France · Dessert · Hard
French Macarons
Rome's most famous pasta. Silky egg and Pecorino sauce clinging to every strand, studded with crisp guanciale. No cream, ever.
The whole recipe in 60 seconds
French Macarons, in 5 ideas
- Weigh everything. Macarons punish volume measurements. A kitchen scale is the difference between success and soup.
- Aged egg whites whip better. Separate them the night before, cover, and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before whipping.
- Count your folds. Macaronage is the make-or-break step. Stop every 10 folds and do the ribbon test.
- Oven thermometers do not lie. Most ovens run hot or cold. Three hundred degrees must mean three hundred degrees.
- Fill and rest overnight. Filled macarons mature in the fridge. The shells soften slightly and the flavors meld. Worth the wait.
What you need
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup almond flour, finely ground
- 3 large egg whites, at room temperature, divided
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- Gel food coloring (optional)
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar, for filling
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
How to make it
Directions
- Sift the powdered sugar and almond flour together twice. Discard any coarse bits. Lumps are the enemy of smooth shells.
- Whip 2 egg whites to soft peaks. Gradually add the granulated sugar and whip to stiff glossy peaks.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the meringue in two additions. Then macaronage: fold and press the batter against the bowl until it flows like lava and a ribbon dissolves in 10 seconds. This takes 40 to 50 folds. Undermixed is lumpy, overmixed is flat.
- Pipe 1 1/2 inch rounds onto parchment lined sheets. Bang the tray hard on the counter 3 times to pop air bubbles.
- Rest 30 to 60 minutes until the tops are dry to the touch and no longer tacky. This forms the skin that forces the feet to grow downward.
- Bake at 300F for 14 to 16 minutes until the shells lift cleanly off the parchment. Cool completely before peeling.
- Make the filling: beat the butter, powdered sugar, cream, and vanilla until fluffy. Sandwich the shells in matching pairs.
The skin must form before baking. Touch a shell, if batter sticks to your finger, wait longer. No skin means cracked tops and no feet.