French Macarons
Inspired by Ladurée's famous macarons, this recipe builds upon that to make a fool-proof macaron every time. Yields about 25-30 macarons.
Ingredients
- 137 g finely ground almond flour
- 125 g confectioners (powdered) sugar
- 3 egg whites room temp
- 105 g granulated sugar
French Buttercream
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter room temp
- 3 cups confectioners sugar
- 1/2 cup fruit jam (strawberry, blueberry, apricot, etc)
Optional
- pinch of cream of tartar
- gel food coloring
Instructions
Macaron Shells
- Combine the ground almonds and confectioners sugar and strain through a sieve twice to remove any lumps. Set aside.
- In a clean dry bowl, whisk egg whites until foamy. Once frothy, add a third of the granulated sugar and whisk for a minute. Then, add another third of granulated sugar and whisk for another minute. Finally, add the remaining granulated sugar and whisk for 1 more minute until medium-stiff peaks form. If you are having trouble with peaks forming after several minutes, add a pinch cream of tartar to stabilize the egg whites.
- Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the mixture of ground almonds and confectioners sugar into the egg whites until evenly incorporated. If you want multiple colors, divide your batter and add several drops of gel food coloring. Be careful to not overfold!
- Transfer mixture to a piping bag fitted with a plain tip. On a baking sheet lined with a silpat mat or parchment paper, pipe small macaron rounds 1.25" – 1.5" in diameter. Bang the baking sheet firmly against a surface to release trapped air bubbles. Do not skip this step!
- Preheat oven to 300ºF/ 150ºC. Allow macaron shells to rest and form a "skin" for about 30 minutes. This may take longer depending on how humid it is, so be patient. To tell when it's ready, you should be able to lightly touch the shell with your finger and not have any batter stick to your finger.
- Bake for approximately 15 minutes until they form distinctive macaron feet. Based on your oven settings, this may take less time, so check on your macarons frequently. Remove from oven and let cool completely. This is important!
French Buttercream Filling
- In a large bowl, beat the butter until soft. Add confectioners sugar, jam, and food coloring and beat until smooth. If buttercream is too thick, adjust by adding a tablespoon of jam. If it's too runny, add more powdered sugar. Make sure the buttercream is not too runny or it will slide off the shells when piping. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a plain tip.
Assembly
- Pipe the filling onto the backs of half the shells. Carefully place the shell on top and push down enough so that the filling does not spread past the shells.
- Store in an air-tight container and refrigerate for at least 24 hours. Bring to room temperature before consumption.
Notes
Recipe by Usagi Baking. All images and content belong to me unless otherwise specified. Please do not use my images without permission. If you would like to share my recipe, please credit me and link back to my site.