macaron tips & tricks
This post is a repository of my best tips, tricks, suggestions, and answers to the most frequent questions I receive about making macarons. All of this comes from years of trial and error and figuring out what really works best to lead to success macaron bakes.
I will continue to update this page with new information and FAQ, so I suggest bookmarking it so you can easily return to it whenever you have a question about making macarons!
Macaron Basics
First, an age old question: French meringue method or Italian meringue method? I am and forever will be an Italian meringue girlie. Let’s start with the difference between these two types of meringue.
French Meringue is made simply with raw egg whites and granulated sugar. The egg whites are whipped and sugar is slowly added into the mixer until a glossy meringue forms.
Italian Meringue is created with a sugar syrup. Granulated sugar and a little bit of water are brought to temperature and poured into whipping egg whites. The hot sugar actually cooks the egg whites and creates a thick, stiff meringue.
In either case, the meringue is then folded into your prepared almond paste and macaronaged until your batter is the correct consistency for macarons.
I prefer the Italian meringue method for a couple of reasons. First, I’ve simply had better, more consistent results when using the Italian meringue method. When I first started trying my hand at macs I used the French meringue method - mostly because it was “French” and that felt more official to me. If that’s how the French did it, then by god that’s how I would do it too. Unfortunately, my results were all over the place from one batch to the next and I was often left feeling bewildered by the whole process. The minute I switched to the Italian meringue method, I saw success. I’ve been a convert ever since. I also really like Italian meringue because it’s a little sturdier and creates a batter that can stand up to a little more handling than a French meringue. I think this allows us to get a much better feel for the batter and the right consistency and textures we should be looking for.
Equipment
You can find a list of all my favorite tools and equipment HERE. I also have a few words of wisdom to offer:
To boil the sugar syrup for my Italian meringue, I like to use a stainless steel Turkish coffee pot. They’re the perfect size and even have a little spout which makes the syrup easy to pour into the bowl of your stand mixer.
Do you really need a stand mixer? YES. A thousand times yes.I say this as someone who tried using a hand mixer with little to no success for years. Getting a KitchenAid was an absolute game changer in my macaron baking. While KitchenAids are the gold standard, they’re quite pricey, but you can easily find decent stand mixers at reasonable prices.
Silicone mats or parchment paper? It’s up to you! Either one works, and you can conveniently get both parchment and silicone mats with circle-shaped prints to guide your macaron piping. I personally prefer silicone mats as I’ve had more consistent results and it is less wasteful.
Ingredients
When baking and cooking in general, it is best to use high quality, fresh ingredients. This is no different for macarons, especially and most importantly because macarons have very few ingredients. There’s really nothing to hide behind, so I think it’s important to use the best ingredients you can find. The good news is that everything you need to make beautiful macs can be found right in your regular grocery store.
A few other notes:
I do not recommend using the pre-packaged egg whites that come in a carton. I think they’re fine (and I use them myself!) when making things like scrambled eggs, omelets, etc. But I find they do not whip up as nicely to make meringue. It is best to use whole eggs and separate the yolks from the whites.
That said…save your yolks! You can use them for a variety of different things, from scrambled eggs to mayonnaise. My favorite way to use them? In creating a French buttercream as a filling for my macs. Not only is this a smoother, more luxurious (and less sweet!) filling than a traditional American buttercream, but it’s also less wasteful and ensures we use the whole egg.
A word on food coloring: GEL ONLY. Powders are great too, though I prefer gel. Bottom line, regular food coloring, such McCormick’s, are water based and will add way too much liquid to your shells. Gel colorings have significantly less water and are extremely pigmented, so a little goes a long way. I typically use Chefmaster Liqua-gel food color, and Wilton also makes gel food colorings. Both are listed HERE.
Method
I find that people are generally a little nervous about attempting macarons because of the precision required to make them. While it’s true that you must be precise in measuring your ingredients and completing each step in the right order, once you have it down macarons are actually (IMHO!) less fussy than many other kinds of cookies. I walk you through each step in the process in great detail in my recipe books so you can easily master them as well!
In the meantime, here is my humble advice on the methodology of making macarons:
Mise en place (literally “to put into place”) is a fancy French term for getting your all shit ready in advance so you’re not scrambling in the middle of cooking for a tool or ingredient you didn’t realize you needed. You may have heard chefs use this phrase on TV or in movies, cooking shows, or even on blogs. It may sound pretentious, and I get that. But if you trust me on one thing, trust me on this - mise en place is real and it is important. It guarantees that every single thing you need, from ingredients to equipment, is measured out and within reach so you can grab it exactly when you need it. It’s especially helpful if you are just starting out on your macaron journey.
When it come to fillings, make them first! I can’t recommend this enough. Making fillings first gives them ample time to cool and/or set, and then the fillings are ready to go once your shells are cooled.
Sifting your almond flour and powdered sugar might feel like a pain, but it’s a step I strongly recommend you do not skip. Sifting not only ensures the ingredients are combined properly, it ensures any clumps stay behind and that you’ll have a silky smooth macaron batter. It’s also important when you are adding other elements such as cocoa powder, coffee, ground freeze-dried fruit, etc. into your almond paste and guarantees they are evenly incorporated into your batter.
Miscellaneous FAQ
What is macaronage? Macaronage is the process of working your batter, and deflating the meringue in the process, until it is smooth, glossy, and has the perfect flowy consistency. This step is crucial to the success of your bake and is more art than science. Undermix and your macarons may come out lumpy with rough-looking tops or even explode like little volcanos. Overmix and they may look low and flat, with feet that furl outwards instead of up and the tops will be brittle and have a crinkly appearance.
This is one of the reasons I really like the Italian meringue method - because the meringue has more structure, you’re able to really work with the batter and get a better feel for the right consistency and how to macaronage!
Can I add flavorings to my macaron shells? Yes! But proceed with caution. Dry flavorings such as cocoa powder, coffee, ground freeze-dried fruit, etc. are fine in small amounts, 1-2 Tbsp. For any wet ingredients I would proceed with extreme caution. Adding any moisture into your macaron batter could change the consistency and result in an unsuccessful bake. When in doubt, leave it out and simply incorporate the flavoring into your filling.
Can I use other kinds of flour besides almond flour? The base of any macaron needs to be almond flour, but that’s not to say you can’t experiment with trying other types of nut flours! You could try ground pistachios, hazelnuts, etc. A couple of things to keep in mind:
Nuts have varying degrees of oils in them, and when they are ground those oils get released. You must be mindful of this because it will change the moisture content of your almond paste and, ultimately, your macaron batter.
I do not recommend replacing more than 2 Tbsp of almond flour with a different type of nut flour. In general, I find it best to keep your almond flour measurement the same and simply add 1-2 Tbsp of ground nuts in addition to that.
What kinds of fillings are good for macarons? One of the beautiful things about macarons is that you can basically fill them with whatever delicious thing your heart desires. Buttercreams, jams, jellies, ganaches - the sky is the limit! Here are a few of my favorites:
Chocolate ganache (you can find my recipe here!)
French buttercream
Mousseline
Fruit jams, jellies, and curds
Caramel sauce
What is “maturing” macarons? Is this necessary? Maturing macarons is the act of putting freshly baked and assembled macarons in an airtight container in the fridge overnight (or up to 24 hours). This maturation process is crucial to flavors, textures, and overall success of your macaron! During this process, the macarons will rehydrate as the shells pull in moisture from the fillings. This changes the consistency of the macaron from being crunchy and slightly brittle to moist and chewy with that perfect gooey center. Don’t sleep on this step!
What’s the best way to store macarons? Macarons should be stored in an airtight container and chilled. In the refrigerator, they’ll last about a week. Macarons also freeze beautifully and will last in the freezer for about 3 weeks with no degradation to their texture or flavor. Either way, take the macarons out and let them come to room temperature before eating.
How many macarons will your recipe make? The yield of any macaron recipe is approximate because the final number depends on a variety of factors. How much did you macaronage? What’s the consistency of your batter? How big or small did you pipe your shells? All of these will impact the final yield of your bake. My recipes make approximately 24 completed macarons.
Is it macaron or macaroon? Excellent question. Thank you very much for asking. It is macaron (“MAC-uh-rohn”). A macaroon (“mac-uh-ROON”) is completely different, and equally delicious, confection made from shredded coconut and sweetened condensed milk.
