Macaron Christmas Tree

Christmas is the time of year when I take my best tea out to enjoy. For me, that means indulging in my stash of Ladurée tea, from the classic Melange Ladurée to Roi Soleil and 1001 Nights.I love how distinctive each of these teas are, like perfumes. One whiff and I’m transported back to Place de la Madeleine, at the store front of Ladurée Royale in Paris.

This Macaron Christmas Tree brings the spirit of French tea to life during the holidays. The hardest part is finding (or making) French macarons that are slightly smaller than the standard size so that they fit on a small cone.The macarons here are flavored with a tea-infused buttercream. The way to incorporate tea flavor into any of your butter-based recipes is by simply melting the butter and adding tea leaves to soak in it. It isn’t the prettiest process, but the results are delicious.

To use the butter as the base for a buttercream icing, you’ll need to wait for the melted, tea-infused butter to re-solidify completely. This is the best way to prevent having to add too much confectioner’s sugar to the buttercream when you are trying to get a thick consistency.

Instead of covering the styrofoam cone base with icing like I did in my last DIY French Macaron Tower project, I covered this the cone with some gold wrapping paper. I used this quick tutorial from the blog, Lolly Jane, and the process was very simple.

Grated, dried, coconut serves as a snowy backdrop here. Because this is the unsweetened variety, it’s pure white, fluffy, and not at all sticky. I’ve placed a few of Ladurée’s gorgeous muslin tea bags around the tree as “presents.” This way, when it’s time for tea and macarons, everything is ready to go!

As for today, I’m enjoying my extra macarons with the same Ladurée’s Josephine Ceylon black tea used in the buttercream. The tea is infused with citrusy flavors like mandarin orange, grapefruit, and lemon, and even has a few orange peels thrown in.

Despite its small stature, this tower impressively holds about 60 mini macarons. This is a romantic little project for French tea lovers, sure to be the centerpiece of any Christmas table.

Macaron Christmas Tree 

What You’ll Need:

{Green Macarons}- preferably on the small/mini side, filled with Tea Buttercream

{Tea Buttercream}

2 sticks unsalted butter

2 Tbsp loose leaf tea (I used Laduree’s Josephine)

1 cup powdered sugar, sifted

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/4 cup almond meal

zest of 1 lemon

1/2 tsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp orange blossom water

{For the Vignette}

wrapping paper

hot glue gun

small  3″ x 6″ styrofoam cone

toothpicks

royal icing

cloche that fits the tree height

cake stand

unsweetened coconut, to use as snow

large spatula

mini tassels, to decorate cake stand

decorative ribbon

small decorative items to place around the tree ( I’ve used wrapped Melange Ladurée tea bags)

3″ x 4″ cello bags & tape, optional

Step-By-Step:

1. Follow Lolly Jane’s directions on how to wrap the cone with wrapping paper. I used glue from a glue gun to adhere the paper to the cone (even the excess paper around the base).

2. To make the buttercream, melt the butter in a saucepan and then add the tea leaves. After 5-7 minutes, strain the tea leaves out. Allow the infused butter to re-solidify. Cream the butter and powdered sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the cornstarch and almond flour, then the zest, lemon juice, and orange blossom water to finish.

3. Follow directions from my DIY French Macaron Tower post to attach the macarons to the tree using toothpicks. The top few macarons should be attached with royal icing. Wrap some decorative ribbon around the tower, from the base to the top securing with the same royal icing.

4. Attach the tassels to the cake stand using drops of hot glue. Put the coconut onto the cloche base/cake stand in piles to look like fresh snow. Use a large spatula to carefully transfer the completely macaron tree on the cake stand. If you prefer, place some small decorative items around the tree. Optionally, I’ve placed a few muslin tea bags wrapped in cello bags around my tree.

5. Place the cloche dome on top of the cake stand to create a completed vignette…done!

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