Bring your favourite French patisserie to your kitchen with this easy macaron recipe. For years I avoided making macarons as I heard how difficult they were to make. While macarons can be a hit and miss due to weather and over mixing I find this my go-to foolproof recipe as it seems to work for me every time!
I fell in love with macarons when living in Paris and as they were so readily available I never even dreamed of making my own. Once I left France I often dreamed of them so I have practiced on and off for years. While using recipes with sugar syrup produced delicious macarons I still find this easy macron recipe the most consistent especially with time saving in our busy lives!
Why You Will Love This Easy Macaron Recipe
- Simple to make. This is the simplest recipe you could possibly find. No need for sugar syrup to produce a perfect macaron!
- Quick to make. By using your blender it reduces the time for double sieving the icing sugar and almonds.
- Versatile. You can add your own flavours to this basic recipe. I recommend strawberry, raspberry, rosewater, lemon and orange essence. There are also numerous fillings to choose from or you can add your own!
- Great for party planning. These macarons can be made 2 days in advance so no need for the stress of a last minute dessert.
Ingredients For Today’s Recipe
- Ground Almonds. This is the hero ingredient. I like to buy organic where possible. Or better still make your own in your food processor.
- Sugar. By using caster sugar with the egg whites it stabilises them more than granulated sugar and dissolves easier. Using icing sugar with the almonds ensures a smooth macaron.
- Egg whites. I like to use mature egg whites as it helps stabilise them. Simply separate the eggs up to 24 hours before required and store them in the fridge. You can still use fresh but the results are better if matured.
- Flavour. These macarons taste delicious plain with a more intense filling. However if you want to make a strawberry macaron really taste like strawberries then add a drop of strawberry essence. Be sure not to overdo it or it will taste unnatural.
- Colour. Use gel colours as this will hold the macaron’s shape. Don’t use oil based or watery colourants. Powders work well when blend with the almonds and icing sugar.
- Cream of tartar. This helps stabilise the whipped eggs and I find this an essential ingredient to this recipe.
Tips and Tricks For The Perfect Macaron
- Use mature egg whites. These help stabilise the meringues which are essential to the macarons holding their shape.
- Use gel colouring. Avoid oil based or watery colourants as these can alter the stability of the macaron for piping.
- Use a soft rubber spatula as you really need to get under the mixture to fold the ingredients and ensure they are combined.
- Fold the mixture. Do NOT mix the mixture like a cake batter. Fold it about 12 times until it is combined and just drops off the spoon like lava.
- Set up the piping bag before you start. The minute the mixture is ready you want to start piping!
- Use a macaron template under baking paper as this allows for uniformity in size.
- Bang the tray on a hard surface to allow air bubbles to be released. This will give you the smoothest macaron.
- Leave to dry for AT LEAST 30 minutes to one hour. This is crucial and will be sticky but dry to touch.
3 Desserts I Know You Will Love
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Easy Macaron Recipe
- Total Time: 38 minutes
- Yield: 20 1x
Description
Bring your favourite French patisserie to your own kitchen with this easy macaron recipe. Simple to make without the fuss of sugar syrup and works every time!
Ingredients
- 3 large egg whites (approx 140g)
- 70g caster sugar
- 180g icing sugar
- 120g whole almonds
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- Gel food colouring
- ½ vanilla pod, scraped
- Natural food colouring, optional
For the filling:
- 130g butter
- 20g cream cheese
- 250g icing sugar
- 4 tablespoons berry puree or jam
Instructions
- Prepare your tray with greaseproof paper. Prepare the piping bag with a size 3 tip.
- In a large bowl whisk the egg whites until they reach soft peaks. Add the caster sugar, gel colour, vanilla (or any flavour) and cream of tartar and whisk until they reach hard peaks.
- Add the ground almonds to a blender along with the icing sugar. Pulse until fine, scrape down and pulse again. If there are any lumps break them up.
- Add the almond and sugar mixture to the egg white mixture and fold until it is incorporated and the mixture is still slightly thick and just about drops off the spatula. It should just hold a letter 8 in the mix. About 11 or 12 folds should be enough.
- Fill your piping bag and pipe circles onto the greaseproof paper leaving a space in between each. Bang the baking tray down on a hard surface to get rid of any air bubbles.
- Leave to dry for at least 30 minutes to one hour to form a crust on the top. While they are drying preheat the oven to 120˚C.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes and leave to cool. Remove from the parchment paper when cold and fill with buttercream mixed with fresh berry filling.
To make the filling cream the butter and cream cheese until well combined. Add the icing sugar and beat until smooth. Add the berry puree and fold in until well combined.
Notes
For best results, separate your egg whites the day before and leave in the fridge. This matures the egg white which stabilises the macaron mixture easier.
Only use gel or powder colouring with no oils or watery colourants as these can affect the macarons. The colour fades with cooking so add more than needed.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 18 minutes
- Category: Baking
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: French
Keywords: easy macaron recipe
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