French macarons
Macarons are an exercise in precision, not cooking. Three things decide everything: finely sifted dry ingredients, macaronage taken exactly to the ribbon, and a dried skin before baking. The rest is just the oven and patience.
Your own work in that: 0 min.
- Sifting 10 min
- French meringue 12 min
- Macaronage 8 min
- Drying the skin 40 min
- Baking 30 min
- Maturing in the fridge 720 min
Step by step
0 / 7 doneAge the whites and sift the dry mix
Separate the whites a day ahead and keep them loosely covered in the fridge — aged whites whip more stably. Sift the almond flour with the icing sugar twice through a fine sieve; discard the coarse bits.
Ingredients: 150 g almond flour · 150 g icing sugar · 110 g egg whites · 100 g sugar · 1 pinch salt · ½ tsp food colouring
TipEvery unsifted particle becomes a bump on the shell. This step really does decide the looks.
Sifting twice — the only route to a smooth shell.Whip a French meringue
Take the whites out of the fridge an hour ahead. Whip them with a pinch of salt at medium speed, adding the sugar a spoonful at a time once foamy. Whip to very stiff, glossy peaks — the meringue should stay put when the bowl is inverted. Fold in the colouring.
Ingredients: 150 g almond flour · 150 g icing sugar · 110 g egg whites · 100 g sugar · 1 pinch salt · ½ tsp food colouring
TipUse gel colouring. Liquid adds water and the meringue collapses.
Do the macaronage
Tip the dry mix into the meringue and fold, pressing the batter against the sides of the bowl. Stop when the batter falls off the spatula in an unbroken ribbon and the trail vanishes in 10–15 seconds. This is the hardest moment in the whole recipe.
Ingredients: 150 g almond flour · 150 g icing sugar · 110 g egg whites · 100 g sugar · 1 pinch salt · ½ tsp food colouring
TipUnder-folding gives peaked, lumpy shells; over-folding gives flat, spread ones with no feet. Check the ribbon every five strokes.
A ribbon whose trail disappears within seconds.Pipe and dry the skin
Pipe about 48 circles of 3.5–4 cm onto two lined trays, holding the bag vertically. Rap each tray on the counter to release bubbles. Leave for 40 minutes (longer on a humid day) until the tops no longer stick to a finger. Meanwhile heat the oven to 150°C.
Ingredients: 150 g almond flour · 150 g icing sugar · 110 g egg whites · 100 g sugar · 1 pinch salt · ½ tsp food colouring
A matte skin is the condition for feet to form.Bake at 150°C
Bake one tray at a time, on the middle shelf, for 14–15 minutes at 150°C. After 6 minutes feet should appear at the base. A finished shell does not shift when you push it gently. Cool completely on the tray.
Ingredients: 150 g almond flour · 150 g icing sugar · 110 g egg whites · 100 g sugar · 1 pinch salt · ½ tsp food colouring
Feet are the sign that everything went right.Make the ganache and pair them
Bring the cream to the boil and pour it over the chopped white chocolate. Wait a minute, stir smooth, add the butter and vanilla. Chill to a spreadable consistency (30–40 minutes in the fridge — so you can make the ganache while the shells dry) and sandwich the shells in pairs.
Ingredients: 200 g white chocolate · 80 ml whipping cream (30%) · 20 g butter · 1 tsp vanilla extract
Wait overnight
Put the macarons in an airtight box and refrigerate for 12 hours. Moisture from the ganache migrates into the shell, turning it from brittle to chewy inside. Freshly filled macarons are dry and brittle.
Before you start
Weigh, do not count
Measure the whites by weight, not by egg. The white of a large egg weighs a few grams more than a medium one; over three eggs that adds up to 10–15 g, about 10% of the whites in the recipe.
Hollow shells
A cavity under the shell most often means too high an oven temperature or underbaking; sometimes a poorly whipped meringue is to blame. Check the oven with a thermometer and bake the next tray a minute or two longer.
Other fillings
Dark chocolate ganache, lemon curd or raspberry jam. Watery fillings soften the shell — stick to thick ones.
