Easy French Macarons

These homemade French macarons have a crisp, glossy shell, chewy interior, and delicate almond flavor. Once you have this base recipe down, you can create endless color and flavor combinations with different fillings.

The key ingredients and why

• Cream of tartar: An acid that stabilizes the egg whites during whipping. It helps them hold their structure, which is especially useful if your eggs are fresh (older egg whites naturally whip up faster). If you don’t have cream of tartar, a small squeeze of lemon juice works too.
• Almond flour (ground almonds): This is the base of the macaron shell and gives it structure and that characteristic chewy texture. You can use blanched or unblanched almond flour. Blanched gives a smoother, cleaner look, while unblanched will have little brown flecks of almond skin for a more rustic appearance. The almond flour gets sifted with confectioners sugar to remove any lumps or larger pieces. If your almond flour is on the coarser side, pulse it in a food processor with the confectioners sugar first until fine, then sift. Just be careful not to over-blend, as the heat can release the oils and make it clump.
• Confectioners sugar (powdered sugar): Combined with the almond flour, this gives the macaron its smooth top and structure. It dissolves into the batter more easily than granulated sugar.
• Egg whites: These create the meringue base. They should be at room temperature before whipping, as they’ll reach more volume that way. You don’t need to age your egg whites for this recipe, as the cream of tartar does the stabilizing work.
• Granulated sugar: Added gradually to the whipped egg whites to create a stiff, glossy meringue. Adding it slowly (a tablespoon at a time) gives the meringue time to absorb it properly.

Method

1. Sift the almond flour and confectioners sugar together into a bowl.

1. If your almond meal is coarse you can run it along with the sugar through a food processor first.

1. Whip the egg whites and cream of tartar to soft peaks, then gradually add the granulated sugar and whip to stiff, glossy peaks.
   

1. Fold in the almond mixture in stages until the batter flows like thick lava and falls in ribbons. This is the macaronage. If adding color, fold in gel food coloring during this stage.

1. Pipe 1-inch (2.5 cm) circles onto lined baking trays, then bang the trays on the counter to release air bubbles.
2. Let the piped macarons rest until they form a dry skin on top (about 40 minutes).
3. Bake at 300°F (150°C) for 15-17 minutes until set. Let them cool completely before peeling off the parchment.

Storing

Filled macarons keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week, or frozen for up to three months. Let them come to room temperature before serving. Unfilled shells can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for a day or two, or frozen for longer storage.

More macaron and cookie recipes

• Lavender Macarons with Lemon and White Chocolate Ganache
• Lemon Curd (makes a great macaron filling)
• Strawberry Compote (another favorite filling)
• Swiss Meringue Buttercream
• Buttery Sablé Cookies

Easy Macaron Recipe Step by Step

Elien Lewis

Homemade French macarons with a crisp, glossy shell and chewy interior. This is a French meringue method that uses just five ingredients. Sandwich them with your favorite filling for endless flavor combinations. Makes around 15 filled macarons (30 shells).

4.84 from 12 votes

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Additional Time 40 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Course Cookies

Cuisine French

Servings 18

Calories 104 kcal

Equipment

• Cuisinart Food Processor 
• Silpat Mat x2
• Decorating Tool Kit
• Digital Scales

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 100 g ground almonds
• 180 g confectioners sugar
• 90 g egg whites
• ¼ tsp cream of tartar
• 50 g granulated white sugar

Instructions

 

• Sift the almond flour and confectioners sugar together into a bowl. If your almond flour is coarse, pulse it in a food processor with the confectioners sugar until fine, then sift. Take care not to over-blend or the oils in the almonds will release and the mixture will clump.
• In a clean, dry bowl, whip the egg whites and cream of tartar with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Gradually add the granulated sugar, a tablespoon at a time, while continuing to whip. Keep whipping until you have stiff, glossy peaks and the sugar has fully dissolved. Rub a little between your fingers to check for grains. Stop once you reach this stage.
• Add about a third of the sifted almond mixture to the meringue. Fold it in with a spatula (don’t whisk) until well incorporated. Add the remaining almond mixture and continue folding until the batter flows like thick lava and falls in ribbons. You should be able to draw a figure 8 in the batter that dissolves back into itself after about 10 seconds. If adding color, fold in a few drops of gel food coloring during this stage.
• Spoon the batter into a piping bag fitted with a 1/4-inch round tip. Line two baking trays with parchment paper or silicone mats (use a dab of batter to stick the parchment down). Pipe 1-inch (2.5 cm) circles onto the trays, holding the bag straight down.
• Bang the trays firmly on the counter two or three times to release air bubbles. Pop any remaining bubbles with a toothpick.
• Let the piped macarons sit at room temperature for about 40 minutes, or until the surface is dry to the touch and no longer sticky. On humid days, this may take longer.
• Preheat your oven to 300°F (150°C). Bake one tray at a time for 15-17 minutes. The macarons are done when the tops are set and they don’t wobble on their feet when gently nudged. Let them cool completely on the tray before peeling off the parchment.
• Match shells by size. Pipe or spoon filling onto the flat side of one shell and sandwich with a matching shell.

Notes

• Oven temperature: Every oven is different. If the macarons brown too quickly or the feet spread too much, lower the temperature by 10°F (5°C). If they’re still wet after 17 minutes, increase slightly.
• Cream of tartar can be replaced with a small squeeze of lemon juice.
• Blanched vs. unblanched almond flour: Blanched gives a smoother look. Unblanched works fine but will give the shells small brown flecks.
• Leftover egg yolks can be used in lemon curd, which also makes an excellent macaron filling.
• Chocolate ganache filling: Place 150g chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat 120g heavy cream in a saucepan until just simmering, then pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for 5 minutes, then stir until smooth. Refrigerate, stirring every 15 minutes, until thick enough to pipe.
• Curing: Macarons taste best after sitting in the fridge for 24 hours.
• Storing: Filled macarons keep in the fridge for up to a week, or frozen for up to three months.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 104kcalCarbohydrates: 18gProtein: 2gFat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gSodium: 58mgFiber: 1gSugar: 17g

Keyword Cookies, Desserts, macarons

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