I got my greedy paws on some crystallised violets while in London (along with a load of other things that Nigella talks about but are impossible or cost prohibitive to buy in Australia). They sat here for a while with no real destination in mind until one night when I was separating egg whites from yolks and I thought what better to make than some Violette Macarons.
In France Violet is a very popular flavour, when we recently visited, I often saw it popping up on menus and in cakes. I’m sure some people would find it too “soapy” tasting, which is quite true. Indeed the lollies above are very soapy tasting and strong. You could always combine Violet with another flavour if the idea of eating Violets seems a little odd. Violet and Blackcurrant or berry would be gorgeous together. To fill them I used white chocolate ganache as I had some in the fridge although of course a buttercream is more traditional. I adapted Nigella’s Pistachio Macaron recipe because I am clinging onto it for dear life as that was the only one that worked for me.
Crystallised Violets £2.59
As you can see I still have some problems with Macarons, namely the “frilly foot” that comes and goes. Also making them all the same size is a challenge although I always find a match for each half. It’s more a matter of making each macaron the same size. But as they say, they still taste very good going down!
Violette Macarons
Makes 20 individual macaron halves, so 10 sandwiched together
For the macaroons:
- 75 grams almond meal
- 125 grams icing sugar
- 2 large egg whites
- 15grams caster sugar
- Violet colouring gel (I used Wilton’s “Violet”)
- 4 Crystallised violets, ground with mortar and pestle
- Extra 5-6 Crystalised Violets, lightly crushed but not to smithereens, woody bits picked out to sprinkle over macarons
- 2 drops of Violet essence
For the filling
- 180 grams white chocolate
- 1/4 cup cream
To decorate
- Violet iridescent powder
- plus some of the Extra Crystalised Violets, lightly crushed but not to smithereens, woody bits picked out
Preparation
- 2 baking sheets, lined with parchment paper
1. In a food processor grind the almond meal along with the icing sugar until as fine as dust. Whisk the egg whites until fairly stiff, but not dry, sprinkle the sugar over and whisk until very stiff. Add the colouring gel at this stage and whisk briefly Fold the whites into the almond meal-icing sugar dust, and combine gently.
2. Pipe small rounds onto your lined baking sheet, using a plain 1 cm nozzle. Sprinkle with lightly crushed crystallised violets. Let them sit for about 10 minutes to form a skin. Preheat the oven to 160°C/Gas mark 4 and turn the oven fan off or onto slow.
3. Rap the baking sheet hard on the countertop to flatten the batter before baking, then put in the oven and cook for 10-12 minutes: they should be set, but not dried out.
4. Remove from the oven and let cool, still on their sheets, while you get on with the filling. Melt the white chocolate and cream in a heatproof bowl over a small pot of simmering water and cool until a manageable, spreadable consistency. Sandwich two halves together with the filling.
5. Dust with purple iridescent powder and then add more crushed crystallised violets.
Adapted from How To Be A Domestic Goddess by Nigella Lawson
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18 Comments | Add your own
How much were those crystallised violets you got? Just wondering what the price difference is, compared to the stuff here.
ahhhhhhhhhhh yummmmm
those look so good
Hi Lorraine,
Wow, violet essence and iridescent powder.. I didn’t even know these things existed for the baking world!
At first when I saw the macarons I thought it was a shame that the violet petals disintegrated into a crumble, but then I read that they were meant to be like this. Any reason why they wouldn’t be ok kept whole as petals for decoration? I’m guessing they might burn perhaps? Or fall off?
I’ve never tried anything violet flavoured and again, I had no idea about the soapy taste.. See, you’re educating me!
Great job with the macaroons!
i’m already smitten because they’re purple, but the floral flavor really makes them special. the filling sounds pretty fabulous, too. you do good work.
they look so wonderful!
You did a fabulous job and I am intrigued by your flavor. I have to make a bunch in a few weeks and am dreading the pressure of making macarons.
Those Macarons look very pretty and must taste heavenly!
cheers,
Rosa
Being as purple is my favorite color, it’s hard not to be taken with these.
I’ve used violets to garnish various foods and baked good before, but have never used crystallized violet petals. This is interesting and completely new to me!
A friend of mine sent me this exact jar as a gift, since they are impossible to find here. And I have been using them little by little, so I don’t go without.
I think your macarons are so pretty, Lorraine! I love that color.
Why didn’t you try the violet dessert in Paris?
The macaron look beautiful. I never see any violet so attractive on biscuit. I wonder if Lindt would make these for sell?
You are really a die hard Violet fan
SO pretty!! I’ve never tried making macarons, but I’m dying to now!!!
Hi Y-The crystallised violets were £3 from Waitrose.
Hi rachel-Thanks so much!
Hi Maria-I’m constantly discovering things myself!
The whole petals or flowers look quite varied so I thought they looked better crushed up. They’re not like rose petals which always look similar, when they are crystallised they turn all sorts of shapes. I think anything that is made into a soap makes me think of soap (like Lavender and Violet and sometimes Rose).
Thanks so much!
Hi grace-The colour does so much for them, I love anything purple at the moment! Thanks
Hi essie-Thankyou very much!
Hi Kim-Thanks, I was worried there for a while (as I always am with macarons). Best of luck!
Hi Rosa-Thanks so much
Hi Sandie-I love purple lately (after shunning it for years). I’ll definitely try and add it to other things now that I have secured a bottle
Hi Patricia-I know, it’s so tempting to use them but there aren’t that many in the bottle. Thanks so much!
Hi Lilia-I did try the Violet Religieuse at Laduree but the Violet ice cream wasn’t available at Le Mesturet. Lindt should definitely make it, they need a purple on their colour palette. I am!
Hi KatyBelle-It’s definitely a little nerve wracking but rewarding
These look so pretty. Even if you think they have “frilly feet”, I still think they look awesome. I wish I had the confidence to make them!
Hi Julia-Thankyou!
I think if you show them who is boss that may help, I’m sure you’ll do well 
I’m going to England in a few weeks and was hoping to find some violet essence for chocalate making, but the source of all knowledge doesn’t seem to be any help. Can you help?
Did you know that English violets are much stronger scented than others (I don’t know about French)
Hi Liz-I didn’t know that about English violets but their flowers are incredibly beautiful and vivid over there. I would perhaps try Waitrose. As for specialty shops, I’m not sure about London, I didn’t get to visit any special cake making supply stores I’m afraid.
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[...] fun. So far I’ve eaten at some fabulous restaurants, baked a whole lot of Cupcakes, made Macarons with success, been to the Iron Chef Observatory dinner, met my two favourite chefs Gordon Ramsay and [...]
[...] also the Crystallised Violets, the same brand that I bought in the UK and used in my Violette Macarons ($17.95 here) as well as boxes of sugar flowers (you can buy a large box of sugar flowers for $25), [...]
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