7 years ago while in Seattle at a French bakery, I tried macarons for the first time. It was love at first bite! After tasting the delish french confection, I was intrigued and determined to start baking them.

Plenty of attempts (and mishaps) later, I made what I called my first successful batch of macarons for my daughter’s birthday in 2013, but I’ve had my fair share of disasters with macarons since.

The idea that macarons are difficult to make is enough to feel intimidated even before the baking process begins. I know, because I’ve been there. But not to worry friends! Today I’m here to encourage you and let you know that baking macarons is not as hard as it seems. It is however, a process that takes time and experience, but with patience and practice you’ll be baking macarons like a boss in no time!

Below, I share all my tips and recipe for baking successful macarons, a guide if you will, while also explaining the difference between the two common macaron baking methods. 

Let’s start with the basics.

What is a French Macaron?

A french macaron is a delicate meringue based french confection made with almond flour, meringue and sweet fillings of choice. Not to be confused with the macaroon, which is a cookie made with shredded coconut and often dipped in chocolate. The shell of the macaron is naturally gluten-free.

Pronunciation

Ma-ca-rohn

There is plenty of back and forth about how to properly pronounce macarons. I assure they are not called “Macaroons.” I had lots of practice with pronunciation while in Paris last summer. 

This is how you properly pronounce them in French. Scroll to 4.30 seconds.

Methods

There are two common methods for making French Macarons. French Meringue and Italian Meringue.

What’s the difference?

The difference in the macaron methods comes down to the preparation of the meringue. The method of choice is based on preference and really, the amount of time you have on your hands. Through experience I’ve learned that I prefer the Italian method (although it takes a little longer to prep and bake), because it yields much more consistent results.

French Meringue

French meringue is made by whisking sugar into beaten egg whites until glossy stiff peaks form. This method tends to be the quickest and easiest to learn on. To make macarons using the french method, you fold the measured dry ingredients into the classic french meringue until it forms the ribbon like batter.

Italian Meringue

Italian meringue is much denser and made by whisking a hot sugar syrup into the egg whites until glossy peaks form. The Italian meringue is then folded into the paste made from egg whites, almond flour and powdered sugar to create a thicker macaron batter. The Italian Meringue method takes longer to prep and bake, but can be sturdier and easier to work with in my opinion.

Silpat or Parchment?

Parchment is great for macarons, but I’ve noticed the shells can bake up slightly uneven along the bottoms, if the paper is not completely flat against the baking sheet. 

Silpat works great for the Italian method. I assume this is because the macaron shell bakes up so much sturdier in the oven! I haven’t had much luck using silpat with the French Meringue macarons but I’m currently testing the technique.

Whether baking macarons on parchment or silpat, it’s important to allow the shells to completely cool before removing them.

Below are a few do’s and dont’s to take into consideration when you’re baking macarons.

Do

Make sure to have a good working candy thermometer and kitchen scale on hand.

Do measure all of the ingredients prior to baking macarons.

Once filled, give the finished macarons time to mature in the fridge. I recommend at least 2 hours and up to 24 before serving.

Do store in an airtight container right away.

Don’t 

Over fold the batter. You’re looking for batter consistency that is slightly thick and ribbon like, but not runny. When piped, any bumps in the batter should gradually blend, but not run spread on the baking sheet.

Panic! Sometimes the first batch of macarons that you pipe won’t turn out as well as the second. Or the entire batch might not turn out at all! Take notes and test one sheet at a time so that you can make proper adjustments if need be.

A proper macaron whether made with the Italian or French method will have a smooth round shell with formed feet lining the bottom edge.

What are feet?

Feet are the magical ruffles that form at the bottom of the macaron shells as they bake and rise in the oven. They are an indicator of a proper macaronage and sought after by every macaron baker.

Ready to give them a try?

Watch my quick video before you get started!

The Italian Meringue macaron recipe I use is an adapted from Buchon Bakery. This one has been my go-to for years with some adjustments made over time to suit my process.

Yield: 24

How to make French Macarons - Italian Meringue Method

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Instructions for making delicious french macarons using the Italian Meringue method. Adapted from Buchon Bakery.

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Additional Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes

Ingredients

• For the French Macaron Shells:
• 106 grams of almond meal
• 106 grams powdered sugar
• 41 and 45 grams of egg whites divided
• 115 grams of granulated sugar
• 79 grams of water
• dash of cream of tartar or lemon juice for stabilizing
• ¼ tsp pink gel food coloring
• For the Dark Chocolate Ganache (Dairy Free):
• 8 oz dairy free dark chocolate
• 1/2 cup full fat coconut milk

Instructions

For the macarons:

1. First things first! Wipe down the mixing bowl and whisk attachment with vinegar to remove any built up residue. This will ensure that the egg whites whisk up properly!
2. Prep and measure all of the ingredients using a kitchen scale.
3. Prep a piping bag with a round tip. I use Wilton tip 10.
4. Line 2 baking sheets with silpat (or parchment).
5. Combine measured almond meal & powdered sugar together in a bowl. Sift one time to remove any lumps, discarding of them, then mix together to break up clumps.
6. Make a well in the center of the dry mix and pour the 41 grams of measured egg whites into the center of the dry mixture. Fold together until blended then add gel food coloring and mix well until fully incorporated. The finished mix will be paste-like. Set aside.
7. For the sugar syrup:
8. To make the sugar syrup, heat granulated sugar and water in a pot on medium heat with a candy thermometer attached to the side. **Be careful to make sure the thermometer is not touching the bottom of the pot**.
9. Once the thermometer's temperature reaches approximately 200 degrees F, place the 45 grams of measured egg whites in the stand mixer and whisk on medium speed, to soft peaks.
10. Add a drop of lemon juice or dash of cream of tartar to stabilize, THEN continue whisking.
11. If the egg whites are at soft peaks before the syrup reaches 248 F, turn the mixer down to low speed to keep the egg whites moving.
12. Watch the sugar syrup closely!
13. As soon as the sugar syrup reaches 248 degrees F, remove from heat.
14. Quickly increase mixer speed to medium and begin slowly pouring the sugar syrup down the side of your mixing bowl into the meringue until thoroughly combined.
15. THEN increase the mixing speed to high and whisk sugar and meringue together until glossy and stiff peaks form and the meringue has cooled. (The meringue should keep its form.)
16. Gently transfer finished meringue into the almond/powdered sugar mixture in thirds, making sure that it's fully incorporated before adding the additional 3rd of meringue.
17. Continue to fold the batter in a circular motion, going around the edges of the bowl, then once through the center. Repeat these steps until smooth and thick ribbons of batter run off the spatula.
18. **Be careful not to over-mix**
19. You want the batter to be slightly thick, but not so thin that it does not hold the ribbon shape. Err on the side of caution.
20. Transfer batter to the prepped piping bag(s).
21. Pipe 1 1/2 inch rounds about one inch apart on the lined baking sheet.
22. Be sure to hold the piping bag about 1/2 inch directly above the baking sheet when piping the rounds. Continue to pipe until you've filled an entire baking sheet.
23. *Tap the macarons on the counter three times to release air bubbles.
24. *Pop any air bubbles that might've come to the surface, using a scribe or even a toothpick!
25. Before placing the macs in the oven, allow them to rest until a proper skin has formed on the outside of the shell. This can take anywhere from 20-30 minutes. Test by touching the piped rounds to make sure they're dry to touch and that no batter comes off on fingers.
26. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
27. Once dry to touch, place the macarons in the middle rack of the oven.
28. Feet will form halfway through the baking process.
29. Bake for 12-14 minutes.
30. Remove from oven and allow 15-20 minutes to cool before attempting to remove the shells from the silpat/parchment paper.
31. Once macarons are completely cool, gently remove from parchment paper/silpat.
32. Repeat same steps to bake the remaining macaron batter.
33. They're ready to fill.

For the Ganache:

1. Heat coconut milk in saucepan until simmering.
2. Pour simmering coconut milk into the dark chocolate until smooth and completely combined.
3. Allow to cool slightly, then transfer to a piping bag to fill the macarons.

Assembly:

1. Evenly pipe rounds of ganache into the center of the bottom of each macaron shell. Top with second shell to create a sandwich.
2. Transfer the finished macarons into the fridge and allow at least two hours to mature. 12 hours or overnight preferred.
3. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

Place macarons in an airtight container until filled. They will keep for 3 days in the fridge and 6 months in the freezer.

Fillings

The most common fillings for french macarons are swiss meringue buttercream, jams, curds and ganache. My go-to is a combination of dairy free buttercream and jam, or dark chocolate ganache!

Troubleshooting

Hollows

I’ve had half hollow shells or an air pocket inside my macarons many times. I haven’t quite figured out the cause, but I find it mostly corrects itself when the shells are filled and maturing in the fridge. To be honest, I don’t think macaron success should be based off of whether the shells are slightly hollow or not. People don’t view macarons from the inside, so I recommend focusing first on learning the basics and achieving a good looking batch! 

As far as the cause of hollows goes, I’ve heard this can happen when the batter is over-mixed or when the shells are baked too long in the oven. If you know of any other reasons, share them below!

Cracked shells

Shells that crack on top while baking in the oven, are usually caused by a short resting time. They did not form the skin and all the air that usually bubbles around the bottom of the macaron (feet,) ends up going out the top of the shell instead.

Soft shells

Runny meringue that’s not beaten to stiff peaks is what I usually find to be the culprit. 

Brown shells

Over baked. Try turning the oven down by 5+10 degrees, or place a pan above the rack of macarons in the oven to shield them from the heat.  Watch them closely to make sure they don’t over cook and pull them from the oven right away.

Uneven shells

This is usually a piping error. Make sure to hold the piping tip directly above the baking sheet when piping the macarons, also be sure to only gently tap the piped batter on the counter so that they hold their even round shape.

The number one piece of advice I can give when it comes to baking macarons is this. 

Practice, practice practice!

There’s nothing more rewarding than a perfectly baked batch of macarons, but all good things take time! I have years of experience and still run into problems every now and again, so don’t be hard on yourself, move forward with confidence, take notes and try again! When you do so, you’ll start to recognize what works best for you and hopefully my guide will help ease the process!

 I wish you good luck with your next batch of Italian Meringue macarons! I’m here if you need me and cannot wait to hear from you!

Check back for the part 2 guide, baking macarons with the French Meringue method.

I’ve linked all my favorite items for baking macarons below!

This post titled How to Make French Macarons – Italian Meringue Method was seen first on Posh Little Designs. All Rights Reserved. 2019.