Macarons are a French delicacy I am completely crazy about. Since I can’t always be in Paris close to my favorite pastry-chef, Pierre Hermé, I have decided to make my own. It’s not an easy task, and it needs a lot of patience. I learned how to make them in Paris, but when I came back I searched around the internet for some recipes providing the perfect ratios. I learned the hard way that macarons are capricious little wonders: add a bit of this or that, and your delicate balance tips over; I’ve seen my share of overbaked, flat, cracked or overinflated numbers coming out of my oven. No recipe is universal, and the most important thing is to go slow. Try cautiously with your own instruments, ingredients and oven. You will have to try more than once before achieving perfection. If they were so easy to do, wouldn’t everyone make them?
When I was looking around for recipes, I found plenty but few had illustrated steps to guide you through what’s OK or not in terms of texture, color and result. Since you can’t always have an experienced teacher showing you the first time, I figured I would allow you to benefit from my apprentissage and help you get to a happy result more quickly.
No single source can be given as a base for my recipe. I have gathered dozens left and right, tested and tasted and ended with my own proportions. Now I (almost) always make them successfully, so this is a good base to start with. I will guide you through the rest.
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Having trouble making macarons? Since first publishing this post, struggling macaron-makers have asked me every question under the sun. After over two years (and hundred of comments!), I’ve decided to close the comments on my macaron posts, but I’m not leaving you an excellent resource: I’ve gathered the most frequently asked questions I’ve been asked about macarons in one single post: A Macaron Troubleshooting Guide: Useful Tips and Advice to Master the French Delicacy. If you’re having any trouble making macarons, chances are you’ll find answers in that post. You can also read through the comments left below, I did my best to reply to all of them and many (if not all!) macaron issues are covered in there as well.
If I missed something, send me a note and I promise I will keep on editing the troubleshooting post once in a while!
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I have put together a short 5-minute video that shows you the key steps in making French macarons at home. There’s nothing like having someone show you the way – at least, that’s how I learned. The video, along with this post’s detailed instructions and pictures, should allow anyone wanting to make this French delicacy at home succeed.
Watch the video below, or better yet, click here to view it in high-definition on YouTube. You’ll be able to read the instructions more easily and see all the important details much better.
See also my “All About Macarons” page for more resources and links.
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Looking for the right tools that will help you make macarons successfully? Visit my new macaron store for my recommendations for the best macaron-making tools, ingredients and books.
Note: The following window provides a preview of the items I added to my store. Click here to go straight to the store and view all of my recommendations.
Full disclosure: This store is powered by Amazon. When you buy tools, ingredients and books through my store, I am earning a small referral fee that helps me keep on producing quality content for Food Nouveau. Thanks for your contribution!
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Macarons: Basic Recipe
These ingredients will make the cookies. This is the base and what’s hardest to master. You should try to successfully bake a couple recipes of basic macarons before trying to mix in other flavors.
3 egg whites (from large eggs), separated at least 24 hours in advance and kept in the refrigerator
210 g powdered sugar
125 g almond meal
30 g regular granulated sugar
What you need – equipment:
It’s best to gather all the equipment you really need before starting. Yes, I did have to buy some of these tools before making my first macarons. The good thing is that none of the following tools are specific to making macarons so your new gadgets will help you make many other great desserts. Please, do take this excuse and go shopping. :)
Kitchen scale (yes, you do have to measure in grams, it’s more precise)
Food processor (really nice to have but not mandatory)
Hand or stand mixer with whisk accessory (mandatory unless you’re very courageous and/or strong)
Sifter or fine sieve
Big stainless steel bowl (cul-de-poule)
Another big mixing bowl
Spatula
Pastry bag and round tip (1/2 to 3/4 inch opening)
Large baking sheets, preferably 2 to 4 of them
Parchment paper
Various food color (liquid, gel or powder are all good)
A couple of days before you plan to make your macarons: Prepare your eggs. Separate them, putting the whites in a clean airtight container and reserving the yolks for another use. Now, your egg whites must “age”: they need to spend at least 24h (up to 5 days) in the refrigerator before you use them.
The morning of the day you plan to make your macarons: Take your egg whites out of the refrigerator and leave them to temper at room temperature for several hours.
Making the cookies:
Measure the powdered sugar and almond meal and put them in the bowl of your food processor. Finely grind the two together for a minute or two. Stop the processor, scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, and process again for a minute.
Yes, you need to do this even though both ingredients are already powdered. This step blends the sugar and nuts perfectly together and gets rid of bigger bits that often remain in packaged almond meal.
You can grind your own almonds, just make sure they are peeled. And that you very finely grind them (add the powdered sugar to the almonds when they are coarsely ground to make sure you don’t end up with a paste).
If you don’t have a food processor, you can still make macarons, but make sure to really thoroughly blend the almonds and sugar together. The consequence is that the texture of your macarons won’t be as soft and smooth.
After processing the powdered sugar and almond meal, you have to sieve the mixture. This is really important (especially if you don’t have a food processor) as it will get rid of the remaining bigger bits and ensure a smooth batter. You will see some of the almond refuses to pass though your sieve (see picture below). Don’t try to force it through; it’s ok to throw it away. The quantity shouldn’t be significant enough to unbalance your recipe.
Here’s what I generally have left after I sieve half of my almonds-sugar mixture:
Set this bowl aside and take your bigger stainless steel bowl out. This kind of bowl is called a cul-de-poule in French and they are so useful in a kitchen that, if you don’t have one already, you simply really should invest in a couple of them (different sizes). Stainless steel bowls helps egg whites get fluffy and firm.
Make sure your bowl is cold. Stainless steel usually remains cold by itself, but if it’s not, rinse it under cold water (or stick it in the freezer for a couple of minutes) and dry it before continuing. A cold bowl also makes egg whites happy.
Make sure your granulated sugar is measured and close to your working area. Put your egg whites in the bowl. Start beating them at medium/high speed with your mixer. Once they start to get bubbly and white and you see your whisk is lightly leaving marks, add a tablespoon of the granulated sugar.
Continue beating and add the remaining sugar slowly over the next minute or two. Your eggs will now be white and fluff but not stiff enough. Continue beating at high speed until peaks form and remain up when you take out your whisk (stop your mixer before trying this!). When the egg whites are ready, you’ll notice that they seem dense and creamy and not as bubbly anymore. Here’s what they look like:
Now is the time to put your electric appliances aside. Your egg whites are delicate and you must treat them gently. If you wish to add color, now is the time to do so. I made lemon macarons. I added 15 drops of yellow liquid food coloring and the very finely grated zest of one lemon. Gently fold in the color using a spatula: slide your spatula on the side of the bowl under the egg whites and bring the bottom up to the top. Repeat this until the color is evenly blended. Now is not the time to be in a hurry: DO NOT whisk at any cost as it will deflate your egg whites and your batter will be ruined. At this point, the color of your batter (if you added food coloring) should be at least as intense as you want the final macaron to be. It will intensify and brighten a bit when you add the almonds/sugar mixture.
The batter is now matte, light and fluffy:
Continuing your folding motion, start mixing in your dry ingredients a little at a time (you should add the whole thing in 4 or 5 additions). Carefully blend everything together, always sliding your spatula to the bottom of the bowl and back up to make sure no pockets of dry ingredients remain.
When your batter is evenly blended, it will look shiny and creamy:
Prepare your baking sheets. Double the baking sheets (helps macarons rise and cook more evenly) then cover each with a well-measured sheet of parchment paper. I have tried silicon mats before and I don’t think they work well with macarons. Their rubbery texture seems to cling to the delicate and somewhat sticky cookies so that you more often than not end up with empty shells (the tender insides remaining stuck to the silicon).
Now is the time to fit your pastry bag with its tip. I like to use disposable pastry bags that I wash 3-4 times before getting rid of them. I find that plastic pastry bags are more flexible and easier to work with than textile bags. They are also really easy to clean just by letting hot water run through them and they don’t stain.
To make the transfer from bowl to pastry bag easy, I stand my pastry bag in a measuring cup, folding or twisting the tip to make sure the batter doesn’t come out too quickly. If your pastry bags are long, fold it in half to make sure the batter gets to the bottom of the bag.
Take your bag out of the cup, keeping the tip folded or twisted so that the batter doesn’t come out. Unfold the larger end of the bag and twist it shut close to the batter to push it down. As you lay your macarons on the cooking sheets, you will continue this motion (twisting the larger end of the bag with one hand) to put constant pressure on the batter and ease its way out on the sheets.
Now is the time to work your magic: you have to hold the tip of your bag with one hand to guide it, and hold the larger end with your other hand to push the batter down. Place your tip close to the parchment paper and twist the end of the bag so as to push the batter down and out to form 1 to 1.5” disks. You can set your macarons pretty close together as they won’t expand while cooking. When enough batter is out, stop twisting the end of the bag and swiftly lift your tip up to stop the batter from coming out. This is tricky: you will need practice. Mastering this technique will ensure your macarons are uniform in size and round.
Now, don’t panic. Your macarons have a pointy tip that makes them look like lazy Hershey’s Kisses. Not to worry: as they rest before cooking, they will smooth out. You can help them though: lift your baking sheet up a bit and firmly bang it on the table a couple of times. This will even the caps and take the air bubbles out of them.
If you’re a perfectionist like I am, now is a good time to edit your macarons to make sure they will be perfectly round. I use a small silicon spatula to make oval caps round or smooth down tips that won’t come down. This step is absolutely not mandatory; imperfection can be very charming.
The next step will once again test your patience: you have to let your macarons rest on the baking sheets at room temperature for at least 20 minutes (some say a couple hours is best but I’m not that patient). You just have to. This step will “dry” the caps and help them rise later when they cook.
Halfway through the wait, preheat your oven between 275 and 300°F (135-150°C). Every oven behaves differently. I have a gas oven and 300°F (150°C) is generally good for me. In some ovens, this temperature can be too hot, especially for light-colored macarons (you don’t want them to brown). I prefer to play it safe, cook them at a lower temperature and leave them longer in the oven. You will have to test your own oven and stay close to it to watch over your macarons as they cook.
I baked these lemon macarons at 300°F (150°C) for 14 minutes. Your cooking time could be anywhere between 13 and 18 minutes. From 12 minutes on, watch closely, and avoid opening your oven door before that. Your macarons are ready when they look dry and matte and seem firm on their crown when you lightly tap on them. Overcooking the macarons will make them too crunchy and feel like meringue. Undercooking them will make them separate when you try to lift them off the sheets. I know, it’s tricky! After a while, you will know your oven and get better at figuring when your macarons are done. In any case, please play it safe when setting your oven temperature. Excessive heat is the macaron’s worst enemy: they will cook too quickly, cracking like meringue and browning, hiding their beautiful color.
When they are done, take the sheets out of the oven and let them cool on a rack. If you need to reuse your baking sheets for the next batch, let them cool 5-10 minutes in the baking sheet and then lift the parchment paper out of the sheet to set it directly on the cooling rack (this is why it’s good to have more than 2 sheets).
Once cooled to room temperature, your macarons are ready to be assembled.
When they are perfectly cooked, they should lift easily from the parchment paper, have a flat bottom and a beautiful puffy crown. If they stick a bit, help them up with a thin stainless steel spatula so that they don’t separate or break. If they’re a bit overcooked, they will be hollow under the cap. You can still use them, you’ll just have to put more cream to assemble them (yum!).
Match the cap sizes that fit best together. For the filling, the possibilities are as great as your imagination is. For lemon macarons, you can fill them up with lemon curd as I did, or with a lemon-flavored buttercream. If you made pink cookies, fill them up with good-quality raspberry preserves or, if you feel decadent, with a mixture of mascarpone cheese and preserves. The only thing that’s important is to make sure the filling is firm enough to not drip out from the macarons. A great macaron should be able to stand on its side and not lose its filling.
Using an icing spatula (or just a regular butter knife) spread your icing on one cookie. Place the other cookie on the icing and press gently to stick them together.
Once all of your macarons are assembled, in an ideal world, you would put them in an airtight container, in the refrigerator and let them rest for another 24 hours. Yes, you need patience once again. They won’t be bad if you eat them right away. Letting them rest with their icing in really reveals the fine texture of the macaron. The humidity of the icing will get into the crispy caps and that’s what will make them crisp on the outside and so tender on the inside. Try to be patient, trust me, it’s really worth the wait. The good thing is that it’s a great dessert to make in advance and it will for sure impress your guests. They will be at their best if you eat them in the next 4-5 days.
Yes, these French cookies are a really fancy delicacy. No, they’re not easy to make. Yes, they require time, patience and practice to master. But it’s worth it really, and less expensive than a plane ticket to Paris.
hello :) I really like ur macarons recipe and Id like to try it .. But can I use nuts instead of almonds?? Plz tell me
Thank u so much dear :)
Using finely ground almonds is mandatory in the macaron recipe. You can sometimes substitude a small portion of the almond meal for another kind of nut for a different flavor (like pistachios or pecans) but using another kind of nut altogether wouldn't work.
Great information about macaroons and I am going to attempt to make it next week. I love the step by step instructions. I do have one question, have you ever used quick egg whites to make macaroons?
Can I just use any icing recipe? I used the buttercream recipe in 'I Heart Macarons' and it didn't turn out, so my sister and I are going to try just making a simple buttercream. Can I use any icing recipe?
Thanks for the informative post!
Unfortunately, I've had problems with every recipe I tried from the "I Heart Macarons" book. It's a beautiful book but unreliable. I think the accuracy of the recipes may have gotten lost in translation!
I have often made buttercream to fill my macarons. It's delicious, simple to make and easy to flavor and/or color to your liking! Just make sure it'll be thick enough to not drip out of your macarons.
This is a great tutorial, and the step-by-step pictures really help! I've tried making macarons twice, and both times, the tops get done and the feet are there, but the bottoms are mushy and won't lift off the parchment. Any suggestions? I'm using an Air-bake cookie sheet, so I'm wondering if that is keeping the bottoms from getting done. I'm determined to get these things right! Thanks for your helpful website!
hi there
I was dying looking for a simple recipe to make macarons And finally found a great one. everything went great with me from the white egg until the baking sheets; it seems like I can make the right size. also I can't figure the good time to bake them It got sticky and halo although it's tasty and yummy
[...] used this recipe. It has tons of pictures, which were a huge help, and there are all sorts of tips, most of [...]
I've made macarons three times now and the first time they turned out perfectly but now I can't seem to be able to make the shells anymore. The shells become chewy and instead of rising, the batter goes all bubbly around the shell after baking. Is there a reason for this? Is it because there's too much moisture in the almond meal or something else? Does using already packaged almond meal differ from grinding your own almonds?
My macaroons look perfect, however I am having problems with them being too chewy and sticking to the wax paper. The first batch I used non-silicone baking pads and some of them stuck, so I switched to wax paper for the second try and ALL of them stuck and I couldn't get any of them off. :( Any tips on how to combat these problems?
Hi there,
when i make my macarons the batter is too thick because when i pipe them out they are to thick and will not spread. is the something i can add to make it abit more spreadable?
Nothing can be added to your batter to make it lighter! If you add anything, it'll break the balance and result in unsuccessful macarons anyways. Was your batter so thick that it wouldn't come out of a pastry bag? It's supposed to be pretty thick, drip out (and not pour out) of the pastry bag really slowly if you hold it down. Macarons do not spread a lot once they are piped out on the baking sheet, they should only "relax", take not more than a few millimeters in diameter and become smooth on the surface.
One reason that could explain why your batter is too thick is the amount of egg whites you used: you must use large eggs. Perhaps you didn't have enough to counterbalance the amount of almond meal and sugar you used.
Ive been trying this recipe but I can't seem to get the macaroons to rise or get feet. I think I over beat the egg whites. Is that possible? Would that make the macaroons refuse to rise? I love this recipe it's so much better than other ones out there! Just need these macaroons to rise!! Thank you!
Many reasons can explain why your macarons didn't rise up on their feet!
1) Did you separate your egg whites a couple of days in advance and store them in a container in your fridge to let them "age" before using them?
1) Did you let your macarons rest at least 20 minutes before putting them into the oven?
2) Did you double your baking sheet?
If the room you are baking in is excessively humid (think summer humidity), it can also prevent your macarons to rise.
As for the beating of your egg whites, you can't really miss them unless you beat until they broke (overbeating egg whites excessively causes them to become granular and separate). If you beat your egg whites until stiff peaks formed, you did good.
I hope these tips will help you troubleshoot what went wrong! Please write again if you can't fix the problem.
hi! your recipe is great and very helpful. So, I managed to have the caps rise, and I left them for 14 minutes at 140 C, but then when I tried to lift them they got seperate. So, I decided to cook them a bit more at a higher temperature and then they got crunchy. I am not at all disappointed, because at my first attept I didn't get the caps to rise at all (this is second attempt). Except from the temperature is there anything else that could have gone wrong and they were seperated when I lifted them?
xxx Maria
Did you let them cool completely before trying to lift them? I usually let them cool and dry for at least 1 hour before attempting to separate them from the parchment paper. Also, if they don't seem fully cooked after 14 mins, don't raise the temp. of your oven, let them cook longer instead. Macarons are ready when they remain firm on their feet if you lightly tap on their shell. If their feet still seems soft, let them cook a little longer.
Thank you for the advice. I just have one question: When you use a stainless steal bowl to mix the egg whites with the electric beaters, won't the base of the bowl scratch?
Stainless steel bowls (also called "cul-de-poule") are very resistant and hygienic. Although it's true that with use they will show a slight patina, they won't scratch per se, meaning nothing can really penetrate stainless deeply. Stainless steel bowls are amongst my favorite kitchen tools, don't be afraid to overuse them, they can take it!
I'm so glad I stumbled across this! Have been dying to try these for a long time but I didn't feel like I had the guts to try as they have a reputation for being so difficult. Going to try this weekend, thanks so much!
I wish you the best of luck for your first macaron batch! If it doesn't turn out perfect the first time, don't be too discouraged and try again. You'll be really proud to you enjoy your own macarons and they'll be better than most you can buy on this side of the ocean.
[...] macarons in general. (Some of the best instructions I’ve found on macaron technique is on an excellent post on Food [...]
I tried these gorgeous delicacies at a baby shower and knew i had to master them. thanks to your flawless instructions the first time around was a perfect success!!!! (feet and all) you have a gift- thank you for sharing!!
So glad that you succeeded in making perfect macarons the very first time you tried! It's quite an accomplishment, I'm sure you were very proud. Aren't they just perfect for occasions like a baby shower?
[...] the other hand, Food Nouveau provides a detailed, step-by-step process with illustrations [...]
Marie, I'm going to try this recipe tonight, but I just have a question about coloring. I've seen several recipes before with brown coloring, using chocolate ganache for the filling. Is the best way to accomplish this color to use brown food coloring, or adding a chocolate ingredient to the batter? The same thing applies for the white macarons; how is it possible to achieve that color?
Thanks for the recipe!
Chris, you usually add a bit of cocoa powder into the macaron meringue, but to get a beautiful chocolate brown color, you also have to add food coloring. I used to mix my own brownish color using red, green and blue, but fortunately I managed to find real chocolate brown coloring (it's easy to find in food coloring kits sold, for example, on Amazon: http://amzn.to/9ME97Z). As for the white color, I haven't tried it yet, but Pierre Hermé in his book says he uses titanium dioxyde. You can find this ingredient in specialty pastry shops or certainly online. If you try it, you have to tell me if you were happy with the results! I haven't been game enough yet to turn my kitchen into a science lab…
What wonderful instruction ! Thank you !
I most def want to play with this before I visit France and Spain this fall….
A bakery in my city does do the macaron proud…but what fun seeing if a humble home cook can also recreate it :)
Are there any secrets for dispensing consistent amounts of meringue so that they are uniform?
thanx again
AltaPeng: Thank you for your great comment! Macarons are definitely trendy right now and more and more bakeries are trying to make their own nowadays. I have to admit they're not all successful at it! I love making them, it's a lot of work but it's worth it and it's a great gift to give to people around you.
The secret to a consistent macaron size is to use a pastry bag (of course), but you can also use a template by drawing circles using a shot glass on paper you slide under your parchment paper. You fill in these circles and your macarons should pretty much be born equal :) (Don't forget to slide the paper template off your baking sheet before putting it in the oven!)
I tried 20 batches so far, failed every time to get the puffy crown. Is there a trick to this?
Uyen, there are so many things that come into play when you're making macarons. Make sure you use egg whites that have "aged" for a couple of days (at least) in the fridge (don't use egg beaters), bring them to room temperature before whipping them, let your macarons dry for at least 20 minutes before cooking them and make sure you double your cookie sheet (put one cookie sheet into another identical sheet) – it'll distribute the heat more evenly and help your macarons get on their feet. Don't be too disheartened, I've had my share of failures before making them right (and I still fail them sometimes when I change my recipes just a bit!). Be patient and you'll make it.
I just put my macaroons in the oven and within a few minutes they have cracked. However I see some macaroons have tiny feet. I'm kind of mortified, but I figured this was expected as this is my first time. I baked them at 285 degrees farenheight. I could really use your help as you are an expert. Thank you!
Macarons can crack for a variety of reasons! The main reasons can be: if your oven is too hot (it doesn't seem to be your case), if you bake your macarons without letting them dry beforehand (at least 20 minutes, the more the better), or if you didn't double your baking pans – meaning: putting the pan with the macarons into another identical pan before baking. Doubling your pan prevents the bottom of your macarons from overheating, which sometimes leads to a cracked dome. I usually don't double my pans and it works just fine, but it all depends of your oven – maybe you should try it! Good luck – it'll probably take you a couple of tries before you make them right, I know I did need some practice. But when you get them right, you'll be the happiest (and proudest) one on the block!
Thanks Marie! I'm sure you are right. I based this off of the amount of calories for two from the box of macarons from trader joes. I have followed your instructions and made the macarons, but oddly my batter has come out very liquidy. I have a feeling that I may have not beated the meringue enough. Any advice for the next time?
Thanks!
Hi,
I am in the process of following your recipe for making macarons right now. This is my first time. The amount of powdered sugar is awfully a lot. I have read that macarons are low in calories. Is there supposed to be a lot of powdered sugar? Thanks
Shef
Shef, I'm sorry to tell you that I don't think you can call a macaron a low-calorie dessert. The powdered sugar is necessary to the macaron's texture – and considering most macarons are assembled with buttercreams or fruit jams, I think it's a treat you should indulge in with moderation. I read from various sources that one average macaron (1 1/4 inch size, including 2 cookies and the filling) contains around 200 calories.
Marie: oh, i see. thank you though!
thank you so much :D
my first attempt i followed another recipe and somehow my macarons turned out brown and chewy :S
this time i'm going to follow every step of this recipe.
but is it okay if I minus the nuts? I'm allergic to it :P
Alycia: I hope I'll work for you as well as i does for me! Macarons are a tricky thing to do… Unfortunately if you're allergic to almonds, I'm afraid you won't be able to enjoy them. Powdered almonds is the main ingredient to make the cookies, without it they would be simple meringues with a lot less texture!
[...] One of my endless quests is making macarons that taste as good as Pierre Hermé’s (I know, good luck with that), but more recently, I stumbled on a recipe that surprised me and made me put it in my “When you want to impress” folder. It started very humbly: a few months ago, my local grocery store has started giving freebies when you checkout a certain amount. I don’t read the weekly flyer so it’s always a surprise, sometimes happy (broccoli! environmentally-friendly window cleaner!), sometimes less so (processed cheese??). [...]