This is an in-depth beginner’s guide to homemade French macarons. This post includes a kitchen-tested recipe, plus plenty of success tips, descriptions, overview of techniques, list of tools, and links to my favorite macaron resources and other recipes on the web.
Let me start today’s tutorial with the following:
- Is this the one and only way to make French macarons? No.
- Is this the most complete, perfect French macaron tutorial out there? No.
- Is this a great place for macaron beginners? Yes.
Like many home bakers, I was a French macaron beginner a few years ago. These beautiful little cookies had always been a baking bucket list recipe for me. I started baking them after tasting the world famous Ladurée bakery macarons—talk about perfection! We originally published a French macaron recipe on my website in 2015. My homemade macarons weren’t nearly as flawless as the professional ones, but they worked for me at the time! However, the results weren’t always consistent. With 6 additional years of practice, I found a few small but very helpful improvements. Today’s recipe includes those updates.
Macaroons Are Not Macarons
Macarons and macaroons are two completely different cookies. Macaroons have an extra O in the name and are coconut cookies. Macarons are delicate sandwich cookies. Here are my coconut macaroons. See the difference? Though they are both cookies made with egg whites, they are much different.
They are both, however, gluten free dessert recipes.
What Do These French Macarons Taste Like?
French macarons are delicate sandwich cookies with a crisp exterior. Each individual cookie is known as a macaron shell. The shells are made without any chemical leaveners and get all of their lift from properly beaten egg whites. If you follow the recipe carefully, the cookies have a unique nougat-like, chewy texture. They should not be hollow. You can flavor macarons many ways, but this recipe is for plain macarons. They taste like sweet almond—and they’re delicious! You can always have fun with different flavorful fillings such as vanilla buttercream, lemon buttercream, salted caramel, or chocolate ganache.
If there’s one thing to know before baking French macarons at home, it’s this: these cookies require precision, patience, and practice. I’m going to do my best to prepare any French macaron beginner. You can do this!
There are a few methods for making macarons including Italian, French, and Swiss. Swiss isn’t as common (I’ve never made them that way), but Italian macarons are pretty popular. The process is a little more involved than the French method, but the results are considered more reliable. If you’re looking for a recommendation, I really like these Italian macarons found on Chelsweets.
Today’s recipe uses the French method. You need 5 ingredients.
Overview of Ingredients in French Macarons
EGG WHITES: The bulk of French macaron batter is meringue made from properly beaten egg whites. For best and most consistent results, I strongly recommend using fresh egg whites instead of liquid egg whites from a carton. It’s imperative that NO egg yolks make it into the recipe. Like I taught you in our Swiss meringue buttercream recipe, any fat (yolk) in the egg whites will prevent them from reaching stiff peaks, a crucial step for the successful outcome in any French macaron recipe.
- Age The Egg Whites: It’s helpful to “age” the egg whites in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours prior to starting this recipe. Why? Egg whites that have been separated and set aside in advance have a chance to relax, which improves their elasticity during the whipping process. Elasticity is certainly beneficial when you’re trying to whip egg whites into a lofty volume. Some bakers skip this step, saying that it’s a waste of time but I’ll tell you this: most of my failed macaron batches did not include aged egg whites. I recommend taking the 5-10 minutes to separate your egg whites, cover, and refrigerate them 1 day in advance. It doesn’t hurt. Bring them to room temperature before you begin the recipe.
CREAM OF TARTAR: My old recipe doesn’t include this ingredient, but I started adding it after I began making successful batches of marshmallow meringue frosting and chocolate swirled meringue cookies. It just provides a little extra insurance. Let me explain: the acidity in cream of tartar helps the egg whites hold onto air and, like the sugar (explained next), helps prevent the egg whites from collapsing. If you’re making snickerdoodles or angel food cake, you already have this ingredient on hand. It’s sold with the spices.
SUPERFINE SUGAR: In 3 additions, beat superfine sugar into the egg whites + cream of tartar. Without sugar, the protein molecules in egg whites will collapse. What is superfine sugar? Well, it’s regular granulated sugar that’s ground much finer, but not quite as fine as confectioners’ sugar. It’s also known as caster sugar. Superfine sugar’s granules are the best size to provide optimal structure for French macarons. Granulated sugar is simply too coarse, while confectioners’ sugar dissolves too quickly in the egg whites.
- I have a hard time finding superfine sugar in my local grocery store, so I make my own by pulsing regular granulated sugar in a food processor or blender. It takes about 10 seconds—very easy.
FINE ALMOND FLOUR: Almond flour is the ONLY flour that works in this French macaron recipe, however if you have an almond allergy, you could try these nut free macarons by Stella Parks. (I have not personally tried them.) Make sure you use almond flour, not almond meal. Almond flour is much finer and made from blanched, skinless almonds. Almond meal is coarser and contains almond skin.
- You can make your own almond flour, but be very careful because almonds can quickly release their oils, clump up, and turn into almond butter. It might be easier to just pick up a bag of fine almond flour. It’s very common in mostly all grocery stores these days—I use and love Bob’s Red Mill brand.
CONFECTIONERS’ SUGAR: Confectioners’ sugar adds bulk and sweetness to macaron batter. In this new recipe, I use equal parts confectioners’ sugar and almond flour to produce sturdy, more reliably successful macarons.
GEL FOOD COLORING (optional): Tinting macaron batter is completely optional. If you don’t tint it, the macarons will be a natural beige color. (And you can have fun with a colorful filling.) Avoid using liquid food coloring because it will change the consistency of your macaron batter. Instead, use 1-2 drops of gel food coloring.
- In the pictured macarons, I made 3 separate batches and used dusty rose, aqua, and fuchsia.
- Powder food coloring should be fine, but I haven’t tested it. Use a very small amount.
Crucial Tools
This list contains affiliate links to the products we personally use and love.
- Glass or Metal Bowls: Plastic bowls are porous and can hold onto grease and residue, which will prevent your egg whites from whipping properly. Set yourself up for success by using glass bowls or metal bowls in this recipe.
- Egg Separator: Not crucial, but certainly helpful. Here is the egg separator I really like.
- Food Scale: The recipe below is written in grams, so a food scale is imperative. Anytime I make macarons using cup measurements, they fail. You can certainly find French macaron recipes online given in cup measurements, but for true accuracy (and so you don’t waste your time, effort, ingredients, or money), I strongly recommend using a food scale. Here is the one I own and love.
- Electric Mixer: An electric mixer is helpful for whipping the egg whites into stiff peaks. You can use a handheld or stand mixer (whisk attachment). I do not recommend whipping egg whites by hand. It requires a lot of arm muscle and at least 30+ minutes of mixing.
- Fine Mesh Sieve: To obtain a shiny and smooth macaron shell, you must run the almond flour and confectioners’ sugar through a fine mesh sieve. You can use a hand crank sifter if you have one, but I prefer using a mesh one.
- Piping Tip & Bag: You need a piping bag and tip to pipe the batter. You can use a disposable piping bag or reusable piping bag. (I use and love this reusable piping bag.) For the piping tip, use a round tip such as Wilton 12, Wilton 1A, or even Ateco 806. I use the same piping tip to pipe the filling, too.
- Baking Sheet & Liner: I own, love, and swear by these half sheet pans for baking all my cookies: Calphalon rimmed baking sheets and USA Pan half sheet pan. See more of my recommended baking pans on my Best Baking Pans page. It’s important to line your pan. You can use a silicone baking mat, parchment paper, or even a fancy macaron-specific silicone baking mat. I usually use sheets of parchment paper.
Video Tutorial:
Step-By-Step Photos: How to Make French Macarons
Do your prep work. This includes (1) making superfine sugar with a food processor if you can’t find it at the store. I always make my own—see recipe note. Prep work also includes (2) wiping down the bowl you’ll whip the egg whites in with vinegar or lemon juice. Grease or fat prevents your meringue from setting up. And finally, (3) age your egg whites as described above and in the printable recipe below.
Making superfine sugar:
Zero out your scale, weigh your egg whites, cover, and refrigerate them for 24 hours. Bring to room temperature before using.
Now it’s time to start the macaron batter.
Add cream of tartar to your aged room temperature egg whites (below left) and beat until very soft peaks form. This takes a few minutes of beating. At first the egg white and cream of tartar mixture will be foamy, then the bubbles will begin to tighten and the beaters will leave tracks (below right) as the egg whites build volume:
Now add your superfine sugar in 3 additions and beat until stiff glossy peaks form (below photos). What are stiff peaks? After several minutes of mixing in all the sugar, the egg whites will form stiff glossy peaks. This means the whites have stiff, smooth, and sharp points in the bowl or on the lifted whisk attachment/beaters. Stiff peaks do not droop down. You can literally turn the bowl upside down and the egg whites will not move or spill out. (You can watch me do that in the video tutorial.)
Now you can add your optional gel food coloring. It’s important to add gel food coloring to the egg whites directly, instead of the finished macaron batter. (Finished macaron batter more easily deflates.) Fold the coloring in very slowly. You can also beat in the food coloring with your mixer on a low speed.
Set your stiff egg whites aside.
Sift the almond flour and confectioners’ sugar together in a large bowl. The bigger the bowl, the more room you have for the macaron batter, and the easier it will be to manage. Use a spoon to help work any larger pieces through the sieve. You don’t want to discard a lot of that because then you won’t have enough dry ingredients in the batter.
Sifting guarantees a nice light texture.
In 3 separate additions, begin slowly folding in the beaten egg whites in a circular motion. I always eyeball the amount. (Tip: The amount of egg whites you add at a time doesn’t have to be perfect because what you’re really looking for is the consistency of batter after the 3rd addition, known as macaronage and explained below.)
After only 1 addition, the batter will be very thick and dry:
The batter will begin to loosen up after you add the 2nd and 3rd addition:
After that 3rd addition of egg whites, you’re at the macaronage stage. You need to keep folding and deflating air until you reach the perfect consistency.
What is Macaronage?
Macaronage is the process of working macaron batter into a shiny and flowy consistency that easily pipes into smooth macaron shells. You may have heard this term before and rightfully so—it’s a crucial step in this macaron recipe. During this stage, you want to be sure not to overmix or undermix the batter. Undermixed and thick batter can produce lumpy or hollow macarons. Overmixed and thin batter can produce cracked macarons or macarons without feet.
Balanced macaron batter after achieving that perfect macaronage is best understood through visuals. Use my video above as a guide starting at the 3:10 minute mark. The photo below should be helpful as well. Drop the macaron batter off of your spatula in the form of a figure 8. The batter will stream off of your spatula like honey and the figure 8 should take no more than 10 seconds to sink back into itself. If it takes less, your batter was overmixed and is too thin. If it takes longer, continue slowly folding the batter to deflate more air.
It’s best to go very slow so you don’t accidentally overmix.
Spoon the macaron batter into your piping bag fitted with your piping tip.
How to Fill a Piping Bag with Macaron Batter
It can be pretty difficult to fill a piping bag with macaron batter since the batter is so drippy. My trick is to use a big cup and you can watch me do this in the video above. Fit the piping bag with a piping tip, then place it in a large cup, folding the top of the piping bag around the rim of the cup. Spoon batter inside, then lift the piping bag out of the cup and twist the end to seal in the batter.
Pipe the batter in 1.5 inch or 2 inch circles at a 90 degree angle on the lined baking sheet. To guarantee your macarons are all the same size (helpful for sandwiching), it helps to have a template or drawn circles on your parchment. You can find free templates online—do a quick “macaron template” internet search—or purchase a macaron-specific silicone baking mat. I usually just trace something about 1.5 inches in diameter (like a medicine bottle cap or small round cookie cutter) with a pen on parchment paper then flip the parchment over. You can see the traced circle through the parchment, which makes an easy template for uniform circles.
Or just eyeball it! I promise no one will be offended by uneven macaron circles.
Bang your pan on the counter a couple times to pop any air bubbles. (You can see plenty of air bubbles before I popped them in the photo above.) Use a toothpick to pop any smaller air bubbles. Why is this necessary? Air bubbles will create cracks in your macaron shells. Pop any that you see.
Dry The Shells
There’s one more crucial step before you bake the shells. Let the piped circles sit out until they are dry and no longer tacky on top, usually 30-60 minutes. This time allows the top to firm up and form a skin, which helps the macarons rise UP and form their trademark ruffly “feet.” Your macarons will over-spread and will not have their signature feet if you skip this step.
Do not let them sit out for longer than they need to because they could begin to deflate.
It’s hard to tell in the photo, but these circles are no longer tacky on top and are ready to bake:
Bake at 325°F (163°C) for 13 minutes. All ovens are different and the actual temperature inside your oven may not match what the display reads. I highly recommend an oven thermometer.
Macarons Are Done Baking When…
As the macaron shells bake, they should form feet. To test for doneness, lightly touch the top of a macaron with a spoon or your finger (careful, it’s hot). If the macaron seems wobbly, it’s not done and needs another 1-2 minutes. If it seems set, it’s done. Basically, bake until the macarons don’t move around when touched.
Let the shells cool on the baking sheet for 15 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to continue cooling. The macaron shells may stick to the parchment paper/baking sheet if you try to remove them too early. If this is happening, let them cool on the baking sheet a little longer before removing.
After cooling, the shells are ready to fill and sandwich together. I have plenty of filling suggestions in the recipe notes below. I usually halve my recipe for vanilla buttercream. You can spread the frosting on the underside of half of your macarons with a knife or you can use a piping bag/tip. Just use the same round tip you used for the macaron batter.
Troubleshooting French Macarons
- Hollow Macarons: It’s always so frustrating to bite into a macaron only to have it filled with… empty air. There are a few culprits leading to this disappointing outcome. If your macarons are hollow, the batter was likely undermixed or overmixed. Pay attention to the proper macaronage. Additionally, make sure you pop and air bubbles in the piped macaron batter as directed in the recipe. And finally, play around with your oven settings. The oven could be too hot or the macarons could be under-baked. All ovens are different and what some bakers find helpful is lowering the oven temperature down to 315°F (157°C) or 300°F (149°C) and extending the bake time by a few minutes.
- Macarons Have No Feet: Avoid over-beating the egg whites and over-mixing the macaron batter. Make sure you let your piped macaron batter dry/sit out before baking. It should no longer be tacky. See “Dry the Shells” above.
- Cracked on Top: If your macarons are cracked on top, they may have been over-baked, the batter may have been overmixed, air bubbles in the piped batter may not have been popped, and/or the egg whites may have been over-beaten.
- Runny Batter: Your macaron batter will be runny if you overmixed it, deflating more air than intended. Macarons baked with runny batter will over-spread, aren’t likely to develop feet, nor will they have the intended chewy texture. This is why the macaronage step is crucial. Fold the batter together slowly and perform the figure 8 test a few times until you have the correct consistency.
- Imperfect Piped Circles: Don’t get upset over this! My macaron batter is NEVER piped into perfect circles. You can even see in these photos that some are larger than others. Using a template helps, but so does practice.
5 Final Success Tips:
- Wipe down your egg white bowl and beaters/whisk attachment with vinegar or lemon juice to rid any grease or fat residue.
- Use large metal or glass mixing bowls.
- Bake macarons on a dry day. If it’s particularly humid, the piped batter will take awhile to dry and the shells may not develop feet.
- Pay attention to proper macaronage, explained and shown above.
- Do not make any ingredient substitutions or deviate from the instructions.
So, Are These Worth the Effort?
Yes. But, of course, we all have different taste buds and levels of patience. Once you understand the process, they’re perfectly doable. And it’s a lot of fun to play around with different fillings. Have fun and don’t stress out. Even the ugly ones can be delicious. Just load them up with a filling and no one will care! 😉
Further Reading and Fun Flavors:
- Cookies and Cream Macarons and Pistachio Macarons from House of Nash Eats
- Lemon Macarons from Indulge with Mimi
- Ultimate French Macaron Guide by Mike Bakes NYC (so helpful!)
- Chocolate Hazelnut Macarons by Sweet & Savory by Shinee
- Macaron Troubleshooting by Sweet & Savory by Shinee (incredibly comprehensive and helpful)
- The Art of Macaron Making on Bob’s Red Mill
- Sprinkle Macarons by Cloudy Kitchen
- Chocolate Macarons by Sugar Geek Show
- French Macarons Recipe Guide on Bigger Bolder Baking (includes a template)
See Your French Macarons!
Many readers tried this recipe as part of a baking challenge! Feel free to email or share your recipe photos with us on social media. 🙂
PrintFrench Macarons
- Prep Time: 1 hour (plus aging egg whites)
- Cook Time: 13 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
- Yield: about 40 shells; 20 sandwiched macarons
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: French
Description
Review this page, video, troubleshooting, and success tips and follow the recipe precisely for crisp, chewy, delicate French macaron cookies. Have fun with fillings! I provide some filling ideas in the recipe notes. We strongly recommend using gram measurements, but see recipe note if you do not have a kitchen scale.
Ingredients
- 100g egg whites (usually between 3–4 large egg whites)
- 1/4 teaspoon (1g) cream of tartar
- 1/2 teaspoon extract such as vanilla, almond, coconut, etc. (optional)
- 80g superfine sugar (aka caster sugar, see note)
- 1–2 drops gel food coloring (optional)
- 125g almond flour
- 125g confectioners’ sugarÂ
- desired macaron filling (some options listed in notes)
Instructions
- Wipe down a large glass or metal mixing bowl with lemon juice or vinegar. Add egg whites. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours, then bring to room temperature.
- Line 3 large baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. Set aside.
- Add cream of tartar and extract (if using) to egg whites. Using a handheld mixer or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat together on medium speed until very soft peaks form. This takes a few minutes of beating. At first the egg white and cream of tartar mixture will be foamy, then the bubbles will begin to tighten and the beaters will leave tracks as the egg whites build volume. Once they begin leaving tracks, you likely have soft peaks. Stop beating. Add about 1/3 of the superfine sugar. Beat on medium-high speed for 5 seconds, then with the mixer continuing to run, add another 1/3 of the sugar. Beat for 5 seconds, then with the mixer continuing to run, add the remaining sugar. Beat on medium-high speed until stiff glossy peaks form. (This means the whites have stiff, smooth, and sharp points in the bowl or on the lifted whisk attachment/beaters. Stiff peaks do not droop down. You can turn the bowl upside down and the egg whites will not move or spill out.)Â Using a rubber spatula, slowly and gently fold the food coloring (if using) into the egg whites.
- Sift the almond flour and confectioners’ sugar together in a large glass or metal mixing bowl. Use a spoon to help work any larger pieces through the sieve. You don’t want to discard a lot of that because then you won’t have enough dry ingredients in the batter.
- Slowly fold the beaten egg whites into the almond flour mixture in 3 separate additions, folding until combined before adding the next addition. After you add all of the egg whites, pay very close attention to the consistency of your macaron batter. Continue folding the batter (which deflates air) until it thins out into the consistency of honey. What’s a more helpful cue is the figure 8 test. Drop the macaron batter off of your spatula in the form of a figure 8. The figure 8 should take no more than 10 seconds to sink back into itself. If it takes less, your batter was overmixed and is too thin. If it takes longer, continue slowly folding the batter to deflate more air, then perform the figure 8 test again. It’s best to go very slow so you don’t accidentally overmix.
- Spoon the macaron batter into a piping bag fitted with a medium round piping tip, such as Wilton 12, Wilton 1A, or even Ateco 806. The macaron batter is very drippy, so transferring to the piping bag can be messy.
- Holding the piping bag at a 90 degree angle over the baking sheet, pipe batter in 1.5 – 2 inch rounds about 1-2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. I usually pipe little mounds—see video tutorial above. The piped macaron batter flattens out. Bang the pan a couple times on the counter to pop any air bubbles, then use a toothpick to pop any remaining air bubbles.
- Let the piped macarons sit out until they are dry and no longer tacky on top, usually 30-60 minutes. This time allows the top to firm up and form a skin, which helps the macarons rise UP and form their trademark ruffly “feet.” Do not let them sit out for longer than they need to because they could begin to deflate.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 325°F (163°C).
- Bake for 13 minutes. As the macaron shells bake, they should form feet. To test for doneness, lightly touch the top of a macaron with a spoon or your finger (careful, it’s hot). If the macaron seems wobbly, it’s not done and needs another 1-2 minutes. If it seems set, it’s done. Basically, bake until the macarons don’t move around when touched.
- Let the shells cool on the baking sheet for 15 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to continue cooling. The macaron shells may stick to the parchment paper/baking sheet if you try to remove them too early. If this is happening, let them cool on the baking sheet a little longer before removing.
- After cooling, the shells are ready to fill and sandwich together. I have plenty of filling suggestions in the recipe notes below. You can spread filling with a knife or pipe it using the same round tip you used for the macaron batter.
- You can eat right away or, as some professionals prefer, cover and refrigerate them 12-24 hours so the macarons and flavors can mature. Bring to room temperature before serving. (I usually just serve them right away!)
- Cover leftover macarons and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: Cooled macaron shells and finished assembled macarons can be frozen for up to 1 month. Thaw at room temperature before filling/serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Glass Mixing Bowls or Metal Mixing Bowls | Egg Separator | Food Scale | Fine Mesh Sieve | Piping Bag (Disposable or Reusable) | Medium-Round Piping Tip (Wilton 12, Wilton 1A, or Ateco 806) | Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mat, Macaron-Specific Silicone Baking Mat, or Parchment Paper | Cooling Rack
- Ingredient Substitutions & Weights: I do not recommend any ingredient substitutions in this recipe. Using weights (and a food scale) is the best way to guarantee success. However if you do not own one, use the following approximate measurements: for the superfine sugar, use 1/3 cup. For the almond flour and confectioners’ sugar, you need about 1 cup + 1 teaspoon each.
- Egg Whites: For best and most consistent results, I strongly recommend using fresh egg whites instead of liquid egg whites from a carton.
- Extract/Flavoring: I keep these macarons plain. Without flavoring, they have a sweet almond flavor. However, if desired, feel free to add 1/2 teaspoon of your favorite extract such as almond, vanilla, coconut, lemon, etc.
- Make Your Own Superfine Sugar: Add 80g of regular granulated sugar to your food processor or blender. Pulse about 10-15x until granules are much finer, aka superfine sugar. Weigh 80g superfine sugar—should be about the same amount you started with.
- Optional Food Coloring: Tinting macaron batter is completely optional. If you don’t tint it, the macarons will be a natural beige color. Avoid using liquid food coloring because it will change the consistency of your macaron batter. Instead, use 1-2 drops of gel food coloring. (I used dusty rose, aqua, and fuchsia.) Powder food coloring should be fine, but I haven’t tested it. Only use a very small amount.
- Almond Flour: Make sure you use almond flour, not almond meal. It is usually labeled as “fine” almond flour. Almond flour is much finer than almond meal and made from blanched, skinless almonds. Almond meal is coarser and contains almond skin. You can make your own almond flour, but be very careful because almonds can quickly release their oils, clump up, and turn into almond butter. It might be easier to just pick up a bag of fine almond flour. It’s very common in mostly all grocery stores these days– I use and love Bob’s Red Mill brand.
- Macaron Filling Ideas: The pictured macarons are filled with vanilla buttercream (I prepared a half batch). Other ideas are a 1/2 batch of chocolate buttercream, lemon buttercream, chocolate peanut butter frosting, Nutella frosting, cream cheese frosting, champagne frosting, strawberry frosting, or a full batch of peanut butter frosting. Cooled and thickened chocolate ganache or cooled salted caramel are great, too!
Adapted from Les Petits Macarons and Mad About Macarons
Another fantastic recipe!! I’ve always wanted to try my hand at French macarons, but they seemed so complex and daunting. Reading this incredibly clear and thorough beginners’ guide gave me the confidence and knowledge I needed. And wow!! I am so impressed with my results! Picture perfect and delicious: exactly what I wanted. I followed everything in this post to the letter and could not be happier with my first batch. Based on my family’s reactions at our Mother’s Day brunch, it will be the first of many. Thank you so very much for this invaluable recipe.
Hi! I hope to make these for the first day. This may seem like a super silly question but is there a reason why the food coloring is mixed in by spatula vs the hand mixer? Just curious because I thought that it can deflate the egg whites. Thank you, I can’t wait to make these!
Hi Anna, you can also beat in the food coloring with your mixer on a low speed – either way, be sure to do so slowly so as not to overmix and deflate the egg whites. Happy baking!
Hi Sally! I was grinding my Almond flour to make it even more fine and I think I might just have overdone it. It’s not presently in a butter like consistency but whenever I take some of it in my hands and clump it together, it forms somewhat a very powdery dough and doesn’t flow right off like it should. Should I be worried about this?
Hi Anusha, it sounds like your almond flour may be slightly over-ground. If it’s sticking together, it’s not ideal for sifting and using in this recipe. For best results, we’d recommend starting over with a new batch.
Okay. One last thing, can I age the egg whites for more than 24 hours?
hay lexi i did this recipe and i only age them for three hours and they tern out okay so you don’t have to do 24 hours
Help!
Hey Sally, I’m having ALOT of trouble with my french macarons and I really wanted to make them for a newly wed couple that seriouly LOVE them?!
My batter is really runny and when I put it on the pan to harden they just turn into a sloppy mess!
Thanks,
Klailea
Hi Klailea! See the section of the blog post titled “Troubleshooting French Macarons” – the culprit is most likely over-mixed batter. Hope this helps!
Hi Sally! Since I don’t have many baking sheets right now, I was wondering would the Macaron batter be all right if it sits outs while one batch is baking? Or will the batter deflate as you mentioned in the post?
Hi Anusha! You can keep the unused batter in the piping bag as you wait for the baking sheet. That’s what we usually do!
Hi Sally: I LOVE your site! I’m a beginner at baking, and find your instructions so easy to understand and follow. Today my sister and I tried your French Macrons (we just went for the hardest thing to do!!). The step by step instructions and video were spot on for us. I wish I could send you a photo! Thank you.
Hi Sue, what a fun baking project for you and your sister! We’re so happy to hear it was such a success. If you’d like to share a photo, feel free to send it to us at sally@sallysbakingaddiction.com — we’d love to see your macarons!
Can another type of flour be substituted as I am allergic to almonds?
Hi Susan, Almond flour is the ONLY flour that works in this French macaron recipe, however if you have an almond allergy– you could try these nut free macarons by Stella Parks (we have not personally tried them) — https://honestcooking.com/nut-free-macaron-recipe/
If I’m going to do a double batch with 2 separate colors, would you separate it during the stuff peaks stage to put in food coloring or at the infinity drip stage?
Hi Tay, you would do so during the stiff peaks phase, and then proceed with separate batches from there. It may even be easier to simply make the batches separately from the start. Hope this helps!
Hi. I would like to make these coffee flavored. Can I add 12g of espresso powder without any changes to the recipe? I made the original recipe and they were outstanding!
Hi Sandra, we haven’t tested adding espresso powder, so we’re unsure of the results. If you decide to experiment, you might need to slightly adjust the amount of almond flour — macaron measurements are very precise and finnicky! (Or, we’d recommend doing a quick search for an espresso flavored macaron recipe and seeing how they incorporate it.) Let us know what you try!
If you make your own coffee extract, your macarons will taste better. Here’s how to make it buy 8 oz whole coffee beans from a coffee roaster, Starbucks, Peet’s, Intelligentsia, or Trade Coffee. Crush them coarsely with a mortar and pestle, or a spice grinder. Put 8 oz in a 16 oz mason jar, add Seagram’s vodka, Tito’s handmade vodka, Gentleman’s Reserve Kentucky Bourbon, or higher proof of alcohol and fill near the top of the rim of the jar. Close. Let it steep for 1 month. After 1 month, the extract will change from clear to very dark brown in color. Strain the beans but reserve the coffee extract on a separate mason jar or bottle.
For flavoring macarons on this recipe, I use 5 ml or 1 teaspoon of coffee extract.
super
First time making these after a lot of hesitation, and they came out AMAZING!! Followed every tip to the T, and they are just.. delightful. Lovely feet, and a great texture. I’m so unbelievably excited. These directions and video were so helpful. My husband loves them, and keeps eating them before they’re even filled
I don’t know if you LOL see this in time but I’d love to make these for tomorrow. I don’t have 24 hours to let the egg whites rest. Any chance 4-5 hours will do? Or best to try these for another time!
I loved this education. Mine usually are chewy. This recipe the tops turned out smoother and had some feet. I loved she listed her favorite tools. I am just wondering what her favorite spatula is?
Hi Wanda! Thank you so much for giving these macarons a try! We link to our favorite spatulas in this blog post – see number 9.
I used Bob’s Red Mill Super-fine Almond Flour, but had a hard time straining it through my strainer. Should it be that hard to get through, or is my strainer too fine? Thanks!
Hi Elizabeth, The strainer could be too fine. What could help– and what we do if this happens– is pulsing the almond flour in a food processor to break it down even more, then try sifting again.
For starters, you don’t need an egg separator (whatever that is). You also don’t need superfine sugar, the force of the beater dissolves the granulated sugar into the egg whites just fine.
Cream of tartar is unnecessary if you whip the egg whites to a proper stiff peak. As for aging whites, I beat them straight out of the fridge at times, and have found it makes no difference. Disappointed to see the product pushing and over-complication here. Best of luck bakers!
If you are looking for the best recipe to make the most delicious macarons this is for you! I am twelve years old and these turned out perfectly! All of the precise descriptions help with each step and walk you through the whole process so well. Thank you so much Sally! I have made these 5 times now and my whole family loves them. My mom said she didn’t even like macarons until she tried these!
I have always heard how difficult French macarons are to make so I was intimidated to try this recipe but they turned out great! The pictures and videos were so helpful. The hardest part for me was figuring out when to stop mixing the batter. I didn’t age my egg whites and it turned out fine so I think I got lucky there lol I’ll definitely be saving this recipe!
I made these twice over the Easter weekend and both times they turned out great. I’ve made macarons a few times in the past and sometimes they worked and sometimes they didn’t. I think they could’ve been mixed a bit more after adding the egg whites to the almond mixture but that’s me being timid about overmixing. I am definitely going to keep at it and this will be my go-to recipe from now on.
Thank you for the detailed instructions/notes/comments and easy to follow recipe! My daughter and I made these today for the first time. We are experienced bakers, but had never tried macarons. They came out great and we’re really pleased. We stuck to the basic recipe with a vanilla buttercream filling for this first try, but plan to go back and add colour and flavours next time. Yum!!
Hi! I’ve tried this twice now and seem to keep getting the same result. The first time I tried I thought I might have over mixed the batter as it was quite runny and the macarons were flat with no feet. The second time I tried I didn’t mix it as much and the batter was much thicker but still got the same result. Both times my cookies never developed skin after leaving them out for quite a while. The weather where I live is dry so it’s not the humidity. Any tips would be appreciated.
Hi Lauren, Are you making any changes to the recipe by chance? Any slight variation? How about those egg whites– reaching stiff peaks before you fold with the dry ingredients? If you’re following the recipe closely, which it sounds like you are, see if you can add another 10-15g each almond flour and confectioners’ sugar which will help the cookies maintain a bit more structure and (hopefully) set and develop that skin on top.
Hi Stephanie, thanks for getting back to me! No I haven’t made any variations and I can flip the bowl over and the egg whites don’t move and the egg whites stand out at a point like in the images so I think I’m whipping them enough. I will try adding more dry ingredients and seeing how it turns out. Thanks for the suggestion! I will let you know if it turns out.
Hi there! I’m attempting these this weekend and am about to age my egg whites. Wondering if the container I use to put them in and refrigerate needs to be the same container I mix them in tomorrow? I just don’t want to put my huge mixing bowl in the fridge with just 4 eggs, but wasn’t sure if the container needed to be the one that was wipes down with lemon juice. Thanks!
Hi Kristin, anything in which the egg whites go should be wiped down to rid grease/oils. So if you are transferring the aged egg whites from a smaller container to your mixing bowl (which is completely fine!), make sure you wipe down the mixing bowl too.
Measured everything out and haven’t gotten past the egg whites which tbh is not where we thought we would fail! The first step (getting to soft peak) appears to be correct. We gradually added sugar it gained some volume but then deflates and looks runny /never gets fluffy. We tried twice with the same outcome. We think it’s the speed because unsure what else it would be. We followed instructions medium then med-high. Any recommendations?
Hi Remy! Did you wipe down the bowl you whipped the egg whites in with vinegar or lemon juice? Grease or fat prevents your egg whites from setting up. The egg whites could also be over-whipped if they are deflating. Are you using a hand or stand mixer? It’s easy to over-whip with a stand mixer – try reducing the speed a bit or keeping a close eye out for stiff peaks.
Hi Sally
I made these, but the swirls (from my piping) were visible even after baking! The shells had visible swirls instead of being smooth. where did I go wrong?
Thanks in advance!
Hi Elle! Sounds like the macaron batter needed to be mixed for longer to thin out more (see step 5). Hope they were still delicious!
These are fabulous! Loved every minute of this challenge! And the strawberry buttercream…Deeelicious!
Very detailed and a great learning experience!
This recipe and video was so helpful! I’ve attempted macarons twice now, and they keep getting better! I will definitely be coming back to this recipe.
I have never tried to make macarons before because they look so scary on tv. But we followed the directions, weighed the ingredients, and we got TWO batches to turn out great! Can’t wait to try more flavor combos.
I first attempted macarons in October with a different recipe and it was a total flop! I swore I’d never make them again. That is, until Sally’s new challenge gave me the motivation to try. With the step-by-step details and lots of helpful information, I’m happy to say my macarons turned out! Not perfect by any means, but I am thrilled at the results. Thank you so much for taking the time to encourage us all to try something new, Sally!
It is one of the best detailed macaron recipes I’ve read so far, really helpful! Also, I used vanilla buttercream and the taste is outstanding the second day, the flavors get deeper and even better.
I tried this recipe a couple times today. The first time my batter was thick. I was so worried about overmixing that I undermixed it. The next time, I mixed it longer and they turned out perfectly. And I filled them with Sally’s vanilla buttercream and it was delicious. I will definitely make them again.
Wow, I am SO excited!!! I made macarons!! The descriptions and video made it so simple to follow the recipe, and I actually made macarons (something I’ve been wanting to try for years)!
They are delicious and delightfully chewy.
I made lemon-almond macarons with 2 different fillings – lemon and strawberry. Both are incredible!!
So glad I decided to do the March baking challenge