Macarons are very special treats to gift to your friends and family—they look so beautiful and impressive on cookie trays or packaged as a thoughtful pick-me-up.
What is a French Macaron?
Macarons were not invented in France as the name suggests, but in Italy. French macaron refers to the method that is used to make the meringue, where you sprinkle sugar into whipped egg whites. A macaron consists of two shells made with almond meal—they rise in the oven with the help of an egg white meringue. There’s an interesting science that happens with the right ratio of almond meal and meringue that creates what are called feet, little ruffles around the edge of the cookie. It’s the tell-tale sign of a well baked macaron. The texture of a macaron is soft and perfectly chewy, without being mushy.
The Ingredients You’ll Need
Although you can play with the colors and flavors of macarons, certain key ingredients are specific and cannot be substituted.
Blanched almond meal: This is different than almond flour. Blanched almond meal is finely ground almonds with their skin removed, which gives it its characteristic pale yellow color and super fine texture. You can use super-fine almond flour made with blanched almonds.Egg whites: This key ingredient is whipped to make the meringue, which is what gives macarons their unique look and texture. Only fresh egg whites will work for macarons because they whip up easier and better. If you can find unpasteurized liquid egg whites at your local grocery store, they will work wonderfully. Unfortunately, it may be hard to source in the U.S.Powdered sugar gives our cookie just a bit of sweetness!Granulated sugar is slowly added to the egg whites as they are whipped to help stabilize them into a stiff meringue.Cream of tartar also helps stabilize the egg white meringue.
Macaron Success: Tips and Tricks
Making macarons can be tricky. Follow these simple tips and tricks for a successful bake:
Never make macarons on a rainy day! A meringue’s worst enemy is moisture. This also applies to running your dishwasher or washing dishes in hot water. The steam could break your macaron batter. Flip your baking sheet upside down and bake the shells on the bottom (which is now the top!) of the baking sheet. Macarons are sensitive to heat, so flipping your baking sheet upside down will help distribute some of the heat coming from the bottom of the oven and prevent them from baking too quickly. Wipe down your mixing bowl with distilled white vinegar. The second thing a meringue does not like is fat. Any traces of fat on the bowl, such as soap that wasn’t completely washed off, can mean your meringue doesn’t whip up. To prevent this from happening, wipe the bowl with a paper towel soaked with some vinegar. Measure the ingredients using a kitchen scale. Although you can have success without it, I recommended weighing the ingredients. This will ensure you have the most accurate measurements possible. Make sure the egg whites are at room temperature so the meringue gets the most volume. It’s best to separate the eggs while they’re cold, then let the egg whites sit out on the counter until they’re at room temperature. If you’re pressed for time, place the egg whites in a sealable container and place it in a bowl full of hot tap water. Your egg whites will be warm in 5 to 10 minutes!
Ways to Fill and Flavor Macarons
Macarons are extremely versatile, and since the flavor almost always comes in the form of the filling, the variations are endless.
When making ganache infuse the cream with mint, orange zest, chilies, or rosemary. Swap the dark chocolate for milk, white chocolate, bitter-sweet, or semi-sweet chocolate. Go beyond chocolate and fill these chocolate macarons with Strawberry Buttercream, French Buttercream, or jam.
Tips for Storing Macarons
Once the macarons have been assembled, keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week. When you know you’re going to enjoy one, take them out of the fridge and let them come to room temperature before eating them as they will be hard straight from the fridge. To freeze them, place them on a large tray and transfer them to the freezer for one hour. Once frozen layer them between pieces of parchment paper in an airtight container. The filled or unfilled macarons will stay fresh for up to one month.
More Macaron Recipes to Impress Your Guests
White Chocolate Peppermint French Macarons Lemon French Macarons Raspberry French Macarons Strawberry French Macarons
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup dark chocolate chips
For the macaron shells:
1 1/4 cups (100g) blanched almond meal
3/4 cup (80g) powdered sugar
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
Distilled white vinegar, for cleaning the bowl
2 or 3 large (80g) egg whites, at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/3 cup (80g) sugar
I use a Kitchen Aid mixer on speed 3 for this step. You can do this with an electric handheld mixer set on medium, but it will take a little longer. Follow along with the visual cues for doneness. Add the cream of tartar first and continue whisking for 3 minutes. At this point, the egg whites will have gained a little bit of volume, look dull, and will not hold its shape. With the mixer still running, sprinkle in the sugar slowly, 1 tablespoon at a time. When all the sugar has been added, increase to medium speed and continue whisking for about 2 minutes. The egg whites will have increased in volume, become white, and look thick. I use a Kitchen Aid mixer on speed 4 for this step. Continue whisking for 3 minutes until the mixture looks glossy and starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. You will notice some ridges in the middle near the whisk indicating it is ready. If the peak curls or falls over then continue whisking the meringue, about 1 to 2 minutes. If the meringue starts to look chunky or curdled, the egg whites have been overwhipped and you’ll have to start over. Draw a figure 8 with it over the batter. The figure 8 should start to sink back into the batter after 10 to 20 seconds, but not disappear. If the batter does not pass the figure 8 test, fold the batter with a rubber spatula twice and then check it again, and repeat until it passes! Fit a 12- to 18- inch pastry bag with a small round pastry tip—I use a small #12 Wilton round tip. Use a rubber spatula to gently scrape the batter into the piping bag. Twist the top of the pastry bag so that the batter doesn’t fall out of the bag while you’re holding it. If using parchment, pipe a small dot of batter in each corner of the baking sheet to help secure the paper. Pipe 1- to 1 1/2-inch circles 2 inches apart from each other on the prepared baking sheets. The pastry tip should point directly down, not at an angle, for evenly sized and perfectly round shells. If the tops have a pointy tip from the piping, gently smooth them out with an offset spatula or the back of a small spoon. You will get 30 to 32 circles, which will yield 15 or 16 macarons. Bake the shells, one baking sheet at a time, for 13 minutes. When the timer goes off, carefully open the oven door, and gently touch the top of a shell. The top of the shell should not move from the feet where it touches the pan. If it moves slightly, bake it for 1 minute more. Once they are completely cool, use your hands to peel the baking mat or parchment paper back from the shells slowly and gently. If they are completely cool, the shells should come off easily. Pipe a little less than a tablespoon-sized dollop of the ganache onto one of the paired shells. Top it with its paired shell. Repeat with all other macarons.
