Basic French Macarons
Just a few months ago, these pretty little cookies popped on the screens everywhere I went. So dainty, colorful and tempting! Everyone was all ohs and ahs about how wonderful these treats are.
I’m curious person by nature. And since I could not find anything like this where I live (I live in the middle nowhere!), I googled the recipe for these beautiful treats. Found ton of recipes, read countless tips and tricks (apparently they are quite finicky!), drooled over many, many gorgeous photos, and I finally made them!
Oh, sweet little macarons, where have you been all my life? They were so absolutely delicious.
To make up for all the lost time without these gems, I was on the roll making them day and night. Ok, maybe a little exaggeration, but you got the idea, I was obsessed!
I can’t say I’ve perfected these delicate little cookies yet. But as you can see they’re not that bad.
My very first attempt at macarons… They’re perfect on the outside, but were hollow inside. 🙁
Now, that I had made these gems more than handful of times and I’m pretty confident with the technique, and I thought I would share my process.
This is the simple macarons recipe though, no flavorings or anything. Down the road, I’ll be experimenting with more flavors!! But for now, this is perfect for us, beginners.
Here is step-by-step photo directions:
- Bring the egg whites to room temperature, they beat easier.
- Make sure your bowl for egg whites is super clean and free of any streaks of grease. Glass or stainless steel bowls are best, because plastic bowl tend to absorb oil. Even the tiniest trace of oil, or egg yolk will prevent the egg whites from whipping into fluffy meringue.
- Use thick baking sheets to bake evenly and prevent browning from the bottom of the macarons.
- If you over-mix the batter, the macarons will spread too much, won’t form feet and/or they will be hollow.
- If you under-mix the batter, your macarons will end up with uneven surface and without feet.
- To prevent browning the macarons from the top, place an empty baking sheet on a top rack. This way the heat from roof of the oven is blocked, preventing the macarons brown too much.
I’ve baked the macarons on both silicone mat, and parchment paper. In my experience, macarons, baked on silicone mat, tend to have bulging feet, as shown above. Not the end of the world, but I prefer to bake my macarons on parchment paper for this very reason.
Experimenting with fun colors and designs.
For more flavored macarons, check out my other macaron recipes.
Basic French Macarons
Basic French Macarons -perfect for beginners.
Yield: 25-30
Ingredients:
For macaron shells:
- 100gr almond flour
- 100gr powdered sugar
- 70gr (1/3 cup) egg whites, at room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar, optional
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup (50gr) sugar
- Gel food coloring, if desired
For Buttercream Filling:
- 2 large egg yolks
- ¼ cup (50gr) sugar
- 3 ½ tablespoons milk
- 1/2 cup (115gr) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Directions:
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Sift together almond flour and powdered sugar twice. Set aside.
- In a clean medium bowl, beat the egg whites on medium low speed until foamy. Add cream of tartar and salt. Then slowly add sugar one tablespoon at a time. Continue to beat the egg whites on medium low speed until hard peaks form. (TIP: Stir in gel or powder food coloring, if desired, when the meringue reaches soft peak stage.)
- Sift almond flour mixture into the meringue, and gently fold it with a spatula until batter is just combined. TIP: Making french macarons is all about the technique. This is the most crucial step of all. Let me try to describe the folding motion as best as I can. Run the spatula clockwise from the bottom, up around the sides and cut the batter in half. I suggest to count every fold, I do about 50 folds, and then I start testing the batter on a small plate after every couple folds. To test, drop a small amount of batter on a plate. If the small peaks dissolve into the batter on its own in about 10 seconds, the batter is ready. If not, fold couple more times and test again. Be careful not to over-fold the batter.
- Transfer the batter into a pastry bag with a round tip. Pipe about 1.5-inch rounds about an inch apart on prepared baking sheets.
- Tap the baking sheets firmly on the counter a few times to get rid of any air bubbles. You can also use a toothpick to burst a some large air bubbles.
- Let the macarons sit out on the counter for at least 15-30 minutes, maybe up to couple hours, depending on humidity. When you lightly touch the macarons, and the batter does not stick to your finger, then it’s ready to go into the oven. While waiting, preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C).
- Bake the macarons one sheet at a time for about 18-20 minutes. It’ll take longer for larger macarons. To test for doneness, touch a macaron lightly and try to move it. If it slides and wobbles, bake a minute or so longer. The cooked macarons should be firm to touch and the base shouldn’t move.
- Cool the macarons on the sheet for 10-15 minutes, and then transfer the macarons to a wire rack to cool completely.
- To make the buttercream filling, in a medium bowl, beat the egg yolks slightly with a whisk and add sugar . Continue to whisk until the mixture is pale and sugar is mostly dissolved. Stir in the milk. Transfer the egg yolk mixture into a small saucepan and heat over low heat, stirring frequently. Continue to cook until it’s thick like pudding, about 5 minutes. Transfer the mixture back to the bowl and bring it to room temperature. Stir in the butter in three batches. Add vanilla extract and continue to mix until smooth.
- To assemble, transfer the buttercream filling into a pastry bag and fill the macarons.
For step-by-step photos and additional tips, read the post above.
You can find step-by-step photo recipe for buttercream filling here.
Store the filled macarons in airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also freeze the filled macarons in airtight container for up to 5 months.
Made
this
recipe?
Snap a photo and submit it here. OR
Share it on IG with #sweetandsavorybyshinee
All photographs and content on Sweet & Savory by Shinee is copyright protected, unless otherwise noted. Please do not use any of my photos without my authorization. If you would like to share my recipe, you may re-write the recipe in your own words, or simply link back to this post for the full directions. Thank you for your cooperation!
Subscribe to receive weekly updates:
I love how you put exact minutes of how long you should bake the macarons or let them just sit on the counter until they are ready! I also appreciate how you counted how many folds are best to mix the batter properly! You recommended folding the batter 50 times! I never knew you should put an empty baking sheet above the sheet with the macarons on it! Then you said that silicon baking sheets aren’t what you would recommend. I agree with that! I prefer parchment paper too! To be honest I have bought my parchment paper from Marshalls! I am not sure if that’s a good idea or not though. Anyway, I love how you give such precise descriptions on how to mix the batter properly, what happens if even the tiniest bit of oil or grease can potentially mess up the of the look macarons, and other examples of what happens if you fold the batter too much or not enough! It’s actually quite fascinating and very helpful how your directions say what to expect when making these amazing pastries! I don’t think I read any directions that are this precise even on Martha Stewart’s website on how to make macarons! For example putting the empty baking sheet over the sheet with the macarons on it! I don’t think she mentioned that! If I remember correctly! Thank you so much for your amazing and helpful in-depth advice for making macarons! I can see why this got 51 reviews with 5 stars! Truly fascinating and interesting! I’m going to try to follow these directions whenever I get the time to make my macarons!
Maggie, I’m SO glad you’ve picked up all the tips I’ve included in my recipe and post, and that you found them helpful. Please let us know if you try making macarons! Thank you for sharing your feedback!
Hi Shinee. I tried your recipe. It was perfect. I have to address the issue of browning in my convection oven. I will be trying out the other mac recipes on your blog and will let you know the results of the same. Thank you for sharing!
Awesome, so glad you had success with my recipe, Mary! For browning, I’d recommend placing an empty tray on the top rack and see if that helps.
How do you store them? I was thinking adding them to my Christmas cookie trays but need to make sure they freeze well for about a month?
Hi, H. Yes, macarons freeze really well. You can freeze both filled macarons (assuming the filling is freezer-friendly) or just the shells. Good luck!
So I made these today at work & blew away my boss (thank you!) Not all of them came out well…many stuck to the silicone mat, but I honestly think it was the mat…? I will try a silkmat next time. I baked them in a conventional oven for 18min at 300’F…do you think I should have given them another minute or 2 to counteract this? (The tops were already beginning to brown)Thank you!!!
Yay, so happy for your macaron success, Sheyna! They may have been underbaked. But it may have to do with silicone mat too. I don’t like to bake on silicone mat for the very reason, they seem to underbake on the bottom, yet they start to brown on top. 2 tips that may help: 1. Try baking macaron on parchment paper, or these super thin silicon mats work great too. 2. Or try baking them longer, but place an empty sheet on top tray to shield the heat from the top to prevent browning. Hope this helps. Let me know if you see any improvements.
Excellent suggestions!!! Funny how things seem so obvious when someone ELSE says it lol. Thank you again for sharing your knowledge so freely! I will have lots of practice as my friends are already requesting Banana Split, S’mores, & Fruity Pebble versions lolThank you,Sheyna
Do you have to add the cream of tartar??
If you don’t have it, you don’t have to, Maura. It helps to stabilize the egg whites, but it’s not essential.
Hi Shinee,
Thanks for this wonderful recipe. Its so easy and quick to make. I particulary liked the lemon macaron recipe. It tasted delicious. when i made these macarons, some of them had tiny little bumps on the top surface while others were really smooth and perfect. One another problem i noticed was the macarons were little crunchy. Could you please lemme know what could be the reason for these issues? I tried making these macarons using silicon mat as well as parchment paper.
Hi, Apoorva. Thank you for reaching out. Were those bumps grainy? If so, that’s maybe because the almond flour isn’t really fine. And as for crunchy macarons, you could try 2 things: 1. Bake a minute or so less. 2. Also mature the macarons in the fridge with the filling for 24 hours. Typically, macaron shells will absorb moisture and flavors from the filling in that 24 hours and soften nicely. Hope this helps. Let me know.
It was my first time making macarons when I tried this recipe and they came out perfectly! I would definitely recommend this recipe to anyone who is new to making macarons.
That’s awesome, Molly. Thank you for sharing your macaron success.
I think this is a very good recipe. I just use eggless buttercream but he macarons themselves turned out great except that where your pictures show very flat tops, mine have a little curl or peak that still shows after drying. I did bang the sheet on the counter but it didn’t seem to help.
Hi, Sandra. I’m happy you liked the recipe and had success with it. If the shells didn’t completely smoothed out while resting, it means they were slightly under-mixed. Next time, fold the batter a few extra times. Good luck!
Fantastic guide. Until I made these I had never even had a maracron but with your guide I nailed it (according to people who have had them). Thanks so much!
Yay, so happy for you, Jk! Thank you for your feedback!
Is the cream of tartar a necessity? What difference does it make?
Hi, Isy. No, cream of tartar is not essential. You can omit it, if you don’t have it. It helps to stabilize the egg whites and create better meringue.
It was ok. I had to change my thermostat just so the cookies would settle, I let the butter cream cool down to room temp, added the butter but it still didn’t work so I had to add like five 1/4 cups just so the icing would form!! The cookies tasted ok but I made this recipe three different times and the macaroons would not form and for some reason formed bubbles. Any tips would be appreciated.
Hi, Auna. Thank you for your feedback. Not sure what you mean by macarons would not form and formed bubbles. Were they spreading too much? If so, that means the batter has been over-mixed. Next time, don’t mix it for too long. You can read this post for troubleshooting tips, or let me know more details on the issue. As for buttercream, it sounds like your buttercream turned out too runny? In that case, the egg mixture should be sufficiently cooled before adding butter. And butter should be super soft. IF the buttercream did turn out too runny, my suggestion is to put it in the fridge to firm up, instead of adding powdered sugar. Adding powdered sugar won’t help much.
This was great I’ve tried so many recipes and they don’t work. but I don’t like putting egg yolks or eggs in my buttercream so I just cream butter then and my powdered sugar and milk then my vanilla.
Hi, Mimi. So happy my recipe worked for you. Thank you for your feedback!
Hi! I just made this recipe and the cookie part turned out great the only thing I don’t think i did right was the buttercream. It looked more like pale, creamy egg yolks than buttercream and i have no idea where i went wrong🤷♀️
Hi, Nicole. So glad your macaron shells came out good. On the buttercream, was it a bit runny? If so, maybe your butter was too soft, or the egg yolk mixture was a bit too warm and melted the butter. Hope this helps.
Is there a way I can replace the milk in the buttermilk filling with something like coconut milk since I tend to have negative reactions to milk?
Absolutely!
Yes, you can, Brynley.
Remember to have not soft butter but soften the butter. Mine did not fluff until after I chilled it. But oh my goodness that is so good!!!
Oh my I posted in the wrong recipe. I used this for my macaroons this was the best. I filled with the buttercream. My cookies came out grainy. I siffed three times. But did not buzz it. All I have is a blender so I will try that today. But great recipe
Thank you, Crystal, for your feedback. If your almond flour is not super fine flour, then I’d advise to run in your blender for a little bit. But be very careful not to overprocess it, or it’ll release too much oil and it won’t work out well for your macarons.
Hi! I’m planning to make pistachio macarons this weekend. Would it be possible to replace 25 grams of the almond flour with finely ground pistachios?
Hi, Affy. Here’s my pistachio macaron recipe. It’s based on this basic macaron recipe, but some of almond flour is swapped with pistachio flour. Hope you’ll like it.
Love the macaroons still can’t believe I made them my self they taste better than anything I have ever tried your recipe sure came from heaven!!!
Thanks for the tip of how to check if the batter is ready or not. I’ll be trying it and hopefully will have better results.
Thank you so much for finally allowing me to get this these beauties right!!
Happy to hear your macaron success. Thank you for your feedback!
I am 12 years old and mine came out beautiful. Your instructions were really helpful. Thank you 👍
SO happy to hear this, Turtledani!! Thank you for your feedback!!!
Hi Shinee,
Just wanted to check is it mandate for the almond flour to be super fine ? Saw few other videos where they have put the almond flour in the food processor to be super fine ..
Thank you ,
Rekha
Hi, Rekha. I recommend super fine almond flour to achieve nice smooth shells. However, if you don’t have fine almond flour, food processor will work too. I’m just too lazy to bring out a large food processor, if I could help. 😉
Mined turned out great. The only issue i had was that it was a bit lumpy on the top. Could it be because I did not sift the almond flour enough? I sifted twice.
So glad yours turned out great, Naley. Did you use finely ground almond flour? If it was coarse almond flour, the shells won’t be smooth.
thank you for the recipe. I followed it and made my first batch of macarons ever. I managed to get feet! I did find them really dry. I wonder if my oven is running hotter then it says or to try the trick of putting a baking sheet above? Any other idea’s? Thanks!
Hi, Cindy. So happy to hear your macaron success. Yeah, it’s possible your oven runs slightly hotter.
You can try 2 things:
1. bake for shorter time, start checking for doneness couple minutes sooner.
2. lower the temp by 10°F.
Putting a baking sheet above will prevent macarons from browning too much.
Hope this helps. Keep us posted if you try again.
I have always wanted to try to make macarons. But I thought it would be beyond my skills. I am so pleased to say that 2 out of 3 trays were perfect. The others tray puffed and cracked and had no feet, which is weird because they were all from the same batch. Maybe I slammed the others harder on the counter. I made a dark chocolate and marmalade filling. The orange flavor soaked in. Fabulous!
Yay, so happy your macarons turned out mostly great, Lisa. Thank you for your feedback. Which of the trays came out puffed and cracked? I assume you baked each tray separately, right?
Maybe that was the problem. I put all 3 trays in the oven at once.
Made these macarons last weekend and they were a success! I followed every little step exactly, and they were delicious! My only issue (which was my fault) was that they turned out with brown speckles because I didn’t toss the brown pieces in the almond flour after sifting. Just a heads up for anyone making them!
Awesome. Thank you soooo much for your feedback, Lauren!
Shinee, thank you for this macaron recipe! I’ve made it for mu son’s birthday party, children liked it so much!
I was looking for recipes that at kosher for Passover and it came to my mind that this may be, and it is!! I found the instructions clear and concise, and I folded the mixture 53 times. It was a great idea to count them. The shells came out perfect!! They have good feet and are the right amount of chewy. The only part I had issues with was was the filling. I definitely did not do the recipe right. Consistency was great… I didnt have any unsalted butter so i used salted. DON’T USE SALTED BUTTER. Please. Just don’t. Not worth it. Out of laziness in respect to the filling (specifically the egg bit) I ended up going with another person’s filling recipe. It is just ok, very very sugary. Next time I’ll be better prepared for the filling bit!! Thank you for the recipe!!
Leah, so happy your macarons turned out. And bummer on the filling. But you’ll get it perfect next time. 😉 Thank you so much for your feedback!
Can i use coconut flour instead of almond flour?
Hi, Ericka. Unfortunately, no. You’ll need nut flour.
Worked beautifully on the first try! 😍😍😍 Thanks so much for the recipe!
Yay, so happy to hear your macaron success! Thank you for your feedback, Jen.
Hey so I made this recipe twice now and both times I found that the batter was too runny and was very hard to control when piping. The first time it was very difficult to pipe but it turned out fine at the end. However the second time most of the batter just spilled out of my piping tube, and it was impossible to work with. I was wondering what I did wrong though because I am fairly sure I didn’t overmix it – I did 50 folds as you said.
Hi, Aanya. Thank you for your feedback. It sounds like the batter is being over-mixed. The main culprit to runny batter is over-mixing. The number of folds isn’t the most important factor here. It’s important to keep an eye on the consistency. If you feel like the batter is reaching the right consistency even after 30 folds, you can safely stop at 30 folds. Hope this helps. Keep trying and you’ll find your groove.
Couple of questions, if I may.
You mention freezing the macarons. Do you freeze them filled and all finished? Can you explain how you freeze them and thaw them (in detail for us novices)?
Also, do you have any tips for which almond flour to use?
Thanks for the info!
Hi, Judy! You can freeze both filled and unfilled macarons. It really depends on your filling, but most buttercream and ganache fillings are great for freezing. To thaw them, you want to transfer the frozen macs from freezer to fridge for a few hours, or overnight. Then bring it to room temperature about 30 minutes before serving. I’ll update the post with this information. Thank you for asking. As for almond flour, I’ve used many different ones. This’s what I’m using right now.
Shinee, t’s really awesome! This will quickly become a favorite in our house!
That’s awesome, Olga. Thank you for your feedback!!
Are you sure the almond flour and icing sugar are to be the same quantity? My batter was super thick!
Hi, Bev. Yes, I’m sure. My recipe does call for reduced sugar amount than a lot of macaron recipes online. But it definitely works for me and many other fellow bakers. Did you weigh your egg whites?
FInally turned out ! Thanks for the recipe!
Yay, so happy for you, Tina! Thanks for sharing your feedback!
macarons are my favorite treat but i have always been too intimadeted to make them. Today i finally tried and for my first attempt I am so pleased! Mine were a bit grainy and didnt have the gloss tobthe shell i think i may have undermixed from reading similar comments above. My experience did not yield as many cookies as it should have, but im wondering if my poor piping skills are to blame. Seriously thabk you for your detailed approcahable recipie. I plan on making them again and again until I perfect my technique.
For my first attempt I think it came out lovely tasting and the texture wonderful. My piping skills however need work though. Great recipe!!!
Thank you, Rachael, for your feedback!!! Practice makes everything better. You’ll get the piping perfected in just a few tries. 😉
Have always made macarons using italian meringue but decided i wanted to give the french method a go. Made this recipe following the steps and the texture and taste is perfect and the shell is nice and full (something i havent been able to achieve with the italian method) but the shells are wrinkly. Different to lumpy, the skin is smooth as such but it has wrinkles that head towards the centre of the macaron. Couldn’t find anything on wrinkly shells in the troubleshooting guide. What do you suggest?
Hey, I just made this recipe again and not sure what i did different but the shells were perfect and smooth, although i have another question. Are the shells on french macarons meant to be reasonably soft? As i mentioned earlier, i normally make the italian macarons and the shells have always been quite crisp. The shells on these macarons are quite soft and easily dented. Look forward to hearing from you
Hi, Bea. Sorry for delayed response. First of all, thank you for trying my recipe and your feedback. The soft wrinkly shells are usually caused by excess moisture. Is it humid where you live? Also did you add any extracts or liquid food coloring? My macarons come out with nice crisp shells, so it’s not due to french meringue method. Hope you’ll be able to find the cause soon. 🙂
This was my first attempt at French macarons because I finally got a new stove with a properly closing door 😋They came out PERFECT! Thank you for the awesome recipe and great tips. I especially like the pictures showing the steps. It’s important to see what your batter should look like and a lot of recipes just assume you should know this.
Awesome. So happy to hear your macaron success, Kristin. Thank you for your feedback!
I normally toast my almond flour as it helps with the flavor can I do this before I try your recipe, I will let it cool back to room temperature before I start. Also can I use caster sugar instead of “normal” cane sugar in the egg whites? I have found that using a egg white from a duck and chicken weighs out perfect. Of course most don’t have duck eggs about but here on our farm were loaded with them. Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions in advance.
Hi Medody. So sorry foe my delayed response. You can use caster sugar in meringue.
P.S. Glad to hear duck eggs works just the same. 😉
I love your (basic) macaron recipe. This is a whole new experience for me. I made it several times & always came out delicious. & beautiful feet too.
I would love to try these Hazelnut-Almond ones too. I noticed the total nut flours gram is 120 vs the usual 100 gr of almond. But egg whites & sugar are the same. Just curious why this needs 120 gram ? does it bake firmer or fluffier ??
I have made a different recipe but my shells have been hollow both times. I’m going to try your recipe tomorrow. My question is what is the difference between soft peaks and firm peaks. I’ve gone through multiple recipes and they bounce between soft and firm so not sure the difference and when do I stop whipping the meringue?
the soft peak curls over itself. The stiff peak stands straight up (Tip: when you turn the bowl upside down over your head, the stiff peak stay put in the bowl!) That’s the perfect stiff meringue. Stop mixing then. my experience !
Why did you instruct to sift the almond flour and icing sugar together, then to add them separately? Completely messed up the recipe and now a load of expensive ingredients have gone to waste.
Where in the recipe does it say that the powdered sugar is sifted and then later, added separately? I see in step 2 to sift the almond flour and powdered sugar together and that is added to the whipped egg whites in step 4. In step 3 the 1/4 of regular suger is added to the egg whites. I keep rereading the recipe and just do not see where the almond flour and powdered sugar are added separately.
Your correct Jill it says to sift the icing sugar and flour together twice and set aside. You add regular sugar to the egg whites, she goofed. You should ALWAYS read a recipe two or more times first.
Such a rude comment😠
You should read and reread a recipe or just make your own.
It helps to read through a recipe twice, espeically if you are buying “expensive” items.
Is the 150 degree for a fan or conventional oven please? I’m baking them at 130-135 degree fan for 20-25 minutes and they’re coming out wrinkled and a little flat. Please can you help, I’ve tried this 4 times now.
Hello, the 150 C is for Celsius temperature ovens. Use 300 F on regular bake.
OMG I’ve been wanting to try and make these, I absolutely love the ones from my local bakery. I liked how your recipe is the “basic” one. On my first attempt they turned out great, I’m so excited!! Can’t wait to try more and with flavors and colors!!
Hi Christina – sorry for the direct comment! Could you please let me know if you used a fan oven or conventional oven (or otherwise) at 150c/300f? That would be very helpful and much appreciated!
Hi, I used conventional oven at 300. Partway through the cooking I opened the oven door for about 15 seconds to let any moisture escape (I learned that from a pastry TV show). Make sure before you bake them you’ve let them rest on counter to dry, this is very important.
I tried this recipe today and finally was able to make macarons!! Thank you for the recipe!
Awesome!!! Thank you so much for your feedback, Kristin!
Can you add food coloring to the buttercream?
I have! It turned out great! But just a warning, the egg yolks make the buttercream a yellow tint so colors with purple will not be a true purple. Hope that helps! 🙂
These are awesome! I had a little trouble with the first round, but between your blog and the internet at large, I determined that I had just undermixed. Using the figure 8 trick proved to be immensely helpful, and this time they came out gorgeous – no cracks, lovely feet.
Powered sugar means icing sugar
Hey why you have to put it in grams?!? I ain’t that smart…
Well Hellen you can just look up a conversion chart.
Hey hun. Im.not either but with baking to be as accurate as possible an electric scale is a essential tool. I picked up one online for 10 bux and its AMAZING!
Hi, Hellen. Macaron recipe is very precise, and I found that it’s easier to mess up when the ingredients are measured by volume. For the best chance of success, I highly recommend weighing all the ingredients. And that’s why I provided only the weight info.
I actually looked for a recipe in grams. I find it easier for recipes where proportions have to be just right.
Beause baking is a science! An I’m not being sarcasting. Why any baking recipe would not include grams is beyond me. Measuring flour, for example, can be off by a lot of grams in cups…usually in the direction that you add too much flour by weight and make your baked good dry.
If you want to bake well, you need a food scale. Consider it an essential item you need in the kitchen, like a spatula and baking sheet.
This is the first recipe I tried and it came out perfect the first time! I’ve tried several recipes since and have had disasters, I’m sticking to this one!
i tried this recipe and my batter was stiff and grainy. i don’t know what i did wrong.
Great recipe. These turned out very well.
Awesome. Thanks for sharing your feedback, Helen.
I wanted to bake something sweet that all my teachers would love for the holidays. My mom has tried to make macaroons before and it went terribly, so I was hesitant trying to make them myself. Thankfully, your recipe was easy to follow and the cookies turned out perfect! Thank you so much, these were amazing! Definitely going to make them again!
Awesome, Emma. Thank you for sharing your experience.
Can I use regular flour instead?
Hi, Julie. No, for french macarons, you need nut flour.
Omg omg omg they’re perfect!!!!!!! Seriously perfect! I look like a hero right now with my kids hahha thank you!!!!!
I subbed half coconut Cream for butter and coconut milk for milk (both from same can from Trader Joe’s) and it is unbelievable ❤️
AWESOME!! So happy yours turned out, Sara. Thank you for your feedback.
you subbed the full 1/2 c butter with cream? or only half the butter ?
would love to try that way
The recipe was very easy to follow. But I have a question about the almond flour. The macarons have a slight grainy texture. The almond flour bag says almond meal/flour – finely ground. Is that the right flour or should I look for something else?
Just try sifting it twice before adding. You can even put it in your food processor and then sift again
Hi, Diane. Mine usually says “Almond Flour”. I also prefer finely ground, with blanched almonds. Another thing is that when the batter is slightly under-mixed, you’ll get kind of grainy shells as well.
I made a double batch and they came out just fine. I do agree with orhers that this recipe when compared to other recipes trends more toward a moist shell and I can see why it might fail in humid areas. For me, the most special part of this recipe is your amazing buttercream. Now, I did sub half brandy for the milk, but the texture of the buttercream was silky and creamy without being overly sweet. Fantastic! I bake a lot and I think this buttercream will quickly become my favorite go-to recipe for fillings on cakes, cookies, and eclairs. Bravo!
Thank you so much for your feedback, NurseBaker! Glad my recipe worked for you.
Thank you for a wonderful recipe! I have made my second batch now and both times they have come out perfectly. I followed the directions exactly as well as reading other comments and other recipes that are available. The only thing I missed was how much vanilla you should add to the egg white mixture. I added a splash on the first batch, and on the second, I added 1/4 teaspoon of almond extract for a change. Thank you!!
Hi, Ellen. Thank you for your feedback. I forgot to update the recipe direction when I removed the vanilla extract from the ingredient list. Since some people have issue with too much moisture, I removed it. But up to 1/2 teaspoon of extract is usually fine.
This recipe turned out absolutely terrible for me. They didn’t have feet and they were uneven and brown. I followed the recipe exactly! I would not recommend this recipe.
Hi, Sarah. Thanks for trying my recipe and for your feedback. Sounds like your oven runs hotter. Your macarons shouldn’t have browned at 300F, unless you baked them way longer than specified. I recommend getting an oven thermometer and double check the accuracy. Most ovens fluctuate 10-15 degrees either way.
Sounds to me like you may have an oven problem. Get a temp. checker at your local walmart. If you find your oven cooks hot…then just adjust for this OR most oven temps you can change yourself! Look your model on Internet and follow how to do this. Really pretty simple. Also, could it be something like a “small” wall oven. My early married years I had regular size oven. We moved and the oven was smaller. I’ve had to adjust recipes for years until that dreadful thing FINELY died! Ha! My new regular oven is great with no adjusting. Best of luck to you! Jan
Hi Shinee thank u so much for the recipe😍 ..how many macaroons will it yield for this amount of batter
Hi, Epcibha. It depends on the size of macarons. I usually get about 25-30 filled macarons, around 1.5-inch round.
Thank you Thank you Thank you!! I have failed so many times and today, I have feet!
AWESOME. So happy you finally had your macaron success. Thank you for your feedback!
I using a gel food coloring but they are not bright. What brand gel colours you use for macarons?
Hi, Wanda. On these pictures, I’ve used Ateco gel food coloring. But I also frequently use Wilton as well with great results.
So I’ve made this recipes 3 times and it just doesn’t work out. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong. Anytime I leave the macarons out to dry they don’t dry. I’ve tried leaving them out for over an hour and they were still wet. And when I put them in the oven the barely have any feet and just rise up a little. At first I thought it was cause my meringue was to soft but nope. Any tips?
Hi, Farwah. Sorry to hear you didn’t have a good luck with my macaron recipe. Typically, the macarons don’t dry quickly when it’s humid. If you live in a humid climate, I suggest running a fan nearby, but not directly at the macarons. I’ve heard some people dry their macarons for 2 hours. Also, do you have an oven thermometer to check the accuracy of the oven. Every oven heats differently, and if your oven is off by even 10-15 degrees, it could affect the rise of macarons. Let me know if any of these help, and if you have any more questions. Thanks!
Was not a macaron, more like a cakey cookie…
Hi, Tagan. How would you describe a perfect macaron?
A French macaron IS a cakey cookie, sort of. These are very difficult to make even for top bakers. Your recipe is perfect if followed properly. 😉
Thank you, Katie. I agree with you. I like macarons with soft and chewy interior (slightly cakey) and crisp thin skin on the outside.
Thank you for this recipe! This was my 3rd attempt to make macarons and by far the best batch. The other two batches (following a different recipe) did not work at all. And while I have plenty I can still work on these turned out great for a beginner. Thank you again!!!
Katie, glad to hear your feedback. Thanks for sharing!
Great recipe, thanks so much! Very pleased with the results 🙂
Awesome. Thank you, Hayley, for your feedback.
My Macarons did not form a firm top even after letting them stay out for about 30mins to an hour, why could that be?
Hi, L. If it’s humid in your area, it takes a while to form a skin. You can also try running a fan if it’s humid.
Hi, I want to make this recipe but I can’t use cream of tartar due to dietary restrictions. Is there a substitute or can I leave it out altogether?
Hi, Allya. You can omit cream of tartar. It just helps stabilize egg whites, but not mandatory. Good luck!
A copper bowl will do the trick, might be worth investing in one of you cannot use cream of tartar 😊
My macaroons did not come out with feet.
Hi, Bella. There’re couple of things may cause no feet. The batter may have been over-mixed, or oven temp was too low. Take a look at my troubleshooting guide to learn about troubleshooting. And feel free to reach out to me with any questions. Thank you!
What is the subs for almond flour
Hi, Loren. You can use hazelnut flour instead, or pistachio flour.
My first attempt at making macarons and they came out PERFECT thanks to this recipe.
YAY! So happy for you, Kathleen. Thank you for your feedback!
I’ve never made macarons before a few days ago when I used this recipe. Worked really well and I was very impressed.
So happy to hear that, Nina! Thank you for your feedback!
best one with the best tips I have come across
Yay, so happy you enjoyed the recipe. Thank you for your feedback!
There seems to be more almond flour than other recipes I’ve tried. I ended up with a thicker end product that did not resemble a macaron when baked. Most recipes call for 3/4 c instead of 1 c. No matter how much I folded it was still far too stiff when piped. Disappointed with the results.
Same thing happened to me, I was standing in my kitchen for 10 minutes folding my batter and it was still staying too thick. I definitely think that’s it’s because of the almond flour to icing sugar ratio. Other recipes I’ve tried making the batter has always turned out too thin, but not this time.
Hi, Sandra. Thank you for your feedback as well. I’ve used this basic macaron recipe for many years now and adapted it for different flavors, and it works great despite the ratio is different from many macaron recipes. My suggestion is to weigh the egg whites to make sure you’re getting enough egg whites, because it’s an important part to the ratio as well. Let me know if you have any more questions.
Hey Melissa. Sorry I missed your comment. And I’m sorry to hear the batter was too thick for you. How did you measure the ingredients? By weight or by cups? Also did you weigh the egg whites by chance? You’re right in that my base recipe calls for more almond flour than most recipes. But that’s exactly why my recipe is different from others because it yields less sweet, more almond-y macarons that I really love. I highly encourage anyone who’s making macarons weigh the dry ingredients as well as egg whites.
I tried it recipe it’s good vand amazing.can I keep in freezer????
Thanks
Hi, Nishanth. Yes, you can freeze the macarons. 🙂 Thank you for your feedback!
This was a great step-by-step recipe! I was a little nervous for my first attempt at macarons but you broke the steps down in perfect form and made it easy.
Hi, Di! I’m so happy you find my recipe helpful. Thank you so much for your feedback.
It’s an amazing
Does this yield 25 to 30 halves or cookies?
Hi, Sean. About 25 filled cookies, so about 50-60 rounds.
WOW. We were only able to get 12 cookies out of this recipe :(. I think perhaps folding it even more?
Hey, Sean. How big were your cookies? Mine are 1.5-inch rounds, so they’re pretty small.
It’s good tasty
Can you make these ahead of time and freeze them?
Yes, you can! Filled macarons especially with buttercream filling, freezes beautifully. Just make sure to wrap them tightly, but carefully. Hope you’ll enjoy baking these, Evelyn!
Tasty very good
Hi! I made this for my daughters birthday and after trying so many recipes this worked perfectly. Thank you so much for the Recipe and clear instructions. My Guests raved about it and the best compliment I think i got was they were delicious and not overly sweet which I found the problem with other recipes. Thanks much again. I finally found my best Macaron recipe.
So, so happy to hear your macaron success, Juveria! And I’m so glad you agreed that my macaron recipe is less sweet than others, which was my experience as well. Thank you for trying my recipe and for your feedback!
Hi Shinee,
I will try your recipe for the first time and I bought all the ingredients but I think I buy the wrong almond flour.
I buy the I bleach almond flour. Is this ok to use?
Pls let me know and thank you in advance.
Leila
Hi, Leila. Do you mean blanched almond flour? If so, it’ll work just fine. It simply means the skin is removed. I also use blanched almond flour. Let us know how your macarons turn out. Thanks!
Hi!
Just wondering how much food colouring you recommend using?
Hi, Lyd. I usually just eyeball it. I start with couple of drops of gel food coloring and then add more until the desired shade.
Thankyou – also what brand of food colouring do you use?
I use Wilton gel food coloring.
Can you use rice flour instead of almond flour?
Hi, Margie. I don’t think you can.
Came out gorgeous I baked mine at 150c for 13 min…
Hi, I’ve baked Macorons two times and they have come out different each time. The first time they had the ruffle, but they didn’t smooth out at the top when after I piped them out onto the the trays and they baked into those shapes. Even after I let them sit.
Then, the second time to solve that I folded the batter more, but they’ve come out cracked on the top.
Both times the batter has been extremely grainy looking like the ingredients haven’t dissolved.
Do you have any recommendations?
I was thinking that I might not have enough egg whites. Could that be it?
Thank you!
Hi, Breahna. Sorry for delayed response. How did you measure your egg whites? Did you weigh them? If not, you may have been short on egg whites, and the batter didn’t thin out well. Also, do you think your almond flour is on chunk side? I always use fine almond flour and I don’t have much problem with bumpy texture.
Dear Shinee,
I watched your video and noticed you mentioning that there will be some leftover almonds after sifting. Do you have a measurement of how much dry ingredients you actually end up adding to the 70g egg whites (minus the almonds you sift out)? I’m always getting hollow shells, so I’m wondering if it might have to do with the dry ingredients to egg whites ratio. Thanks!
Hi, Karen. At most you should get about 2 tablespoons of dry ingredients to toss. I don’t measure the weight of the dry ingredients after the sifting. Hollow shells are usually caused by over-beaten egg whites. Maybe try keeping a close eye when whipping the egg whites and stop as soon as meringue reaches stiff peaks.
The recipe says it yields 25-30. Is this shells or actual macaron cookies? I only got 20-22 shells. I undermixed the batter (since I have bumpy tops) but I’m not sure what else I could have done wrong! My macarons have feet but are a little dense and chewy.
Hi, Melissa. I usually get 25 filled macarons with my basic macaron recipe, which means I get somewhere around 50 shells. But my macarons are about 1.5-inch rounds, pretty small. When piped they’re about 1-inch or so, and they spread a little and come out around 1.5-inch rounds. How big macarons did you pipe? Also did you weigh your egg whites, or did you just used 2 large egg whites? The reason I ask is that maybe you had slightly less egg whites, which made the batter thicker than it should be?
Hi Shinee,
My rounds were about 1.5-2″. I didn’t weigh the egg whites. I only have a non-digital kitchen scale at the moment which is why I didn’t. I guess a digital kitchen scale is on my list for future baking endeavours!
Yeah, it sounds like you were a little bit short on egg whites. Also undermixing will yield thicker batter, which will tend to be less and make denser shells. Hope you’ll get a digital scale (it’s not expensive on Amazon) and try again. Good luck! 😉
Made these with my 16 yo son. Your tips were incredibly helpful and other than a little odd shaped (we need to work on our piping) they came out great and they are delicious. We will double the recipe next time!
Yay, so happy you enjoyed baking macarons with your son, Amy! Thank you for your feedback!
Hello these look delicious. Im afraid ill make a mistake while making the macarons. If it’s possible could you post a video?
Hi, Tasha. Sorry for delayed response. Here’s a video of my funfetti macarons. Hope it’s helpful. And you can also read this Macaron 101 post before you start. Good luck!
Hello, can i use ultra fine sugar or does it need to be caster sugar. Thank you
Hi, Lacy. If you’re wondering about the sugar that goes into the egg whites, then yes, you can use ultra-fine sugar.
Hi Shinee,
I apologize in advance for this really long comment:
I was wondering if you remembered what made your macarons perfect on the outside but completely hollow? That’s what happened to mine yesterday. I think the oven temp may be inaccurate so I’m buying a thermometer, but other than that? I have a tendency to beat my meringue about a minute after it gets glossy and stiff just to make sure I’m not under beating it. It’s still glossy and stiff but I suspect that I whipped too much air into it? I also am really careful with folding in order to not over fold, but I know that I get it to ribbon stage because it passes the infinity test and moves slowly and consistently in ribbons off my spoon but maybe I should deflate a bit more aggressively and check for ribbon stage earlier? Yesterday I cracked one shell in the oven and it wasn’t hollow but when I removed the macarons to cool a few minutes later, they were all completely hollow. I’m just pretty confused but also really motivated to get it right.
I’m going to try out your recipe next because I also suspect that the ratio I used called for too much egg whites (3eggs for 1 cup of almond flour and 1 and 2/3 cup of icing sugar), so maybe with your recipe there won’t be an excess of air in the macarons?
Thank you so much!
Nina
Hi Nina! Thanks for reaching out. Hollow macarons are usually due to over-mixed meringue, which sounds like exactly what you’re doing. I don’t advise beat the meringue after it reaches stiff peaks. Hope this resolves your issue, and please do let me know if you try any of my macaron recipes.
Hi Shinee,Thank you for your blogsite!French Macarons are my signature cookie with my wife, family, and friends.My wife bought me two silpat sheets with the macaron borders to help me stay size consistent. Should the macarons stay in the oven longer due to the silpat mat? Sometimes they are “glued” to it. Your thoughts?Thank you and Merry Christmas,Patrick
Hi, Patrick! Yeah, I think they need a bit more time in the oven because silicone doesn’t transfer the heat as well. And if yours are still stuck to the mat, that means they’re under-baked. Thank you, and Merry Christmas to you and your family!
Thank you Shinee.
We have a natural gas oven and I used to bake them to 25 minutes when I used parchment. What do you think, 30 minutes now that I am using the Wilton silpat?
Thank you again!
Patrick
I’d increase by 2 minutes and check.
Hello, after several attempts I have just about got it! Just wondering if there is a better measurement for egg whites. Sometimes I feel like a need a little bit more than just 2. But 3 might be too much. Is there an ideal amount? Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
You have the best blog and my mission is to finally accomplish baking a perfect batch of French Macarons. Your posts are inspiring me and I’m on a macaron high now to “get them right” ha! …
I made fruity cereal french macarons this weekend … Any tips on transferring the batter into a piping bag… silly question it may be, but I struggled with my batter and ended up making it thin after the 10+ min. it took me to transfer it. 🙁 It made my macarons spread together on the parchment and not bake upright – they were more like flat cookies, such a disappointment.
They were also extremeeely chewy and made my jaws hurt from chewing them … I let them sit for 15/25 minutes to get “skin” and then baked them at 325º for 15/20 minutes.
Thanks!!!
Hi, Bryn! Thanks for your kind compliments. I’m glad I inspired you to make some macarons. I made this video tutorial and I hope it answers your questions. Let me know if you have any questions.
Yes exactly. Thought I used parchment paper not silpat.
Hhmmm, those bulging feet happens to me only when I use silpat, and never on parchment paper. So I’m kind of baffled.
I will try using two baking sheets in top of each other, maybe that will solve the problem
Sounds good. Let me know if it helps.
Dear,
To prevent browning of macarons you mentioned to place an empty baking sheet on a top rack. What do you mean by that? I place the baking sheet with macarons on a bottom rack in an oven, and at the same time an empty baking sheet on a top rack of the oven?
Hi, Hiba! My oven has two racks. I usually place one in the middle of the oven and the other one on a very top. I put the baking sheet with macarons on the middle rack, and if they start browning, I just an empty baking sheet on the very top rack. Hope it make sense.
Ohhh now I get it! Thanks for the tip. Sometimes when I bake plain macarons (without any dye) they dont remain white after, but turn slightly yellowish. Does the top tray tip help with keeping the macarons white?
It’s been a while since I baked just plain white macarons, but I don’t think they ever been true white because I usually add some vanilla extract. They are a little on off-white side. But if your macarons are becoming brown due to overheating, I think the top tray tip should definitely help.
Ok thanks. Just one more question. Sometimes the macarons form feat and then while baking bubbles come out of the feat. Im not sure if that is normal or I am doing something wrong. I appreciate you taking time to reply to my inquiries 🙂
Not exactly sure what do you mean by bubbles come out of the feet? You do want those feet to form, and they kinda look like bobbles. Do you mean they expand and bulge like I’ve shown in my pictures above?
Sain bnuu… Ene almond flouriig haanaas olj avah ve??? Tgd bas vanilla extract gedeg ni vanilla zucker mun uu?? Bayarlalaa 🙂
Sain, sain bn uu? Almond flour Mgl-d haanaas olohiig helj medehgui ni. (Bi Mgl-d bdaggui yumaa.) Vanilla extract gej vanilinii ohi. Vanilla zucker/sahar hiij bolno, bur hiihgui ch bj bolno.
Sain bna uu?
Neg yum asuuh gesen yuma dund tald ni yu hiideg ve hariuu pls
Bayarlalaa
Sain, sain bn uu? Yu ch hiij bolno, durtai krem, vareni geed durtai zuilee hiij bolno. 🙂
Hi bi ih olon udaa french macaron hiih gej uzej bna. Eroosoo neg tiim hovsgor tegeed gadna heseg ni mash jijighen jijighen nuhtei ch yum shig , holgui, bas dundaa hondii bolood bnaa. Bi 55 orchim hutgasan. Chinii bichseneer heterhii baga hutgaad bna u? Zuurmagni otgon shingen ni her baih estoi yum?
Bayarlalaa
Zolboo, ta minii zaavariig neg burchlen dagasan uu? Esvel uur joroor hiisen uu? Jijig jijig nuhnii uchir bol listen deeree shahaj tavichaad listee 3-4 udaa shireendeere sain tsohij hiig ni gargaj uguhgui bolohoor tegdeg. Hulgui bolohiin uchir ni jigneheesee umnu sain hataagaagui bol tegne. Hundii boloh ni olon yanziin shaltgaantai bdag. Bi 50 udaa hutgachaad zuurmagnaasaa jijig tavgand dusaaj uzej bgaad urgeljluulen hutgadag. Dusaasan zuurmag chini 10-15 sekundiin dotor jigderch bval bolson gesen ug. Amjilt!
Za bayarlalaa, oldson buh joroor l hiij bna barag 10 garui udaa. Surahgui bol sanaa amrahgui bna. Chinii zaavraar hiisen, listee hed hed gazar tsohison. Hataah geed barag 3-4 tsag orhison tegeed hataagui gart jaahan naaldaj bhaar ni huleej yadaad hiisen. Video oruulahgui yum uu?
Za bayarlalaa
Neg joroo bariad hed heden udaa hiigeed uzeerei. Tegj bj yun deer aldaj bgaagaa olohod amar bdag yum. Hataaj bgaad jignehgui bol hul garahgui shuu. Chiigtei gazar bdag uu? Tiim bol macaron-iig chiigtei gazar, esvel chiigtei borootoi udur hiigeed demii bdag. Odoogoor video hiih zav bdaggui ee. Gehdee daraa hiihdee bichleg hiihiig bodoj l bn 🙂
Shinee, merci beaucoup for all your French delights. I am now following you on Bloglovin. Hope to see you again soon. Cheers
Carole, thank you so much! I love both of your blogs as well. 🙂
macaron daa ymar filling uud hiideg ve? bi macarondaa buttercream guzeelzgenii variantai holiod hiisen estoi nyaluun boldogiin bna lee. jornoosoo huvaaltsaach?
Hi, bi ihevchlen buttercream filling hiideg. Nadad ih taalagddag yum. Jor ni end bgaa: http://sweettreatsbyshinee.blogspot.com/2013/01/basic-buttercream-filling.html
Chocolate ganache ih dajgui boldog yum bn lee. Jor ni: http://sweettreatsbyshinee.blogspot.com/2013/05/chocolate-ganache.html
Strawberry Jam bas hiij uzsen, nadad ih nyaluun sanagdsan shd.
Hi Shinee, ene ungunuudee yaj gargaj avsan be?
Hi Ariunchimeg, bi zugeer Wiltonii hunsnii budag hiigeed l ungu oruulchdag shd. Gel-g ni.
Aan za, thanks shuu.
I see, bayarlaa. Bas neg yum.
Convertoroor 3/4 cup 177ml bolood ard ni bichsen 2,5 oz ni 70 ml bolood bhin. Ali ni zuv be? Sain medku bolhoor iim yum hurtel asuuhnee.
Aan, huurai, shingen, za tegeed hemjij bgaa yumnaasaa shaltgaalaad yumnuud uur uur hemjigdene. Almond powderiin huvid 3/4 cup bol oiroltsoogoor 95gr boldog yum.
Cream of tartar gej yu bile?
Cream of tartar gej undugnii tsagaaniig togtvorjuulah uuregtei nuntag tsagaan yum bdag yum. Bhgui bol hiihgui bj bolno.