Summer Watermelon
Getting excited for the summer? Try making these watermelon macarons! They look intricate but are actually quite easy to make. I filled them with my Zesty Lemon Buttercream as I found the tanginess of the filling suitable for these macarons, but you can use any filling you’d like!
As you may have noticed, I added black sesame seeds to the ingredients list. We will be using them as the seeds of our watermelon macarons. You can find them in most Asian grocery stores, or skip them and use a black edible marker instead.
TOOLS:
- 3 piping bags
- 1 #10 round piping tip
- 1 #4 round piping tip
- 1 #5 round piping tip
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Baking scriber or toothpicks
- Black edible marker
- Summer Watermelon Template (see image below)
Yields22 to 24 macaron shells
Ingredients
- Red and green gel food coloring
- 1 batch filling of your choice
- Black sesame seeds (Optional)
DIRECTIONS
Prep the colors
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RED/DARK PINK:
Place one-half of the macaron batter in a mixing bowl and add 5 to 7 drops of red gel food coloring. Mix in the color, using a spatula, until you have the desired consistency. It should slowly flow off your spatula in a thick and steady drizzle (like honey). Stop mixing at this point! Transfer the red macaron batter to a piping bag fitted with round piping tip #10. Divide the remaining macaron batter equally between two separate mixing bowls to make the following colors.
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LIGHT GREEN:
To one portion, add 3 to 4 drops of green gel food coloring. Mix the color, using a spatula, until you have the desired consistency. It should slowly flow off your spatula in a thick and steady drizzle (like honey). Transfer the batter to a piping bag fitted with round piping tip #4.
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DARK GREEN:
To the second portion, add 5 to 6 drops of green gel food coloring and carefully mix in the color, using a spatula, until you have the desired consistency. It should slowly flow off your spatula in a thick and steady drizzle (like honey). Transfer the batter to a piping bag fitted with round piping tip #5.
Pipe the design
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Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, cutting away any excess. Slip the template between the parchment paper and baking sheet to help you pipe uniform shapes.
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On the illustration, you see numbers 1 through 3; that is the order of piping the colors. Use the dark green macaron batter first to fill in the outer rim of the watermelon (number 1) for all the macarons.
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Once you’re done with piping all the outer rims, use the light green macaron batter to fill in the inner rims of the watermelons (number 2).
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Finally, use red macaron batter to fill in the interior of the watermelon (number 3), and use a baking scriber or toothpick to adjust or sharpen the edges. Do this immediately while they’re still wet!
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There are two options to create the seeds. You can either bake the macarons now and draw on the seeds, using a black edible marker afterward, or add the black sesame seeds now while the macarons are still wet.
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After you are done piping all the watermelons, carefully remove the template and tap your baking sheet a few times to remove any large air bubbles and smooth out any gaps on your macarons, using a baking scriber or toothpick.
Bake the macarons
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Allow your macarons to air-dry for 1 to 1½ hours. The surface of the macarons should be completely dry to the touch. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 300°F(150°C).
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Once the macarons are finished resting, bake them for 14 to 16 minutes on the middle rack. When your macarons are done, allow them to cool completely before peeling off the parchment.
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Take one macaron shell, turn it upside down so the flat surface faces upward and fill the entire surface with the lemon buttercream. Top off with another macaron shells with the flat side on top of the filling and slightly press to form a sandwich. The filling should have the same height as a macaron shell. Repeat with all the shells and your watermelon macarons are done!