How to Make French Macarons
Preheat the oven to 280 °F (138 °C)., Line baking sheets with parchment paper., Mix the almond flour base., Beat the egg whites and add sugar., Fold the batter ingredients together., Punch the batter., Fill a pastry bag with batter., Pipe the batter...
Step-by-Step Guide
-
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 280 °F (138 °C).
Macaron halves are baked at a very low heat so that they will rise gently and not collapse.
If your oven tends to run hot, you may want to bake the macarons with the oven door slightly ajar. -
Step 2: Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
Since these confections are so delicate, it's necessary to use parchment paper so they won't stick to the baking sheet. , Place the almond flour, confectioners' sugar, salt and cocoa in a bowl.
Use a whisk to mix the ingredients until they are fully incorporated.
Be sure no lumps remain in the mixture.
If your almond flour is coarse, run the mixture through the food processor to grind it fine.
Don't grind it for too long, though, or the mixture will turn to almond butter.
If you don't want to make chocolate macarons, leave out the cocoa powder. , Place the egg whites in a metal bowl and either whisk or beat them until they form white, stiff peaks.
Be sure the bowl is completely dry and clean, or the eggs won't form peaks.
Add the sugar and beat until the peaks become stiffer and turn glossy.
At this point you can beat in flavorings such as vanilla, peppermint extract, or almond extract to the wet batter.
Add about a teaspoon of your favourite flavouring.
Mix in drops of food colouring to make the macarons more colorful.
Match the color to the flavor you have chosen for a nice effect.
Keep in mind that macarons tend to lighten when baked, so you may want to add in an extra drop of food colouring in order to achieve the desired shade. , Gently fold the almond meal mixture into the egg white mixture in two parts.
Fold in half of the almond meal mixture with a spatula until the ingredients are just combined.
Add the second half of the almond meal mixture and fold it in until just combined. , In order to produce macarons with the classic soft, chewy texture, the batter must be "punched." Use the back of a spoon or a spatula to push down in the center of the batter, scrape the batter from the sides to the center, then push down again.
Keep punching the batter in this way until it begins to look loose and pudding-like in texture.
You'll probably need to punch the batter about 10
- 12 times before it's ready.
Make sure you stop when the batter looks like pudding; if you punch it too many times, it will become runny, which ruins the consistency of the batter. , You can use the same type of pastry bag you'd use for icing.
Fit it with a large circular icing tip.
Fill the bag with macaron batter, then twist the end closed so that the batter won't escape.If you don't own a pastry bag, you can make your own by using a plastic sandwich bag.
Cut off one of the corners, then fit it with the icing tip.
Experiment with different icing tips.
Most bakers make macarons in the classic round shape, but if all you have is a star-shaped tip, give it a try! , Squeeze the pastry bag and pipe 3-inch circles of batter onto the baking sheet.
The batter circles will spread a little, so give them plenty of space.
Try to squeeze the exact same amount of batter for each circle, so the halves of the macaron come out to be the same size.
Now hold each baking sheet about an inch over the countertop and let it drop.
Do this about 3 times with each sheet; this helps the batter settle. , Keep the baking sheets at room temperature for about 15 minutes.
The macarons are ready to bake when a dry crust has formed over their surfaces.
Touch your finger gently to the top of a macaron; if the batter doesn't stick, it's time to put them in the oven., Place the baking sheets in the oven.
Bake the macaron halves for 15 minutes, or slightly longer if necessary.
The macarons are finished when they have a slightly hard crust and are soft, but not gooey, on the inside.
When they're done, remove them from the oven and allow them to cool completely.
You can open the oven door after a couple of minutes to let any humidity escape.
This helps the macarons rise and take the correct shape.
Don't over bake the macarons, or they'll brown on top and the texture won't be quite right.
Baking macarons is a fussy process, and takes a lot of practice.
If your macarons fall on the first try, consider changing the temperature or cooking time in the future. , Place it in a saucepan over medium heat.
Stir the cream as it heats, and remove it once it begins to steam.
Do not let it come to a boil.
You could also heat the cream in the microwave in a microwave-safe bowl. , Let the hot cream melt the chocolate for a minute or two, then use a spoon to stir the mixture together until it becomes a smooth, creamy chocolate ganache. , This will make it easier to pipe the filling onto the macarons as you fill them.
Fit the pastry bag (or sandwich bag) with a small icing tip. , Chocolate ganache is a popular macaron filling, but there are many other fillings to choose from.
Try a simple buttercream filling, either plain or flavored with your favorite extract.
If you like fruity fillings, raspberry, apricot, or blueberry jam make great choices. , Use an offset spatula to gently lift the cooled halves from the parchment paper and turn them over so that their flat sides are facing up.
It's easy to crush macaron halves, so be sure to handle them with care.
To help the macarons cool down quickly, baker Eric Lanlard recommends lifting the parchment paper and pouring a little cold water beneath the sheet and the paper.
This will create steam, enabling you to remove the macarons with ease. , Position the icing tip in the center of the macaron half and squeeze about a teaspoon of filling onto the macaron.
Repeat with half of the macaron halves you baked. , Gently position a second macaron half over the filling and lightly press it down, so that you've formed a sandwich.
Continue with the remaining macaron halves until all of the macarons have been assembled. , Enjoy the macarons from the oven, or store them in an airtight container for later use.
They will keep for several days in the refrigerator.,, These macarons are violet in both color and taster.
Consider giving them a try for a twist your recipe. , This delicious French cookie with a cookie and cream twist will have your taste buds wanting more.
Macarons are a sandwich cookie with a nice crunchy shell and sweet and creamy filling, and these ones are flavored like cookies and cream. , If you're a big chocolate fan, chocolate macarons might suit you up for the best. , Add your favorite fruit to your favorite dessert, strawberry macarons are good any day at anytime. -
Step 3: Mix the almond flour base.
-
Step 4: Beat the egg whites and add sugar.
-
Step 5: Fold the batter ingredients together.
-
Step 6: Punch the batter.
-
Step 7: Fill a pastry bag with batter.
-
Step 8: Pipe the batter onto the baking sheets.
-
Step 9: Let the batter rest.
-
Step 10: Bake the macaron halves.
-
Step 11: Heat the cream.
-
Step 12: Pour the cream over the chocolate.
-
Step 13: Spoon the filling into a clean pastry bag.
-
Step 14: Consider other fillings.
-
Step 15: Loosen the macaron halves.
-
Step 16: Pipe the filling onto half of the macaron halves.
-
Step 17: Cover the filling with another macaron half.
-
Step 18: Eat and store the macarons.
-
Step 19: Finished.
-
Step 20: Make violet macarons.
-
Step 21: Make cookies and cream macarons.
-
Step 22: Make chocolate macarons.
-
Step 23: Make strawberry macarons.
Detailed Guide
Macaron halves are baked at a very low heat so that they will rise gently and not collapse.
If your oven tends to run hot, you may want to bake the macarons with the oven door slightly ajar.
Since these confections are so delicate, it's necessary to use parchment paper so they won't stick to the baking sheet. , Place the almond flour, confectioners' sugar, salt and cocoa in a bowl.
Use a whisk to mix the ingredients until they are fully incorporated.
Be sure no lumps remain in the mixture.
If your almond flour is coarse, run the mixture through the food processor to grind it fine.
Don't grind it for too long, though, or the mixture will turn to almond butter.
If you don't want to make chocolate macarons, leave out the cocoa powder. , Place the egg whites in a metal bowl and either whisk or beat them until they form white, stiff peaks.
Be sure the bowl is completely dry and clean, or the eggs won't form peaks.
Add the sugar and beat until the peaks become stiffer and turn glossy.
At this point you can beat in flavorings such as vanilla, peppermint extract, or almond extract to the wet batter.
Add about a teaspoon of your favourite flavouring.
Mix in drops of food colouring to make the macarons more colorful.
Match the color to the flavor you have chosen for a nice effect.
Keep in mind that macarons tend to lighten when baked, so you may want to add in an extra drop of food colouring in order to achieve the desired shade. , Gently fold the almond meal mixture into the egg white mixture in two parts.
Fold in half of the almond meal mixture with a spatula until the ingredients are just combined.
Add the second half of the almond meal mixture and fold it in until just combined. , In order to produce macarons with the classic soft, chewy texture, the batter must be "punched." Use the back of a spoon or a spatula to push down in the center of the batter, scrape the batter from the sides to the center, then push down again.
Keep punching the batter in this way until it begins to look loose and pudding-like in texture.
You'll probably need to punch the batter about 10
- 12 times before it's ready.
Make sure you stop when the batter looks like pudding; if you punch it too many times, it will become runny, which ruins the consistency of the batter. , You can use the same type of pastry bag you'd use for icing.
Fit it with a large circular icing tip.
Fill the bag with macaron batter, then twist the end closed so that the batter won't escape.If you don't own a pastry bag, you can make your own by using a plastic sandwich bag.
Cut off one of the corners, then fit it with the icing tip.
Experiment with different icing tips.
Most bakers make macarons in the classic round shape, but if all you have is a star-shaped tip, give it a try! , Squeeze the pastry bag and pipe 3-inch circles of batter onto the baking sheet.
The batter circles will spread a little, so give them plenty of space.
Try to squeeze the exact same amount of batter for each circle, so the halves of the macaron come out to be the same size.
Now hold each baking sheet about an inch over the countertop and let it drop.
Do this about 3 times with each sheet; this helps the batter settle. , Keep the baking sheets at room temperature for about 15 minutes.
The macarons are ready to bake when a dry crust has formed over their surfaces.
Touch your finger gently to the top of a macaron; if the batter doesn't stick, it's time to put them in the oven., Place the baking sheets in the oven.
Bake the macaron halves for 15 minutes, or slightly longer if necessary.
The macarons are finished when they have a slightly hard crust and are soft, but not gooey, on the inside.
When they're done, remove them from the oven and allow them to cool completely.
You can open the oven door after a couple of minutes to let any humidity escape.
This helps the macarons rise and take the correct shape.
Don't over bake the macarons, or they'll brown on top and the texture won't be quite right.
Baking macarons is a fussy process, and takes a lot of practice.
If your macarons fall on the first try, consider changing the temperature or cooking time in the future. , Place it in a saucepan over medium heat.
Stir the cream as it heats, and remove it once it begins to steam.
Do not let it come to a boil.
You could also heat the cream in the microwave in a microwave-safe bowl. , Let the hot cream melt the chocolate for a minute or two, then use a spoon to stir the mixture together until it becomes a smooth, creamy chocolate ganache. , This will make it easier to pipe the filling onto the macarons as you fill them.
Fit the pastry bag (or sandwich bag) with a small icing tip. , Chocolate ganache is a popular macaron filling, but there are many other fillings to choose from.
Try a simple buttercream filling, either plain or flavored with your favorite extract.
If you like fruity fillings, raspberry, apricot, or blueberry jam make great choices. , Use an offset spatula to gently lift the cooled halves from the parchment paper and turn them over so that their flat sides are facing up.
It's easy to crush macaron halves, so be sure to handle them with care.
To help the macarons cool down quickly, baker Eric Lanlard recommends lifting the parchment paper and pouring a little cold water beneath the sheet and the paper.
This will create steam, enabling you to remove the macarons with ease. , Position the icing tip in the center of the macaron half and squeeze about a teaspoon of filling onto the macaron.
Repeat with half of the macaron halves you baked. , Gently position a second macaron half over the filling and lightly press it down, so that you've formed a sandwich.
Continue with the remaining macaron halves until all of the macarons have been assembled. , Enjoy the macarons from the oven, or store them in an airtight container for later use.
They will keep for several days in the refrigerator.,, These macarons are violet in both color and taster.
Consider giving them a try for a twist your recipe. , This delicious French cookie with a cookie and cream twist will have your taste buds wanting more.
Macarons are a sandwich cookie with a nice crunchy shell and sweet and creamy filling, and these ones are flavored like cookies and cream. , If you're a big chocolate fan, chocolate macarons might suit you up for the best. , Add your favorite fruit to your favorite dessert, strawberry macarons are good any day at anytime.
About the Author
Carolyn Ferguson
Committed to making practical skills accessible and understandable for everyone.
Rate This Guide
How helpful was this guide? Click to rate: