Macarons have a reputation for being tricky, but they're very tasty and fast to make. Over time I've found a couple of key tips:
1. After you pipe them onto the parchment, let them sit on the counter for 20-30 minutes to dry out. This is key to getting the little feet.
2. It's easy to underbake or over bake them. Try lifting one off when you think they're done -- the bottom should lift off easily without sticking. At that point give it another minute.
My philosophy is to just keep making them until you get a feel for it.
Each egg white is about 30 grams. For every egg white you need 30 grams of almond meal, 54 grams of confectioner's sugar, and 12 grams of granulated sugar. The recipe below is for macarons using 3 egg whites, which will give you about 32 halves or 16 double-macaron sandwiches.
3 egg whites, at room temperature
36 grams granulated or caster sugar (about 3 Tblsp)
1/8 tsp cream of tartar (optional)
1/4 tsp flavoring, e.g. vanilla, almond extract (optional)
Coloring (optional)
90 grams almond meal (about 1 cup)
162 grams of confectioner's sugar (about 1 1/2 cups)
Put parchment paper on two baking sheets. In a small bowl, sieve almond meal and confectioner's sugar together and set aside.
With whisk attachment on stand mixer, stir egg whites, cream of tartar, and granulated sugar at medium-low speed until a little frothy and the sugar is incorporated into the egg whites, about 1-2 minutes. Increase speed to medium or medium high and beat for about a minute, then increase speed again to medium-high to high and beat until you have glossy, stiff peaks. When you lift the whisk out of the egg whites it can just bend over into a stiff 'comma' shape, but you don't want it too loose. Just before you stop beating, add any flavoring or coloring you want.
Take the bowl off the mixer and, with a spatula, gently fold in the almond-sugar mixture. The more you fold, the runnier it will get -- you're looking for a mixture that is stiffer than pancake batter, but just runny enough to almost fall out of the piping bag on its own.
Put a small amount of batter into a piping bag that has a large round opening (I just use the plastic ring that holds the piping tips, with no tip on it.) and pipe a test macaron -- it should flatten out without holding a peak. If it makes a little peak, fold the batter a little more. When the batter is the right consistency, pipe it onto the baking sheets, about and inch and a half in diameter and about 2 inches apart.
When you have piped all the macarons, lift the baking sheets about 6-8 inches and drop them on the counter 2 or 3 times, to get air bubbles out of them. The batter will smooth out and spread out a little bit as it sits. Let the macarons sit for an hour to dry out a little -- I've tried making them with and without this step and have found that they're much more likely to rise up and form their little 'feet' if you dry them a bit.
Turn your oven to 300 degrees and bake for about 10 minutes -- check them frequently to make sure they're not browning. Let cookies cool completely before filling.
Each egg white is about 30 grams. For every egg white you need 30 grams of almond meal, 54 grams of confectioner's sugar, and 12 grams of granulated sugar. The recipe below is for macarons using 3 egg whites, which will give you about 32 halves or 16 double-macaron sandwiches.
3 egg whites, at room temperature
36 grams granulated or caster sugar (about 3 Tblsp)
1/8 tsp cream of tartar (optional)
1/4 tsp flavoring, e.g. vanilla, almond extract (optional)
Coloring (optional)
90 grams almond meal (about 1 cup)
162 grams of confectioner's sugar (about 1 1/2 cups)
Put parchment paper on two baking sheets. In a small bowl, sieve almond meal and confectioner's sugar together and set aside.
With whisk attachment on stand mixer, stir egg whites, cream of tartar, and granulated sugar at medium-low speed until a little frothy and the sugar is incorporated into the egg whites, about 1-2 minutes. Increase speed to medium or medium high and beat for about a minute, then increase speed again to medium-high to high and beat until you have glossy, stiff peaks. When you lift the whisk out of the egg whites it can just bend over into a stiff 'comma' shape, but you don't want it too loose. Just before you stop beating, add any flavoring or coloring you want.
Take the bowl off the mixer and, with a spatula, gently fold in the almond-sugar mixture. The more you fold, the runnier it will get -- you're looking for a mixture that is stiffer than pancake batter, but just runny enough to almost fall out of the piping bag on its own.
Put a small amount of batter into a piping bag that has a large round opening (I just use the plastic ring that holds the piping tips, with no tip on it.) and pipe a test macaron -- it should flatten out without holding a peak. If it makes a little peak, fold the batter a little more. When the batter is the right consistency, pipe it onto the baking sheets, about and inch and a half in diameter and about 2 inches apart.
When you have piped all the macarons, lift the baking sheets about 6-8 inches and drop them on the counter 2 or 3 times, to get air bubbles out of them. The batter will smooth out and spread out a little bit as it sits. Let the macarons sit for an hour to dry out a little -- I've tried making them with and without this step and have found that they're much more likely to rise up and form their little 'feet' if you dry them a bit.
Turn your oven to 300 degrees and bake for about 10 minutes -- check them frequently to make sure they're not browning. Let cookies cool completely before filling.
