Spoon or pipe about a Tablespoon worth of filling onto the flat underside of one cookie.
- Top with the underside of another cookie. (Rounded sides facing out). Holding cookies by the edge, twist gently to force frosting out almost to the edge.
Notes
Nutrition
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