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5 from 1 vote

HOW TO MAKE PERFECT MACARONS

A French Macaron Recipe that will let you make the most beautiful, delicate, pillowy light, chewy, delicious and melt in the mouth cookies in the easiest possible way, that will give you successful results each time. 
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Process (processing + sifting + meringue + macronage + piping)45 minutes
Total Time2 hours
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: French
Keyword: French Macaron recipe, French Macarons, How to make macarons, Macaron basic recipe, Macaron recipe, Macarons Vs Macaroons, Recipe for macarons, what is the difference between macaron and macaroon
Servings: 50 Macarons
Calories: 43kcal
Author: Jyoti Sawant

Ingredients

Macaron Shell

  • 1 ½ cup (140gms) ground almond flour
  • 2 cups (250gms) powdered sugar/ icing sugar/ confectioner's sugar
  • 5 large eggs whites, room temperature
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
  • ½ cup (90gms) white sugar
  • 1 teaspoon strawberry essence or vanilla essence
  • 4-5 drops red gel coloring

BUTTER CREAM FILLING

  • 1 cup (2 sticks/ 226 gms) salted butter, softened
  • 3 cups (380 gms) powdered sugar/ icing sugar/ confectioner's sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Instructions

  • Step1: Process almond flour and icing sugar:
    Add the ground almonds and icing sugar or powdered sugar to a food processor and process well for 2 minutes, until the almonds and sugar are well combined and if there are any large particles in the almond flour they get broken down to fine powder.
    Step2: Sieve the mixture:
    Transfer the almond flour and icing sugar mixture into a sieve and sieve the mixture into a large mixing bowl. Make sure there are no large pieces of almond flour or it will deface the surface of your macarons. Discard the larger particles if any, don’t try to press them through the sieve. Keep your dry ingredient mixture aside.
    Step3: Making the Merengue:
    • Separate the whites and the yolks from the 5 large room temperature eggs, saving the yolks for another recipe and adding the whites to another bowl.
    • Now using your stand mixer or hand mixer with the whisk attachment, whisk your egg whites at medium speed add salt while the mixer is still running. With the mixer on high, add the cream of tartar until the egg whites become foamy.
    • Once they are foamy and translucent slowly sprinkle in the ½ cup of white sugar as well. Keep whipping until your egg whites achieve a soft peak stage.
    • When the egg whites are at the soft peak stage, add the strawberry essence and coloring.
    • Continue to beat until stiff peaks form. Make sure that meringue has very STIFF PEAKS!!
    Step4: Making the Macronage:
    • THIS is the most important step in proper macarons. Transfer all the meringue to the dry ingredients (almond flour and icing sugar mix) and fold together. Take your rubber spatula and lightly roll it around the batter in the bowl and fold the mixture over itself. Initially, it may look like it just isn’t mixing and that you have too much of the almond mix but eventually it will come together. When it starts coming together, start to drag (pressing the batter against the sides) the mixture around the bowl.
    • It should end up like thick lava. This is called the macaronage.
    • The secret test to know the right consistency for the perfect macaron batter is when you pick up the batter with the spatula and try to create an “8” pattern with a solid, streaming ribbon of batter. If you can make an “8” a few times over on top of itself and see the entire shape not disappear, you have mixed the batter to readiness to pipe. Do not over mix your batter to make it too runny or your cookies won't rise.
    Step5: Filling the batter in a piping bag:
    Spoon in the meringue to a piping bag fitted with a #12round tip. Fill only till the fill mark on the piping bag, do not over fill. You can pipe the batter onto silicone macron molded mats or pre-traced sheets of parchment paper fixed to a baking tray.
    Step6: Piping Batter:
    If using parchment paper, you can use some batter as glue to hold the parchmentsheet steady on the baking tray. Now pipe the macarons perpendicular to the surface. If your tip is pointing a bitin any particular direction when you pipe the macarons might come out oblong ormalformed. Pipe the macarons onto the parchment paper in 1-inch rounds circles about an 1-inch(2-cm) apart. When you are finishing the pipingmotion stop squeezing the bag and pull up with a circular motion.
    Step7: Rap the baking tray:
    Once you have piped your macrons on the sheet, hold the baking sheet a good foot or so above your flat work surface and drop the pan (evenly). Rap the sheet on the work surface 5 to 6 times at least. This ensures that all of the bubbles make their way out of the batter. If you don’t do this well, you will end up with hollow macarons.
    Step8: Rest the macrons to form a skin:
    Rest your macarons to set for 30 minutes so that the macarons form a skin. You should be able to touch the shell and feel a dry surface. You will notice that they harden and appear a bit glossy. Resting the shells will force the macarons to bake upward and not outward. This is what is responsible for forming the iconic feet and shape of each cookie.
    Step9: Bake:
    Bake at 300F or 150C for 15 minutes rotate the tray after 7 minutes. Always make sure to place the baking tray on the topmost rack in the oven to prevent them from baking too fast and cracking. Allow them to cool completely before you attempt to poke or attempt to remove them from the baking sheet. These cookies are very delicate.
    Step10: Makee Buttercream Filling:
    To make the buttercream filling beat the butter for 5 minutes with a stand or hand mixer. Add the sugar in thirds, beating in between each addition until incorporated. Finally, add the vanilla essence and mix until combined.
    Step11: Pipe the Buttercream Filling:
    Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a roundtip. Fill only till the fill mark on the bag, do not over fill.
    Step12: To Assemble:
    Pipe about a dollop of buttercream filling onto the back of half the macaron shell. Top it with another macaron shell to form a sandwich and press until the buttercream reaches the edges. Repeat with remaining macaron shells and buttercream.

Notes

IMPORTANT TIPS FOR MAKING MACARONS:
  • Process almond flour and icing sugar well in a food processor before you put it through the sieve.
  • Sieving the mix through the sieve aerates the flour and makes sure there are no large pieces of almond flour. Discard the larger particles if any, don’t try to press them through the sieve.
  • Eggs have to be at room temperature before you plan to use them.
  • You must add the food gel and essence to the meringue at the soft peak stage.
  • Make sure that you beat your meringue is stiff.
  • The mixing of batter to make the macronage, it takes some practice. When the batter starts coming together it should look like thick lava.
  • Do not over mix your macronage till it is too runny or your cookies wont rise.
  • Pipe the macarons perpendicular to the surface. If your tip is pointing a bit in any particular direction when you pipe the macarons might come out oblong or malformed.
  • Once you have piped your macrons on the sheet, hold the baking sheet a good foot or so above your flat work surface and drop the pan (evenly). Rap the sheet on the work surface 5 to 6 times at least to remove bubbles
  • You have to rest the macarons for at least 30 minutes so that the macarons form a skin. This is what is responsible for forming the iconic feet and shape of each cookie.
  • Place the baking tray on the topmost rack in the oven to prevent them from baking too fast and cracking.
  • Allow them to cool completely before removing them from the baking sheet. These cookies are very delicate.
  • The macarons will be best after 1-2 days resting in the fridge but you can have them immdeiately if you wich.
  • Overbaked your shells? In case you overbake your shells and they become too crispy you can brush the bottom with some milk before assembly to soften them up.
  • You can change the flavoring by using a different type of essence or extract - 1 teaspoons worth. Use anything you would like to fill the macarons, buttercream, ganache, lemon curd or fruit preserve.