Earl Grey Vanilla Macarons

I don’t think it gets much more pretty and elegant when it comes to cookies than a macaron. Not a macaroon, mind you. Those are the coconut clusters (which are also delicious). I’m talking about those brightly colored, gorgeously flavored little meringue cookies you find all over Paris. They have really taken off here in the states too, with shops opening up all over. I love to make my own after I learned a basic recipe from the inimitable Dorie Greenspan. There are already my strawberry rose macarons and my lavender honey macarons here on the blog! This time, I decided to go with an absolutely gorgeous new version with these earl grey vanilla macarons.

The key to the base of the macarons was sifting the almond flour and powdered sugar through a fine mesh strainer. I am not normally someone who sifts my dry ingredients, I usually just whisk them. In this case though, it is important to get that crisp, light texture in the cookie. For the Earl Grey I just cut open two tea bags and dumped in the leaves. Finally, mixing in the vanilla and a little egg white turned it into a paste.
To finish the macaron batter, I stirred my shiny meringue into the paste base. The meringue was basically a Swiss meringue where I whipped up the egg whites into stiff peaks before I mixed in a hot syrup of sugar and water. The sugar syrup was what gave it its shine.
Then I transferred that lovely batter to a piping bag. I am incapable of piping macarons free hand so I have two mats that lays it all out for me. There were 30 circles on each mat to make 30 total once I sandwiched them together.
It took 12 minutes to bake each tray. These bake best one tray at a time on the center oven rack. Look at those feet that formed on the bottom!!!
While the cookies baked and cooled, I whipped up an easy earl grey and vanilla buttercream for the filling. It came together in minutes in my stand mixer! Then I piped a single, thick layer on the flat side of half the cookies and sandwiched them all together.

I couldn’t wait to try one. The cookies were crisp before getting to the center with the luscious buttercream. That earl grey and vanilla flavor was so present through the whole bite and I loved it!! They also stayed good for a few days sealed up in the refrigerator, so I could make them ahead. These babies are just made to serve at an elegant party dessert table or tea time. Hope you love them! They are totally doable. xoxo

Earl Grey Vanilla Macarons
Earl Grey Vanilla Macarons
4.11 from 37 votes
Earl Grey Vanilla Macarons
Earl Grey Vanilla Macarons
Prep Time
1 hr
Cook Time
30 mins
Macaron Drying Time
30 mins
 

Delicate and elegant, these earl grey vanilla macarons are a perfect addition to any dessert table. They are completely doable and you can make them ahead!

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: French
Keyword: Earl Grey Vanilla Macarons, Macarons
Servings: 30 macarons
Calories: 187 kcal
Author: Jeanie and Lulu’s Kitchen
Ingredients
FOR THE MACARONS
  • 200 grams almond flour
  • 200 grams powdered sugar
  • 5 whole egg whites at room temperature
  • 2 whole earl grey tea bags
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup water
FOR THE BUTTERCREAM FILLING
  • 2 sticks butter at room temperature
  • 1 whole earl grey tea bag
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 4 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
  1. Get out two sheet trays and line them with either silicone mats that have macaron templates on them, or parchment paper. If using parchment paper, draw 30 equal circles on each piece to make yourself a template and turn them over to have the ink face down. Take the almond flour and powdered sugar and press them through a fine mesh strainer into a large mixing bowl. This will take a little time and elbow grease but it is completely necessary for the texture of the cookies. Cut open the two tea bags and pour the leaves in. Whisk them together in the bowl to blend them. Then pour in half of the egg white liquid and the vanilla. Use a spatula to fold and mash the mixture together into a uniform paste. Set the paste aside.

  2. Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan and heat it up over medium high heat. Use a candy thermometer to make sure it reaches 243 degrees. While it heats up, set up a stand mixer with a whisk attachment and pour the remaining egg whites into it. Whip up the egg whites on high speed until they hold stiff peaks. Turn the speed to low and keep whipping the egg whites while the sugar comes to temperature on the stove. When the sugar reaches temperature, slowly and carefully pour it into the stand mixer with the egg whites and let it get mixed in. Turn the speed to high and let the meringue whisk together thoroughly until it becomes white, shiny and comes down to room temperature for about 10 minutes.

  3. Take the meringue and fold it in thoroughly with the paste in the mixing bowl. You will need to mash it together a little too to break up the paste into the meringue. It should become a smooth, shiny and pretty mixture with the flecks of tea leaves. Scoop half of it into a pastry bag with a 1/2 inch opening. Hold the opening over the center of the first circle on your sheet tray template and gently squeeze until it is filled. If there is a little point on top don't worry, it will dissolve. Fill the first sheet this way, then repeat with the second half of meringue on the other sheet tray.

  4. Now this is the heart stopping but necessary part. Lift each filled sheet tray about 8 inches above the counter and let it drop onto the counter. This will get out all of the air bubbles to make a really smooth, shiny top. Let the trays sit out for 30 minutes to dry out and firm up a little. When the 30 minutes are almost up, fit a rack in the center of the oven and preheat it to 350. Bake the first tray for 6 minutes, then rotate the tray to ensure even baking and let them bake for another 6-7 minutes. Take that tray out and let the cookies cool completely and bake the second tray in the same way. Let that tray cool completely too.

  5. While the cookies bake and cool, make the buttercream. Wash out the stand mixer bowl and get it set back up with the paddle attachment. Beat the butter in it until it is fluffy, then cut the tea bag open and dump in the leaves. Also add in the vanilla. Finally, slowly pour in the powdered sugar until you have a luscious frosting. Transfer the frosting to a piping bag and pipe a thick, single layer on the flat side of half of the macarons. Then place the flat side of another cookie on top and gently twist a little to make sure it all sticks together and the buttercream goes out to the edge. Once they are all assembled, enjoy immediately, and store any leftovers sealed up in the refrigerator!

Nutrition Facts
Earl Grey Vanilla Macarons
Amount Per Serving (1 macaron)
Calories 187 Calories from Fat 75
% Daily Value*
Fat 8.3g13%
Saturated Fat 4g25%
Cholesterol 16mg5%
Sodium 51mg2%
Carbohydrates 27.6g9%
Fiber 0.5g2%
Sugar 26.3g29%
Protein 1.6g3%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Delicate and elegant, these earl grey vanilla macarons are a perfect addition to any dessert table. They are completely doable and you can make them ahead! #macarons #cookies #dessert #earlgreyvanillamacarons #jeanieandluluskitchen

14 thoughts on “Earl Grey Vanilla Macarons”

  1. As part of my children’s homeschool they have cooking/baking class. I’m going to pin this in their recipes to make! I’ve had Earl Grey in desserts before and it’s lovely!

  2. 4 stars
    Thank you for this recipe! It was delicious. One thing I will tweak going forward is the sugar content––I was a bit dubious with the amount of sugar going in, and used 80% of what the recipe calls for. It still turned out extremely sweet, but perhaps I have a lower sugar tolerance?
    Would recommend playing around with the sugar levels if you’re like me!

  3. 5 stars
    Hello! I would love to try out your recipe but am not too sure what size eggs you used? Is it possible to please let me know how much the 5 egg whites ended up weighing? Thank you 🙂

Comments are closed.