I’m whisking you away today to Paris, with French macarons. These delicate cookies look gorgeous on a party plate and make your guests feel ultra special. Maybe it’s because they are so bougie, they definitely have a more elevated feel than cookies or cupcakes, and maybe it’s because they aren’t as common in the USA as they are in Europe, but a platter of macarons makes you feel special.
It also might be because they are the most temperamental, finicky, and frustrating pastry to make. But fear not! This princess has the tips, tricks and instructions to make you a master at macarons! This easy to follow French macaron recipe makes a batch of the most delicate, and delicious cookies that are bite sized treats you might eat in one sitting. Did I mention they are gluten free?
Macarons can also be customized in a variety of ways to give you endless options to use them as a dessert or a snack. Pick a color of the rainbow and use gel food coloring to make them any hue you want. Flavor them, both by adding extracts in the batter, but also in the sandwiched frosting. Don’t want frosting? Try ganache or jelly. One bite, and you’ll hear La Vie En Rose start to play.
French macarons are delicate sandwich cookies with a crisp exterior. Each individual cookie is known as a macaron shell. The shells are made without any chemical leaveners and get all of their lift from properly beaten egg whites.
What Is A “Perfect” Macaron?
Many people only care that their macaron is delicious, as that should be the standard for all desserts, right? But there are defining qualities beyond taste that make a quintessential macaron.
Consists of a shell with a crunchy exterior; however, it should be chewy, light, and airy!
Has a shell with “spongy” layers and plenty of air pockets. However, the shell should not be hollow.
Has a smooth and perfectly round top.
The shell should have ‘feet,’ which are the little ruffled, frilly edges on the base of it’s shell.
So why are macarons so difficult to make?
If there’s one thing to know before baking French macarons at home, it’s this: these cookies require precision, patience, and practice. Macarons are often described as “finicky” and require a baker’s undivided attention. Even with proper technique, well-honed “macaronage” skills and the best ingredients money can buy, you aren’t guaranteed a perfect macaron. I use to follow recipes perfectly and things still went horribly wrong leaving a princess throwing a pity party. Because there is a certain element out of our control which without considerable experience one may not know how to adjust for: Humidity.
French macaroons are incredibly sensitive to moisture above everything. This is why some recipes call for “ageing egg whites” as when egg whites get old they loose some moisture. In areas with high humidity almost year-round it is recommended to have the air-conditioning on while making them.
Ultimately I practiced and persevered and now I have the secrets to perfect macarons. I no longer have to go to Paris for my pursuits. Ok, enough alliteration!
Fun Macaron Facts!
The First macaron originated in Italy and not France
According to legend, Catherine de Medici brought the recipe with her from Italy when she married Henry II of France in 1533. Surprisingly, the 16th-century Italian cookbooks mention almond biscuits closely resembling macarons, but under different names. The first macarons were just cookies, crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. In 1792, the macarons started to gain fame as two Carmelite nuns sold macaron cookies. It was not until the 1830s that bakers served the two-by-two by adding jams, liqueurs, and spices.
Macarons have a something in common with pasta
The root word of macaron comes from the word macaroni. Yes like pasta macaroni. They both translate into “fine dough”.
Macarons are gluten-free
The ingredients used in a traditional macaron are naturally gluten-free: almond flour, powdered sugar, egg whites, granulated sugar. Many fillings including frosting, ganache and jam are also gluten free.
Tips For Making Perfect Macarons
As I said before, these little guys require patience and precision. There may be a lot of rules or guidelines to follow for making great macarons. However, it’s easier to be aware of these tips to make a great macaron without the heartache of learning by trial and error (and this Princess has learned from her mistake)! Here are my master tips to creating macarons:
Accurately Weigh & Measure Your Ingredients
If you have ever heard the phrase “baking is a science” they were talking about macarons. Measuring and weighing your ingredients is essential when making macarons. You can’t get away with a dash of this and a pinch of that or measurements that are just a little off. Even a couple grams off can ruin a bath.
Sift The Ingredients
Before preparing the meringue, ensure the almond flour and powdered sugar is free of lumps. This can be achieved by sifting the dry mix. Not only do I sift this mixture, I sift it twice, just to make sure. Because the batter is folded together and not traditionally mixed, making sure your dry ingredients are well-blended is essential.
Make Sure Your Egg Whites are Properly Mixed
The egg whites should be at room temperature before being whipped into a meringue. No egg yolk must be present in the egg whites as it may ruin any chance of the mixture reaching stiff peaks. Make sure that your mixer is beating your egg whites between medium-low and medium-high speeds. Any faster, and you could
have oddly textured macarons due to overwhipping.
Check the Consistency of the Batter
When mixing the batter for your macaron shells, you want to do so slowly and meticulously. Above all, check the consistency from time to time to know when to stop. I stop when the batter flows from the spatula in ribbons and I can draw a figure ‘8’ without it breaking.
Use a Macaron Mat or Template
While no one is going to turn away macarons that aren’t exactly perfectly shaped together, having either a macaron mat or a printed template can help ensure proper sizing of each shell. These mats are indented to help ensure that your batter piping is precise and that your macarons come out looking like they should.
Bang Out the Air Bubbles
Don’t be afraid to bang that baking tray! Air bubbles can cause hollows as well as bumpy shells. Bang away on your counter to pop those air bubbles out.
Let The Macarons Rest Before Baking
Macarons need their beauty sleep. After piping, let your macarons sit for 30 minutes before placing them in the oven. This allows them to grow a “skin” where their surface will become smooth and dry to the touch. You should be able to touch them without leaving a mark. It helps achieve that perfect look.
Practice Makes Perfect
No matter what, don’t give up after your first batch. It took me four before I found I had the hang of everything. Particularly with the macronage, trial and error was involved. But once I saw what I was doing right and wrong, I never made those mistakes again. These babies are well worth it!
What is Macaronage?
Macaronage is the process of working macaron batter into a shiny and flowy consistency that easily pipes into smooth macaron shells. You may have heard this term before and rightfully so– it’s a crucial step in this macaron recipe. During this stage, you want to be sure not to overmix or undermix the batter. Undermixed and thick batter can produce lumpy or hollow macarons. Overmixed and thin batter can produce cracked macarons or macarons without feet.
Balanced macaron batter after achieving that perfect macaronage is best understood through visuals. Use my video above as a guide. The best advice I give is how to fold the batter from the under side. It’s best to go very slow so you don’t accidentally overmix.
Troubleshooting French Macarons
Hollow Macarons: It’s always so frustrating to bite into a macaron only to have it filled with… nothing. If your macarons are hollow, the batter was likely undermixed or overmixed. Pay attention to the proper macaronage. Additionally, make sure you pop and air bubbles in the piped macaron batter as directed in the recipe. And finally, play around with your oven settings. The oven could be too hot or the macarons could be under-baked.
Macarons Have No Feet: Avoid over-beating the egg whites and over-mixing the macaron batter. Make sure you let your piped macaron batter dry/sit out before baking.
Cracked on Top: There are many reasons for cracked shells, and it’s hard to know which was the culprit. They may have been over-baked, the batter may have been overmixed, air bubbles in the piped batter may not have been popped, and/or the egg whites may have been over-beaten.
Runny Batter: Your macaron batter will be runny if you overmixed it, deflating more air than intended. Macarons baked with runny batter will over-spread, aren’t likely to develop feet, nor will they have the intended chewy texture. This is why the macaronage step is crucial. Fold the batter together slowly and perform the figure 8 test a few times until you have the correct consistency.
My recipe uses the French method. All you will need are five ingredients
EGG WHITES: The bulk of French macaron batter is meringue made from properly beaten egg whites. Don’t use pasteurized egg whites. It’s imperative that NO egg yolks make it into the recipe.
Age The Egg Whites: It’s helpful to “age” the egg whites in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours prior to starting this recipe. Why? Egg whites that have been separated and set aside in advance have a chance to relax, which improves their elasticity during the whipping process. Elasticity is certainly beneficial when you’re trying to whip egg whites into a lofty volume. Some bakers skip this step, saying that it’s a waste of time but I’ll tell you this: most of my failed macaron batches did not include aged egg whites.
CREAM OF TARTAR: The acidity in cream of tartar helps the egg whites hold onto air and helps prevent the egg whites from collapsing. If you live in a humid area, you may want to add more cream of tartar.
GRANULATED SUGAR: In small additions, granulated sugar is beaten into the egg whites. If you can find superfine sugar, use that.
ALMOND FLOUR: Almond flour is the ONLY flour that works in this French macaron recipe. Almond flour is much finer than regular flour and made from blanched, skinless almonds.
POWDERED SUGAR: Powdered or confectioners’ sugar adds bulk and sweetness to macaron batter.
INGREDIENTS:
100 g egg whites room temperature 3 large eggs
140 g almond flour 1 1/2 cups
90 g granulated sugar just under 1/2 cup
130 g powdered sugar 1 cup
1 tsp vanilla 5mL
1/4 tsp cream of tartar 800mg
INSTRUCTIONS
Measure out almond flour and powdered sugar
Sift almond flour and powdered sugar together. Do this twice.
Separate egg whites. (Aging egg whites works best). Make sure whites are at room temperature.
Make meringue by whipping egg whites and incorporating granulated sugar.
Add cream of tartar to stabilize meringue.
Add dry ingredients to meringue 1/3 at a time.
Gently fold the dry ingredients into the meringue. This is called macronage.
Stop when batter falls like ribbons.
Transfer batter to a piping bag.
Pipe out on a non slip mat in equal mounds.
Tap tray to release air bubbles.
Let macarons rest for 30 minutes before baking
Set oven to 300 degrees.
Bake for 15 minutes. Rotate tray midway if neeeded.
Enjoy macarons.
