Foolproof Macaron Recipe (Step by Step!) (2024)

Table of Contents
How to make French Macarons What makes this classic macaron recipe foolproof? Ingredients for Macarons What tools do you need to make macarons How to make macarons: Step One: Measure out your ingredients. Step Two: Sift together the powdered sugar and almond flour three times to get out any clumps that would cause air bubbles or lumpy macarons. Step Three: Whisk egg whites and roughly 3 tablespoons of the granulated sugar continuously until sugar melts completely and egg whites become white and frothy Step Four: Transfer the egg whites to a stand mixer and slowly add the remaining granulated sugar, beating on high speed until stiff peaks form and the mixture is glossy. If using food coloring add here as well! Step Five: Add the sifted powdered sugar and almond flour to the egg whites. Turn the mixer to medium speed and whisk for 5 seconds. Step Six: Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the bowl and gently fold the batter from the outside of the bowl and gently twisting it into the center in a circle-like manner. Step Seven: Transfer the batter to a pastry bag fit with a ½ inch tip. Pipe the macarons out a few inches apart onto two cookies sheets lined with parchment paper. Step Eight: Bake the macarons at 300°F for 13 to 15 minutes (depending on the size). Step Nine: Allow the macarons to cool completely before transferring to a cooling rack.Step Ten: While the macarons cool, make the filling. Combine all the filling ingredients together in a bowl and beat until fluffy and creamy. Step Eleven: Once the macarons are completely cool, sandwich together with the filling. Step Twelve: Devour! Follow along with my step-by-step video! Foolproof Macaron Recipe (Step by Step!) Equipment Ingredients Instructions FAQs References

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You’ll love this step by step guide to making foolproof macarons almost as much as you’ll enjoy eating these delicate French sweets!

This post is sponsored by Café Appliances. As always, all opinions are mine.

Foolproof Macaron Recipe (Step by Step!) (1)

How to make French Macarons

Now, I don’t know about you, but I LOVE eating macarons. However; I haven’t always loved making them. Macarons are notoriously finicky. Beat your egg whites too little or too much and you’re left with flat macarons. Fold in your powdered sugar and almond flour a few too many times and the tops crack. Even a rainy day (something completely out of your control) can ruin them. All these factors give these delicious, delicate pastries a bad rap.

The base of macarons is made from whipped egg whites, which you then fold a mixture of powdered sugar and almond flour into. This batter tends to be unstable and unpredictable, which can be pretty disheartening to even professionally trained bakers.

But don’t worry guys. I have a solution for perfect macarons.

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What makes this classic macaron recipe foolproof?

Years ago, I had the honor of making macarons with the amazing pastry chef Alon Shabo. He taught me a new technique for making macarons and I haven’t looked back since. Instead of making a French meringue (uncooked egg whites) you make a Swiss meringue (warmed egg whites). The result? A much more stable base for otherwise finicky macarons.

This base is also more forgiving when it comes to the folding stage. Instead of painstakingly counting the number of times you fold the almond flour into the egg whites, you mix everything in a stand mixer. Of course you still have to watch the batter, but it comes together in a flash and is incredibly reliable.

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Ingredients for Macarons

This is the easy part! You’ll only need a few ingredients to make these scrumptious French confections. You’ll probably have most of these on hand aside from almond flour.

  • Super Fine Almond Flour: Repeat after me, almond flour is NOT almond meal. Make sure you use almond flour, which is much finer and made from blanched almonds (no skin) as compared to almond meal which is usually less fine and contains almond skin. You want almond flour (we love Bob’s Red Mill!) for smooth, bump free macarons!
  • Powdered Sugar: Powdered sugar will both sweeten and thicken your macaron batter. You’ll also use powdered sugar in your desired filling.
  • Granulated Sugar: You’ll need granulated sugar to help aerate and whip up your egg whites into stiff peaks.
  • Egg Whites: Some people swear by “aged egg whites”, but we don’t mind our egg whites youthful. I jest, but we don’t find that it makes a difference with the swiss meringue technique! Just make sure you measure out the egg whites by weight and that absolutely no egg yolks make their way into the separated whites.
  • Food coloring (optional): If you want to color your macarons you’ll need just a few drops of food coloring.

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What tools do you need to make macarons

From the stand mixer to the piping bag to the oven you bake them in, your tools really matter when it comes to macarons.

And obviously you’ll need a reliable oven to bake these sweet french cookies in. We absolutely love baking in our Café Appliances Range because it’s so darn reliable and easy to use. Macarons bake at a low temperature, so it’s super important that your oven temperature is accurate and consistent. We love our Café™ 30″ Double-Oven Range because it preheats in a flash, has consistent heat throughout so you don’t get any burnt corners and under baked centers, and has a bright oven light so you don’t need to open the door to peak at any cookies and risk them falling.

How to make macarons:

Now that you’re all geared up for homemade macarons, let’s break it down step by step.

Step One: Measure out your ingredients.

Macarons don’t have to be hard, but you do have to be pretty precise in your preparation. We like to measure out all our ingredients using our kitchen scale before getting started to prevent messing up any measurements once you get started.

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Step Two: Sift together the powdered sugar and almond flour three times to get out any clumps that would cause air bubbles or lumpy macarons.

*You can also pulse your powdered sugar and almond flour in a food processor, but as long as you sift it very well, there’s no need to break out another appliance.

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Step Three: Whisk egg whites and roughly 3 tablespoons of the granulated sugar continuously until sugar melts completely and egg whites become white and frothy

One of my most favorite features of our Cafe Appliances Range is the 15K power boil burner which heats up quickly and evenly so you can make a double boiler in moments. We make our macarons with a swiss meringue, which means you’ll cook the egg whites a little before using them in your macaron batter. This will create a super stable macaron base that is much more forgiving.

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Step Four: Transfer the egg whites to a stand mixer and slowly add the remaining granulated sugar, beating on high speed until stiff peaks form and the mixture is glossy. If using food coloring add here as well!

You’ll know it’s done when the mixture is not longer grainy when you rub it between your fingers.

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Step Five: Add the sifted powdered sugar and almond flour to the egg whites. Turn the mixer to medium speed and whisk for 5 seconds.

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Step Six: Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the bowl and gently fold the batter from the outside of the bowl and gently twisting it into the center in a circle-like manner.

Do this until the batter is a lava like consistency and you can make a figure 8 with the batter without it breaking.

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Step Seven: Transfer the batter to a pastry bag fit with a ½ inch tip. Pipe the macarons out a few inches apart onto two cookies sheets lined with parchment paper.

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Step Eight: Bake the macarons at 300°F for 13 to 15 minutes (depending on the size).

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Step Nine: Allow the macarons to cool completely before transferring to a cooling rack.Step Ten: While the macarons cool, make the filling. Combine all the filling ingredients together in a bowl and beat until fluffy and creamy.

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Step Eleven: Once the macarons are completely cool, sandwich together with the filling.

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Step Twelve: Devour!

Et voila! French macarons without the trip to Paris 🙂 We hope you enjoy this easy macaron recipe just as much as we do!

XX

Follow along with my step-by-step video!

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Foolproof Macaron Recipe (Step by Step!)

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This foolproof french macaron recipe will give you perfectly smooth, chewy macarons every time. Follow our step by step guide for french macarons for a sweet French treat!

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This foolproof french macaron recipe will give you perfectly smooth, chewy macarons every time. Follow our step by step guide for french macarons for a sweet French treat!

Print It

  • Author: Sofi | Broma Bakery
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 2 hours
  • Yield: 20 macarons
  • Category: dessert
  • Method: oven
  • Cuisine: french
  • Diet: Gluten Free
  • Author: Sofi | Broma Bakery
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 2 hours
  • Yield: 20 macarons
  • Category: dessert
  • Method: oven
  • Cuisine: french
  • Diet: Gluten Free

Units:

Ingredients

for the macarons

  • 100 g egg whites
  • 100 g granulated sugar
  • 100 g almond flour
  • 100 g powdered sugar
  • Pinch salt
  • Food coloring (optional)

For the filling

  • 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • pinch of salt

Instructions

    1. Preheat the oven to 300°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
    2. Heat a small pot of water over medium-low heat until it steams. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine egg whites and roughly 3 tablespoons of the granulated sugar. Place bowl over steaming pot, creating a double boiler.
    3. Whisk egg whites and sugar continuously until sugar melts completely and egg whites become white and frothy, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and place the bowl back onto the stand mixer.
    4. Fit stand mixer with whisk attachment and whisk on high speed while slowly adding in the remaining granulated sugar. Add the food coloring (if using). Continue to whisk for another 3-4 minutes, until stiff meringue peaks form. Congratulations, you just made a Swiss meringue!
    5. Next, sift together the almond flour, powdered sugar, and salt twice, then gently shake the mixture into the meringue bowl.
    6. Place the bowl back onto a stand mixer, still fitted with a whisk attachment. Turn the mixer to medium speed and whisk for 5 seconds (just enough to combine the almond flour mixture with the egg whites).
    7. Stop the mixer and use a large spatula to hand-mix the batter for the remainder of your mixing. You’ll want to gently fold the mixture with your spatula, scooping up the batter from the outside of the bowl and gently twisting it into the center in a circle-like manner. You’ll know to stop mixing when you can make a figure-eight out of the dripping batter without the batter breaking. If you cannot yet make a figure-eight, repeat the process if necessary, and try the figure-eight again. The best way to describe the perfect consistency is like slow moving lava. It should give, but only slightly, like in slow-motion.
    8. Once your batter is the correct consistency, scoop it into a large pastry bag fitted with a 1 inch tip. Pipe silver dollar-sized circles onto prepared baking sheets, keeping about 1.5 inches between each meringue. Bang baking sheet on counter two times to remove any air bubbles. Sprinkle tops with a little sea salt as a garnish.
    9. Let the macarons air dry for 15 to 30 minutes or until dry to the touch. Just pop them into the prepared oven for 13 minutes, turning around halfway through, then allow to cool completely before removing from baking sheets.
    10. While the macarons are cooling, make the filling. Combine all filling ingredients in a bowl and use an electric mixer to beat until fluffy and fully combined, about 2 minutes.
    11. Scoop mixture into a piping bag fitted with a 1/2 inch tip and set aside until ready to assemble the macarons.
    12. Once the macarons are completely cool to the touch, pipe the filling onto a macaron and sandwich with another macaron. Repeat with all macarons.
    watch the video
    Foolproof Macaron Recipe (Step by Step!) (2024)

    FAQs

    What is the secret to good macarons? ›

    While you should always whisk your egg whites into stiff peaks for macarons, it's best to never rush the process. Meringue is easy to overbeat and ruin. So, make sure that your mixer is beating your egg whites between medium-low and medium-high speeds. Any faster, and you could have oddly textured macarons.

    What are the biggest mistakes when making macarons? ›

    Remember: even the most proficient of home chefs may need to practice their macaron recipe a few times before perfection ensues!
    • Undermixing or overmixing your batter. ...
    • Making the wrong type of meringue. ...
    • Not sifting your sugar and flour. ...
    • Not tapping the pan. ...
    • Not resting the macarons before baking.
    Mar 3, 2024

    Why is it so hard to make macarons? ›

    Macarons are notoriously finicky. Beat your egg whites too little or too much and you're left with flat macarons. Fold in your powdered sugar and almond flour a few too many times and the tops crack. Even a rainy day (something completely out of your control) can ruin them.

    What is cream of tartar used for in macarons? ›

    Cream of tartar is an indispensable ingredient in creating the perfect French macarons. Its role in stabilizing egg whites, maintaining the ideal pH balance, and enhancing the macaron's texture and appearance cannot be understated.

    What is the hardest part about making macarons? ›

    Macaronage. For many people, including myself, the macaronage is the most challenging step in making macarons. Macaronage is the technique where you continue folding the mixture past full incorporation until you've achieved the perfect consistency.

    Which macaron method is the easiest? ›

    French method

    The most popular method, and also the simplest one, because it requires less steps. The French method consists of whipping the egg whites with some form of stabilizer such as cream of tartar, until foamy, and then adding the granulated sugar and continuing to whip until the meringue achieves stiff peaks.

    Which almond flour is best for macarons? ›

    Blanched almond flour is usually preferred over unblanched flour because the skin has been removed and so it does not have the the speckles in the color. It creates a smoother batter texture and a brighter color for the macarons.

    Should macarons be chewy or crunchy? ›

    A: If your macarons are overly chewy, it might be due to underbaking. Ensure they stay in the oven until they have a crisp outer shell for that perfect chewy-crispy balance.

    Can I let my macarons dry overnight? ›

    In our tried and tested macaron recipe we dried the macarons out overnight, for approximately 8-9 hours before baking. To speed things up we also found that macarons can be dried out for 20 minutes in a dehydrator on the lowest setting.

    How do you not fail macarons? ›

    If the batter isn't mixed long enough or too much, the macarons won't rise properly. Macarons where not left to dry long enough. This is one of the most common issues with macarons. If they don't dry on top and develop a skin, the steam escapes out the top and cracks the shells.

    Why do you put granulated sugar in macarons? ›

    Granulated sugar (or caster) is added to the egg whites to help form the meringue. Powdered sugar is sifted with the almond flour, added to the already stiff meringue, and folded until the batter achieves the perfect consistency to be then piped on baking sheets.

    Can I use aluminum foil instead of parchment paper for macarons? ›

    Don't be confused by other papers and foils, they are not suitable for your recipe. Wax paper is not the same as parchment paper and will ignite in your oven while macaron shells will wind up sticking to aluminium foil sheets.

    What makes macarons so good? ›

    The crisp, delicate cookie shell gives way to a soft, chewy interior, while the filling provides a burst of creamy sweetness. Additionally, the wide variety of flavors available means that there is a macaron for every taste preference.

    Why are my macarons not fluffy? ›

    If your oven temperature is too low, your macarons don't get enough heat to lift and rise. They may rise a little but it will be minimal. Batter not mixed enough. If the batter isn't mixed long enough or too much, the macarons won't rise properly.

    Why are my macarons not smooth and shiny? ›

    There are three main factors that may prevent your shells from becoming perfectly smooth domes: graininess from undissolved sugar, graininess from undermixed batter, and peaks that form when piping. Here are our three suggested solutions to these issues. The essentials of a macaron batter are meringue and almond flour.

    References

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