Vanilla Macarons
Measurements:
205 grams of powdered sugar
190 grams of almond flour
144 grams of egg white (split in two 72 gram portions)
190 grams of white (granulated) sugar
60 grams of water
Step By Step
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Step 1
Measure all your ingredients
Add powdered sugar and almond flour together
Use a food processor to get the chunks out of the dry ingredients.
I recommend to also use a sifter after blending.
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Step 2
Separate your 144 grams of egg white into 2 portions (72 grams each)
Add one portion of egg whites into powdered sugar & almond flour mixture and mix with a spatula. (if you want your cookie to be a certain color, this is where you add it!)
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Step 3
In a separate bowl (I recommend using a stand mixer), add 2 tsp of lemon juice onto a paper towel and clean the bowl well. (this gets rid of the fat residue left on the bowl, so your egg whites whip up)
Add other 72 gram portion of egg whites to this bowl
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Step 4
In a small saucepan add your sugar and water. Mix together with a spoon.
Put on medium-low heat.
This mixture will be ready once it gets to 244 degrees on a candy thermometer. If you don’t have a candy thermometer (like myself) get a bowl of cold water and add a little bit of the sugar mixture to the cold water until it gets too a moldable consistency (almost like a cartoon looking rain drop).
When the sugar & water mixture reaches 110 degrees or the mixture is a very soft yet moldable texture, begin whisking the egg whites (with a hand mixer or stand mixer).
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Step 5
Once the sugar & water mixture gets to 244 degrees or it gets to the raindrop stage, slowly pour the mixture into the egg whites (which should be whipped up to a stiff peak)
Extra Note:
Make sure to begin pouring mixture as soon as it gets to the raindrop stage! You do not want it to be too thick.
Also pour the mixture down the side of the bowl and not straight into the whisk. (if you pour it into the whisk the sugar will fly onto the sides of your bowl and it will be impossible to remove!)
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Step 6
Whisk the egg white mixture combined with sugar mixture on medium-high for 45 seconds.
Once the mixture gets to a stiff peak and is very fluffy, add a tsp of vanilla (or any flavor extracts).
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Step 7
Now that you have your pasty mixture and fluffy meringue mixture, add them together! Add a small portion (about a cup) of fluffy meringue to your pasty mixture to get it started. Use the folding technique (if unsure what this is, click the video link below picture above to see video)
Use the “figure 8 method” to confirm when your mixture is ready. The figure 8 method is when you are able to make a ‘8’ with your batter without it breaking. (I recommend to stop mixing a little before this because overmixing the batter is worse than undermixing)
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Step 8
Get a piping bag and add a large circular or medium circular piping tip. (I strongly recommend getting piping bags and tips) (you can also use a Ziploc bag, but you will not get a perfect circular shape)
Add your batter into the piping bag. (Tip: put the piping bag with tip over a cup and pour the batter into the cup)
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Step 9
Pipe out your macarons onto a tray lined with parchment paper.
To ensure that all your cookies are the same size, use a macaron silicon mat or use the counting method (count “1…2…3” when you pipe each shell to hopefully make all of them have the same amount of batter)
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Step 10
Tap your tray on a counter 4-6 times, to remove any air bubbles. You can use a toothpick to pop any that rise to the top if you want. (this helps the macaron “feet” to not spread outwards)
Carefully slide the parchment paper with the piped macarons onto the counter to be able to pipe the rest of your macarons. (if you have more than 2 trays you probably won’t have to do this) (this recipe uses 2.5 trays)
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Step 11
Let the macaron shells sit uncovered for at least 30 minutes or until you can glide your finger lightly over the top without ruining it. (it may take a little longer to dry if your batter is over-mixed)
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Step 12
While macarons are drying, pre-heat your oven to (convection) 300 degrees.
After your macarons are dried, put them in the oven for 17 minutes.
Let the macarons sit on the tray for at least 5 minutes before removing. (I recommend to slide the whole parchment paper sheet onto the counter and let them cool a little as well)
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Step 13
After the macaron shells are partially cooled, remove them carefully from the tray and match them up with parallel shells!
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Step 14
Lastly fill your macaron shells with our bakery style buttercream or our soft carmel!
The cookies are best when eaten 12-24 hours after filling because the filling and shell will bind together.
Store in fridge for up to 10 days or at room temperature for 8!