Macarons Recipe & Video - Joyofbaking.com *Video Recipe* (2024)

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The first time I tasted a French Macaron I wondered why they were so popular. Itwasn't until my son brought me a box of Pierre Herme's Macarons from Paris thatI finally knew why this pretty petit four was taking the world by storm. Thecombination of two almond flavored meringue cookies sandwiched together with atasty filling is delightful. Macarons aremade with just four ingredients, ground blanched almonds, confectioner(powdered or icing) sugar, superfine white sugar, and egg whites. Yet it isamazing how these four ingredients can make such a perfect cookie. A cookie with a thin crust that breaks so easily when you bite into it,while inside it's wonderfully soft and moist, with a mildly sweetalmond flavor.

The technique for making Macarons is a little tricky as there are so many factors at play here - the quality and amounts of ingredients, the mixing of the batter, the pans, the length of resting time, the oven temperature, and the baking time. Any or all of these things can cause problems. Some common problems are that the Macaron doesn't have a 'ruffle' or 'collar' (called a 'foot') on the bottom, or that the 'foot' is more horizontal than vertical. Or maybe the tops of the cookies have cracks or are too domed shaped, or uneven, or even lumpy. Sometimes the cookies can be lopsided or the insides of the cookes are too chewy or dry. Unfortunately it usually takes multiple attempts to get the perfect Macaron, so I recommend taking notes, keeping track of everything you do. That way if you have problems, you can refer to your notes and make adjustments. Because you will find that in your kitchen, with your ingredients, with your oven, you may have to adjust the recipe.

After making Macarons more than 20 times, with lots of note taking, I have come to some conclusions. First, use top quality ingredients, and to get accurate amounts of each ingredient, measure by weight (grams), not volume. (This is why I don't give 'cup' measurements.) (I use a digital scale for measuring.) Next, the egg whites need to be 'aged', which means separate the eggs at least a day (and up to 5 days) before making the Macarons. Cover the egg whites with a piece of paper towel (to let the whites breath) and place in the refrigerator. Then, several hours before making the Macarons, remove the whites from the refrigerator and bring to room temperature. (This ensures that the whites will reach their full volume when whipped.) Next, the ground almonds. You can either buy almond meal/flour or you can take whole blanched almonds and process them in your food processor until finely ground. Even though I always use ground blanched almond meal/flour (I use Bob's Red Mill finely ground almond meal/flour), I still process it in the food processor, along with the confectioner (powdered or icing) sugar (use powdered sugar that contains cornstarch (corn flour)), for a minute or two until finely ground. Once that is done, sift the mixture to get rid of any large pieces of almonds. There are two parts to the batter, making the meringue and then folding the almond/sugar mixture into the meringue (called macaronage). Each part must be done correctly. As always when making a meringue have your mixing bowl and wire whisk clean and free of grease. Once you have made the batter and piped the cookies onto your baking sheets, it is important to let the cookies rest before they are baked. Normally they need to sit between 30-60 minutes (depending on the humidity and temperature of your kitchen) or until they are no longer tacky when lightly touched.

Oven temperature is also so important and there is quite a debate on what is the optimum oven temperature for baking Macarons. Some like 300 degrees F (150 degrees C), I prefer 325 degrees F (160 degrees C), while others like 350 degrees F (180 degrees). There is also a debate on whether they should be baked using convection and whether you should bake two pans at once and even whether you should double pan. Also, buy a free standing oven thermometer as oven's have a tendency to run a little hot or cold.

In closing, even though making Macarons is quite challenging, it's worth it. Every time I make them I still can't believe how beautiful they look and how delicious they taste. You will definitely feel a real sense of accomplishment. So practice practice practice. For more help there is an excellent food blog that I highly recommend, called notsohumblepie.com. Ms. Humble (as she is called) has done extensive research on the subject of making Macarons. She even has a "Macaron Troubleshooting" article that outlines the various problems (and reasons why) that can occur when making Macarons. I found it very helpful.

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