French Macarons

When it comes to French desserts, you can’t get more classic than a macaron. Featuring crisp, shiny shells sandwiching a luscious rich filling, these classy French delicacies are sure to impress and delight anyone who tastes them. Macarons have a reputation for being technically challenging and finicky to make, but don’t be intimidated. They’re truly not that difficult as long as you follow each step carefully and understand what to look for along the way. Here are my top tips to help you achieve those shiny crisp tops and beautifully ruffled feet.

What People Are Saying:
"Super detailed and concise recipe to follow; the cutest lil macarons!" - juliasmith

"I love baking but was always intimidated by macarons, but this recipe made it so easy!! all of the steps were so easy to follow, and the macarons could not be cuter." - noelle777

How To Make French Macarons

INGREDIENTS

• Almond Flour: Macarons may be the world’s most sophisticated gluten-free cookie. Instead of wheat flour, they rely on almond flour to help the cookies achieve their unique texture—delicate and crisp outside, soft and chewy inside. The almond flour also lends a subtle nuttiness to the cookies. Be sure to seek out finely ground almond flour; I’m a particular fan of Bob’s Red Mill brand.
  
• Confectioners’ Sugar: I use confectioners’ sugar in the cookie batter to achieve the silky smooth texture necessary for achieving the glossy, crack-free tops that are the mark of a good macaron.
• Egg Whites: Whipped into a meringue, the eggs give the cookies structure and airiness and helps create the crisp exterior and chewy interior that I’m after. Be sure to use fresh egg whites; they’re essential for a properly whipped meringue.
• Cream of Tartar: Just a little cream of tartar goes a long way toward stabilizing the meringue, so it doesn’t deflate when it’s folded it into the batter.
• Granulated Sugar: I use granulated sugar to sweeten and further stabilize the meringue, giving it a glossy finish that translates into smooth, shiny macaron shells.
• Food Coloring: I add a little pink food coloring to the batter because I love the way it coordinates with the color of the raspberry preserves. It’s important to use a gel-based food, which is highly concentrated, so it doesn’t add excess liquid to the batter.
• Raspberry Preserves: There is no end to the fillings you can use for macarons—ganache, fruit curd, dulce de leche—but I’m a sucker for preserves, raspberry in particular. Just a mere 1/2-teaspoonful is enough to offer a lovely, tart contrast to the sweet shells.

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

Your first task is to gather your tools. You’ll need a piping bag and a 1/2" round tip, 2 large baking sheets lined with (light-colored) parchment, a fine-mesh sieve, a stand mixer, and, if at all possible, a scale to measure your ingredients. Now, start by sifting the almond flour and confectioners’ sugar through the sieve into a large bowl, so they’re ready the moment the meringue is ready; use a spoon or fork to break up any clumps and help nudge the mixture through the sieve; discard any solids that remain in the sieve.

Now for the meringue. Fit your stand mixer with the whisk attachment and make sure the whisk and mixer bowl are impeccably clean—any traces of oil or fat will prevent the egg whites from whipping properly. Combine the egg whites and cream of tartar in the mixer and beat on medium-low speed just until frothy, about 30 seconds. Increase the mixer speed to medium and gradually beat in the granulated sugar. Take your time with this, adding it just 1 tablespoon at a time and beating until dissolved after each addition; it should take about 3 or 4 minutes in all.

Once all the sugar is incorporated, increase the mixer speed to medium-high and continue to beat until the meringue holds stiff peaks; check by removing the whisk and turning it point-end up; if the peak flops over a little, that’s okay. This should take just 30 to 90 seconds. It’s crucial you don’t overwhip the meringue—it’ll start to look chunky—so keep a close eye on it as it begins to form peaks.

Time to fold the almond flour mixture into the meringue. It’s important to be gentle about this. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and spoon about half of flour mixture over the meringue. Using a flexible rubber spatula, fold the flour mixture into the meringue just until mostly incorporated, gently scooping under the meringue and lifting it up and over and rotating the bowl after each fold. Add the food coloring and remaining flour mixture and fold just until incorporated and you can draw a figure eight in the bowl with the batter that comes off your spatula.

Transfer the batter to the piping bag you’ve fitted with a 1/2" round tip; to make this easier, I suggest placing the bag in a quart container, folding the edges over the rim, and then spooning the batter into the bag. Holding the piping bag vertically, with the tip 1" above the baking sheet, pipe 1"-diameter disks of batter onto the baking sheets, spacing 1" apart; use even pressure and stop squeezing before you lift the bag away from each disk.

Now, you’ll want to get rid of any air pockets. For that, just lift each tray about 2" above your work surface, holding it level, and lightly bang against surface a couple of times. Using any remaining of bits of batter from the bowl to glue the corners of parchment to the baking sheets. Time to give the piped shells a little nap. To achieve those sought-after smooth, shiny shells with ruffled edges, you need to let the piped shells rest at room temperature until the tops are dry to the touch. This could take anywhere from 15 to 45 minutes, depending on the humidity in your kitchen.

While the shells are resting, preheat your oven to 325° with a rack in the middle. Working one baking sheet at a time, bake the shells, rotating after 8 minutes, until the tops are firm and crisp, about 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheets.

Arrange half of the shells, flat side up, on a clean, dry baking sheet and top each with 1/2 tsp. jam; you can dollop it on with a spoon or, my preference, pipe it on with a piping bag.

Place the remaining shells on top, rounded side up, to form adorable little cookie sandwiches.

Lastly, hard as it is to wait, for best flavor and texture, chill the macarons, uncovered, in the fridge overnight.

Full list of ingredients and directions can be found in the recipe below.

Recipe Tips

• Use a scale to measure your ingredients: The success of your macarons depends on using the exact ratio of ingredients called for, so I highly recommend using a scale to measure the ingredients out by weight. Measuring by volume (cups) is less precise, and if you’re even 10 grams off, your macarons may not turn out as beautiful as you’d like.
• Don’t overwhip your meringue: After you’ve slowly incorporated the sugar into the whisking egg whites, you’ll need to raise the mixer speed to medium-high and whip just until the meringue forms small stiff peaks when the whisk is lifted out of the batter and flipped upside down. This last stage of beating will only take 30 to 90 seconds, so watch closely and check as soon as you think it might be ready. If you overwhip the meringue (you’ll see it suddenly looking chunky), it will not work in the macaron batter. At that point, your best bet is to throw it out and start again.
• Look for the figure eight: Folding the almond flour mixture into the egg whites isn't difficult. What can be tricky is knowing when to stop folding. Basically, your goal is to deflate the meringue (that’s now containing the almond flour mixture) to just the right point. You’ll know you’ve reached that point when you can successfully draw a figure eight with the batter flowing off the spatula without it breaking. If you mix past this point, the batter will become runny and the macarons will bake up flat. If, on the other hand, you don’t mix enough, they might be bumpy on top. Full disclosure: I tend to stop folding too early. But it’s better to stop just a little early than too late.
• Bang those pans: As soon as one sheet is filled with piped macaron shells, lift the sheet about 2 inches off the counter, using both hands and making sure to keep it level!—and then firmly bang it only the counter two times. (This helps release air pockets, which might cause the macarons to crack on top or rise unevenly in the oven.)
• Let the piped shells rest before baking: Once piped, it’s critical that the tops of the piped shells are allowed to dry and form a skin before baking. This skin means that the macarons will release steam from the bottom instead of the top as they bake, resulting in that gorgeous foot. Resting time can vary widely depending on the humidity of your kitchen, so use your common sense. The shells should be completely dry to the touch before baking. When in doubt, let them rest 15 minutes longer.
• Let the filled cookies mature for at least 12 hours after filling: Macarons can be filled with a variety of different things, including preserves, chocolate ganache, and French buttercream. Whatever filling you choose, keep in mind that the assembled macarons will taste best if you let them chill overnight in the refrigerator. This allows the shells and the filling to gel together, becoming a cohesive package. You’ll be able to eat them a lot easier, and they’ll taste a lot more delicious as well.

Make Ahead & Storage

The shells can be made 1 day ahead. Store in an airtight container at room temperature, or freeze up to 1 month. Filled macarons can be made 5 days ahead. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate.