If you’ve never made French macarons, this guide will help you make batch after batch successfully.
Macarons, Not Macaroons
This recipe is for French macarons, notcoconut macaroons.
The extra O makes a big difference.
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Macarons are delicate sandwich cookies.
They’re usually brightly colored and come in a variety of flavors.
Coconutmacaroons, on the other hands, are little balls of chewy coconut goodness.
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What Do French Macarons Taste Like?
Macarons are made with crispy macaron shells.
These outer cookies can be colorful.
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When cooked perfectly, the macaron shells have a slightly crisp texture when you first bite into them.
They give away to a cooke with a nougat-like chewiness.
The macaron shells sandwich a macaron filling.
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The filling can be any throw in of frosting, ganache, jam, or caramel you like.
In this macaron recipe, we’re calling for a classicbuttercream frosting.
Once you master the cookies, the filling can be whatever you want.
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Macaron Ingredients
The classic French macaron calls for five ingredients.
Almond flour:Macarons are made with almond flour.
Otherwise, they’re not macarons.
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Be sure to look for super-fine almond flour, not almond meal.
Egg whites:The majority of macaron batter is whipped egg whites.
Both of these help the egg whites hold their volume when whipped into a meringue.
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Cream of tartar:Think of cream of tartar as an insurance package.
It doubles down on keeping the egg whites firm by holding air.
Buttercream frosting:Macaron fillings can be a variety of frosting, caramels, or jams.
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We particularly likevanilla buttercreamfor macarons.
Patience and precision pay off in perfect macarons.
Step 2: Sift the almond flour and powdered sugar.Don’t skip the sifting!
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Step 4: Whip egg whites, granulated sugar, and cream of tartaruntil they form a peak.
This will take a while even with a stand or hand mixer.
Don’t attempt to do this by hand.
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Step 5: Add food coloringif you want to make your macarons a beautiful hue.
Otherwise, the cookies will be a light beige color once baked.
Step 6: Fold egg whites into batterin three separate additions.
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Keep mixing and folding until the batter is well combined but not too runny.
Read below about macaronage and how to know when your batter is perfect for piping.
Step 7: Fill piping bag.Place a reusable or disposable piping bag with tip in a large drinking glass.
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Fold the top of the bag over the glass, and scoop the batter into the bag.
If you’re using a sheet with circles, follow the pattern.
Or place batter circles about one-inch apart.
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Step 9: Bang pan on counterto pop any large air bubbles.
Use a toothpick to pop any small ones that remain on the surface of the macaron shells.
Step 10: Let macaron shells dryfor 30 to 45 minutes.
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Step 11: Bake 12 to 14minutes until the macaron shells are no longer soft.
Then let them cool about 15 minutes on the baking sheet.
Move to a cooling rack after that and cool completely.
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What is macaronage?
Macaronage is the process of working macaron batter to the perfect consistency and flowing smoothly for piping.
It requires you to not overmix or undermix the batter.
Undermixed macaron batter will be lumpy and thick, and will produce macarons that are possibly hollow and dense.
Overmixed macaron batter will be too thin.
They’ll sink during baking and crack.
Scoop the batter into the bag.
Then you’re ready to pipe.
If it’s still soft and wobbly, you’ll need a minute or two more.
If they’re hard to the touch, the macarons are done and can come out of the oven.
Macaron Fillings
Feel free to get creative with the filling.
Macarons are a bucket list baking item for many Southern cooks.
Then you’ll be faster and better the next time and can start to explore flavors and fun fillings.
More Darling Cookies:
Ingredients
3/4cupplus2Tbsp.
(125grams)granulated sugar
1/4tsp.
Preheat oven to 325F with the rack in the center position.
The texture will look similar to thick cookie dough.
If adding food coloring gel, add it to the meringue and blend well.
The batter will spread slightly, so space the macarons apart by a little more than an inch.
Tap the pans lightly on the counter to release any large air pockets.
Use a toothpick to pop any small ones.
Bake:
Bake in preheated oven for 12-14 minutes.
If your oven has hot spots, it may be necessary to rotate the pans halfway through baking.
Cool shells:
Let the macarons cool completely before pairing the shells.
