Name: Luxemburgerli (home recipe)
Prep time: 45 min
Total time: 2 h 30 min
Yield: 24
Cuisine: Swiss
Ingredients: 100g ground almonds (extra-fine almond flour); 100g icing sugar, sieved; 75g caster sugar; 2 large egg whites (about 70g), aged 24 hours uncovered in the fridge; 1/4 tsp cream of tartar; Pinch of salt; Food colouring paste (pink, ivory, pale yellow, brown, ivory, lilac for the classic Spruengli range); For the buttercream filling: 100g unsalted butter (very soft); 150g icing sugar; 50g full-fat creme fraiche; flavours: vanilla pod seeds; raspberry puree (3 tbsp; reduced); 30g melted dark chocolate; or 1 tbsp Champagne (cooked off)

History

The Luxemburgerli was introduced at Spruengli in the 1950s by Camille Studer, a young pastry chef from Luxembourg who brought a light filled-macaron recipe from his homeland; the name is the Swiss diminutive for 'little Luxembourger'. Spruengli still does not sell them outside Switzerland; the cream filling is too perishable to ship. The current range rotates seasonally: vanilla, chocolate, raspberry, salted caramel, champagne, plus limited collaborations. The Paradeplatz flagship sells them at the front counter by the dozen, packed in pink-and-grey signature boxes.

Common allergens: Egg, Milk, Nuts

Make it at home

Yield 24Hands-on 45 minTotal 2 hr 30 minDifficulty Advanced

Ingredients

100g ground almonds (extra-fine almond flour)
100g icing sugar, sieved
75g caster sugar
2 large egg whites (about 70g), aged 24 hours uncovered in the fridge
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
Pinch of salt
Food colouring paste (pink, ivory, pale yellow, brown, ivory, lilac for the classic Spruengli range)
For the buttercream filling: 100g unsalted butter (very soft), 150g icing sugar, 50g full-fat creme fraiche, flavours: vanilla pod seeds, raspberry puree (3 tbsp, reduced), 30g melted dark chocolate, or 1 tbsp Champagne (cooked off)

Method

Sieve the ground almonds with the icing sugar twice into a clean bowl; this is the structural step. If you have a food processor, pulse them together for 30 seconds first.
In a stand mixer, whisk the egg whites with cream of tartar and salt to soft peaks. Gradually add the caster sugar in three additions, whisking to a glossy meringue that holds firm peaks.
Add the food colouring paste to the meringue (a small dab) and whisk briefly to disperse.
Tip the sieved almond mixture in all at once. Using a flexible spatula, fold and press the mix against the bowl in long deflating strokes (macaronage) for about 50 strokes; the batter should fall in a slow ribbon and disappear back into itself in 8 to 10 seconds.
Fit a piping bag with a 7mm plain round nozzle, fill with batter. Pipe small rounds (2.5cm diameter; smaller than Parisian macarons) onto two parchment-lined baking trays, spacing 3cm apart.
Tap each tray firmly twice on the bench to release air bubbles. Rest at room temperature 30 to 45 minutes until a skin forms (the surface should not stick to a finger).
Bake at 145 degrees Celsius (fan-off) for 12 to 13 minutes; the shells should lift cleanly with a small foot. Cool completely on the trays.
Beat the soft butter with icing sugar until light, then beat in the creme fraiche and chosen flavour.
Pipe a small mound of filling onto half the shells, sandwich with the remaining shells, press very gently.
Mature in an airtight container in the fridge for 24 hours before eating; this is when the texture is right (soft chewy interior, crisp shell).

Tip from the editors. Luxemburgerli are noticeably smaller and lighter than Parisian macarons; pipe 2.5cm rounds, not the standard 4cm. The creme fraiche in the filling is what makes them less sweet than French macarons; do not substitute.