No Fuss, easy Macarons? Can those words even be in a sentence together? Yep!
One of the questions I hear all the time is:
Are macarons really that hard to make?
Macarons are notorious for being finicky little buggers. But my answer to that question is: They don’t have to be.
When I first started making macarons, it was a pretty hit or miss prospect. I would get them to come out great some times and had some epic fails other times. So, I finally figured out my problem was inconsistency. I would keep trying new recipes and new methods which, of course, ended up with mixed results every time. And I tried it all, sifting everything 5 times, pre-drying the almond flour in the oven for half an hour, aging the egg whites for days first, drying for hours, not drying for hours, different types of meringue. All the “tricks” you read about to get perfect and consistently good macarons. Guess what. I finally stopped messing with all the fancy and time consuming tricks and Voilà! Consistently good, easy macarons! Every time.
Now admittedly, it was partially trial and error to find out exactly what worked in my environment and my oven. Because macarons are most definitely effected by humidity in your environment and everyones ovens are different. So you will need to play around with your drying time and your baking temp & time a bit to dial in just what works in your kitchen.
How do you make Easy Macarons?
Skip all the fussy steps. Forget about aging the egg whites. Not at all necessary. And the time consuming sifting multiple times can be totally avoided. Drying the almond flour is also not necessary. I don’t even store my almond flour in the freezer like many recipes recommend. I tried several, more labor intensive macaron methods as well and found more consistent results with the simplest method. Drying time is a critical point though. But I have do have a tip on how to do this quicker and with more even results.
My easy macarons method and recipe have been adapted and combine from several different recipes and tutorials I have used in the past and it works like a dream for me. I used to dread getting a macaron order because I didn’t know from batch to batch if I was going to get anything usable. Now I look forward to them and enjoy getting creative with flavors, colors and decorations.
Follow my No Fuss, Easy Macarons recipe and technique video
This is a step by step French macaron recipe that is easy to follow and great for beginners. You can get my Free Macaron template for perfect piping – download here >>> 2″ Macaron Template
PS: for some delicious macaron filling options check out these recipes:
>> Raspberry Chocolate Ganache
Happy Macaroning Friends!!
Have A Sweet day!
| Prep Time | 15 minutes |
| Cook Time | 30 minutes |
| Passive Time | 30 minutes |
| Servings |
dozen
|
- 113 grams blanched almond flour
- 113 grams egg whites room temp
- 198 grams powdered sugar
- 100 grams granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/4 teaspoon flavor extract or compound of your choice
- 2-3 drops concentrated gel food color
Ingredients
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- Prep: print 3 sets of Macaron templates Link in notes. Prep 3 baking sheets with templates under a sheet of parchment paper
- Weigh out all ingredients and prep a piping bag fitted with a #10 piping tip (alternately you can cut the tip off the piping bag for about an 8mm hole
- Layer the powdered sugar and almond flour into a food processor. Pulse in 3 to 5 second bursts about 5 or 6 times. Do not do this too many times. It can heat the almond flour and release the oils which will mess with your batter consistency
- Put egg whites and cream of tartar into a mixer with the whisk attachment. Whip on medium for 3 to 4 minutes until the egg whites are frothy and no liquid egg whites remain in the bottom of the bowl. They should just be frothy and have no definition or form yet
- With the mixer running in medium low, rain the granulated sugar in to the egg whites. Then turn the mixer up to medium high for 3 to 4 more minutes.
- When the meringue is at soft peak stage (the peaks are very soft and still fall over) add a few drops of gel color and your flavoring. Then continue whipping on medium high until stiff peak stage
- At stiff peak stage, transfer your meringue into a large bowl. Add 1/3 of the dry mixture and using a rubber spatula, fold in to the egg whites until just incorporated. Repeat, adding 1/3 of the dry mixture and folding in until all the dry ingredients are incorporated
- Now using the flat of your rubber spatula, smear the batter up the sides of the bowl. Turn the bowl as you go and paint the whole inside oft he bowl with batter. this pops bubbles and slightly deflated the batter to achieve the proper consistency.
- Scrape the batter back down to the bottom of the bowl and fold once or twice. Repeat the smear, scrape and fold step a total of 3 times.
- Now check your batter consistency. On the last smear stage, look and see if the batter is slumping back down the bowl. Also take a scoop of batter on your spatula and let it fall back down it to the bowl. If the batter falls in a steady ribbon and is slumping back down the side of the bowl, it is ready. If it falls in clumps, your batter is still too thick. Do the smear and scrape step one more time and check again.
- Put you batter into the piping bag
- Pipe your macarons onto the prepared baking sheets. See video for piping tips and tricks for perfect macarons
- Bang the pan onto the counter 5 or 6 times to release air bubbles
- Start a 30 minute timer then place the baking sheet in front of a fan. Finish piping out the rest of your macarons and placing them in front of the fan to dry. At this point go ahead and pre-heat your oven to 310° f. You may need to adjust this temp slightly as all ovens are slightly different.
- The macarons are dry and ready to bake when they have a dull, not shiny look on the surface and you can feel a "skin" when you lightly touch them
- Bake at 310° for 8 - 12 minutes. Time will vary depending on your oven. Begin checking them at 8 minutes. Check for done-ness by holding the top of the macaron and gently wiggling it back and forth. If it wiggles on it's feet it's not quite done, bake one more minute and check again. If it is firm and will not wiggle in it's feet they are done
- remove from oven and slide parchment off of the baking sheet and on to the counter top. Let them cool completely before peeling them off the parchment paper.
- Fill with your favorite fillings and enjoy!! Some of my favorite fillings are buttercream, various flavors of chocolate ganache, curds, jams and nut butters. The flavor combinations are endless, have fun!
Download - 2" Macaron Template
Tried this recipe, my first attempt at French macarons and it was a great success! Thank you!
Awesome! Thant’s great to hear!
this is the only recipe i have tried and never failed me