Macarons 101

A macaron cookie is a small round cookie made of ground almond flour, egg whites, and sugar. Once you learn how to make macaron cookies you can play around with the flavor.

It is no doubt that macaron cookies are my favorite cookie ever. I went to Aldi twice to stock up on their macaron cookies. These are seasonal items and only come out around the Holidays. If you find something you really love at Aldi you have to go back and stock up on it or else that item won’t come around for a while. They come frozen and taste delicious. There are 6 boxes in my freezer right now. Trader Joe’s also sells these cookies. It made me want to update this post and try making macarons myself. 

A macaron cookie is whipped egg whites, sugar, and almond flour that gets piped on to a baking sheet and then they get baked in the oven. Once you have the basic process down and have a recipe you like,  you can flavor them in many different ways. My favorites is caramel and pistachio. There are many different flavors of extracts and so many different colors of food coloring. The recipe I used is from Tasty’s Macaron 101 recipe video on youtube. 

Some people might say that this is the hardest cookie to master and trust me it is. If you want to master the macaron cookie, I’d suggest mastering a simple meringue cookie first. I have a recipe linked down below for that if you are looking for one. You will quickly learn how the meringue should actually look like when it is ready. The meringue should be stiff peaks. Hold the bowl of meringue over your head. If nothing falls out you’re ready. It’s kind of like How Dairy Queen does their Blizzard tests. 🙂 

What do I need to make Macarons?  

• Powdered sugar
• Almond flour, finely ground
• Salt, divided
• Egg whites, at room temperature
• Granulated sugar
• Vanilla extract
• 2 drops pink gel food coloring

VANILLA BUTTERCREAM

• Unsalted butter, 2 sticks, at room temperature
• Powdered sugar
• Vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons heavy cream

How to make Macarons

• Make the macarons: In the bowl of a food processor, combine the powdered sugar, almond flour, and ½ teaspoon of salt, and process on low speed, until extra fine. Sift the almond flour mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl.
• In a separate large bowl, beat the egg whites and the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt with an electric hand mixer or stand mixer until soft peaks form. Gradually add the granulated sugar until fully incorporated. Continue to beat until stiff peaks form (you should be able to turn the bowl upside down without anything falling out).
• Add the vanilla and beat until incorporated. Add the food coloring and beat until just combined.
• Add about ⅓ of the sifted almond flour mixture at a time to the beaten egg whites and use a spatula to gently fold until combined. After the last addition of almond flour, continue to fold slowly until the batter falls into ribbons and you can make a figure 8 while holding the spatula up.
• Transfer the macaron batter into a piping bag fitted with a round tip.
• Place 4 dots of the batter in each corner of a rimmed baking sheet, and place a piece of parchment paper over it, using the batter to help adhere the parchment to the baking sheet.
• Pipe the macarons onto the parchment paper in 1½-inch (3-cm) circles, spacing at least 1-inch (2-cm) apart.
• Tap the baking sheet on a flat surface 5 times to release any air bubbles.
• Let the macarons sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour, until dry to the touch.
• Preheat the oven to 300˚F (150˚C).
• Bake the macarons for 17 minutes, until the feet are well-risen and the macarons don’t stick to the parchment paper.
• Transfer the macarons to a wire rack to cool completely before filling.
• Make the buttercream: In a large bowl, add the butter and beat with a mixer for 1 minute until light and fluffy. Sift in the powdered sugar and beat until fully incorporated. Add the vanilla and beat to combine. Add the cream, 1 tablespoon at a time, and beat to combine, until desired consistency is reached.
• Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a round tip.
• Dollop some buttercream to one macaron shell. Top it with another macaron shell to create a sandwich. Repeat with remaining macaron shells and buttercream.

Tips for Macaron Cookies 

Your hands are great tools to separate egg yolks. Crack the eggs into a bowl and scoop them out with your fingers. 

Sift all the dry ingredients. I did this in my food processor and pulsed for probably 10 times. The finer the dry ingredients are, the smoother your top will be. 

Beat egg whites with a whisk attachment. I like to use my kitchen aid mixer for this. The whisk attachment will beat more air into the egg whites. 

Gradually add the sugar to the egg whites. Do not dump it in all at once. 

How do I know when the meringue is ready? If your peeks are stiff enough you can flip your bowl upside down. 

Gel food coloring is best. The drops are too liquidy and might ruin your batter. 

Other Cookie Recipes 

Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookies 

Spritz Cookies

Cherry Shortbread Cookies 

Candy Cane Blossoms 

Print

*If you make this recipe please comment and rate the recipe below to let everyone know how it is, or tag me on Instagram! If you want to upload a photo you can do that on Pinterest. Just find the post for it.