Easy French Macaron Recipe (Macaroons)
I am often asked why have my macarons failed?! Why are there no feet?! Why have the macaron shells cracked? And which recipe do you use for your macarons? So here it is… french macaron recipe and troubleshooting.
On a recent holiday I found a 200 year old cookbook on my mums bookshelf. It tells that King Henry VIII granted an estate in Leadenhall Street to a Mistress Cornewallies in reward for the fine puddings that she presented to him. Follow these easy steps to make macarons fit for a king. You will aquire such indulgence that is pleasing to the palate and if you’re lucky enough perhaps you too will be granted an estate!
The picture above shows the 200 year old macaron recipe. They called them almond puffs. Personally I prefer to make them using my electric mixer using the recipe below.
French Macaron Recipe Ingredients
4 large egg whites (or 5 small) approx 140g (4.94 ounces)
1/3 cup or 70g (2.47 ounces) caster sugar (also known as superfine sugar)
1 1/2 cups or 230g (8.11 ounces) pure icing sugar. IF you wish to use icing mixture INSTEAD of icing sugar you will need 1 3/4 cups or 275g (9.7 ounces) icing mixture
1 cup or 120g (4.23 ounces) almond meal
2g (0.07 ounces) salt (tiny pinch)
gel food colouring (optional) note too much liquid will make the macarons fail so if it is your first time making them try with no colour until you’ve got the technique sorted.
Macaron Recipe Directions
This recipe makes approximately 40 shells or 20 filled macarons
Preheat the oven to 150C (302 degrees Fahrenheit)
Sift the almond meal and icing sugar and salt together, discarding any almond lumps that are too big to pass through the sieve.
Place egg whites and caster sugar into a bowl and mix with electric mixer until stiff enough to turn the bowl upside down without it falling out. How long this takes will depend on you mixer.
Continue to whip for 1-2 more minutes.
Add gel or powdered food colouring and continue to mix for a further 20 seconds.
Fold the almond & sugar mixture into the egg whites. This is the most important step and where most first time macaron bakers have trouble.
It should take roughly 30-50 folds using a rubber spatula but obviously this will vary depending on your folding technique. The mixture should be smooth and a very viscous, not runny. Watch the video to see what you are going for. Over-mix and your macarons will be flat and have no foot, under mix and they will not be smooth on top. See the macaron troubleshooting post for examples.
Pipe onto trays lined with baking paper, rap trays on the bench firmly (this prevents cracking) and then bake in the oven for approximately 20 minutes. Make sure you are using NON-stick baking paper or they will stick. Check if the macarons are done by quickly opening the oven and slightly pressing on top of one – if it squishes down slightly it’s not yet ready, close the oven so the oven temp doesn’t change. Taking them out of the oven too soon will mean the insides will drop and you’ll have hollow shells.
PLEASE make sure you watch the macarons FAQ and troubleshooting video. This way you can learn from the mistakes and questions of those who have made them before you.
Filling your macaroons
My favorite is flavoured ganache, but you can use jam and cream, butter cream or just eat them plain.
Ganache Recipe
100g (3.53 ounces) chocolate
30ml cream
Bring the cream to the boil and pour over the chocolate. Let stand for a minute and then stir. If it is not adequately melted then microwave for 20 seconds and stir – repeat until smooth. Allow to cool and thicken before piping onto macarons.
More macaron recipes for you:
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Macaron trouble-shooting & FAQ
|
nut free macarons
|
orange choc macarons
|
 macaron ice cream sandwich |
SEE ALL RECIPES |
chocolate macarons
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fun with macarons
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Salted Caramel Macarons
|
My Cookbook
Stores that sell my book listed by country:
http://bit.ly/ARcookbook
All recipe quantities in the book are in grams, ounces and cups.
I just wanted to say thank you! After a miserable macaron fail yesterday I came across your website and have just tried out ur receive with great success. My macarons are smooth and have feet. A few cracked but I am so so happy for my 2nd try! Thank you again
That is wonderful Jess glad to hear it.
Hi Ann,
I want to try this recipe. Just wondering if I can use liquid egg whites or do they have to be from whole eggs?
Hi Carissa, I have not tried them, check the ingredients and see if they have anything else added. Another reader did try them without success. To use the yolks search this site for gelato, creameux or creme brûlée.
I read on another website that you can add one teaspoon of Dutch-process cocoa and red food colouring to make red velvet macaroons. Is this true?
I mean does it work with this recipe
Hi DD, coco powder can be added I would suggest decreasing the icing sugar in an amount equal to what you are adding. If you want intense red and not pink macarons you will need to use powdered colour, too much liquid will cause the macarons to fail. Then you will need a cream cheese filling for the centre
Hi Ann
Thank you so much for sharing your recipes and trouble shooting! I love the tutorials. I made my first batch below and it was surprisingly ok but half of them cracked and they weren’t beautifully smooth. I swear I rapped the tray 20 times to get the ticks as flat as possible. Do you have any other suggestions to prevent some from cracking? I can’t afford to throw out half a tray each time. Thank you in advance!
Teri
Hi Teri, yes they look slightly undermined still, this can cause cracking (see how to do a test batch on the FAQ page video). Other causes can be uneven oven temp – eg if it is a fan forced oven is it the ones near the fans that crack? And some mixture not evenly mixed in, several times during mixing scrape down the sides of the bowl and the spatula, so that you don’t get under mixed bits being piped in streaks into your macaroons. But other than that good job they look great for your first time making macarons.
Great recipe! Success on the first try, except for the variety of sizes
that I ended up making. I guess I need to practice piping them onto the paper. Do you have any tips for making uniform
size macaroons. By the way, they taste delicious even if they all came out in different sizes. Thanks!
hi susan, yes you can print a sheet of circles and put it under your non-stick paper and use that as a template.
Hi Ann, I wanted to print the recipe but I can’t find the tab that says “PRINT.” I would like to try to make this & I was wondering, can I make these in a convection oven? Also, can I use parchment paper?
Thank you so much for sharing your recipe…I also subscribed to your website on YouTube.
Hi kakkumonsteri, Yes you can make in a convection oven. Macarons will stick to the parchment paper, if you click on the link at the end of this post to go to the troubleshooting page the video shows you an example of this. Thanks for subscribing 🙂 To print the recipe you can either print the whole page by selecting ‘file’ ‘print’ on your computer or press the ‘pin it’ button at the top of the page to add it to a pinterest account recipe collection or press the green leaf print button at the bottom of the post to choose which bits to print.
Hi Ann I recently bought a silicon macaron baking tray and was wondering if there would be any temperature changes as the silicon trays don’t heat up
Any advice or hints would be wonderful thanks 🙂
Hi Shaun, some bakers use the silicone baking mat or even tow of them under the macarons as it helps evenly distribute the heat, no change to the temperature needed. I found that they still stick a little to the silicone so put non-stick baking paper over it. See what works best for you.
hi:) using this recipe~ How many macaroons can be made??
hi iris 40 shells or 20 complete plus a couple more for tasting.
Hi!
My macaroons are really soft! They didn’t harden at all 🙁
I think it’s because I bought the ‘soft’ icing sugar instead of te normal ones…
What do you think?
Hi Kylie Check if your oven is in C or F, make sure your oven is at 150 degrees Centigrade or 300 degrees if it is in Fahrenheit.
Really love al your recipes!!! After a bit of practicing, they turned out nice. Some were a bit cracked, I don’t mind, they taste real good. Next time I wil whip the tray more 😉 I have made a white chocolate buttercream to fill them. Greetings from the Netherlands!
They look beautiful Kim great job
Hello Anne,
I love how effortless your video is for this recipe. However, I kept on failing.
First off my almond meal takes forever to pass thru the sieve so it takes me 3 times as long to just sift the recipe.
My egg white never could look dry like yours even when I beat it up to 40 mins each time. It was first on speed four on my kitchen aid but look wet and soft. So i kept on increasing it till max speed. Then after 40+ mins I fold in the almond meal and sugar.
The first time I followed everything to a t and after about ten folds, my egg white went from fluffy to runny. I didn’t know what to do but just put it in the bag and piped them. yes they came out flat like pancakes.
The second time I was determined to follow the instruction but again, the egg white took a really long time for it to get up fluffy after 40 mins or so it still didn’t look “dry”. So i decided to fold in the almond and sugar again. THe second time is even worst, after about 11th fold, the batter immediate turned runny….I DON’t know what to do. Every time it took me forever and the result is super frustrating.
I use U.S measuring cup (but you said the result should work) And my oven was on 300-305F.
Since the batter was so runny it stuck on to the wax paper more and of course i had to leave it in there longer to even get it out. The result is flat and super crispy macarons, nothing like yours (puffy, soft and chewy).
Please help!!!! I am at my wit’s end. I don’t know what’s wrong with my machine or my recipe.
Hi Jill, Sounds like you have been having a hard time. Just whip your egg whites on high speed until they are stiff enough to turn the bowl upside down without them falling out, then whip them for 1-2 minutes more and stop. Don’t worry if they don’t look like the one in the video that depends on what pattern your mixer follows in the bowl etc, if using hand mixers for example they won’t look like that but still work perfectly. When folding make sure you use a rubber spatula and not a spoon as it folds more gently, but I think once you whip your egg whites for less time this will not be an issue for you. Try a quarter batch so you don’t waste ingredients. Oh and for macarons I have a metal seive with wider holes, my fine metal sieve would not let the macaron mixture through either.
Hi Ann,
Thank you for your response. What a huge difference this will make; I will try a different sift next time, this will make a huge difference for me. So there is no way that I can over beat my eggs? (I’m worried about this bc of another person mentioned unwanted result due to overbeating her eggs) I will definitely make it again now I know what to fix.
Thank you Ann,
Jill
If you just mix until can turn the bowl upside down and then add 1-2 minutes more they will be fine. 40 minutes = overmixed the meringue part. You can also over-mix when you are folding int eh almond meal and you know when it is over-mixed because it turns runny, if you are not sure you can always pipe some and then fold some more, pipe some more, fold some more… so that you get a good feel for just how much to fold. Have fun
I had the same problem like yours. I find that the macaron comes out better if you measure your ingredients in grams instead of cups. I feel like its more accurate. Also, with the egg whites, i beat mine on 6 or 8 for 10 minutes. i also add a pitch of cream before beating the egg whites. I hope that helps.
Hi Ann!
I simply love the way you explained this recipe. I’d like to try making it. I want to make macarons in a variety of colors. Is there anyway to do this with the same batch? I see that in the video, you added the color while making the meringue. Would it be possible for me to fold in the almond meal, separate them into different bowls, and then add color?
Hi Joy, I would make 1/4 of the recipe at a time and make different colours. Only because if you leave the meringue sitting there while mixing the others it will effect it and while trying to evenly incorporate the colour you may over mix it.
Hey! Love your recipe btw! Just one question though, I tapped mine like you said, in fact a bit more too just to make sure, yet some were cracked and some weren’t :s any idea why? Perhaps it’s because I had a smaller piping bag and nozzle, so had to make the circles in a swirling motion, piling the mixture to look like the shape you got from your piping bag (hope that makes sense, hard to explain!). Please help!
Thank you x
Hi Rachel, take a mental note of where the cracked ones were on the tray if it always in the same spot like across the back it could be the oven e.g. the fan blowing on them if it is fan forced. If it is in varying spots in different batches but in a row in order of where you have piped them it could be streaks of under-mixed mixture. Try scraping any mixture off the spatula and off the sides of the bowl several times during folding to make sure it is all evenly incorporated.
i made these today but my egg whites didnt go as firm as in the pic do u have to have a good mix matser to do it and should i just use my electric hand beaters they where runny and are they spose to be crunchy all over or soft in the middle
Hi Ashley, yes they are supposed to be slightly crisp on the shell and soft and spongey on the inside. You can use a hand mixer just mix until firm enough to turn the bowl upside down without falling out and then whisk for 2 more minutes.
Hi Ashley, yes they are supposed to be slightly crisp on the shell and soft and spongey on the inside. You can use a hand mixer just mix until firm enough to turn the bowl upside down without falling out and then whisk for two more minutes.
Well, well, well – as I bake perfect pavlovas I thought ‘what can go wrong’ !! Your instructional video is supperb, so I managed 2 out of 3 things correct. They did not crack nor stick to tray, BUT they did not rise/feet.
‘Feet’ – very strange terminology!!! I think I beat them too long, at 7 or 8 minutes the mix seemed perfect, but I went to 10 minutes and I think I went past the perfect point. As icing sugar has cornflour in it, do you think 1/2 teaspoon baking powder would help them rise?
Hi Bev, no feet is likely to be oven temp, the feet form towards the end of the cooking process so try not to open the oven until they are done, and if possible check your oven temp using an oven thermometer, or turn it up a little on what you had before.
My kids have allergies to nuts. Is there a substitute for almond meal? Thanks for your help.
Hi May, yes try this recipe https://wellness-wave1.news/public_html/macaron-substitute-almond-flour/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
I have tried baking a few times and my macarons come out cracked when pressed/biten with hollow inside and chewy. The shell cracked easily when you bite into it. What am I doing wrong?
Hi JT, hollow can be one of two things 1. oven temp – check using an oven thermometer 2. over mixed meringue try mixing until firm enough to turn bowl upside down without it falling out and then 2 minutes extra only. If cracked either undermixed when added almond flour or not banged on the bench or the colouring used.
Hi, just made your french macarons to day and they were great. thanks for an easy to folow reciepe. I received the Adriano Zumo, Zumbarons book at christmas but it is quite complicated even for me who used to be a cooking demonstrator many years ago. So I was very happy to find your reciepe and video. I am going to fill them with chocolate ganache and take some to work tomorrow. Sue
Hi Anne,
I am experiencing the following problems and hope you can help me…
The Macarons crack but I am pretty positive That I didn’t undermix because the top seems smooth and nice. I also tapped hard before I put them in and poked the bubbles with a tooth pick, etc. I baked twice and I had the same issue. Frustrating! Is it because the oven is too hot or I overheat the egg white? The shell rises pretty high and is hollow inside. Or did I dry too little or too much? Or the batter has too much moisture and has too much air trapped inside?
If you can troubleshoot a bit for me, that will be awesome! Really appreciate it…
Elaine
Hi Elaine, I suggest that you get an oven thermometer and check your oven temp, also try a quarter batch (to save ingredients) with no colour to check it is not your colours that are giving you grief – can cause the cracks. Hollow can be too low oven temp or over mixed meringue, try mixing until thick enough to turn the bowl upside down without it falling out and then for 2 minutes more only (time how long this takes on your mixer so you know). Feet form near the end of cooking so try not to open the oven and again check your oven temp is accurate.
Hi Ann,
My macaron came out good but, hollow so they crack easily and very chewy.
What am I doing wrong?
Hi Jennifer, try mixing only until the meringue mixture is stiff enough that you can turn the bowl upside down without it falling out and then for another 2 minutes only. Also if still hollow check your oven temp… I made a batch just yesterday and the first tray was perfect and the second tray was not quite ready, but I had to go and bath my toddler so I turned the oven off and left them in to finish off and they came out hollow dry and chewy.