How To Make French Macarons

Macarons are one of the most elusive desserts on the planet. Bakers from all over the world have tried to master their finicky ways. With their almond meringue shells and whatever filling you’ve chosen, they are super tasty reward if you can get them right.

But that’s the kicker – can you really nail a batch of macarons? Ask any baker and they’ll say yes or no on any day! Why? They either work, or they don’t! You either love them or loathe them… and if you’re anything like me, it all depends on your latest batch! It’s no wonder they cost a pretty penny at any bakery – they can be little stinkers. But when you finally get that first batch to work perfectly, it’s such a great feeling!

I’m here to help you today to have the best chance at nailing that first batch of macarons, or maybe your fiftieth. I remember keeping a tally in my cupboard when I was first making macarons – it was more of a scoreboard, really. It included a column for macarons that worked and ones that were a total fail. Whether it was cracked shells, hollow insides, spreading, under-baking, over-baking, dried insides, bumpy tops, lopsided bottoms, lopsided tops, no feet, spreading feet… there’s so many ways a macaron can go wrong. But thankfully, your macaron batch will happily tell you exactly what went wrong :). So there’s a really good chance you can see how to figure it out for next time. Needless to say, my tallies were pretty heavy on the “Failed” side for quite some time before I got it right. It was my mission to find out what macaron recipe was the most fool-proof. I tried SO MANY, and although they all had the same basic idea and similar techniques, I couldn’t find one that was near-perfect, if not perfect, every single time.

FINDING THE GOLDEN RECIPE:

I began making macarons over 5 years ago; trying recipe after recipe on Mondays and seeing if I could find (or even create) the perfect recipe. Some were great! Some weren’t so great. But then again… sometimes it’s NOT the recipe’s problem (it’s mine! haha). So I continued my search. Eventually, I popped on over to my friend Amy (@neuroticmom)’s Instagram channel & Youtube and decided I needed to give her recipe and method a try. Well, I was happy to have the first batch work really well! But was it a fluke? (you never know with macarons!). I tried it again, and again, and again, and again. I even tried making them into hearts, and adding on different colors, details, designs, flavors, and guess what? THIS RECIPE IS A WINNER! You go, Amy girl! I will shout your name from the rooftops for sharing this recipe that has not failed me yet! (okay, except once, but I was asking for failure for making macarons on a snowy Utah afternoon) :). So she is my recipe source until I find one I like more. It’s not likely, though, because this one has been great so far. Thanks Amy! Make sure to go check out her IG page and Youtube page for more inspiration.

That said, there are thousands and thousands of recipes out there for macarons. It’s not a one-recipe-fits all. This recipe may work for me, but bomb for you. Your recipe might work for you, but not for me. It’s all about the technique at the end of the day. Find what recipe works best for you, and go for it!

So let’s dive into these sweet little macarons, shall we?

WHAT TOOLs/EQUIPMENT WILL I NEED?

First up, let’s talk equipment:

You will need the following tools to make your French Macarons:

Kitchen Scale: This is a MUST. Everything is measured by grams. And the exact grams at that! If you don’t measure correctly, this could affect your macaron outcome.

Kitchen Aid Mixer: Sure, you can use a hand mixer with whisk attachments, but trust me, you’re going to want to use the big guy to get the job done if you have one! You will be whipping up a lot of egg whites.

Metal Bowl with Metal Whisk Attachment: Both go with your Kitchen Aid, obvs.

Sheet Pans with Parchment Paper: I use large light finish pans (the darker pans I had problems with when I was trying my recipes out). I use parchment paper because my non-slip mats get a bit too oily from all our dinner baking. I know there are ways to treat the mats so that they aren’t greasy, but I’m too lazy, haha. There are special macaron mats that are available, too. So use what you’d like, but I like using the easy parchment paper sheets.

Spatulas: You’ll need them for when you’re mixing, or during the “macronage” phase. We’ll talk about that later. But you’ll need a spatula, aight? 🙂

Piping Tip and Plastic Piping Bag: I use the size that’s the next step down from the really big one. It’s known as the “plain” tip. I also use the disposable piping bags because they tend to absorb less oil or butter from my buttercreams like the featherweight ones tend to do sometimes.

Glass bowl: This will be where you add your meringue to your dry ingredients and macaronage.

Sifter: You will need to sift your powdered sugar and almond flour – a sifter comes in handy for this. If you don’t have one, a fine mesh sieve helps lots, too.

Glass cup: This will help you as you fill your piping bag with the macaron batter.

Prep the tools:

This is a super important part that helps with a lot of macaron issues. A lot of the tools that we commonly use for baking may have some residual grease, oil, butter, moisture, etc, on them. The way that I prep my tools is with these two things:

Yep – white vinegar and paper towels! I add a little bit of white vinegar to a paper towel, then wipe off my bowls, spatula, whisk, the inside of my sifter, the piping tip, and anything else that will touch the macarons (I don’t wipe down my parchment, but if you’re using a nonslip mat, I recommend doing that one, too). I’ve also heard of people using rubbing alcohol or lemon juice. Whatever it takes, this makes a difference.

INGREDIENTS:

Macarons take very few ingredients to make! Each has a role to play, and it’s super important to measure each of them carefully using your kitchen scale.

Egg Whites: I’ve heard every story in the book about how your egg whites should be before using them in your macarons. For me, what has worked the best is pulling whole eggs out of the fridge, cracking three to four of them in my bowl, letting them sit out at room temperature for a few hours, measuring them by grams, then adding them into my recipe. For this recipe, they don’t need to be aged for days, but I do recommend them being at room temperature and measured correctly. If there are any bits of egg yolk in your egg whites, this will ruin your meringue, so separate them from the yolk carefully and over a separate bowl preferably.

Sugar: Granulated white sugar is best, and make sure to measure it correctly. If there are any clumps, make sure to run it through your sifter if needed.

Vanilla: I use pure vanilla from Costco. You don’t need very much, just a little will do. It does change the color of the batter to a slight-off white, so plan accordingly if you’re going for super-white macarons.

Almond Flour: I’ve used a few different brands for my macarons and the biggest thing I’ve noticed have been with texture and color. I’ve read several recipes that call for you to pre-bake your almond flour in the oven to dry it out. I live in Utah, so I’ve never had to do this step, really. I love the pack from Costco or the Red Mill. Anything has worked, really, just make sure to sift it to get out any little bits that you may not need. I’ve taken the time to pulse it in a food processor to make it more fine, and have noticed that makes a small difference in texture. It’s up to you.

Powdered Sugar: Measure it well and sift it well, is all I would add here.

That’s it! For the filling, you can make any of my buttercream or ganache recipes. I’m going to start including my macaron recipes & fillings here on my website soon, so that will definitely give you more ideas as we go along with my usual Macaron Monday posts on Instagram.

LET’S BEGIN!

First things first, like I’ve already said before, if you follow ANY macaron recipe perfectly, you will still run into issues. It’s just the nature of the beast, and why they are such a frustration or crowning achievement of any baker! So if they don’t work out, try again! It’s okay! Keep trying! Keep trying again and again and again. Don’t give up. You’ve got this.

STEP BY STEP TUTORIAL:

STEP 1: Measure out all the ingredients & prep tools with vinegar swipe. I use these Styrofoam bowls, but you can use anything handy. Measure them using your kitchen scale. Make sure your egg whites are room temperature. I also decide at this point what color to make my macarons. They are naturally white, but you can add in Americolor gels to the batter at a specific point to match whatever flavor you’re going to put on the inside.

STEP 2: Add your egg whites to your bowl and whip them up on medium speed with the whisk attachment.

Continue whisking until the egg whites start to foam like this:

STEP 3: When the egg whites are beginning to look foamy, add in your granulated sugar and whip up on medium high speed until soft peaks form.

STEP 5: When you see soft peaks form, add in your vanilla and Americolor gel.

Add a little bit of coloring – the color will intensify in the oven.

STEP 6: Whip up the macarons on high speed until stiff peaks form, and you can hold the bowl upside down without it falling out. Don’t overwhip the peaks, even if you’re tempted to.

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STEP 7: Sift the powdered sugar and almond flour in a separate large glass bowl. Whisk together and set aside.

After the meringue hits stiff peaks, remove the whisk from the mixer and use your spatula to add the meringue to the almond flour + powdered sugar mixture.

STEP 8: Next, it’s time for the macaronage phase. This is the step where you don’t want to overmix! Using your spatula, slowly fold the mixture around the sides and then over and down the middle. Repeat until all the dry ingredients have been incorporated and you can draw a figure 8 in the batter with the dripping (slow, like lava) ribbon-looking batter off your spatula. When you reach this point, stop. Don’t stir it any further.

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Step 9: Prep your baking sheets with your parchment rounds, and place your piping tip in your piping bag. Place the piping bag into your cup, while folding over the ends.

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STEP 10: Next, holding your piping bag straight up and down, hold the tip about 1/2 inch above the spot where you’d like to pipe your macaron and carefully squeeze out about a half inch circle. To end the circle, swirl up in a “c” pattern so that your macaron doesn’t end up with a cone top. The circle will expand after as it rests, so leave enough room for the surrounding circles. If you’re not comfortable piping freehand, you can always download a circle template to put under the parchment paper.

STEP 11: When you’re finished piping all the macarons on the parchment sheet, tap the entire cookie sheet on the counter hard (about 2-3 times) until you see air bubbles come to the surface. Use a toothpick immediately to pop any bubbles you see and swirl them around a little to make a flat surface again.

STEP 12: Preheat the oven to 290 degree F traditional bake. (not convection but convention). Let the macarons sit for at least 20-40 minutes (it will depend on your climate). When they’ve formed a skin (touch them with your hand slightly to see if they are a little hard and the batter doesn’t come off on your finger), place into your oven. Bake for 9-10 minutes. You’ll know they’re done when you can touch them and they don’t move. Don’t overbake, but don’t underbake!

STEP 13: Let cool on baking sheet and then carefully peel them off the parchment paper. Store flat in an airtight container in the fridge until you’re ready to add the filling/buttercream/ganache.

That’s it! We made it! Fill them with whatever filling/ganache/buttercream you’d like. Store them in an airtight container in the fridge until you’re ready to serve.

Alright, let’s say things didn’t work out – THAT IS NORMAL! It happens! One bad weather day, one strange egg white, one drop of moisture, one too many stirs during the macaronage phase, and you may have had an error. But there’s hope! Here’s a few reasons why your macarons may not be working out:

THIS is a link to the best resource I’ve found for troubleshooting your macarons. It goes into depth about the different ways macarons can go wrong, and how to fix it for next time.

That’s it! I hope you guys have fun making macarons with me on Mondays to continue to practice making this fun little treat! As always, if you try this recipe, I’d love to see it! Tag me @bakingwithblondie on IG or #bakingwithblondie. 🙂

xo,

Mandy