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Macarons are some of the most difficult things to make, but oh so worth it. They're a French sandwich cookie that is similar to a meringue cookie, and requires the utmost attention to technique in order to make properly. Thankfully, there are about a million videos and recipes out there to help you in your macaron adventure, and I'm going to give you a culmination of all of the best sources I have found.
But First, A Confession
But First, A Confession
The very first time I tried to make macarons didn't go exactly as I had hoped. I had been baking at my job for about 3 months, and on one of my days off, I got it into my mind that I was going to learn how to make macarons. So I went to the store, bought my ingredients, and made some. And they turned out awful. In comparison to the images you'll see on this page of how macarons are supposed to look, mine were not that. They were super flat and spread out, and they were so chewy to the point where they almost stuck to my teeth. Basically, they were a complete failure. But, I was determined to figure out what I did wrong. I did the research, and then the very next day I tried again, and they actually came out better! They were still not perfect, but I was learning as I went, and after a couple times making them, I now know how to bake them and get them to be fairly perfect! And, in all actuality, they're not as hard as you would think to make them.
One of my favorite blogs, Sally's Baking Addiction, has a fantastic guide to making macarons that breaks the whole process down into super easy steps and gives explanations for almost any question you may have while baking these treats. And, of course, I'm going to give you some helpful hints that I have found work a little bit better for the beginning baker. First off, you're going to gather your ingredients: aged egg white, almond flour, super fine sugar, cream of tarter, and confectioners sugar. One of the most important things you need to keep in mind for making macarons is that all of the ingredients are measured in grams. So bust out that handy food scale that you hardly ever use and dust it off, because it'll get it's use in for this recipe.
"Whoa whoa whoa, aged egg whites? How do you age egg whites?" Was the very first thought I had when I used this recipe for the first time. Well, what you do is separate the yolks from enough eggs to get the amount of egg whites you need for the recipe and let them sit in the fridge overnight. Or, you can do what I do, and buy those cartons of just plain egg whites, measure them out, and then let them age in a bowl overnight. It also saves the hassle of having a bunch of egg yolks and not knowing what to do with them(I always make a lemon custard to use as a filling for the macarons, but you do you.) Now, I'll admit, I hate the idea of having to age my egg whites, but in the end, taking this step does help them turn out right in the end.
Another question you're probably thinking of is "what is the difference between super fine sugar and confectioners sugar?" Honestly, not that much. It's just slightly less processed than confectioners sugar, so it still has a little bit of granular texture to it that, according to Sally, is better for the end texture of the macaron batter. And if you don't want to have to go find super fine sugar, just take some regular sugar and give it a good whirl in the food processor or blender.
Yes, almond flour! This recipe is gluten free, so all of you gluten-intolerant people can enjoy these treats! And no, you can't use other types of flour in this recipe. Regular flour is just plain wrong for this recipe, and coconut flour just doesn't act right. Almond flour is the only way to go, and make sure what you buy is almond flour and not almond meal. Trust me, it will lead to disaster and a grumpy extra trip to the grocery store.
Once your eggs have been sufficiently aged, it's time to weight out all of your other ingredients and have them in separate bowls, ready to go. Since the almond flour and confectioners sugar get added at the same time, you can sift the two together into one bowl. Using a hand mixer or a standing mixer with the whip attachment, you're going to start whipping the egg whites with the cream of tartar. Once the egg whites start to turn opaque(no longer clear, but a off-white tone), start adding the super fine sugar in batches. Sally says to add it in 3 additions, and I agree with her. Adding it in 2 portions is just a bit much and can sometimes mess with the texture of the mixture, so 3 is the best bet. Then you're going to whip the mixture until you get nice stiff peaks. One thing I love about Sally's recipe is that she adds pictures for each step, which is insanely helpful when you have no idea what kind of texture you're looking for and you're making something like macarons where texture is everything. Stiff peaks, in short, are when you take the whisk or beater out of the egg whites and it leaves a little point of egg whites sticking straight up in both the bowl and on the whisk/beaters. If you want to add any food coloring to the batter, add it now. Just make sure you don't overwhip the egg whites, just mix it until the food coloring is spread evenly through the mixture
Now, get your handy-dandy spatula ready, because we're now going to fold the almond flour and confectioners sugar into the egg whites. WARNING: Don't just go wildly mixing the dry and egg whites together, this will lead to disaster. I have a video here to give you a visual example of what I'm going to explain to you, because it's always easier to watch someone do something than to try and do it based off of written instructions. What you're going to do is add the flour and sugar into the egg whites in 3 additions, just like before. Then, you're going to gently fold the two together. I use the scrape-and-fold method, where I scrape my spatula around the sides of the bowl, and then fold what I have on my spatula into the center of the bowl. You'll fold until there is no more dry flour visible, and then you'll add the second batch of dry, repeat the folding, and then do the same with the third batch of dry. On this last addition of the flour and sugar, you're looking for a specific consistency. You don't want the batter to be too thick(this is what happens when it's under-mixed), and you don't want it to be too loose(over-mixed). The best way to describe this texture is like a slightly-thick cake batter. It has to have a flow to it, where you can "draw" a figure 8 with the batter that falls off the spatula, but not too thin that as soon as it goes back into the bowl it disappears into the rest of the batter.
Next, you're going to pipe out the macarons onto a lined baking sheet. You can use a silicone baking mat or just pain old parchment, but if you use parchment, I recommend using a touch of batter under each corner just so the parchment doesn't roll up and get stuck on the cookies. My trick for filling the piping bag with the batter it to take the tip and bend it, then place it tip-first into a cup. That keeps it stable and from dripping out all over the place. Now you're ready to pipe it out! I suggest making the cookies about 1 inch to 1 1/2 inches wide, just because that's usually the standard size. Once you have piped out all of the batter, you're going to tap the pan against the counter. Don't hit it too hard, but hit it hard enough that any bubbles in the batter rise out of the cookies. I usually give it a good few taps to get all of the air bubbles up to the surface. Sally and I both agree that you need to use a toothpick to pop the bubbles that you see because they leave holes in the cookies, and that's not what we want.
Sadly, we have to do some more waiting. About an hour of it, depending on how humid it is in your house. What we want is to be able to gently touch the tops of the macarons and not get a tacky feeling. If you want to expedite this process, I put a fan on low facing the macarons, and that seems to help without harming them. After letting them rest, you're going to bake them at 325˚F for 13 minutes. Why 13? Well, that just seems to be the perfect amount of time to bake them. Almost every single recipe I have read has said to bake them for 13 minutes, so why mess with perfection? Once the 13 minutes is up, pull them out and let them cool on the tray for 15-20 minutes, then you can transfer them to a cooling rack to cool all the way through.
My favorite part about macarons is that there are so many different options for the filling. You can do a classic buttercream frosting, chocolate ganache, dulce de leche, custard, buttercream and a fruit compote, the options are almost endless. You could even do marshmallow fluff and roll the sandwiched macarons in chocolate shavings and crushed up graham crackers. Whatever combination you could think of, you can do it! And now that you know how to make macarons, you can explore all of the delicious options!
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