Almost Foolproof Macarons
I’ve been toying with macaron recipes for some time now. In my recipes, there always seems like there is something that can go wrong. It could be the folding, it could be the unscientific drying time, or maybe it’s just my messed up oven, but something always goes wrong. Rarely do I get a sheet pan of perfectly formed macarons…until now.
This recipe just plain works. This recipe uses Italian meringue, don’t let it scare you. This one not so hard part is the reason why they work so well. You don’t have to mess around trying to get macaronage since the meringue is very stable. One of the nicest parts of this recipe is that you can double it, split it into two parts, color/flavor each separately, and get two flavors for the work of one recipe.
Here’s the recipe with details and photos:
For the Macarons:
120g egg whites, divided
35g sugar
150g finely ground almonds
150g powdered sugar
For the sugar syrup:
150g sugar and 50g water
Process the ground almonds and powdered sugar in the work bowl of a food processor. Most recipes call for sifting, but I think this works better and gets everything combined.
In a stand mixer, whip 60g egg whites to soft peaks, add 35g sugar.
In the meantime, in a saucepan on high heat bring the water and sugar for the syrup to 230 F. on a candy thermometer.
Slowly add the boiling syrup to the egg whites and continue to whip on medium – high speed until they are completely cooled and you have a shiny meringue (10-15 minutes).
Mix the remaining 60g of egg whites and the sifted almond/sugar and carefully fold into the meringue.
Fill a pastry bag fitted with a plain tip with the mixture and pipe macarons about 3 inches in diameter on silpat lined baking sheet.
Bake at 320 for 15-25 minutes.
Check to see if macarons are done by grabbing the top of one macaron and trying to shake it. They are done when the top barely slides against the skirt. If they are not done, extend baking time by two minutes intervals, checking after each extension.
That’s about all that is to it. I think I’m finally done with macarons for a while. I’m sure the next time I try to make them I will encounter problems again, but until then…
Hmmnnn! You do make that sound and look so easy. I have been staying away from making my own macarons, however, it really seems like I should tackle them now.
Been looking forward to your latest macaron post. Your macarons look much better than before, not that they weren’t already great on previous attempts
Maybe there’s hope for me and macarons yet…
Macaroons are on my ‘must try someday’ list — thanks for the inspiration and the boost of confidence.
Those are gorgeous Jef – I definitely want to try this sometime. Have you tried the ones at Opera Patisserie downtown yet? I had one the other day and it was ok – but a little sugary and stiff. I like them a little more airy. I tried a couple of other pastries though and they were phenomenal – especially the lemon meringue tart.
For all of you hoping to try these, please do. They really aren’t all that difficult and they’re worth all the effort!
Amrita: Thanks for noticing. I was proud of this batch.
AQF: I haven’t tried Opera’s yet but I went to school with one of their chefs. Opera is supplying macarons for a few hotels in Vegas now, too, they’ve got to be at least decent.
I think your macarons are beautiful!!
Oh yeah! I first saw this recipe on Helene’s site, Tartelette (http://tartelette.blogspot.com/2006/10/tough-relationship-mignardises-and-me.html) and she swears by this recipe.
Yours look fantastic, Jef!
One day I’ve got to get brave and try Helene’s recipe too! Well done. =)
xoxo
fantastic! i was just gifted a stand mixer so i am totally gonna make some. i’ve hesistated on the macarons for soooo long…. they’re sooo close to being in my grasp. i can just taste them!
ooo, that reminds me jef, can you suggest a tried and true brioche recipe for me and my mixer to play around with?
Whenever I say macaroons everyone always thinks those coconut blobs…how sad that they are missing out on the real deal.
You inspired me to jump into the macaron-making abyss. I got everything ready to go.. but just cannot muster enough courage. Will try it next week and post my results.
Thanks for the tips.
Amanda: You just inspired me to make a new post. I’ll make a ‘kitchenaid brioche’ post for you in the next few days. (can you wait that long?)
Peabody: I usually try to make a point to call them macarOns; try to say it with a French accent for extra points.
Mythili: No fear, just do it. If you can boil sugar, this one is a no brainer.
of course i can wait that long! i know brioche can’t be maid in one day. (at least most of the recipes i’ve been reading up on say to chill for 24 hours!) i can’t wait for the post. i think i’m gonna have a serious bread addiction on my hands with my new toy.
hi, how do you make chocolate macarons with this recipe?
hi, wonderful macaroon pictures! i was wondering if you could share the chocolate macaroons recipe? i tried substituting some of the grounded almonds for cocoa powder, failing miserably.
thanks
Bravo…with your words and pictures I now feel like I could tackle this treat I love so much. Thank you!
These look so smooth and beautiful! Macaroons have always been hit or miss for me–some batches are perfect while others are just cracked blobs. A friend also told me she had great results using an Italian meringue for macaroons, so this must be the way to go! Thanks for sharing!
So how about we add some videos to your website??
cheers
Wow, you really make it sound so easy. I wish I am game enough to try it soon. How many does this recipe yield?
Thanks for sharing.
Hello, just wish to drop by to thank you for sharing the recipe. I tried it out and indeed, it is more less mistake prone than working with raw egg whites. When I saw the way the cooked egg whites turn out, I already knew it would turn out fine – I also liked the fact that I can split the egg white and flavour it differently.
I am so inspired by folks like you – your macaroons are beautiful – I only wish I was better at converting recipes – the grams thing always makes my head spin!
Keep up the good work.
Hi great recipe! do you have the american conversions of ingredients ?? Thanks ! PJ
PJ – just look on the bottom of your scales for a metric / imperial button or buy a set of scales that does the two.
Imperial measures just don’t work for macarons in my experience as they aren’t accurate enough.
they look gorgeous! but how did they become pink?
I’m not much of a baker. But I used your recipe for my very first try at macarons and they came out looking perfect!
Thanks for a truly foolproof recipe!
im such a beginner and i somehow failed this the first two times. the time i succeeded they were all cracked, what went wrong?
i tried your recipe and they were awesome with one flaw…they were too light, airy and hollow for me. a good cookie non the less (a new addition to my arsinal) but not like laduree. i did however love the smooth texture. that was the texture i was looking for. thanks
Super site. Really love these babies. I have a question regarding the process of ageing eggs when I’ve forgotten to remove whites from fridge a few days prior to making macarons. Basically, how do you do it? Help! With kind thanks.
Kathy,
You can cheat and artificially age your egg whites by microwaving them from a few seconds. Don’t cook them, just 10-15 sec on high should do. It isn’t perfect, but it helps.
I did it! I did it! I actually got these to work perfectly on my FIRST TRY! Thank you so much for the foolproof recipe. It most certainly appears to be foolproof if a Kitchen-Hack/Mini-van Mom like me can pull this off.
Does anybody know what the measurements would be in american measurements (cups etc)?
Unfortunately I stay away from using cups/etc for pastries because it is too inexact. For something like macarons, I wouldn’t dare try, but there are a few spots out there that had some success.
My most recent post about macarons and the Daring Bakers has a recipe that uses volume/cups measurements, it may work out for you.
Hi,I want to known how to aged white eggs at the temperature at Hawaii now because I read many recipe they are have different eggs white aged.
I’m a pastry student at the New England Culinary Insitute and I love macaroons but when I makes them with my recipe they come out maybe one in five times. I made three batches of these today (Vanilla (with passionfruit ganache), Pistachio, and Mocha) and they all came out BEAUTIFULLY. Everytime I put a new batch it I bet myself they wouldn’t turn out right but they were amazing everytime! My chef begged me for the recipe!
Oh also, I used fresh eggwhites because time is of the essence and they worked fine!
is it supposed to be 3cm instead of 3 inches when piping them out? 3 inches is huge for a macaron
I always wonder how long to beat the egg whites for. It seems like I get to soft peaks very quickly and then to stiff peaks really fast after adding the sugar. I don’t ever really achieve the shiny consistency people write about. I suspect this is my problem. Suggestions?
Thank you very much for the recipe! I failed 3 times and then I used your recipe for the 4th attempt and I succeeded! WHEE
One question though, is if I’d like to make different coloured macarons, how do I separate the mixture to go about doing that? I don’t want to have to whip the egg whites twice, and I’m not sure of the proportion of sugar to incorporate.
Okay, I was a little overconfident. I did manage to ruin a couple of batches but ultimately, my macarons came out awesome! I just finished them up and sent them off to the neighbors. To be fair, one of the batches I ruined was using someone else’s recipe but I HAD to try making Gingerbread Macarons for Christmas!
I posted pictures on my blog, link included. Thank you for helping me pull this off. I am so totally obsessed with making up flavors now!
Thank you,this was my 8th try and I almost gave up. I gave your recipe a try and it worked. It was killing me that I could not get this right. My family and friends thank you so much.
what is that flavouring you have put in?the pink one, what quantities should i put flavour in?
hi, i’ve been doing some research on recipes, and a lot of them recommend letting the maracons try before you put them in the oven…did you do that at all? or should we should do it? thanks!
Yeah,I let my batch rest for 1 hour, just keep touching to see if it is dry. If it isn’t dry, you can let it rest longer. I’m not sure though, some people can pop their macarons right into the oven after piping.
thanks for the reply! oops i made a typo..i meant to say “dry” instead of try but thanks for figuring that out already for me! so i’m going to attempt this recipe today so i’ll let you know how it turns out
oh btw, how do these macaroons ended up tasting ? they look adorable
These Italian Meringue ones are a little sweet due to all the extra sugar in the meringue. They’re a different beast than French Meringue macarons but I wouldn’t say they were better/worse.
Can I use an instant thermometer instead of a candy thermometer?
Thank you.
This is def. the BEST macaron recipe I have tried!!! thanks!!!!
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Wow! your macarons look delicious!
How do you prevent your macarons from tanning?
At 280F, mine are still browning, but any lower they don’t cook
Thank you!