I wouldn’t say I’m an expert macarons maker, but I’m happy to share the recipe that I used to make these tasty little treats.
When I started looking at macarons recipes, I thought it wouldn’t be that difficult to make them. The ingredient list and method seemed pretty straight forward, but they are a bit tricky to make. I had many failures. I finally broke down and bought a kitchen scale. That helped a lot. I have tried many recipes with varying measurements and methods. I have had consistent success with this recipe.
The texture of the batter is very important. There are lots of videos out there on how to make macarons. I highly recommend you watch one or two so that you can see what the consistency of the batter should look like. You’ll have a higher chance of success your first time.
I used Martha Stewart’s recipe the first time I made macarons. Her recipe is pretty good. I also found her video recipe helpful.Then I discovered another website with a much better recipe, Indulge With Mimi. Yes, Mimi’s recipe is better than Martha’s. You must check out Mimi’s macaron tutorial video. It helped me get the technique down. My recipe is largely based on Mimi’s. I use less sugar because I prefer a less sweet macaron because the filling is also quite sweet. The recipe still seems to work with the lesser amount of sugar. I have made this recipe several times and I’m really happy with the results. Thank you, Mimi!
French almond cookies.
- 3/4 cup sifted almond flour (70 grams)
- 1/2 cup sifted icing sugar (65 grams)
- 2 medium egg whites (at room temperature) (50 grams)
- 3 tbsp granulated sugar (40 grams)
- 2 drops of gel food colouring
- 1/4 cup strawberry jam for filling
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Take the eggs out of the refrigerator and allow them to come to room temperature (1 hour or longer).
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Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
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Put the almond flour and icing sugar into a food processor and blend for 20 seconds. Sift the mixture and set aside. Discard the small amount that won't go through the sifter.
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In a stand mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites until they start to get foamy. Add the sugar a tbsp at a time. When soft peaks form, add the gel food colouring. A little goes a long way. Whisk until firm peaks form.
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Add the almond flour/icing sugar mixture to the egg whites in three stages. Gently fold the mixture with a spatula until it approaches the consistency of honey. Watch Martha and Mimi's video for the appropriate folding technique. Do not overmix the batter!
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Put the macarons mixture into a piping bag. Use a 1/2 inch round tip to pipe the macarons onto a cookie sheet covered in parchment paper or a silicone mat. Pipe the macarons into 2 inch rounds.
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Gently drop your baking pan from about 6 inches onto a table five or 6 times to help reduce the appearance of air bubbles in the macarons.
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Allow the macarons to rest for 30-45 minutes before you put them in the oven. This will allow a skin to form on the macarons, which will become glossy when they are fully cooked. Touch one of them to check if they are ready. If you don't get any batter on your finger, they are ready to go into the oven.
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Bake the macarons for approximately 15 to 18 minutes one tray at a time. The cook time will depend on the size of the macarons and your oven. I bake them on the lower middle rack and leave them in for 17 to 18 minutes.
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As soon as the macarons go in the oven, turn the oven temperature down to 295 degrees.
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Allow the macarons to cool for about an hour before you attempt to move them. They are very delicate when they are warm. When they have cooled completely, you can add the filling. You can even wait a day to fill them. Store them in the fridge if you don’t plan on eating them right away.