Basic Macaron Recipe

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: French

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 30

rest/cool time: 1

Total Time: 1 45

Servings: macarons

Calories: 109kcal

Author: Emily

This recipe will walk you through how to make macarons. These sweet, decadent treats are tricky to master, but once you get it, it's totally worth it!

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Equipment

stand mixer with whisk attachment
sifter/fine mesh strainer
silicone or rubber spatula
piping bag with round tip
baking sheets
parchment paper or silicone mat
mixing bowls

Ingredients

1 cup powdered confectioners sugar
¾ cup almond flour (see notes on how to make your own)
2 large egg whites, room temp
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
¼ cup superfine sugar (see notes on how to make your own)
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
gel food coloring

Instructions

Prepare baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Make sure ALL of the ingredients are at room temp.
SIFT together the almond flour and powdered sugar. Discard any lumps in the sifter, do not force through, and set the bowl aside. (tip: your almond flour should be as dry as possible, you may need to spread it out on a baking sheet and allow it to dry for 1-2 hours).
Put the room temperature egg whites in the mixer bowl with a whisk attachment. Start at low speed and move to medium speed until foamy (see pic). And add the cream of tartar.
Once you have soft peaks, add the superfine sugar. Continue to whisk until stiff peaks form. Add the vanilla and food coloring and continue to mix until all of the color is mixed in.
SIFT the flour and sugar mix once again into the egg whites and discard any lumps in the sifter.
Fold until everything is combined. I use a silicone spatula and that works very well. Press the batter into the sides of the bowl to get out some of the air to avoid hollow macarons. The mixture will be sticky and should have a lava-like consistency, meaning when you pour it onto itself self it sinks back into the batter with no lines after about a minute or less.
Put the batter in a pastry bag or macaron dispenser (see photo below, Amazon has a bunch to choose from). Try to get all the air out of the bag before you start. Pipe circles with the bag/tip straight up, you'll figure out what works best for you. I don't use a stencil which is why my macarons are not all the exact same size, but you can if you want to.
Tap the pans on the countertop...A LOT, you will see bubbles come up and that's what you want. Carefully poke any bubbles with a toothpick before you let the macarons rest. Let the pans sit for 30 minutes and do not touch or tap anymore or you will get cracks or holes in your finished macarons. This allows the macarons to create a crust and helps develop the feet. You know they are ready when you lightly place your fingertip on the outside and nothing comes off on your finger.
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Turn down the oven to 325°F. Bake one pan at a time for 5 minutes, rotate, and bake for 5 more minutes. Remove the pan from the oven, turn the heat back up to 375°F, and let the macarons rest on the pan for 10 minutes. Carefully transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Turn the oven down to 325°F and bake the second sheet. TIP: While the macarons are baking and cooling, you can make the filling if you have not already (recipe below).
Once cooled, make your favorite filling and place it in a pastry bag with a round tip. Fill a circle around the edge of one half of a cookie and place the second half gently on top. Be careful not to push too hard or you will smash your beautiful creation. Enjoy!

Notes

HOW TO MAKE ALMOND FLOUR

add ¼ cup raw, blanched (no skin) almonds and 1 teaspoon powdered confectioner sugar to a small coffee/spice grinder or food processor (if you are using a food processor, double the amount).
Pulse until you have a nice, dry flour-like consistency. Do not over process or you will end up with almond paste!
You can also buy almond flour, just make sure it's all white (no skins).

HOW TO MAKE SUPERFINE SUGAR

Add ¼ cup sugar to a small coffee/spice grinder and grind until you have a powdered-sugar-like consistency.

Some silicone mats have a stencil on them and many people swear by these. I like parchment better and you can make your own cirlce on the parchment if you want to (just remember to flip the paper over so no pencil or ink gets on your batter!).

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