The perfect French macarons are crispy, chewy meringue shells paired with your choice of sweet fillings. They can be flavored and colored as you like, and are a gluten-free treat. Learn how to make macarons from scratch successfully, step by step!
Line a half sheet baking pan with a Silpat silicone mat or parchment paper. Set aside.
Sift together the powdered sugar and the almond flour. Discard the larger lumps of almond pieces left behind.
Wet a paper towel with white vinegar or lemon juice and wipe the bowl of a stand mixer. Place the egg whites in the bowl and fit the mixer with the whisk attachment.
Beat egg whites until foamy, then add the granulated sugar, cream of tartar, and salt. Whip until the meringue can form a peak that stands upright, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add the vanilla and the food coloring (if using).
Gently fold the almond flour mixture into the meringue, counting about 65 to 75 turns of your spatula. Folding in the almond flour mixture into the meringue is the trickiest part. Under-mix, and your macarons will be lumpy and cracked when they bake and won't have feet. Over-mix and your macarons will be flat and still won't have feet.
Transfer the batter to a pastry bag. If you’re using parchment paper, place a little of the batter on the underside of each corner to hold it flat to the baking pan. Pipe out 1½-inch rounds onto the baking pan. Use a wet finger to gently flatten the points from the batter.
Tap the pan hard on the counter at least 2 to 3 times to release the air bubbles. This will prevent the tops of the meringue shells from cracking.
Let the meringue shells sit out for 30 to 60 minutes, allowing them time to dry out a bit before hitting the hot oven. They should be tacky, but not stick to your fingertips. Allowing the macaron batter to dry before going into the oven is a very important step. When they dry out they can't spread out in the oven, and are forced to rise up (that's what creates the feet).
While the macarons are drying, preheat the oven to 300 °F.
Bake the meringue shells for 20 minutes. Do not underbake, even if they look done (otherwise they will stick to your tray).
Turn off the oven once the shells are done without opening the oven door to let them cool completely in the oven (about 1 to 2 hours) before removing the pan. This will keep them from cracking due to thermal shock.
Carefully pipe or spoon your desired filling onto one side of a meringue shell, then sandwich with a second shell.
Macarons are best enjoyed the next day as the meringue shells have a chance to soften to a crispy chewiness.
Storage instructions: Macarons can be stored in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to a week, unless you have a filling that must be refrigerated.
Make ahead instructions: Macaron shells can be frozen in an airtight container for up to two months. There's no need to thaw them first before filling.
Recipe Notes
There are two types of almond flour available, blanched and unblanched, the difference being whether or not the almonds are ground up with their skins. If the color of the macaron is going to be light, use the lighter-shaded blanched almond flour. Note, almond flour is notalmond meal. You want the finer grind of the flour for this recipe.Egg whites need to be absolutely free of fat to whip into a meringue. To make sure there is no yolk, separate the eggs over a bowl and dump the whites into another bowl (an egg separator can help). Also, wiping the mixing bowl with white vinegar or lemon juice prior to adding the whites help to ensure there is no fat in the bowl that can inhibit the meringue formation. This step is optional but highly recommended.You can flavor the macarons with extracts other than vanilla. Use ⅛ teaspoon for stronger flavors like almond, mint, or Fiori di Sicilia (orange vanilla).If you want to color your macarons, gel food coloring works best. The color does fade as it bakes, so do a shade or two darker than you want them to be.You have many options for filling the macarons. Use a classic buttercream frosting, an Italian meringue frosting, chocolate ganache, caramel sauce, jam, peanut butter...the list goes on.