11 Tips For Your First French Macaron
French Macarons have been a hot trend in the US for the past decade. This light-as-air sandwich cookie keeps evolving and has as many people wanting to bake them as it does eat them! Macarons are a technique-driven cookie and therefore one of the most thrilling things to bake. With endless flavor combinations both sweet and savory, these are a crowd pleaser every time!
Macarons are not to be confused with macaroons, which are a coconut cookie. A french macaron is formed by gluing two meringue-based cookies together, usually with a ganache or buttercream filling. During baking, a properly formed meringue helps the cookie expand upwards, growing its signature “foot” or frill along the base. The initial bite is crunchy, then lending way to a slightly soft and chewy interior. It’s unique in both its preparation and taste!
This cookie has been known to elude some bakers while others are successful from the start! I’ll admit that I failed miserably my very first attempt. To be fair, I had no clue what I was doing, but once I understood the basics I tasted success and immediately understood the addiction of these tiny treats! Each tray is a test of my skills, so the baking geek in me loves the challenge!
To give you the best beginner tips possible, I reached out to my go-to source on macarons, a Facebook group called All Things Macarons – Tips, Tricks and Techniques. This group is not only a wealth of knowledge, it’s also chock full of kind, compassionate and helpful individuals of all skill levels. They are quick to share how to improve or give kudos for a successful batch. It’s a community of positivity and pure inspiration, which we need so much more of these days. Here’s what they had to say…
11 Tips for Your First French Macaron
- IT’S JUST A COOKIE. They will need more attention to detail than your favorite chocolate chip, but at the end of the day, they are still a cookie, and perfect or not, will still taste great!
- WEIGH YOUR INGREDIENTS. The process of this cookie requires precise measurements. My “Measuring by Weight vs. Volume” video shows the inaccuracies of measuring with cups, teaspoons, etc.
- YOUR EQUIPMENT MATTERS. Use glass or stainless steel bowls only, as plastic will retain oils. Wipe down the bowl and beater with white vinegar to remove any fat film that could inhibit your meringue. Know your oven and if it cooks true to temperature (this rarely happens). An oven thermometer is key.
- USE THE CORRECT INGREDIENTS. A traditional macaron specifically uses almond flour, which MUST be sifted with the powdered sugar to achieve smooth tops. Start with plain shells – no flavoring or colors. (The flavor mainly comes from the filling.)
- UNDERSTAND THE STAGES OF MERINGUE. Learn the stages of meringue. Add a pinch of cream of tartar during the foaming stage, and keep your mixer no higher than medium speed to create a stable meringue with tiny air holes.
- DON’T FEAR THE MACARONAGE STEP. This step loosens the batter consistency by pressing out some air in the meringue. One way is to paint the batter up the sides of the bowl with the back of your spatula.
- CHECK FOR THE RIGHT CONSISTENCY. Test your batter for lava-like consistency, or batter thickness. After you macaronage, let the batter fall off the spatula in a figure eight pattern. It should drop smoothly, without breaking, and disappear into itself within 10-15 seconds.
- PIPE CONSISTENT SHAPES AND SIZES. Trace circles on the backside of your parchment paper, or print one to slide underneath. Use a pre-printed macaron mat or dip the open end of a large piping tip in your batter, and dab to leave a circle, then pipe into them.
- BE AWARE OF HUMIDITY. Dry air is best to assist in the drying, or resting, process. This doesn’t mean you can’t bake macarons when it’s raining, but a caution that it may alter your results.
- SACRIFICE ONE TO SAVE THE REST. When you think they are done, try to take one off your pan. If it releases easy, with a solid flat bottom, they are done! If not, let them go another minute or two, while you taste your sample! 😉
- ENJOY THE PROCESS AND EAT YOUR MISTAKES. I have seen some incredibly inventive uses of “maca-wrongs” like geode macarons and macaron pops! Chances are, your friends are still going to enjoy eating them with you, even if they aren’t exactly what you had envisioned!
Wiping your equipment with vinegar ensures fat won’t sabatoge your meringue 
Almond flour makes macarons naturally gluten free! Blending the almond flour and confectionary sugar in the food processor, then sifting it helps achieve smooth tops. When the meringue will starts balling in the whisk, you are close! The macaronage step of “painting” up the sides of the bowl, pressing out some of the air in the meringue A figure “8” in the batter means it’s a good thickness to start piping A template ensures that they will match up when you sandwich them together The cookies expand upwards, creating frilly bases, or “feet” Tops and bottoms paired up, ready for filling A ring of ganache with a dollop of lemon curd
This week’s Feature Dessert…
These delicate cookies are the main component of this week’s Feature Dessert. I share three flavor combination options for these French Macarons, including White Chocolate Ganache and Lemon Curd.
Be sure to subscribe to receive the complete set of recipes used to make the Feature Desserts!
French Macarons
Ingredients
- 179 g powdered sugar sifted
- 102 g almond flour sifted
- 1 pinch cream of tartar
- 102 g egg whites room temperature
- 90 g sugar, granulated
Instructions
- Pulse powdered sugar and almond flour in a food processor until fully combined
- Sift sugar and flour mixture one more time; set aside (DO NOT SKIP this step, or you will have lumpy macarons)
- Whip egg whites on medium low speed until frothy. Add cream of tartar.*
- Resume whipping and begin "raining" in sugar slowly into the egg whites. Keep mixer at medium.
- One you reach firm peaks, and the meringue is balled up in your mixer whisk, remove from mixer. Fold in 1/3 of the sugar/flour mixture.
- In two more installments, fold the remaining mixture into the egg whites until fully incorporated.
- Macaronage – using the back of your spatula, paint or push the batter of the sides of the bowl in a flower-like pattern. Scrape back down to the bottom of the bowl and paint up the sides again, effectively deflating some of the air.
- Test the consistency by drawing a figure eight batter with the batter dripping off the spatula. If you can draw an eight without it breaking, and the batter sinks back into itself within 10-15 seconds, macaronage is complete. If not, repeat "painting" one more time, then test again.
- Fit piping back with medium round tip and add batter. While holding piping bag at a 90 degree angle, squeeze batter onto template, twisting your wrist at the same time you release pressure at the end.
- Rap tray on counter several times, rotating the pan to knock out air bubbles. If any are remaining, they can be popped with a toothpick.
- Preheat oven to 310 and place an empty cookie sheet in very top rack of oven. (use one you don't need, as it will stay there through the entire baking process)
- Rest, uncovered until a skin is formed. You should be able to gently touch the batter and not have any stick to your skin.
- Bake in center of oven for approximately 20 minutes. This number is not firm – it will be different for each size cookie, each oven, and other details that affect baking macarons (such as weather).
- To test if they are done, try to pick one up off the tray. If it lifts up and has a smooth bottom, they are done! If not, leave them in another minute or two.
- Remove and let cool on tray, then transfer to cooling rack.
