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French Macarons - thumbnail 02

French Macarons (Swiss Method)

Take the guess work out of making perfect French Macarons, because I’ve got a fool-proof way to get perfectly chewy centers, crispy outsides, and those cute feet!
Author: Nick Makrides
4.25 from 36 votes
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Prep 35 minutes
Cook 1 hour 20 minutes
Total 1 hour 40 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine French
Servings 30 cookies
Calories 56 kcal

Ingredients

Macarons

  • 1 tsp white vinegar to clean bowl
  • 120 g almond flour see notes
  • 155 g powdered sugar
  • 100 g egg whites room temperature (see notes)
  • 120 g caster sugar superfine sugar
  • 1/4 tsp cream of tartar or couple drops of vinegar or lemon juice
  • 2 drops food gel coloring optional

Frosting options

Instructions
 

Before you begin!

  • Measuring ingredients - Measure all ingredients before you begin the recipe.
  • Preparing baking trays - Line two half sheet baking trays with silicone baking mats or baking paper (not greaseproof paper). If using baking paper, dab a little macaron batter in the corner of your baking tray to help the baking paper stick to the baking tray. This will prevent it from flying around in the oven.
  • Cleaning bowls - Add 1 tsp white vinegar to a glass or metal bowl (not plastic) and wipe down until dry. This is the bowl you will use to make your meringue. This will help your egg whites beat up better and get rid of any fat residue on your bowls.

Macarons

  • Almond mixture - Add your almond flour and powdered sugar to the bowl of a food processor and pulse about 10 times to help combine the ingredients and get a finer almond flour. Use a spatula to scrape the bottom of the food processor bowl and pulse another 10 times. Pour into a sieve over a mixing bowl. Sift as much of the mixture as you can. You will have about 2 tbsp of large almond pieces. You can discard them.
  • Clean your mixing bowl - Add the vinegar to the bowl you’ll be making your meringue in. Glass or metal, not plastic. And use a paper towel to wipe down. Add the egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar to the bowl and whisk to combine.
  • Whisking egg whites and sugar over double boiler - Fill a medium sized pot 1/3 of the way with water and bring to a boil. Place a heatproof bowl on top. Glass or metal, not plastic. Add the egg whites, caster sugar and cream of tartar and whisk until sugar has melted completely and the egg whites become frothy, about 60-90 seconds.
  • Whip meringue - Take off the heat and pour into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Alternatively, you can use an electric hand mixer. If you’re coloring your macarons, add your food gel coloring at this point. Begin whipping on high speed, about 2-3 minutes. The meringue will become thick and glossy and you will reach stiff peaks.

‘Macaronage’ (mixing stage)

  • What is it? - This is the most important part of making macarons and can make or break your cookies. The key is not to overmix your batter. Follow the instructions carefully and see the post for step-by-step instructions.
  • First mix - Add a spatula full of meringue to the almond mixture and use a spatula to mix until well combined. You don’t need to be too careful how you mix at this stage, this just helps thin out the batter a little.
  • How to mix - Add the remaining meringue to the almond mixture. Use your spatula to scrape around the bowl, then go through the middle of the mixture. I’ve left photo instructions in the post of this recipe. Repeat this until you reach the right consistency. This form of mixing helps incorporate the meringue into the almond mixture and also helps slightly deflate the meringue to the right consistency.
  • The right consistency - I call it the ‘ribbon stage’. It’s when the batter falls off your spatula, back into the mixture in a thick ribbon. It should disappear back into the batter after about 10 seconds. When you feel like you’re nearing this consistency, begin testing the batter for the ribbon stage. If it’s still too thick, mix another couple times and test again. If the mixture appears thinner than what’s described, there’s no saving it. Start again.
  • Transfer batter to piping bag - Fit the end of a large piping bag with a medium sized round tip. I used a 1.5cm / 1/2-inch round tip. Fill half way with batter and then twist the end while the piping tip is facing up.
  • Piping your Macarons - Pipe rounds of batter on your baking trays measuring about 3cm / 1 1/4 inch wide and about 2cm / 3/4 inch apart. Gently tap the tray on your workbench three times to allow any air bubbles to rise to the top and escape. If you see little bubbles on top of your piped macarons, use a toothpick to gently deflate them. This will help achieve a smooth macaron cookie.
  • Drying your macarons - Allow your macarons to dry for 20-25 minutes out in the open. This will help them form a skin which will help the steam in the cookies escape from the bottom instead of the top giving them their iconic ‘feet’. To test if they are dry enough, run your finger on the top of a macarons, it shouldn’t be sticky anymore. Drying time can be impacted by the humidity and temperature of your oven so it may take longer than 25 minutes to dry. If they’re still sticky, let them continue drying.
  • Baking your macarons – While your macarons are drying, preheat a conventional oven (no fan) to 150C / 302F. Bake your macarons 1 tray at a time on the middle rack of your oven for 10-12 minutes. Once they’re baked, let them cool completely before you try to remove them from the tray.

To Finish Macarons

  • Once the macarons are baked, pair them up so they all have a size match. Not all the macarons will be the same size. So pairing them up will help them look neat and uniform.
  • Pipe filling on half the macarons and sandwich with the other halves. For filling options see the ingredients list.

Video

Notes

Macaron Troubleshooting - I ‘ve written a complete guide to Macaron troubleshooting including tips on how to make perfect macarons on the blog. Check it out. If you have any issues with your macarons there will be a section on the issue you had, why it happened and how to fix or avoid it.
A note on measurements - this recipe is offered in weight measurements. This is in an effort to offer the most accurate way to get the best results. Cup measurements simply aren’t accurate enough for a recipe that needs precision and cup sizes differ depending on where you are in the world. Here is where you can learn more about how to measure ingredients using digital kitchen scales! 
Your oven – macarons should not be baked with a fan forced oven. They can cause your macarons to rise lop-sided. Bake them with the fan off.
Almond Flour vs Almond Meal. Is there a difference? - Yes. Almond meal is ground up almonds that have the skin left on them. They will work for this recipe but not as good as Almond flour, which is a finely ground almond, much finer than almond meal, and has the skin taken off beforehand so it’s much paler in appearance. That means you’ll get much vibrant colors and smoother looking macarons.
Shopping for it - Something I’ve noticed in Australia is that almond meal and almond flour can often be called one thing: ‘almond meal’. So, look for good quality brands and for almonds that look like they’ve been finely ground. Almond flour can be found in most supermarkets and delis.
How to Make Your Own Almond Flour
  1. To blanch your almonds - Place your almonds with skin on in a large heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Allow to sit for 60 seconds. Drain and rinse with cold water to cool them down. Squeeze each almond and it will slip out of the skin. Discard the skin, keep the almonds! Lay out on a baking tray and allow to dry completely before proceeding to the next step. If you’re using almonds that are already blanched, skip this step and do the next step!
  2. To blitz the almonds - place the blanched almonds into the bowl of a food processor. Blitz on high speed for 10 - 15 seconds. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl. Repeat this process until a fine powdery substance forms. IMPORTANT: Do not over mix. This can cause the mixture to become a paste. If this happens, start again. Overmixing can also cause the almonds to heat in the food processor which releases their natural oils. This can cause problems down the line when making your macarons.
Egg whites - For this recipe, you don’t need to worry about ‘ageing your egg whites’ to get a better meringue. The Swiss meringue technique (gently cooking your meringue and sugar together) helps get you a good meringue. 
Storage - Unfilled macarons can be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days. They will soften slightly over time and will soften again when filled. Filled macarons can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
How to freeze your macarons – Lay them out flat on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Once fully frozen, carefully transfer to a container with a lid. They can be frozen filled or unfilled for up to 2 months. Thaw the macarons at room temperature and serve.
Nutrition – is an approximate and is based on per sandwiched cookie, minus the filling. Refer to nutritional value of whichever filling you use.

Nutrition

Calories:56kcal | Carbohydrates:7g | Protein:1g | Fat:2g | Saturated Fat:0.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat:0.002g | Monounsaturated Fat:0.004g | Sodium:6mg | Potassium:16mg | Fiber:0.4g | Sugar:6g | Calcium:9mg | Iron:0.2mg
Keyword cookies, French Macarons, Gluten Free
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