French Macarons

★ ★ ★ ★ ★4.8 from 534 reviews

Author: Sally
Prep Time: 1 hour (plus aging egg whites)
Cook Time: 13 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Yield: about 40 shells; 20 sandwiched macarons
Review this page, video, troubleshooting, and success tips and follow the recipe
precisely for crisp, chewy, delicate French macaron cookies. Have fun with fillings! I
provide some filling ideas in the recipe notes. We strongly recommend using gram
measurements, but see recipe note if you do not have a kitchen scale.

Ingredients

100g egg whites (usually between 3–4 large egg whites)

1/4 teaspoon (1g) cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon extract such as vanilla, almond, coconut, etc. (optional)
80g superfine sugar (aka caster sugar, see note)
1–2 drops gel food coloring (optional)
125g almond flour
125g confectioners’ sugar
desired macaron filling (some options listed in notes)

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Instructions

1 Wipe down a large glass or metal mixing bowl with lemon juice or vinegar. Add
egg whites. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours, then bring to room
temperature.
2 Line 3 large baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. Set
aside.
3 Add cream of tartar and extract (if using) to egg whites. Using a handheld
mixer or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat together on medium
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 speed until very soft peaks form. This takes a few minutes of beating. At first
the egg white and cream of tartar mixture will be foamy, then the bubbles will
begin to tighten and the beaters will leave tracks as the egg whites build
volume. Once they begin leaving tracks, you likely have soft peaks. Stop
beating. Add about 1/3 of the superfine sugar. Beat on medium-high speed for
5 seconds, then with the mixer continuing to run, add another 1/3 of the sugar.
Beat for 5 seconds, then with the mixer continuing to run, add the remaining
sugar. Beat on medium-high speed until stiff glossy peaks form. (This means
the whites have stiff, smooth, and sharp points in the bowl or on the lifted whisk
attachment/beaters. Stiff peaks do not droop down. You can turn the bowl
upside down and the egg whites will not move or spill out.) Using a rubber
spatula, slowly and gently fold the food coloring (if using) into the egg whites.
4 Sift the almond flour and confectioners’ sugar together in a large glass or
metal mixing bowl. Use a spoon to help work any larger pieces through the
sieve. You don’t want to discard a lot of that because then you won’t have
enough dry ingredients in the batter.
5 Slowly fold the beaten egg whites into the almond flour mixture in 3 separate
additions, folding until combined before adding the next addition. After you add
all of the egg whites, pay very close attention to the consistency of your
macaron batter. Continue folding the batter (which deflates air) until it thins out
into the consistency of honey. What’s a more helpful cue is the figure 8 test.
Drop the macaron batter off of your spatula in the form of a figure 8. The figure
8 should take no more than 10 seconds to sink back into itself. If it takes less,
your batter was overmixed and is too thin. If it takes longer, continue slowly
folding the batter to deflate more air, then perform the figure 8 test again. It’s
best to go very slow so you don’t accidentally overmix.
6 Spoon the macaron batter into a piping bag fitted with a medium round piping
tip, such as Wilton 12, Wilton 1A, or even Ateco 806. The macaron batter is very
drippy, so transferring to the piping bag can be messy.
7 Holding the piping bag at a 90 degree angle over the baking sheet, pipe batter
in 1.5 – 2 inch rounds about 1-2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. I
usually pipe little mounds—see video tutorial above. The piped macaron batter
flattens out. Bang the pan a couple times on the counter to pop any air bubbles,
then use a toothpick to pop any remaining air bubbles.
8 Let the piped macarons sit out until they are dry and no longer tacky on top,
usually 30-60 minutes. This time allows the top to firm up and form a skin,
which helps the macarons rise UP and form their trademark ruffly “feet.” Do not
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 let them sit out for longer than they need to because they could begin to
deflate.
9 Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 325°F (163°C).
10 Bake for 13 minutes. As the macaron shells bake, they should form feet. To test
for doneness, lightly touch the top of a macaron with a spoon or your finger
(careful, it’s hot). If the macaron seems wobbly, it’s not done and needs another
1-2 minutes. If it seems set, it’s done. Basically, bake until the macarons don’t
move around when touched.
11 Let the shells cool on the baking sheet for 15 minutes, then transfer to a cooling
rack to continue cooling. The macaron shells may stick to the parchment
paper/baking sheet if you try to remove them too early. If this is happening, let
them cool on the baking sheet a little longer before removing.
12 After cooling, the shells are ready to fill and sandwich together. I have plenty of
filling suggestions in the recipe notes below. You can spread filling with a knife
or pipe it using the same round tip you used for the macaron batter.
13 You can eat right away or, as some professionals prefer, cover and refrigerate
them 12-24 hours so the macarons and flavors can mature. Bring to room
temperature before serving. (I usually just serve them right away!)
14 Cover leftover macarons and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
Notes
1 Freezing Instructions: Cooled macaron shells and finished assembled
macarons can be frozen for up to 1 month. Thaw at room temperature before
filling/serving.
2 Special Tools (affiliate links): Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Glass Mixing
Bowls or Metal Mixing Bowls | Egg Separator | Food Scale | Fine Mesh Sieve |
Piping Bag (Disposable or Reusable) | Medium-Round Piping Tip (Wilton 12,
Wilton 1A, or Ateco 806) | Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mat, Macaron-
Specific Silicone Baking Mat, or Parchment Paper
3 Ingredient Substitutions & Weights: I do not recommend any ingredient
substitutions in this recipe. Using weights (and a food scale) is the best way to
guarantee success. However if you do not own one, use the following
approximate measurements: for the superfine sugar, use 1/3 cup. For the
almond flour and confectioners’ sugar, you need about 1 cup + 1 teaspoon
each.
4 Egg Whites: For best and most consistent results, I strongly recommend using
fresh egg whites instead of liquid egg whites from a carton.
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 5 Extract/Flavoring: I keep these macarons plain. Without flavoring, they have a
sweet almond flavor. However, if desired, feel free to add 1/2 teaspoon of your
favorite extract such as almond, vanilla, coconut, lemon, etc.
6 Make Your Own Superfine Sugar: Add 80g of regular granulated sugar to
your food processor or blender. Pulse about 10-15x until granules are much
finer, aka superfine sugar. Weigh 80g superfine sugar—should be about the
same amount you started with.
7 Optional Food Coloring: Tinting macaron batter is completely optional. If you
don’t tint it, the macarons will be a natural beige color. Avoid using liquid food
coloring because it will change the consistency of your macaron batter. Instead,
use 1-2 drops of gel food coloring. (I used dusty rose, aqua, and fuchsia.)
Powder food coloring should be fine, but I haven’t tested it. Only use a very
small amount.
8 Almond Flour: Make sure you use almond flour, not almond meal. It is usually
labeled as “fine” almond flour. Almond flour is much finer than almond meal and
made from blanched, skinless almonds. Almond meal is coarser and contains
almond skin. You can make your own almond flour, but be very careful because
almonds can quickly release their oils, clump up, and turn into almond butter. It
might be easier to just pick up a bag of fine almond flour. It’s very common in
mostly all grocery stores these days– I use and love Bob’s Red Mill brand.
9 Macaron Filling Ideas: The pictured macarons are filled with vanilla
buttercream (I prepared a half batch). Other ideas are a 1/2 batch of chocolate
buttercream, lemon buttercream, chocolate peanut butter frosting, Nutella
frosting, cream cheese frosting, champagne frosting, strawberry frosting, or a
full batch of peanut butter frosting. Cooled and thickened chocolate ganache or
cooled salted caramel are great, too!
Adapted from Les Petits Macarons and Mad About Macarons
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