Macarons (the original French macaroons)

Macarons (the original French macaroons) [final photo]

This recipe really is "of the moment": the success of these small, highly-coloured cakes, in an infinite variety of flavours, is impressive. It's a recipe which needs some care (that's why it is marked

), in order to produce a result worthy of a professional pastrychef. No problem, I will guide you through the recipe, particularly the tricky parts.

This variety of flavours means that I test many alternatives, so don't be surprised if in the pictures the colour of the macarons changes, I used the best photograph available for each stage. You will also find a page dedicated to fillings for macarons.

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For20 macarons (the original french macaroons)s 40 macarons (the original french macaroons)s 80 macarons (the original french macaroons)s 120 macarons (the original french macaroons)s

MeasuresMetric

Metric weight Metric volumes Read more...

For 40 macarons (the original french macaroons)s , you will need:

2 egg whites
²⁄₃ cup icing sugar
¾ cup ground almonds
1 tablespoon caster sugar
½ teaspoon lemon juice
10 drops food colouring (optional)
¹⁄₃ cup jam sugar
½ cup Fruit coulis (fruit purée)
1 pinch salt

Nutritional information:

Whole recipe

Calories

1528

76%

Proteins

19g

Carbohydrates

264g

24%

Fats

44g

15%

Per 100 g

Calories

313

16%

Proteins

Carbohydrates

54g

Fats

Per piece

Calories

Proteins

<1%

Carbohydrates

Fats

<1%

% are calculated relative to a Recommended Dietary Intake or RDI of 2000 k-calories by day for a woman (change to a man).

Times:

Preparation : 1 hour
Resting : 1 hour 10 min.
Cooking : 20 min.
Start to finish : 2 hours 30 min.

How much?

For 40 macarons (the original french macaroons)s : 3.02 €
By Macarons (the original French macaroons) : 0.08 €

Change currency:

Note : These prices are only approximate. Read more...

Step by step recipe:

Sieve ¾ cup ground almonds into a bowl, and discard any bits of almonds or skin which remain in the sieve. You can use "white" ground almonds (without skin) or "grey" (with skin), it's a question of taste and appearence of the finished macarons. In my opinion, "grey" almond macarons have more flavour, but less clear colour (natural, green, yellow, pink, etc...).
Sieve ²⁄₃ cup icing sugar into the same bowl. These siftings (and that which follows) are to obtain a fine mixture of ground almonds and icing sugar, without any small lumps.
Then mix almonds and icing sugar with a whisk, to avoid lumps reforming.
Put 2 egg whites, a few drops of lemon juice and a pinch of salt in a mixer bowl. Note: If you have several egg-whites in a bowl, and don't know how many, remember that one white egg is about 35 g. Beat on high speed until stiff adding the tablespoon of sugar halfway through.
Add the 6 drops of colouring, and beat a few seconds more to mix thoroughly.
We do this, instead of adding colouring before beating, to keep the colour stronger.
Sieve the icing sugar and almonds mixture onto the egg-whites.
Tip the bowl slightly and, with a maryse or a spatula (a maryse is much better), mix gently, turning over from top to bottom rather than round.
This is the first tricky stage: you should work the mixture, the aim is not to obtain a light mixture (as for a mousse for example)...
...but something slighly runny and shiny. This process is called "macaroner" in French(to macaron, perhaps?).
With a forcing bag (or a teaspoon, but it's much more difficult), form small heaps of mixture on cooking parchment or silicon paper on a baking sheet about the size of a 2 euro coin (1"). Leave a reasonable space between heaps, because they will spread out a little.
Tap the baking sheet gently on the work surface to spread out the heaps, and to round them (to remove the small point left by raising the forcing bag).
See the photos for what happens after tapping the baking sheet.
Leave at room temperature for 30 minutes to one hour, for the heaps to "form a crust". This is the 2^nd tricky stage: this time of "forming crust" is important for macarons which are well rounded, and do not split during cooking.
To test if your macarons are sufficiently "crusted", touch a top lightly with your finger: if the dough does not stick to your finger, the macarons are ready.
Then preheat the oven to 160°C or 320°F, and cook for 12 to 15 minutes. For some mysterious reason I have found that macarons rise best if they are on two baking sheets (one on top of the other) instead of a single one. Turn the baking sheets (front to back) after 6 minutes for even cooking.
Leave to cool completely before removing the macarons, and place on a wire rack to await filling. This is the 3^rd tricky stage: You should not overcook the macarons, which should stay moist in the middle. Watch the coloration: if you have used food colouring, they should stay that colour and not become brown.
Pair-up the macarons, i.e. by putting together a "top" and a "bottom" of about the same diameter. Then place "top" and "bottom" beside each other.
The filling Example: Raspberry macarons Mix ¹⁄₃ cup jam sugar with ½ cup Fruit coulis (fruit purée) in a small pan.
Bring to the boil on high heat, and boil for 3 minutes, stirring continuously.
Leave to cool, and begin the assembly when the filling starts to thicken.
Spread a teaspoonful of filling on "bottoms".
Then place a "top" on each one, and press together lightly so that filling is squeezed just a little beyond the edge.
The macarons are ready. Keep in the refrigerator.

Remarks:

For more precise calculations, according to the number of egg-whites you have: please note that for 1 egg white (35 g) you should use 75 g icing sugar and 40 g ground almonds. Allow me to insist on using precise measures for the ingredients in this recipe. I suggest you really weigh everything rather than using volumes, even if you are unused to doing this.

Macarons are always better (smoother) after a night sealed in a box in the fridge.

This recipe can be varied ad infinitum with different fillings and/or colours. For fruit for example, following the basic principles of the recipe you can try: apricot, lime, blackcurrant (mmm!), strawberry, etc... On this page you will find some ideas. I have noticed that to get the full "macaron effect", you need to serve several colours and flavours at the same time. Your guests (and you) will be delighted.

I think nevertheless that macarons are improved when their filling is a little tangy, fruity, to contrast strongly with their very sweet taste.

If you encounter problems, here are some mistakes which all beginners make (and me most of all):

Not sieving ground almonds and icing sugar => macarons with blisters, lumps of almonds or sugar.
Poor mixing of egg-whites and dry ingredients => uneven macarons, almond cakes rather than macarons
Not waiting the 30 minutes to "form crust" => macarons cracked, insufficiently risen or rounded
Undercooking => macarons too soft, impossible to remove from baking sheet
Overcooking => dry macarons
Trying to remove macarons from baking sheet before completely cooled => macarons break up or split in two
My macarons are brown despite my green (or other) food colouring => overcooking

Source:

Home made

Last modified on: September 4^th 2010

Your 18 comments or questions on this recipe:

- - -

At last, a readable french recipe ;-).

Comment #1 posted on september 16^th 2008 at 11:22 by Emma.

This is the best macaron recipe I hae ever seen, step by step with photos. I generally use egg whites for Shaum Tortes, but now will try macarons, especially after eating Thomas Kellers at Bouchon.

PS> My best friend rode Paris Brest Paris in 07 and wished she could have seen more of Brest, so we are going back in September!

Thanks for a fantastic site. Found you via Google.

Comment #2 posted on august 4^th 2009 at 21:02 by Annie.

Thank you Annie for this appreciation.
What is a Shaum Tortes ?

PS : Please feel free to contact me before coming back to Brest.

Comment #3 posted on august 5^th 2009 at 11:41 by jh.

Thank you so much! i failed 2 times before and was about to give up. it was then i found this page. the pictures were promising. so i decided to give it a try and, yes, i did it! however, they are cracked[i did leave it for more than 30mins outside] and they have a peak at the top and looks like a hill. it deflates after a while looking flat and empty. its a little brown on the sides and i have only baked it for 8 and a half minutes opening the oven at 6mins. how should i fix it???

Comment #4 posted on december 31^th 2009 at 05:52 by Jocelyn.

You're welcome !

For the peak on top, it's possibly that they have not leave enough before cooking for crusting. Have you use the tips to check how it stick with your finger?

And for the cooking time, try to leave your oven closed and for 12 minutes (maybe more, it depend of your oven, look how your macaroons are after this time).

Bonne chance !

Comment #5 posted on december 31^th 2009 at 10:19 by jh.

Thanks for your advices. i made another batch. it looked better. but it is too flat and not chewy enough for my liking. its top layer is a little too crisp. [i left it out for about 1h15mins this time, was it the long timing that caused it?] the bases sticks to the baking paper i use. how should i correct these problems?

happy new year to you! (:.

Comment #6 posted on december 31^th 2009 at 15:43 by Jocelyn.

Happy new year too !

1h15 is a bit long but not so much, have you check the top with your finger?

Sticking macaroons is often a matter of cooking time or temperature oven.

See the "If you encounter problems" in the recipe there is tips there to help you.

Comment #7 posted on january 2^nd 2010 at 12:08 by jh.

I have baked the chocolate macaron using your recipe. I add 30g of cocoa powder and subsitube 30g from the ground almond. The macaron in the oven was baked beautiful with smooth surface and nice feets but when out of the oven, the surface started to be uneven What is the reason behind it or did i use the wrong recipe for the chocolate macaron?

Comment #8 posted on february 22^th 2010 at 13:55 by christine.

Usually when surface "fall" when out of the oven, it's ofently a matter of temperature (a bit not enough hot) or cooking time (a bit too short).

Comment #9 posted on february 22^th 2010 at 14:29 by jh.

So the recipe for the chocolate macaroon is
2 egg whites
150 g icing sugar
50 g ground almonds
1 tablespoon caster sugar
30g cocoa powder

Bake at 160c for 12 to 15 min. Or is it 80g ground almond and 30g cocoa powder?

Comment #10 posted on february 22^th 2010 at 15:50 by christine.

It is 80 gr ground almond and 30 g cocoa powder.
To be not so precise a teaspoon of cocoa powder is enough because it's only a matter of color, not of taste which will come with inside chocolate ganache.
See fillings for macaroons about that.

Comment #11 posted on february 24^th 2010 at 10:25 by jh.

This is great recipe, but what can i substitue in for ground almonds? and i'm wondering if the mixture should be runny or like dough. mine was runny and it just messed up the piping bag. so now i am going to try again with ground macadamias?

Comment #12 posted on april 6^th 2010 at 01:18 by Anonymous.

I am half way through making a batch of macaroons. at the moment they are sitting waiting to 'crust' it has been over 2 hours and they are still sticky. the only progress they have made is leeking food colouring out the side, this is the second time i have tried making these today.

Comment #13 posted on april 6^th 2010 at 05:06 by nina.

I'm afraid ground almonds could not be replaced, I had try to make hazelnut macaroons a few weekfs ago, and it was a complete crash.
Mixture should be runny, see photos to know how much.

Comment #14 posted on april 6^th 2010 at 15:13 by jh.

To nina: maybe the ambiant air is not dry enough, where you are, to 'crust'?
Carry on, you will finally succeed!

Comment #15 posted on april 6^th 2010 at 15:15 by jh.

Just finished following this recipi BRILLIANT . my colors were a little darker but the good thing is i know were i went wrong the Phone rand darn it but they are not 2 bad thanks again.

Comment #16 posted on august 25^th 2010 at 18:50 by frangiepan.

This recipe looks brilliant!
But I must say that it should be macarOns in English as well.
MacarOOns are actually the nutty chocolates with coconuts and is completely different in texture and taste.
As a fervent macaron lover, it is sad to see that this delicate french pastry is misnamed by most people. I was surprised when I went to this one art gallery cafe and found that even this fancy cafe actually labelled the pastry as macarOONs not macarons.

Comment #17 posted on september 4^th 2010 at 01:27 by macarOns.

I was in London a few weeks ago, and I saw a Ladurée shop full of macarons, the price write on the windows was xx£ (I don't remember, but expensive surely) for 10 macaroOns.

I'm gonna modify the recipe right now! Thank you for this interesting precision.

Comment #18 posted on september 4^th 2010 at 09:02 by jh.

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For 40 macarons (the original french macaroons)s , you will need:

Nutritional information:

Times:

How much?

Step by step recipe:

The filling

Remarks:

Source:

Your 18 comments or questions on this recipe:

Post a comment or question: