I’ve made these French Macarons time and time again, and each attempt has resulted in perfect macarons! Don’t be intimidated by making them on your own, they are easier than they seem!
If you’ve never tried macarons, they are thin, flavorful meringue wafers sandwiched together with a creamy filling. These adorable little cookies have a delicate outer crust and an irresistibly moist interior. A perfect macaron will be chewy on the inside, not mushy.
What I love about macarons is that they need to be prepared ahead of time. These cookies are never served warm, so you will keep them refrigerated until you are ready to indulge. This makes them perfect for serving at parties, as you can prepare them the night before and not have to stress about pulling fresh baked cookies out of the oven.
Are Macarons French or Italian?
There is much debate about whether macarons originated in France or Italy. I, however, will leave the questions unanswered, because truth be told, no one really knows! Perhaps the better discussion to have is that there is a difference in the baking technique of French and Italian varieties. For French macarons (like this recipe), you will beat the egg whites with sugar to create the meringue for the cookie batter. For Italian macarons, you will beat the egg whites with a hot simple syrup. The result? French macaroons tend to be flatter, while Italian macarons are a bit taller.
What is the Difference Between a Macaroon and a Macaron?
Despite only having a one letter difference in their names, these cookies could not be more different. Macaroons are coconut-based cookies. You have probably seen them dipped in chocolate at your local bakery. Macarons are made with almond flour and meringue and come in a variety of colors and flavors.
Tips for Making the Best Macarons
- Invest in a kitchen scale. Macarons can be temperamental to just the slightest deviation from the recipe. Using a kitchen scale will remove the stress and guesswork!
- Sift your dry ingredients! This will ensure even baking, a lighter texture, and no clumps!
- “Age” your egg whites by letting them sit outside the fridge for 1 to 2 days. This dehydrates the egg white and creates a stiffer meringue.
- Don’t skimp on whisking your egg whites until they are just right. You want the egg whites to form stiff peaks. Under whisking your egg whites will cause you to have flat batter; over whisking will cause the cookies to spread when baking.
- Fold the batter thoroughly, making sure to flatten the egg whites against the side of your bowl. But, do not over fold the batter! This will result in flat, shapeless discs.
- Tap the side of the tray when you take your macarons out. This will rid the cookies of air bubbles.
- Let your cookies rest for an hour before assembling. You will want to let them rest long enough so that they form a nice, crispy outer crust. This is crucial because the crust is what gives the cookies their signature shape. If your macarons are cracking on top, let them rest longer than an hour.
- Hot Tip: If you live in a humid climate, let your cookies rest even longer. The humidity in the air will moisten the cookie and make it take longer to create that yummy crust. Wait it out! It’s worth it.
- Start your oven off at 300℉. Since each oven is different, you will need to pay attention to how your cookies are baking and adjust the temperature and cook time as needed. If the macarons spread, rise too quickly, or brown, lower the temperature by 10 degrees and increase the baking time by 3 to 5 minutes. If they aren’t rising and have wrinkly tops, increase the temperature by 10 degrees and reduce the baking time.
- For the best results, let your macarons “mature” for at least two days in the fridge before serving. This allows the shells to soften and locks in the flavors. Pull them out an hour before serving to thaw.
Can you Freeze Macarons?
Yes, you can! Freeze the fully cooled down wafers in an airtight container with parchment paper separating the vertical layers. Thaw the wafers a few hours before serving. Then, proceed to carefully spread on your butter cream filling to make the sandwiches.
Other Macarons to Try
Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 Egg Whites kept in room temperature for 24-48 hours
- 1/4 cup White Sugar
- 2 cup Confectioners Sugar
- 1 cup Almond Flour
- Food Coloring
- Nutella filling
Instructions
- In a bowl of a standing electric mixer, beat the egg whites with granulated sugar until they begin to rise and hold their shape.
- Add your choice of color to macarons, keeping the color darker, as it fades in the process of baking.
- Shift powdered sugar and almond flour to get rid of any lumps.
- Stir in dry ingredients into egg whites. Be sure not to over mix the ingredients.
- Place plastic or pastry bag into a cup to hold it straight. I would suggest a pastry bag, hence once you cut off the edge of a plastic bag it may not be a round shape. In this case, I wasn't going to make a trip to the store, so I did use a ziplock bag. Pour the entire mixture into the bag. Remove from the cup and twist to hold the batter in the inside.
- Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Pipe circles into the baking sheet, making them thick. Tap baking sheet at least 3 times on each side, this will get rid of any air bubbles and will prevent from cracks.
- Let macarons sit in room temperature for about 20 minutes, they will create a bit of a shell, also helps from cracks on top.
- Bake macarons at 300F for 13-20 minutes, depending on your oven. I would suggest checking them after 13 minutes or so.
112 g and 1 c are not the same!
Hi Jan, the US measurement is based on volume, while the metric system is based on weight. Its about 100 grams. The calculator we use is not always 100% correct. Hope this helps.
Hello,
I’m going to try these this weekend. Can you give me any advice for higher climate with low humidity?
Amy
Hi Amy- Ah, I wish I had tips but I haven't tested these macarons in a higher climate before. The low humidity is a good thing, your macarons will be able to dry out and form that necessary crispy outer crust during the resting time before they bake.
Is it ok to use parchment paper when baking macaron or just the silpat?
Hi Arlene- you can definitely use parchment paper for macarons. Enjoy!
Thank you so much for this! I have tried numerous times from a bunch of different recipes and though I still have some ways to go with macarons, these are the best I have made so far!
I do have an issue though. My batter is still a tad runny when I start to pipe it and after baking they're still a bit hollow on the inside. Due to the runny batter its almost impossible fo me to make perfect circles:( Do you have any tips on what I can do to fix these issues?
Thank you so much again I'm so excited with this recipe!
Hi Samantha - So happy these are working for you! Macarons can be so intimidating and you should be proud you took on the challenge - so many people don't. Try sifting the almond flour with a fine mesh sieve to remove any lumps that might mess up the proportions (i.e. adding too little almond flour). Let me know if this helps!
I just tried a recipe from Youtube and I was never told to keep egg whites at room temp for a couple of days and also reducing the temperature in my oven because my macaroons browned and it was too thin as well. I'll try this next time.
Hey Stephanie, I hope you get the perfect outcome. Enjoy!
OMG, I been looking for a Foolproof recipe for Macaroons. I'm gonna try this today! I will post pictures of how they turn out! Thanks Again, Feeling Excited
I can't wait to see your results 🙂
hello did you use a food processor when mixing the dry ingredients?
Hi, you would fold them in using a spatula. See step 4 of the instructions.
very informative site.
I need to keep ready 300 wafers (150 pairs) of 4 flavours on 5 Dec, the consumption will be in the week that follows, how early can I start making the wafers? after baking can I keep in the normal fridge in closed container? I’m planning to fill on 4th & 5th Dec, Pistachio & cream cheese, Chocolate butter cream with butterscotch sauce, strawberry butter cream with strawberry sauce & lemon butter cream with lemon curd.
Also is it required to slam the tray very hard after piping the batter? Because it spreads and doesn’t rise much. I would appreciate your reply as it will help me a lot.
thanks
Sophia
Hey Sophia, you can keep the shells sealed in the container. I have a friend that sells them and she pipes them right away and just keeps them refrigerated. They do absorb more cream and get a really nice flavor. Yes, you do need to slam it. It will get rid of the air bubble that forms in the cookie. They shouldn't spread too much even if you slam the tray.
Hello! I'm crazy about the chocolate macaron recipe, now I'm trying this one! I just wanna ask when do I add the color/flavor? During soft peak stage? Or fold it after stiff peak stage? Thanks
Hey dear, I typically add the color when eggs are almost at the soft peak stage. Hope you love this recipe!
I followed your instructions they seemed perfect but some were crunchy inside. Where did I go wrong. Some had some blotchiness 🙁
Hey Rose, they could be over baked, each oven is slightly different. If you allow them to sit with cream for a few days, they will get some moisture from the cream. Just keep them refrigerated in a sealed container.
I so want to try this recipe but after many fails I'm scared to try it out!😭
Hey, If you follow all the tips, you should be ok. I was scared of it too but it works for me 🙂
These did not work for me:( They didn't grow feet and didn't taste like macarons.
Hey Annette, Can you share a bit more details. Maybe I can share some tips, I have made them so ma my times. 🙂
Good day, my macaroons top is very thin and not crispy, why?
They rise very nice and developed feet, but the top come out very soft
Hey, did you allow them to sit in room temperature after piping them? Also, it could be humidity.
When I put them to dry, I let them sit for two hours but they still didn't dry. I think I might have overmixed the batter or something.
It could be the room humidity. Macarons are tricky.
Hello! I was wondering how many macarons were in the serving of the nutritional information listed?
Her Bertha, depending on the size you make them. For me it's about 2 macarons.
You mentioned invest in a scale, but your recipe calls for measuring cups!?!
Hey My Kia, you can click on the metrics and see the measurements with scale. If you are new to baking it can be useful to use a scale.
How does the Macaron rise?
I dont know the science behind the whole process but they do rise as they bake and create little feet. 🙂
Thank you! I am making them now!
Awesome, I hope they are amazing!
Yes!!!
These tricky dessert cuties turned out aaamazing)
I had multiple fails with other recipe(
And even when they turned out good[other recipe]n they werent as good as these ones.....
Thanks a bunch, Natasha!!!
Oh, I am o happy! thanks for sharing!
Here is the link to the recipe tips: https://www.youtube.com/watch…
Can I use frozen (thawed) raspberries for the cream instead of fresh?
Yes you can, they may be just a bit more watery.
Thanks for the resepi... They turned out great...
Oh wow!! So stunning. I love it
Hey, I'm looking for one recipe out of the yolks only, i remember once I saw on ur website when I was making macaroons, maybe u can share a link if it easier for u to find it or what is it called I can try looking for it. Thank you so much in advance
I honestly don't remember. U don't make any deserts?
Can't think of anything
It's ok, thank u
I make homemade pasta with yolks of rogaliki need yolks. I am not sure if that's what you mean.
Does it matter if you use white eggs or brown eggs for the egg whites?
Either egg will work 🙂
Link for video with tips https://m.youtube.com/watch?v…
I have made this recipe a lot of times and it turns out perfect on the outside, but for some reason hollow inside. the shell comes up high and very thin leaving a big hollow bubble in the middle and thin layer at the bottom. i tried adjusting temperature and other things but nothing seems to work, do you know why would that happen and if yours turn out hollow or not??
Sometimes mine do as well. I noticed that baking them for a little less helps. But our WA weather plays a huge roll on them. Try googling why macarons turn out hollow.
So here's what my first try came out to be like! I will be honest - I am not a huge fan of macarons, but just always wondered what my first try would turn out like, since they are so finicky to make. The taste came out perfectly, but the appearance wasn't the perfect 1-inch round cookies. Here are a couple of pics. 🙂
It's good enough for the first time. I am in a same boat with you. I don't care for macaroons but everyone loves them.
if i wanted to make the shells a day before i frost them, do i just cover them or put them in the fridge?
Yes, keep them sealed in a air tight container
if i wanted to make the shells a day before i frost them, do i just cover them or put them in the fridge?
Keep them in a air tight container, no need to refrigirate.
I made the macaroons for the first time and by using this recipe they turned out amazing!!
Wow for the first time you are amazing! I messed them up so many times. I am happy they turned out great for you
Oh, I always admired people who could bake but I was always very intimidated by baking, I could not even bake cookies. I tried your macrons recipe and it worked, I peeked in the oven and saw those babies getting baked and looking perfect, I screamed with joy that I've finally done it all!
All of your recipes do turn out really good. I have tried at least 5 of them. I do think that macrons are a bit too sweet for my liking though. I think I am going to try savoury baking from now on. The pastry dough recipe that you have, I used that to make pastry dough and it turned out to be great but when I understood that much butter goes in to these pies and crossiants, I have started to get a serious dislike for them. So, I have nothing but praise for your blog. Thanks.
Hey Amber, wow, if you dont bake and they turned out great that means you are amazing!!! Macarons are definitely for a person with a sweet tooth.
Thank you so much for such a sweet comment. I really enjoyed hearing from you. It made my day!
Thank you for the recipe. We enjoyed them.
Amazing! I am always very happy when macarons turn out!
This was my first time trying to make them myself. And they were delicious and perfect shape:)
That's perfect! I don't like making them but for those who love them, I like it when they are perfect!
Hello:) I was wondering what kind of food coloring I'm supposed to use- does it have to be powdered food coloring or can I use the regular liquid kind?
Liquid coloring works wonderful with macrons. I haven't tried using powdered coloring.
Thanks so much, I can't wait to try them:))
Keep me posted how they go for you!
They were great, thanks so much!!:))
Oh wow, they look perfect. Thanks for sharing your photo!