Basic French Macarons
French macarons are variety of sandwich cookie based on almond meringue and a sweet filling.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 47 min
- Total
- 1 hr 7 min
- Servings
- As written in source
- Difficulty
- Medium
Timings are approximate — worked out from the method, not measured in a test kitchen.
Ingredients
Quantities are retained as written by the source and do not scale automatically. Tap an ingredient to check it off as you go.
Cooking instructions
Preparation
Combine the almond flour and icing sugar. Sift to remove lumps, and set aside.
Preparation
Add the superfine sugar to the egg whites, and whip them to stiff peaks.
Preparation
Add the food coloring to the egg whites and continue beating until incorporated.
Preparation
Use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to fold the almond flour mixture into the meringue in 3 batches. Mix until you get a lava-like batter (see notes).
Preparation
Transfer the batter to a pastry bag fitted with an 8 mm round nozzle. Pipe 3 cm rounds on a baking sheet lined with baking paper.
Preparation
Tap the sheet lightly on your work surface to even and flatten the mixture. Leave to air-dry for 30 minutes until a film forms on the surface of the cookies.
Preparation
Bake for 12 minutes at 150°C with convection.
Preparation
Remove from the oven and let cool completely. It's a good idea to move the parchment onto a cooling rack to avoid carryover cooking.
Preparation
Peel the shells from the parchment, and sort them into pairs of equally sized shells.
Preparation
Sandwich the cookies together with your desired filling.
Notes, tips, and variations
Common fillings for macarons include jam, buttercream frosting, and ganache.
Notes, tips, and variations
Under-mixed macaron—note the hollowness inside, uneven texture, and rounded topIt's very important to get the batter to the correct texture when making macarons. After adding the almond mixture, the mixture will get thinner as you continue to fold it. If it is too thick, you won't get nice, smooth, even shells—they will be too stiff and full of air. On the other hand, if the batter gets too thin, it will spread too much and will not hold the proper cookie shape. Your goal is to stop folding the batter when it flows off the spatula in a ribbon (not in one clump) and takes about 10 seconds (not less) to dissolve back into the rest of the batter.[1][2] Note that you cannot go back once you have over-mixed the batter.
Photo: Rebecca Krebs · CC BY 2.0 · https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0 · Photo source and licence
Wikibooks contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ · Adapted; quantities retained as written. · Original source
Read it through first
Skim all 12 steps before you start — it is the difference between cooking and firefighting.
Scale it
Use the quantities listed in the original recipe. Adjust them manually if making a different batch size.
Storage
Cool completely, then keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
Reheating
Reheat gently with a splash of water in a covered pan, rather than blasting it, so nothing dries out.
Approximate values per serving. Worked out from the ingredient list — treat them as a guide, not a measurement.
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