Blood Orange Macarons

I've been wanting to make macarons for a long time.

Since it's citrus season, I decided to make blood orange macarons.

I used Heather Baird's Macaron recipe from her Sprinkle Bakes cookbook.

 I just loooooooove her book!
For my cookies, I followed Heather's basic Macaron recipe but added
blood orange zest and a little red and yellow food coloring to the cookies.

These turned out more pink than orange, but that's okay.

 For the filling, I reduced the juice of three blood oranges
and a spoon of sugar to about 2-3 tablespoons of syrup.
I used this syrup to make blood orange whipped cream for the filling.

It's very simple and deliciously fresh tasting!

Of course, these will need to be eaten today 

due to the fresh whipped cream filling.

I don't really think that will be a problem...

 

While my macarons are not perfect, 

I thought they turned out pretty good for my first try.

I'd try to get the cookies smoother next time.

They were not as difficult as I'd been led to believe.

Don't be afraid to give them a try!

 

Have a great week!

Carmen