Chamomile Honey Lemon Mochinut Style Macarons

Have you ever had mochinut doughnuts? If so, the shape of these chamomile honey lemon macarons should ring a bell! The spunky doughnut trend inspired me to create a spring macaron dessert with a nod to the style and shape of the mochinut ring. This dessert is composed of chamomile macaron shells filled with a creamy and floral chamomile honey swiss meringue buttercream, with pops of tangy lemon curd throughout.

As with any macaron recipe, it’s very important to have the basic techniques down. For a detailed rundown on the macaron making process, head over to my Basic French Macaron Recipe and pay careful attention to the meringue and macaronage steps!

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Chamomile Macaron Shell Rings

The shells in this bright spring dessert are flavored with chamomile tea. All you’ll need to do is swap a few grams of the almond flour and powdered sugar for a fine blend of chamomile tea! See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full deets.

Macaron Mochinut Style Template

While we’re on the subject of the shells, you’ll need a template! Download the template I created for these macs below in a versatile wreath shape.

Basic Macaron Wreath Template

These macaron rings are 6 inches across, and contain 8 mini circles in each ring. Print out the template to fill a standard 8″x11″ piece of paper. If you print two copies, you can lay them side by side on a standard half sheet and fit 4 macaron rings per tray.

This shade of yellow can be achieved with Wilton Buttercup Yellow and Wilton Brown. I’ll link the shades below! (You can usually find them cheaper at Walmart, but I’ll link to show what they look like)

Wilton Icing Color Gel Food Coloring, 1 Ounce, Buttercup

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Wilton Icing Colors, 1-Ounce, Brown

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Lemon Curd

Next let’s talk about the lemon curd! Make sure to whip this far enough in advance to give it 2-3 hours to cool in the fridge. I made batch after batch after batch of this lemon curd to nail down the flavor, consistency, AND use an amount of lemon that doesn’t leave much food waste. A full batch makes 13.5 oz, but you’ll only need 2-4 oz for this recipe.

The amounts have been adjusted in the recipe card below to create enough for this dessert plus a pinch extra, but if you want to make a full jar, head over to my Lemon Curd Recipe! (Bonus, making a full batch of the lemon curd leaves you with just the right amount of egg whites to create the macaron batter and the swiss meringue chamomile buttercream!)

Full Batch Lemon Curd Recipe

Chamomile Swiss Meringue Buttercream

The Chamomile Swiss Meringue Buttercream was created very similarly to the filling in my Earl Grey Rose Macarons. Steep half the butter with the tea to infuse the floral chamomile flavor into the buttercream, strain through a fine mesh sieve, allow to cool, and add at the usual step!

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Celestial Seasoning Teas (Chamomile Tea)

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This chamomile swiss meringue buttercream recipe is also enhanced with a bit of honey.

TIP: If your honey crystalizes, did you know you can de-crystalize it by heating it up over a super low heat for a long period of time? That’s what I had to do with this jar of honey and it worked like a charm!

Assembly

Once all the components are cooled and ready for assembly, match each macaron ring with another that is similarly sized. On one ring in each pair, use a 1m piping tip to pipe a ring of buttercream around each circle of the rings.

Fill each circle with a dollop of lemon curd. I like to use piping bags with the tip cut off to insert fillings.

Cookie Cutter Kingdom, 16 inch 100 count, Tipless Piping Bags Disposable Piping Bags for Piping Icing, Cake Decorating, Pastries and More (16 inch – 100 Pack)

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Place the matching shell on top and gently press down to secure.

Allow filled and assembled macarons to mature for 24 hours to develop flavor and texture. Depending on how you will store the macarons, it may be best to wait until you are closer to serving them to do the final decorations. Some of the garnishes such as the chocolate stems are quite fragile and can break if shifted around too much.

Decoration

The decoration of these cheerful macs comes in three parts. The drizzle, the chocolate stems, and the buttercream chamomile flowers. Depending on how you will store the macarons, it may be best to wait until you are closer to serving them to do the final decorations. Some of the garnishes such as the chocolate stems are quite fragile and can break if shifted around too much.

White Chocolate Drizzle

For the drizzle, melt 2 oz of white chocolate and load it into a piping bag. Cut a very small corner off the tip, and drizzle the chocolate on three of the circles in each top ring.

Chamomile Buttercream Florals

For the buttercream chamomile florals, you’ll need a few ounces of buttercream. I recommend using Swiss meringue buttercream, but honestly you can use a small batch of royal icing, American buttercream, or whatever you prefer. Cut up 2 dozen small squares (roughly 2.5″x2.5″) of parchment paper, and use a small amount of buttercream to attach one square of paper to a flower nail to aid in piping. (See link below)

Wilton W4023007 Flower Nail for Icing, 1.5-Inch, No.7

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Use a small 101 petal tip to pipe several to a dozen slender petals for each flower. Keep the skinny end of the piping tip on the outer edge of the flower at all times. Pipe several 1-1.5″ flowers, several .75″ flowers, and several .5″ flowers, moving each one to a baking sheet or tray when finished. It’s always a good idea to pipe a few extra so you have a few to choose from, along with some backups in case any of them break when transferring.

Wilton Petal Decorating Tip-#101

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Once all petals have been piped, color a few ounces of buttercream golden yellow, and pipe a round dollop in the center of each flower using a #4 piping tip.

Wilton No.4 Decorating Tip, Round

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Place the finished flowers in the freezer and allow to thoroughly chill, about 20 minutes.

Once frozen, carefully remove one flower of each size and transfer the three to each assembled macaron ring.

White Chocolate Sprinkle Stems

To create the chocolate stems, use the same melted chocolate and cut a bit more off the piping bag tip to create a thicker piping line. You don’t want it too thin and fragile because it will need to be transferred. Pipe a dozen or so long lines of chocolate on a piece of parchment, and then sprinkle on white non pareils. Allow to cool, and then break off the stems at the desired size.

Wilton White Nonpareils Cake Decorating Supplies, 3 Ounce (Pack of 1)

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You can either lay them on top of the macarons and just let them sit, or you can secure them on with a small amount of melted white chocolate.

That’s it! Many seasonal flavors and visuals come together to create this truly stunning Spring dessert. Hope you enjoy the recipe and tutorial, if you give it a try feel free to comment here, or tag me on Instagram or Facebook! Happy baking.

For more Fresh and Floral Recipes, check out the list below!

Earl Grey Rose Macarons

Blackberry Mint Macarons

Blueberry Basil Mascarpone Mini
Pavlovas

Chamomile Honey Lemon Mochinut Style Macarons

Chamomile macaron shells filled with a silky chamomile honey swiss meringue buttercream and pops of tangy and fresh lemon curd throughout. Decorating tutorial included in blog post.

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Prep Time 2 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 50 minutes mins

Total Time 3 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine French

Servings 4 6″ Assembled Macaron Ringss

Ingredients

  

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Chamomile Macaron Shells

• 130 grams egg whites (Approximately 4 Large Eggs, Use Scale)
• 120 grams granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
• 197 grams almond flour
• 197 grams confectioner’s sugar
• 4 grams of Chamomile Tea about 4 bags

Chamomile Swiss Meringue Buttercream

• 55 grams egg whites 2 oz, about two egg whites
• 110 grams granulated sugar 4 oz
• 225 grams salted butter divided 8 oz
• 8 standard tea bags Chamomile Tea
• 2 tbsp honey

Small Batch Lemon Curd

• 2 tsp lemon zest (About 1 large lemon)
• 3.5 tbsp granulated sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• 3.5 tbsp lemon juice (About 1 large lemon)
• 3 tbsp salted butter (If using unsalted, add an extra pinch or two of salt)
• 1 SMALL pinch salt

Decoration

• 4 oz buttercream or royal icing
• 3 oz white chocolate

Instructions

 

Chamomile Tea Mochinut Style Macaron Shells

• Line 2 upside down baking sheets with a silicone mat (mochinut circle template can be found in the post).
• Place a medium/large round piping tip (Tip #2A) in a large piping bag. Twist the bag right behind the tip and add a clip to seal off the opening. Place the bag tip down into either a clean tall cup with the edges folded over the rim to keep the bag open, or clip it into a bag holder.
• If using a coarser chamomile blend, pulse in a food processor until it becomes a fine blend. If using a fine blend, skip the food processor and move to the next step.
• Using a kitchen scale, carefully weigh out and sift the confectioner’s sugar, chamomile tea, and almond flour into a medium mixing bowl. Whisk well to fully blend the three together.
• Place egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar into a large mixing bowl, and begin beating with a whisk attachment using either a handheld mixer or a stand mixer for 2 minutes on a medium low speed (Kitchen Aid Speed 4).
• Turn up the mixer to a medium speed (Kitchen Aid Speed 6) and beat for an additional 2 minutes.
• Add your desired amount of yellow and brown food coloring to achieve a golden yellow shade.
• Turn mixer up to medium high speed (Kitchen Aid Speed 8) and beat for 3 more minutes, or until peaks are very stiff and the meringue clumps up in a ball in the center of the whisk. Test stiffness by removing whisk and pointing it upward. (See photo in Basic French Macarons post for reference) Once the peaks can hold their shape flipped upright, your meringue is ready.
• Pour half of your almond flour/tea/confectioner’s sugar mixture into the bowl with your meringue, and fold 15 times. One fold is scraping all the way around the edge of your batter in your bowl, and then dragging your spatula through the middle to knock out air. Be sure to scoop around the bottom of the bowl as well so you don’t miss any dry ingredients.
• Pour in the remaining powdered sugar, tea, and almond flour, and continue folding (approximately 30 more folds) until dry ingredients are fully incorporated. Do not overfold. Start checking your batter’s readiness every 5 folds or so at this point by scraping all batter down to the bottom of your bowl, and then wiggling your bowl back and forth several times. If the batter levels out with very few peaks and lines remaining, it should be ready. This macaron recipe stays thicker than most traditional recipes and won’t “flow” quite the same, but it will show signs of readiness through how it settles.
• Pour batter into prepared piping bag, and twist the opening off. Hold your bag at the twist between your thumb and pointer finger. Remove the clip near the piping tip.
• Holding the piping bag straight up and down, apply pressure to begin piping your batter in the center of your circle templates, releasing pressure once you are a few millimeters short of your desired size. After you release pressure, use a small quick circular flick to release your tip from the piped macaron.
• Once you’ve piped a full tray, firmly bang the tray on the counter a few times to pop any air bubbles and smooth out shells. Pop any remaining large bubbles with a toothpick or scribe tool. Repeat with the second tray.
• Begin preheating your oven to 300 degrees, using an oven thermometer to ensure accurate temperature readings.
• Set aside shells to dry until they form a skin and are no longer tacky to the touch. Once you can gently run a finger over your shells, they are ready to bake. Use a fan to speed up the process, rotating the tray every few minutes to ensure even drying. This usually takes 16-20 minutes for me with a fan. (Rest for a shorter amount of time if you deal with high humidity issues)
• Once shells are dry and the oven has fully preheated to 300, place one tray in the center of the middle rack of the oven. Bake for 18 minutes.
• Quickly open door to check the shell’s doneness by gently pressing on the side just above the feet to see if it’s firm. If it moves at all, bake for another 2 minutes.
• Check shells by performing the same test, pressing on the side. If they are still unstable, bake for one more minute, and check again. Repeat until shells are firm and do not budge, then remove from oven. Make sure oven is still at the correct temperature and then bake your second tray.
• Allow shells to cool completely, and the carefully remove from silicone mat or parchment paper by gently peeling them off.

Lemon Curd

• Rub together the sugar and lemon zest in a medium sized heavy bottom sauce pan, and then thoroughly whisk in the egg yolks.
• Add the lemon juice and salt, and whisk vigorously to thoroughly combine the ingredients.
• Begin cooking the lemon curd over medium low heat, whisking constantly. (Do not use aluminum or unlined copper pots or whisks. If only aluminum/copper pots are available, see double boiler note below)
• Continue whisking, and keep a close eye on the curd making sure to whisk all sections of the pot evenly. The curd changes quickly once it starts to reach the desired temperature.
• Cook the curd until it's temperature reaches 175℉ and has thickened to the point it can coat the back of a spoon.
• Remove the curd from heat and stir in the cold butter pieces until melted.
• Strain the curd through a sieve, and cover with plastic wrap making sure the plastic wrap is making contact with the surface of the curd to avoid it forming a skin while cooling.
• Allow the curd to chill in the fridge for 2 hours before using.

Chamomile Honey Swiss Meringue Buttercream

• Melt half of the butter (4 oz) and all the tea together in a small sauce pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, simmer on lowest heat setting for 5 minutes, stirring semi frequently to avoid burning.
• Remove from heat and steep for another 5 minutes.
• Strain butter and tea through a fine mesh sieve into a shallow container, and set aside to cool to room temperature. Speed up the process by chilling in the fridge.
• Using a medium size sauce pot, bring an inch or so of water to a boil.
• In a medium heat safe metal or glass bowl that is large enough to rest on top of the sauce pot, whisk together the egg whites and sugar. (Use a kitchen aid mixing bowl and whisk attachment to save a dish later.)
• Place bowl on top of the pot with boiling water and continue whisking occasionally until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Check by rubbing a small amount of egg mixture between fingers to check for graininess. Keep cooking and whisking until mixture feels smooth and no grittiness remains.
• Remove bowl from heat, and use an electric mixer to whisk the mixture until a stiff glossy meringue forms. (If it becomes marshmallowy, it should still come together fine once the butter has been incorporated)
• Once the meringue cools down a bit, add in the chamomile butter and the rest of the remaining butter (4 oz).
• Beat for another few minutes until the buttercream is light and fluffy, and the butter flavor becomes less prominent.
• Add in the honey, and whip until thoroughly combined.

Assembly

• Match up each shell with a partner shell of equal size.
• Wait to fill macarons until all components are no longer warm. On each shell in each ring, pipe a circle of chamomile Swiss meringue buttercream using a Wilton 1M, leaving enough room in the centers for the lemon curd. (See photos for reference)
• Gently sandwich the matched shell on top.
• Refrigerate in an airtight container for 24 hours to allow the macarons to “mature” and fully develop their flavor and texture.

Chocolate Decoration Assembly

• Melt the chocolate down in the microwave starting with 20 seconds, stirring, and then microwaving in 10 second bursts and stirring until chocolate is melted and smooth.
• Place chocolate in a piping bag (or plastic ziploc bag) and cut a small bit of the tip off.
• Drizzle chocolate lines on three of the shells in each ring that will be placed on top of a pair.
• Cut a tiny bit more off of the tip, and pipe thicker straight lines of chocolate onto parchment paper and cover in white non pareil sprinkles right away. Allow chocolate to set, and then break pieces so you have 4 4 inch pieces, and 4 approximately 2.5 inch pieces.
• Place sprinkle chocolate stems on to the macaron tops criss crossing as shown in photos. Attach with small amount of melted white chocolate if you plan on moving them much.

Chamomile Buttercream Florals

• Cut up 2 dozen small squares (roughly 2.5"x2.5") of parchment paper, and use a small amount of buttercream to attach one square of paper to a flower nail to aid in piping.
• Use a small 101 petal tip to pipe several to a dozen slender petals for each flower. Keep the skinny end of the piping tip on the outer edge of the flower at all times.
• Pipe several 1-1.5″ flowers, several .75″ flowers, and several .5″ flowers, moving each one to a baking sheet or tray when finished.
• Once all petals have been piped, color a few ounces of buttercream golden yellow, and pipe a round dollop in the center of each flower using a #4 piping tip.
• Place the finished flowers in the freezer and allow to thoroughly chill, about 20 minutes.
• Once frozen, carefully remove one flower of each size and transfer the three to each assembled macaron ring.

Notes

Swiss Buttercream Notes:

-If the meringue is too warm when adding the butter, the butter may melt and the mixture can look soupy or curdled. If this happens, keep whipping and see if it comes back together. If it doesn’t, pop the bowl in the fridge to cool for a few minutes and then try whipping again.

Lemon Curd Notes:

-If you do not have a heavy bottomed, non aluminum sauce pan, use the double boiler method to cook your curd. Boil one inch of water in the medium sauce pot, and cook the curd in a heat proof medium sized bowl placed overtop the pot. 

-If keeping the zest in the curd is important to you, I recommend using the double boiler method as an extra precaution to avoid having any small bits of egg yolk cook while you prepare the curd, and skip the step at the end where you put the curd through the mesh sieve. 

Keyword Black Tea, Chamomile, Dessert, Donut, French Macarons, Fresh, Honey, Lemon, Mochinut, Spring

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