Hi! In this post I’ll share with you my beginner French macarons recipe. This is the recipe that helped me get comfortable with macarons and eventually led me to experiment with the Italian macaron method.
I’ll share with you the step-by-step process, common mistakes, and helpful tips for successful macaron making.
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At first making macarons may feel a little bit intimidating, but don’t be afraid! Once you get the hang of the process it will become second nature to you.
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Everything you Need to Make Macarons
Here is what you’ll need:
Ingredients
- Almond Flour
- Powdered Sugar
- Granulated Sugar
- Egg whites
- Butter
- Vanilla extract
Equipment
- Food scale
- Hand mixer
- Fine mesh strainer
- Silicone spatula
- Large mixing bowl
- Silicone mats or good quality parchment paper
- Half-sheet trays
- 12 inch or larger piping bag
- 2A round piping tip or similar
- Cooling racks
- Food coloring– I exclusively use powdered food colors by The Sugar Art. A little bit goes a long way and they provide intense color to my baked goods. You can use affiliate code “dayalatreats” at checkout for 10% off your purchase. For these macarons I used a combination of Master Elites “Violet” & “Sassy Pink”
Most products that I use can be found on my Amazon Store Front. Click here.
Before Getting Started with the Recipe
I recommend aging your egg whites at least over night. Crack them the night before, cover and place them in the fridge. Bring them to room temperature before using them.
Why?
All of the times that I have not aged my egg whites I have found that my meringue doesn’t whip up correctly causing my macarons to crack in the oven or to have super fragile tops.
Aging the egg whites dehydrates them, relaxes the proteins, and the eggs whip up better for a stronger meringue.
Familiarize your self with a food scale if you have not used one before. This recipe is in grams because using a scale creates consistent recipe results. I purchased mine at Walmart 3 years ago and it still works great! I’ve only had to replace the batteries once. There are also many options for digital scales on Amazon.
Steps
1. Line your baking trays with the silicone mats or parchment paper and weigh out all needed ingredients.
2. Sift the almond flour and powdered sugar, combine, and set aside.
3. Place the egg whites in a large mixing bowl, add a pinch of salt, add the food coloring, and whip until frothy.
4. Slowly add the granulated sugar, whipping in between each addition.
5. Check the consistency of the meringue periodically and stop whipping when it reaches stiff peaks.
6. Add half of the dry ingredients into the meringue. Fold to fully incorporate the dry ingredients with the meringue.
7. Add the second half of the dry ingredients and fold until the dry ingredients have been fully incorporated in the meringue.
8. Gently press the spatula against the macaron batter to release any extra incorporated air.
9. Once the batter reaches ribbon like consistency (it falls of the spatula in a ribbon like form) pour it into a piping bag fitted with a round tip.
10. Pipe the macarons onto the mat at 90 degrees angle. Your dominant hand at the top of the bag and use your non-dominant hand as support.
11. Gently apply pressure at the top of the bag to create 1.5 inch rounds. Keep in mind that once piped out the batter will spread out a little.
12. Once all of the macarons have been piped out, tap the tray 1-2 times to release any air bubbles.
13. Rest the macarons 15-30 minutes. They are ready to bake when their tops are no longer sticky to the touch.
14. Bake the macarons in a preheated oven at 300 degrees F non convection setting for 16-18 minutes.
15. In the meantime, prepare the butter cream.
16. Whip the butter until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and combine until light and fluffy. Add 1-2 teaspoons of milk or heavy cream and a splash of vanilla. Place it in a piping bag and set aside.
17. Allow for the macarons to cool down completely before removing them from the mat.
18. Pair same size shells together.
19. Pipe buttercream on one shell and gently press the other shell on top.
20. Enjoy your macarons right away or put them in the fridge to mature and enjoy the following day.
Common Macaron Errors and Tips to Fix Them
1. Hollow shells can be caused by a variety of reasons including over whipped or under whipped meringue, over-folding of the batter, too high/low oven temperature
Check your meringue consistently while whipping and stop as soon as you reach stiff peaks. Experiment with different oven temperatures between 275 degrees F- 310 degrees F to see which gives you the best result. If you’d like you can also purchase an oven thermometer to know exactly at what temperature your oven is at. Some ovens run hotter than others. I’ve found that 300 degrees F works best for me.
Folding of the batter takes a little practice and time to adjust to a way that works for you. I fold by running the spatula around the bowl, turning the bowl as I do that then running the spatula under the batter and cutting through the middle. I check the consistency of the batter and stop once the batter falls off the spatula in a ribbon like form.
It’s important to note that even if your macarons have hollows they still taste delicious, and people who are not avid macaron makers can’t even tell! So do not stress about hollows!
2.Wrinkly/Fragile tops can be caused by over-whipping/ under whipping the meringue, too much food coloring, and over-folding of the batter
Use powdered food coloring for higher color payoff without having to use too much.
3. Macarons stick to the mat/parchment paper when they are removed from the mat while still hot or may be underbaked, and/or too much food coloring was added
Make sure you let your macarons cool down all the way before removing them and if they still stick add 1-2 more minutes of baking time.
4. Cracked tops are caused by not letting the macarons rest and/or too high oven temperature
Allow for your macarons to rest for 15-30 minutes or until they are no longer sticky to the touch. If you live in a humid area it make take longer- use a fan or keep your baking room very cool to help the macarons dry faster.
Beginner French Macarons with Vanilla Buttercream
Course: DessertCuisine: French21 macarons
20
minutes15
minutes18
minutesThis is a beginner French macaron recipe perfect for anyone who wants to try making macarons for the first time. Follow this step by step recipe and you'll have yummy homemade french macarons in no time!
Ingredients
100g Almond flour
145g Powdered sugar
85g Granulated sugar
85g Egg whites
Pinch of Salt
- Vanilla Buttercream
60g Unsalted Butter(softened)
80g Powdered sugar (Sifted)
2tsp Milk or heavy cream
1/4 tsp Vanilla extract
Directions
Weigh out all needed ingredients and prepare all needed materials
Sift almond flour + powdered sugar together
Add egg whites to bowl of stand mixer with a pinch of salt, and the food coloring, and whip until frothy
Sprinkle in granulated sugar into egg whites a little bit at a time and whisk until you reach stiff peaks
Add the dry ingredients into the meringue in two parts
Fold to ribbon like consistency and add batter to piping bag fitted with round tip (good size is Ateco 804)
Pipe macarons on to silicone mat or parchment paper and tap tray 1-2 times
Let macarons rest 15 minutes or until they no longer feel sticky to the touch
Pre-heat the oven to 300 degrees F / 150 degrees C.
Bake for 16-18 minutes * you may need to adjust baking time depending on your oven*
Prepare the buttercream. Whip the butter until light and fluffy, add the powdered sugar and whip until light and fluffy. Add 1-2 tsp milk or heavy cream and a splash of vanilla extract. Place in a piping bag and set aside.
Once the macarons have fully cooled down remove them from the mat and pair same sized shells together.
Pipe buttercream on one of the shells and gently place the other shell on top. Do that for all of the paired shells.
Enjoy your macarons right away or place them in the fridge to mature and enjoy the following day.
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