French Vanilla Macarons
August 6, 2016
Believe it or not, my first baking experience was with French macarons. I was introduced to this fancy cookies by my sister-in-law who was into baking macarons at the time. She made tiramisu macarons for my son's first birthday party. I became obsessed with macarons immediately after that. Let just say there were a few late nights staying up to read the tricks and tips of how to create those perfect feet. Needless to say, I failed my first attempt. Heck, I even failed my second attempt soon after that. But thankfully, I finally achieved beautiful "feet" of macarons on my third attempt.
And you better believe that there were macarons at every single party I hosted after that!
After 3 years of mastering macarons, I can get those "perfect feet" most of the time. I have taught a few friends who had never baked macarons, and they were all successful at their first trial. I am confident that you can make those beautiful cookies if you follow these tips. Let's start whipping up those egg whites!
PREPARATION OF DRY INGREDIENTS
I like to prepare all of the ingredients the day before baking the macarons. I find that this would make the baking process a lot faster. The foremost important thing is to weight all of the ingredients using a digital scale (Photo 1). Once all of the ingredients are all weighted, I blend the almond flour and powder sugar together in my mini pink Cuisinart food processor for about 1-2 minutes (Photo 2). This is to make the batter as even and smooth as possible. I finish this mixture by running it through the sieve twice and then set aside (Photo 3).
Tip 1: Blend and sift almond flour and powder. Do NOT skip this step, as it is important to achieve that smooth look of the macaron shells.
WHIPPING THE MERINGUE
I start out whisking the egg whites first. Take the "room temperature" egg whites and pour in to a clean mixing bowl. Using medium speed (no. 4 on a KitchenAid stand mixer) with a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites until foamy (Photo 4). Without stopping the mixer, add a pinch of tartar and continue to beat the egg whites at the same speed until soft peak forms. I add granulated sugar when I see those fainted lines appear on the mixture (Photo 5). It is fine to add all of the granulated sugar all at once, but you may also add the sugar in 3 additions to ensure even mixing.
Continue to beat the egg whites at high speed (no. 8 on a KitchenAid stand mixer) until stiff peak forms and the meringue becomes thick and shiny (Photo 6). This process takes approximately 2 minutes. When it reaches this stage, you can add vanilla extract (or any flavorings) and the desired color for the macarons and whisk for another 30 seconds on the highest speed (no. 10 on a KitchenAid stand mixer). I highly recommend using gel food coloring because adding extra liquid coloring can potentially ruin your batter.
Tip 2: to test for readiness, when turn the mixing bowl upside down over your head, the meringue does not fall off.
FOLDING THE BATTER
I like to gradually sift the dry ingredient into the meringue in 3 additions (Photo 7). Using a rubber spatula, I gently fold the batter starting from the bottom, up and around the sides with the clockwise pattern (Photo 8). Repeat this circular motion until the batter becomes smooth and glossy. I highly encourage you to count the number of folds to prevent overfolding the batter. It normally takes about 40-45 folds to get to the right ribbon-like consistency. Notice that the batter will become thinner as you fold (Photo 9). Make sure to NOT stir at any cost.
Tip 3: to test for readiness, lift the spatula up with some of the batter and let it fall. The thick "ribbon" should flow downward smoothly. The batter should also blend in together, leaving no marks or traces behind, within about 15 seconds.
PIPE THE SHELLS
Now we are ready to pipe the macaron shells. I pour the batter into a prepared fitted pastry bag with a round tiP (Wilton no. 12), and pipe about ¾ inch round (Photo 10). I used a printable template of circles and place it underneath the silicone mat to guide me in piping perfect rounds. Remove this template carefully once all of the shells have been piped. Do not forget to leave about an inch in between each shell.
Next, I tap the bottom of each baking tray against the counter for about 5-8 times to release big air bubbles. You can also remove big air bubbles using a toothpick. You need to act quickly before the batter starts drying out. Leave these piped macarons to dry for about 20-30 minutes. The cookies are ready to bake when they are completely dry to touch.
Tip 4: Resting macarons to dry is a crucial part to create those well-known "feet." This drying layer is to forcing the heat to escape through the bottom as it won't be able to escape through the top.
BAKING MACARONS
Make sure the oven is preheated at 325 °F degrees (or 162 °C degrees). It is best to bake one sheet at a time at the lowest rack to prevent browning. Another tip you can try is to reduce the baking temperature down to 300 °F degrees or lower if desired. These cookies should start to rise about half-way through the baking time (Photo 11). At this time, you should also rotate the tray around to ensure even baking.
Remove the macarons from the oven at about 15-18 minutes. They are ready if the cookies come off the silicone mat or parchment paper easily. If they are still sticky, you may need to pop them back in the oven for another minute or two. I suggest you stay nearby the oven to check for the readiness of these cookies. It is easy to overcook them thereby making them too crunchy. The perfect macaron should be crispy outside but chewy inside.
Once they are done, let them cool completely (about 10 minutes), and then sandwich them with any filling you like. Macarons are best eaten after 2-3 days in the fridge. However, you are welcome to try a few (or all if you cannot resist) immediately after you finished piping in the filling.
I hope after reading this step-to-step instructions you will start whipping up those egg whites. Make sure to share your end results with me on this blog!
xoxo
Tristina
French Vanilla Macarons Recipe
Make: 20-25 filled macarons
Total time: 2 hours
Ingredients
Macaron shells
Vanilla Buttercream Filling
Instructions
Macaron shells
Vanilla Buttercream Filling
Total time: 2 hours
Ingredients
Macaron shells
- 71 g of almond flour
- 115 g of powder sugar
- 50 g of granulated sugar
- 2 large egg whites at room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
- Pinch of cream tartar
Vanilla Buttercream Filling
- 1/4 cup of unsalted butter, softened
- 1/4 cup of confectioners' sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons of whole milk
- 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
Instructions
Macaron shells
- Blend powder sugar and almond flour in a food processor until combined. Sift mixture twice and put aside.
- In a clean mixing bowl, whisk egg whites on medium speed until foamy for about 1 minute. Add cream of tartar and continue to whisk until soft peaks form for about 2 minutes. Add granulated sugar and increase to high speed and whisk until stiff peaks form for another 2 minutes. Add vanilla extract and gel food coloring if desired and whisk for another 30 seconds on the highest speed.
- Sift flour mixture over the egg whites batter in 3 additions. Using a rubber spatula to fold the mixture until smooth and glossy (about 40-45 folds). Do NOT overfold. The batter is done when it looks ribbon-like and should blend in within 15 seconds. ***Overmixed batter will look runny.
- Transfer batter to a pastry bag fitted with a plain round tip, and pipe 3/4 inch rounds on a double parchment-lined baking sheets or a silicone mat. Tap the bottom of each baking tray against the counter surface to release trapped air. Let stand at room temperature until dry to touch (20-30 minutes).
- Preheat oven to 325° F degrees. Bake one sheet at a time, rotating halfway through until macarons are crisp for about 15-18 minutes. Let macarons cool on sheet for 1-2 minutes.
Vanilla Buttercream Filling
- In a mixing bowl, combine butter, confectioners' sugar and vanilla extract and beat on medium until light and fluffy (3-4 minutes).
- Add milk and whisk again until achieve the desired consistency (about 1 minute).
- Sandwich two same-size macarons with about 2 teaspoons of filling.
- Enjoy!
It is best to store macarons in the fridge for 2-3 days before serving. These wonderful cookies can last for about 2 weeks in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer.
*This macaron recipe was adapted from Martha Stewart's basic French Macarons.
*This macaron recipe was adapted from Martha Stewart's basic French Macarons.
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