I’ve posted two other macaron recipes before but it seems like these classic macarons have been a long time coming. While the overall cookie recipe that I use is the same as in my strawberry macarons I thought it’d be nice to go back to the beginning and give a little more detail on how these French cookies come together.

It’s no secret that macarons are notorious for being difficult to make. Even now, after I’ve made them dozens of times I still have trouble occasionally. But don’t let that discourage you from trying them out! Practice is everything. There are also many many recipes and methods out there for making macarons, but this is the version I found works best for me.

First off, I find it important to read through the recipe fully at least once to get an idea of what you’ll need. Have everything prepped and ready to go to make things a bit easier on yourself before getting started.

Let me break a few things down for ya:

Weighing out the ingredients – Weight measurements (grams or oz) are much more accurate than the traditional volume measurements (cups) that most Americans use. To help you get the best results when making macarons, I highly encourage everyone to use weight measurements. Kitchen scales are an affordable tool to add to your kitchen arsenal and can be used for so much more than making macarons. Read more on weight vs volume measurements here if you’re interested.
Aging egg whites – Aging the eggs will allow excess moisture to be evaporated and make the whites more stable to work with.
Cream of tartar – While this is an optional ingredient, it also helps to stabilize the egg whites when whipping them to stiff peaks.
Almond flour/meal – Try to find the finest milled flour to use for your macarons, this will help to create a smooth even top to the cookie. If need be, pulse your almond flour in a food processor to achieve a finer texture.
Sifting – While I honestly find sifting to be somewhat of a hassle it is key to ensuring no lumps form in the dry ingredients and give you clumpy batter.
Mixing – Always be mindful not to over mix your egg whites or batter, otherwise you could end up with an overly runny or dry mixture.
Piping – Hold the piping bag at a 90º angle from the baking sheet. Slowly apply light pressure to get the batter flowing. Release the pressure then quickly flick the piping tip to the side to finish off the piped circle. I find it best to use a template when piping to help keep the cookies an even size. Pipe until the template circle is almost but not quite full. The batter will spread out a bit after piping.
Removing air bubbles – Air bubbles can lead to cracks when the cookie is baking. Slamming down the sheet pan after piping will release some of the air pockets within the macaron batter. If you notice any air bubbles that didn’t release carefully pop them with a toothpick.
Drying after piping – This is how the macarons will develop their signature “feet”. Drying the batter before baking will allow the macarons to rise up rather than spread out while baking.

That was a lot of information, I know! But know that we’ve got all the nitty gritty details out of the way we can move on to all the fun and creative ways to spice up your macarons!

The possibilities for customizing macarons feel endless! I truly have a huge list of ideas on different flavorings and ways to decorate these cuties. Also, if you’re ever in need of inspiration Instagram is the place to go! #macarons anyone?! 😄 I can really get lost scrolling through all the pretty pictures!

Here are some ideas on dressing up your macaron cookies:

Top with sprinkles or decorating sugars before setting them out to dry
Color the batter with gel food coloring (add gel coloring to egg whites before whipping to stiff peaks)
Combine multiple colored batters for interesting tie dyed or swirled effects
Paint baked and cooled macaron shells with liquid food coloring (or diluted gel coloring)
Dip finished shells in chocolate
Drizzle with ganache

For this classic batch of macarons I chose not to use any food coloring and instead top with rainbow sprinkles for a fun look. For the filling I went with a simple chocolate ganache, but you could fill with anything you’d like. Once you master this basic method for macarons you can really get creative with flavorings and decorations.

If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to ask!

Happy baking!

Classic Macarons

Prep Time: 1 hour 20 mins
Cook Time: 12 mins
Total Time: 1 hour 32 mins
Yield: 20-40 sandwich cookies, depending on size 1x

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Description

A classic French macaron recipe. The basis for all filling and decorating combinations.

Ingredients

Scale

7oz powdered sugar
4oz almond flour/meal
4oz egg whites (~4 large eggs), aged 1-2 days
Pinch cream of tartar
3 1/2oz granulated sugar
Gel food coloring (optional)

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Instructions

Weigh out all ingredients. Sift together powdered sugar and almond flour.
In a stand mixer add egg whites and a pinch of cream of tartar. Using the whisk attachment whip together on medium speed until foamy. Once foamy, slowly add in granulated sugar while mixer is on low speed. Scrape down sides of bowl. (At this point, add in gel food coloring, if desired.)
Increase speed to high and whisk until stiff peaks form.

Macaronnage: Combining the egg whites and sugar/flour mixture

Using a silicone or rubber spatula fold together the sugar/flour mixture 1/3 at a time into the egg whites. Scrap around the sides and through the middle of bowl while mixing together. Be careful not to overmix! The egg whites will lose some volume, but that is okay. Once fully incorporated, the batter should be shiny and drop in slow thick ribbons from the spatula. It should reincorporate into the batter after about 10-15 seconds.

Complete:

Transfer batter into a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2 inch plain round tip.
Pipe batter onto circles on parchment (or silpat) lined baking sheets. Circles can vary in size based on your preference, about 1 to 2 inches in diameter. I like around 1 1/2 inch.
Once piped, tap the baking sheet on your work surface a few times to help release any air bubbles.
Preheat oven to 325º F.
Let stand at room temperature for 45-60 min, or until macarons are no longer sticky when lightly touched.
Bake macarons for 9-11 min. Tops should be firm and center should barely jiggle from the “feet” when slightly touched. Begin checking after 9 min, as the cookies can burn quickly.
Let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely before filling.

Notes

– Store in the fridge in an air tight container. Let come to room temperature before serving.
– Let egg whites sit at room temperature overnight or up to 2 days before using.
– Use a template to get uniform circles when piping.
– Stack two sheet pans together if bottoms of macarons are browning too quickly.
– Add gel food coloring when whipping egg whites to color the batter.
– Can top macarons with sprinkles after piping, but before letting them sit to dry.
– Fill cookies with anything from ganache, curd, buttercream, jams, or whatever you can dream up!

Classic Macarons