I’ve mentioned that I was never a huge fan of macarons. However I’ve been making a lot for my clients lately, and I’ve started to figure out what makes these delicate cookies so special – each bite is a perfect combination of texture and taste. Crispy, chewy and creamy. All come in one bite. Also I’ve come to realize some tricks on how to make perfect macarons.
So perfect macarons! Perfect macarons!!! I know only the sound of it might already be quite scary. I’ve heard stories about macarons failure that the whole batch came to a waste. The shells are cracked, have no “feet”, not smooth, dull colored… It seems like so much can go wrong. My experience in making a successful batch is nothing bible. In my opinion, making perfect macarons is not extremely intimidating, it’s about a bit of special care and attention. And I would like to share some of my tips on how to achieve perfect macarons.
Weather/Humidity – Try to pick a sunny day with low humidity to make your macarons. Otherwise, let your macrons to dry at least an hour longer before baking, especially on a rainy or very humid day.
Master Circle Template – I don’t enjoy drawing tons of circles each time when I make my macarons. So I traced circles on a parchment paper and use it as a master template, place it under each parchment paper that I am going to pipe the shells on, and pipe to the outline. Just bake your macarons with that master paper, you don’t have to take it away. It may ruin your still runny shells.
Silicon Mat V.S. Parchment Paper – I use parchment paper because personally I find that silicon mat seems to stick to the macaron shells more easily. Plus I can always re-use the same parchment paper.
Egg Whites – I don’t bring the egg whites to room temperature. Meaning they go straight from the refrigerator to the mixer, and the batter turns out fine.
Almond Flour – My almond flour is kept in the freezer. Same as the egg whites, it goes straight from the freezer to the food processor. As long as you grind your almond flour with enough powdered sugar, it will never turn into paste. It is important to sift the almond flour mixture after you grind it. And make sure the leftover in the sieve is no more than 2 tablespoons.
Granulated Sugar – You could use extra fine sugar to make the meringue, or grind the regular granulated sugar in a food processor to make it finer. However, I don’t find a huge difference compared to simply using regular granulated sugar. If you happen to have a jar of vanilla-scented sugar (put a used vanilla bean into the sugar), don’t use that. The oil from the vanilla bean will deflat the egg whites.
Flavor – I don’t normally flavor the shells. Unless the flavor of the shell matches the flavor of the filling, otherwise one flavor tends to overpower the other. I bake my basic macaron shells and go crazy with the endless choice of fillings. Buttercream, ganache, caramel, lemon curd, marmalade……Now because there is so much sugar in the cookies, and the sugar is necessary to create the right texture to macaron, I tend to lower the sweetness of the filling to balance the flavor. For buttercream, I normally put a little more salt too.
Colour – I use colouring paste to add colour to the shells. Only a drop or two will do the work, and it won’t loosen the batter. I add colour when everything is mixed, not at the meringue level. The advantage of this step is you can divide the batter into 2 or 3 batches and create different colours for each batch.
Pointy Shell – When piping the macarons, if they end up with a point, you can use a wet finger to smooth them down.
Resting – The shell must rest enough to a point where they are dry to touch before baking. The best way to test it is to touch the surface of the shell with your finger. If it’s not sticky, and you are able to glide your finger on it, it’s good to go.
Sandwich the Filling – Because the shells are very delicate and crispy, it’s easy to crush them while sandwiching the filling. I don’t press the two shells together. Instead I hold the edge of the shells and “mush” them closer.
Ingredients (around 30 sandwich cookies):
1 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cup almond flour
2 egg whites
1/4 cup granulated sugar
a drop or two food colouring paste of your choice
1/2 cup filling of your choice
Directions:
Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Put a master template under the parchment paper or draw about 12 1 1/2-inch circles in rows on the paper, about an inch apart.
Process powdered sugar and almond flour in a food processor until finely ground. Sift the mixture through a sieve. If there are more than 2 tablespoons of large chunks left in the sieve, grind them and sift again. Set the mixture aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat egg whites at medium speed until frothy. Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Increase the speed to high and beat until very stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes.
Sift the almond flour mixture over the egg whites. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the almond flour mixture into the egg whites until the ingredients are just combined. Add a drop or two of food colouring to tint the batter. Continue to fold the mixture until it has loosened and falls in a ribbon from the spatula.
Fit a pastry bag with a 1/2-inch round tip and fill the bag with the batter. Using the template as a guide, pipe circles onto the parchment papers.
Tap the bottom of each sheet on the work surface to release trapped air bubbles. Let the cookies stand at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. This allows the cookies to develop their crusts.
Preheat oven to 325F. Bake the macarons for 10 to 12 minutes, until set but not browned.
Transfer the baking sheets to wire racks and let the macarons to cool completely on the pans. Once cooled, gently lift half of the cookies from the parchment paper and turn them upside down.
Spoon or pipe a teaspoon of filling onto each of the upside-down cookies. Top with the remaining cookies.
162 comments
Seems yummy, thanks for sharing delicious recipe.
I would love to try these macarons.
Wrap them in catchy macaron boxes and preserve
the taste for longermacaron-boxes
May I know what is the weight of your egg white. 1 large egg white can be between 30g to 38g. Do u aged your egg white in the fridge. Which level of your oven rack do you bake. Middle rack or lowest third. Thanks.
Hi Fanny,
Can you post your recipe in grams please ?
Hi these look wonderful I cant wait to try making them today. Was just wondering what kind of filling do you use?
Thanks
Hi Raya, you can use buttercream, cream cheese frosting, ganache… :)
I could kiss you right now! I’ve add an awful time with macarons in the past. So temperamental. I’ve only ever tried the Italian meringue method as I read it was more stable. But after so much failed attempts recently I thought I’d go French. Yours in the first recipe I found that I liked the sound of, and they’ve come out perfect first try! Yaaaaay. They dried so well compared to Italian ones.
The feet are crazy good! Thank you so much for this recipe :) x
Do you preheat the oven when the macarons r drying or just before goin to the oven,? How many minutes do u preheat for?
Thnks
Hi, Sonu, I prefer my oven right before the cookies are ready to bake. Can’t tell exactly how much time it takes. My oven will alarm when the temperature is good to go. :)
Please help me. I tried making macarons about 5 times but it was not successful :( hope you can give tips and advice. Thank you very much.
What exactly went wrong?
Hi, my macarons dont have feet and also hallow, i followed all the procedure written in your blog. What might be the problem? Thank you.
Is it okay to use a liquid coloring? What’s the possible outcome if i use the liquid one? Thank you.
You might need to add a lot in order to get to the preferred color. And the extra liquid will affect the texture of the cookie shells.
You’re not getting enough air in your merengue. Make sure it comes to stiff peaks, and don’t over mix, fold with a spatula I have found 65-75 turns is about perfect without deflating the egg. I’ve made a lot of “tasty crackers” in my time but you’ll get it! Keep trying!
Does using wax paper would affect the rise of the macarons?
I’ve never tried to use wax paper. But I heard the shell might stick on it.
Hi,
How many drops of color and what’s the color name please , they looksooo pretty
Hi Lizzy, just a drop of two should be good enough. I don’t remember exactly what the color names are. But I think they are mostly just standard orange, pink…
I used the wet finger to soften peaks and were I touched them to smooth they bubbled while cooking! :( otherwise they would have been perfect!
I’m allergic to almonds what other type of flour can I use?
Hi Martha, I’ve never tried any no-almond macarons recipe. But I have seen some on internet. Hope you can find one that fits your diet. :)
Hi, is it necessary to freeze almond flour? I keep mine at room temperature and I had read somewhere that brand new almond flour must be used for baking macarons. Mine’s two weeks old. Is that fine?
I freeze mine. But I just use it straight from the freezer without thawing it, and the macarons turn out fine. And the reason why I freeze almond flour is because it becomes stale very quickly. So I guess if yours hasn’t been stale yet, then you can use it.
How do I get a nice navy macaron, I used a whole bottle of navy, mixture is coming out to runny. Do navy need to be airbrushed to achieve a nice colour?
Make sure you used color gel/paste but not the liquidy/watery one.
Any time you’re trying to achieve a very dark color with food coloring it usually works best if you have a chocolate base because the chocolate will already have darkened it. I’d say instead of a full cup of powdered sugar, do ¾ C. + 1TBSP powdered sugar and 1 TBSP of cocoa powder and then add the royal blue you have. You never want to just add cocoa powder to a macaron recipe without taking out some of the powdered sugar because the sugar and the cocoa powder are both drying ingredients so, just adding the cocoa powder on top of the full powdered sugar amount will mess up the cookie.
Also a good tip with frostings if you’re trying to achieve black! Use Chocolate buttercream!
I use a drop of black WITH my dark blue to make it darker when I decorate cookies. You could try that? (In case you’re still wondering)
Where is your filling recipe.
Thanks, I can’t wait to try your recipe for macaroons.
Hi Judith, any buttercream, cream cheese icing, ganache, or even ice cream work. You can search something your prefer on my blog. :)
I always end up with an off color when i try doing purple, and also, my macaron shells arent smooth on the top, i always have to smooth them down. TIPS??
A drop or two more of the color paste/gel should be able to help.
Make sure your batter is well-mixed. If it’s under-mixed, the batter becomes too stiff, and the macaron tops will not smooth out during piping.
Where is your filling recipes?
Thanks,
This recipe is fabulous! I have made macarons three times prior and they were far less than perfect, but this recipe produced very good results. I split the almond flour and powdered sugar mixture in two to make two different flavors. I made raspberry macarons and chocolate macarons. For the chocolate I substituted about a fourth of the powdered sugar for cocoa powder and for the raspberry I added half a tablespoon of raspberry puree at the end. I filled my raspberry one with chocolate ganache and the chocolate one with raspberry buttercream. Both were delicious, especially the chocolate macaron.
Thanks for this awesome recipe!
I had only tried to make French Macarons once before attempting this recipe and I failed miserably!
This recipe lives up to its comments and reviews
I was skeptical about using this recipe because all of the others I had seen gave measurements and weight, but the reviews were absolutely true! This recipe came out perfectly! I doubled the amounts and the only other thing I changed was that I did let my egg whites sit out at room temperature for about two hours, I figured it couldn’t hurt.
Great reading! What do you do to keep your colors so vibrant? Mine were perfect color inside but outside was faded to almost dull in color. I used gel paste too!
I did this recipe twice it came out extremely thick each time. Other recipes I followed were ribbon like.
The batter will be very thick at first, even to the point of not being able to incorporate all the dry ingredients. You need to keep folding until it loosens and is ribbonlike. I made these and they were perfection!
Wow. This recipe really works! I have been tippie-toeing around macatons because most recipes tell you how hard it is to make them. Not so with this recipe. I think I over-whipped the egg whites/sugar and only got 30 rounds (not 40) but I am thrilled over the moon! First try! So excited. ***Big Lesson Learned: Egg Beater Whites FOR NOT WORK. They are pasteurized. Who knew?? Give the yolks to the dogs. Cooked in micro.
I came across this recipe at the weekend and my macarons came out PERFECTLY. I’ve tried 3/4 different recipes before and it’s always seemed pot luck whether they work – but these are great. Don’t normally comment but felt duty-bound! The tip about leaving them to dry for a decent amount of time is a gooden – I got the best feet I’ve ever had!
What is the preferred size of the egg that should be used for the recipe? Large/Jumbo?
I use large eggs. :)
omg . first time making macarons ! these were perfect, only two were kind of ugly but thats because im impatient and i poked them -hides face-
Thank you thank you!
My batter was extremely thick, should I have used three egg whites instead of two? What’s up with that I wonder?
Answered my own question – NO – do not use 3 egg whites! Made them w/3 & it was wayyyy too wet. So tried yours again using your recipe EXACTLY & made sure to follow & measure everything accurately & they came out PERFECT! Thanks!
Good to hear that the recipe worked out fine for you, Lucy! :)
Thank for recepte.. How to great paint navy blue the macaroons.
These turned-out amazing. Definitely going to make these again!
I am so happy to hear that, Lilly! :)
I’m going to try this because my first one was flat. Should I use wax paper
I use parchment paper. I heard that macarons might stick on wax paper after they are baked. Hope it helps.
Hi:) would it be possible for you to give the measurements in grams
Thanks
When i whipped my eggs with the sugar they never came to the stage of “stiff peaks” i decided to move on after 10 minutes, it seemed ok. It did develop a skin while waiting and aldo developed “feet”. It did taste good but stuck to the parchment paper. Any suggestions? Thank you!
Hi Abbi, it’s probably because the shells were undercooked. You could try to gently move/peel one of the shells, if it’s easily peeled away from the parchment paper without residue, it means they are ready. :)
The recipe was awesome! Just made them and they came out perfect!
Thanks so much!!!!
Great to hear that, Jen! :)
I just made these for the very first time! I’ve got to say I was very nervous to even attempt a macaron because everyone says how difficult they are. Mine turned out PERFECT! This recipe is amazing! Great instructions. They turned out so good i had to make a second batch immediately! Thank you so much! :)
Hi Meaghan, I am so happy the hear that you enjoyed the recipe! Hooray! :D
Hi! Sounds like a great recipe, and i’m planning on making them this week. If i wanted to make the macarons chocolate, how would i change the recipe? I’ve had them before with chocolate shells and chocolate ganache filling, and they tasted divine. Thank you for the recipe; i’m super excited to try it!
Thanks, Maggie! For chocolate macaron shells, I replace 1/4 cup powdered sugar with 1/4 cup cocoa powder. You could refer to this recipe if you prefer. http://ohsweetday.com/2015/06/dark-chocolate-macaron-espresso-ice-cream-sandwich.html
Hope you enjoy the recipe. :)
Thank you so much! I was making these at 11 o’clock last night and they turned out absolutely perfect! I definitely didn’t expect that for my very first time making them! Great recipe, would definitely recommend to any beginner wanting to make macarons for the first time.
Awww! I am so happy to hear that Maggie! Hooray!!! :)
I followed every step and it turned out good, however I found another recipe that calls out for adding 1 tbsp of cornstarch to almond and confectionery sugar, I used 1 1/2 confectionery and it turned out better according to my husband, Crispier on outside softer inside.I love all the tips though, it makes sense. Thank you.
I used parchment paper and they won’t come off the paper, any ideas on what i can use.
Hi Shellie, I think maybe your cookie shells were not cooked. Same thing has happened to me when my cookies were not cooked, and they were still sticking to the parchment paper.
Hi dear!
I have tried the recipe, the macarons turns out cracked shells, no feet and hollow inside. I don’t really get what’s gone wrong.. I whipped the egg whites to stiff, mixed them until ‘ribbon’ consistency and let them dried. I’m really blank but really want to try again although I failed 10 times already.hahaha. mind to help me??? Please.. :'(
Hi Chun, per my experience, it could be because the batter was overmixed, and too much air bubbles was trapped inside. I fold the egg whites in until “ribbon” consistency, but maybe a bit on the thick side, more like “lava”. If the batter is too loose, it won’t have feet after baking. Hope it helps.
HI Fanny! Your receipt sounds awesome! I’ll try it!
I was wondering if you can help me with the filling. What can I use?
Thanks :-)
Cheers from Italy
Hi Sara, hope you enjoy your holiday in Italy! :)
For the filling, you can go with buttercream, cream cheese frosting, ganache, lemon curd, caramel, dulce de leche… You can find most of the filling recipes on my blog too. Hope you enjoy the recipe. :)
Can I use foil paper instead of parchment????
Hi Brianna, no, I wouldn’t use foil paper! :)
Great tips!
We have high humidity where I live and after suffering countless failed attempts, especially on rainy days, I tried leaving my macarons in an air-conditioned room after piping the shells. It worked great!!
I am OVER THE MOON! I decided to try these again after a horrible first time following another recipe and when I say I screamed when I took them out I meant it! They. Looked. Awesome. This restored my confidence in SO MANY WAYS. aThanknyou from the bottom of my heart!
Awwwwwww!!!! You’ve just made me scream too, Codi! And I meant it! :D I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed the recipe! Enjoy your weekend!
How much extract can I put if I wanted to flavor the shells for example lemon, chocolate, orange, almond, vanilla, etc.?
Hi Emily, 1/2 teaspoon is the amount I would use. :)
my mixture was a little runny. They are macaroons just not the right shape. Why do we add the castor sugar first to the egg white? I ground my almonds as in NZ we can’t buy the almond flour. So I may have got my measurements out. Thanks. I’m working on getting the perfect.
Gina
thanks for sharing! They turned out wonderfully! IF i did want to flavor the shells, how would i do it? And also how can i keep my shells from burning?
You’re a darn wizard! I have watched countless videos with more complicated instructions and more ingredients and had a few fails trying to get them right. I was ending up with flat, sad macarons that didn’t look appealing at all…but your recipe and tips are great! I’ve been practicing them for a friend’s gender reveal party, and now I’m finally getting tall, beautiful shells :) thanks for writing this up!
What a great recipe – worked first time (more than I can say for previous attempts with a different recipe!). Mine didn’t seem to form a crust before baking, but still came out ok. Thanks for sharing!
Can I say that I am beyond impressed with my macarons right now!? They came out PERFECT! Thank you so much for sharing your recipe! <3
THANK YOU! I have tried other recipes that make it seem like such a difficult task to do these, like it’s some exclusive club that you can only join if you can pass this crazy task. I tried your recipe and got perfect macrons!!! I think i’m in shock of how easy it actually was!
A few personal adjustments i needed to make based on where i live: i’m in BC Canada (Humidity is the name of the game here in the summer) so I left mine on the counter to “dry” for over an hour, I also only needed about 7 minutes in the oven before they started browning. This recipe is a beautiful thing and officially my new macaron recipe :)
THank you again for sharing!! <3
Hi Nicole, I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed the recipe! By the way, I live in Vancouver, BC! Great to get to know someone around the “neighbourhood”. :D Cheers! Happy summer!
Hi Fanny! I’m going to attempt to make macarons for the first time using your recipe. Your macarons look absolutely perfect! With regard to the 1/4 granulated sugar -would it be okay to substitute it using 1/4 Splenda instead? Do you think it might/would have a negative effect on appearance or taste of the macarons? Just wonderin’. Thanks for the tips too :)