Making Macarons

Hello everyone! Today’s post is a quick recipe I found on Pinterest. I always think macarons are so cute and they look like they taste so good! For the longest time I thought macaroons and macarons were the same thing, but I just found out that macaroons are actually completely different! And this whole time I was calling them by the wrong name! Anyway, I’ve never actually tried one myself, but looking at gorgeous pictures of colorful stacks of them make me want to go buy a box! I learned that there are actually two different ways to make them, the French way or the Italian way. The French way involves fewer steps and not as many tools, but you have to wait 12-24 hours for your egg whites to age. The Italian method uses more tools and is a bit harder. But it doesn’t take as long as the French method. Both methods produce some delicious looking macarons! Read on to discover how to make them!

Macarons seem like they would be really hard to make since they are so delicate. But if you can practice and master the steps, with time it’ll be easy! A big part of the process is making sure the consistency is right. Just keep practicing and soon you can make some beautiful desserts any time you want!

You will need:                                    French                                                                            Italian

Almond Flour                                     110 g                                                                               212 g

Icing Sugar                                           200 g                                                                               212 g

            Egg Whites                                         100g (aged 12-24 hrs)                                          82 g + 92 g

Granulated Sugar                             50 g                                                                                236 g

Water                                                       none                                                                              158 g

Utensils:

Mixer

Sieve

Candy Thermometer (only for Italian)

Spatula

Whisk

Kitchen Scale (to measure ingredients)

Baking Tray

Parchment Paper

Piping Bag + Round Nozzle

Bowls

Suggested Fillings: 

Nutella

Chocolate ganache

Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Lemon curd

Preserves/jams

The French Method:

Whisk the almond flour with the confectioners/icing sugar to break up any clumps.

Whip the egg whites until foamy

Add sugar/sugar syrup to egg whites gradually, mixing until stiff, glossy peaks form

Quickly but gently fold in almond mixture into the meringue

Combine until a thick batter is achieved, that runs in ribbons off the spatula

Transfer batter to piping bag and pipe small rounds onto the parchment- about 1-1 1/2 inches wide.

Let sit for about an hour to develop a hard shell. If you touch the tops gently, they should not stick.

Bake at 350 degrees F

Bake for 8-12 mins depending on size. Wait for tops to be smooth, and “feet” have to be formed.

Wait until completely cool before removing cookies from tray

Pair cookies by size and fill with your desired filling.

Squeeze a generous follow of filling in the center, then sandwich with the remaining cookie, pushing filling to the sides.

The Italian Method:

Preheat oven now to 350 degrees F

Whisk the almond flour with the confectioners/icing sugar to break up any clumps

Make a well in almond flour mixture, pour in 82 g of your egg whites and blend until smooth.

Heat sugar and water until 200 degrees F

Begin mixing your egg whites on medium speed until soft peaks are formed, then continue mixing at low speed.

Immediately remove sugar syrup at 248 degrees F

Add sugar/sugar syrup to egg whites gradually, mixing until stiff, glossy peaks form

If you are going to add color, do it now! Use powdered or gel colors only!

Fold in meringue gradually into the almond mixture

Combine until a thick batter is achieved, that runs in ribbons off the spatula

Transfer batter to piping bag and pipe small rounds onto the parchment- about 1-1 1/2 inches wide.

No waiting time needed! Transfer baking sheet to oven, immediately turn temperature down to 325 degrees F

Bake for 8-12 mins depending on size. Wait for tops to be smooth, and “feet” have to be formed.

Cool shells briefly, about 5 minutes. Then remove from sheet.

Pair cookies by size and fill with your desired filling.

Squeeze a generous follow of filling in the center, then sandwich with the remaining cookie, pushing filling to the sides.

And that’s it! If you want to see a full recipe:

I hope you liked this post! I’m definitely going to try and make some macarons soon, let me know if you try these!