I'm always being asked by people whether I can make macarons that aren't so sweet. Unfortunately it's a fact that a good proportion of the macaron shell itself is made of sugar, and playing around too much with the proportions there is likely to lead to disaster.
One way to make them seem less sweet is to use a really tangy or sour filling. Although citrus curds make delicious macaron fillings, they don't keep very well.
