Fool-Proof Macarons
Processes to a Perfect Macaron...
To start, I did successfully make a (somewhat) perfect macaron. But oh boy, was it a process to get there! If you want to read my entire story on my three different macron attempts and what went wrong, be sure to read all the way to end! It'll give you a lot of "what not to-do's" to make your life easier! But just to get the full recipe out of the way, let's get started:
Raspberry Macaron Cookie:
100 g egg whites room temperature, about 3 egg whites)
140 g almond flour (fine)
90 g granulated sugar
130 g powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
¼ tsp Salt
Raspberry Powder (instructions to follow)
Red food coloring (Jel is best for a vibrant color)
1. Pre-Line LIGHT colored cookie sheets with parchment paper.2. If you don't have a food processor that's fine, however, if you do, now is the time to use it! Place your dry ingredients, (except granulated sugar) into the bowl of your food processor and blend them. Skipping this step will cause the top of your macrons to not have that perfectly smooth texture.
3. Remove and pour into your sifter, sift into a large bowl. If you want to take all the precautions then, I suggest repeating the processes again. Food process and sift; then set aside.
4. Whip egg whites with the salt using an electric mixer. Once the whites reach soft peaks, slowly beat in the granulated sugar and vanilla.
5. Beat until you have very stiff peaks, you should be able to turn the bowl upside down without any movement. If you're using any coloring go ahead and whip that in now.6. Fold in the dry ingredients, a third at a time. Fold each third until it's well combined, then you'll get a wet sand texture. Once you pick up the spatula and the batter doesn't break you're probably good to start piping. But, the ultimate test is that you can lift the spatula and draw a figure 8 without the mixture breaking. Once you reach this point don't mix a single fold more!
7. IMMIDENTALY put into a piping bag and start to form your cookies, onto your pre-lined pans.
8. Take your sheet trays and slam, yes slam, them on the table to get any air bubbles out; about 5 times.
9. Wait 30 minutes to an hour or until the tops of the macarons dry. To test this, run your finger over the macaron- if it's dry and the macron isn't soft to the touch, you're good to go! If not, wait a bit longer.10. Bake at 320 degrees for 13 minutes.
11. Once the cookies are cool to the touch, move to a cooling rack for at least one hour, then fill with any filling of your choice, I included the lemon buttercream that I used, but be as creative as you want!
Lemon Buttercream:
1 Lemon, zested
½ lemon worth of juice
150 g butter, softened
75 g confectioners sugar
1. Cream butter and sugar, and then add the lemon zest and juice.
2. Pipe your filling onto one cookie and gently press together with another cookie.
3. For the best results wait at least 24 hours before enjoying your macarons, but if you eat one now, no one will know!
For an extra pretty dessert, garnish with extra raspberry powder or raspberry sauce.
Now that you've got the recipe if you want to hear how I came up with the recipe, keep reading. It might help you have a more successful macaron since I've already made the mistakes for you!
My first attempt was while following a tasty video, they didn't weigh things, it was in cup measurements, which yes, is absolutely easier! The macaron is really just too precise, you need the exact grams measurement. I went through with the entire recipe and only had a few hiccups towards the end. After I finished folding everything I realized I hadn't lined my pans, found an icing tip, or set up a piping bag. I waited about 5 minutes to pipe my macarons and the meringue had already fallen. The first mistake was made! Macrons are so time sensitive that you have to have everything ready to go, have your sugar and vanilla pre-measured out, food coloring ready, pan pre-lined, have your piping tip in your bag and ready to go! So, due to that hiccup, they came out shaped like macarons, but they were a little crooked, the feet (the name for the bottom crispy part of the macaron) spread out a little too much, which was all caused by the lack of prep I did.
Also, when I baked them I had one light colored pan and one dark colored pan. The light pan is definitely the way to go if you have the option. The ones on a dark pan came out more lopsided and less evenly cooked on the bottom. With that being said, also only cook one pan at a time, even if both sheet trays fit; by putting more than one in the oven, air doesn’t circulate as well. So to avoid any issues, just be patient and cook them one at a time.
If you have an oven thermometer it’s very helpful, just to make sure your oven isn’t running a little high, or a little low, this may cause your macarons to not rise properly.
The last realization was made through my last batch of macarons using the raspberry powder I had created. They still seemed kind of sticky and I couldn’t find the problem until I had a friend try the macarons who agreed that the flavor was there but the texture just wasn’t perfect. Well, friends, the answer is something pretty much beyond your control. The humidity. For those of you who don’t know, I live in Florida so it’s humid pretty much ALL THE TIME. My attempt to work around this issue was too run as many fans as possible while making them to try and keep any excess moisture out of the air. This is especially important during your hour-long drying period. You can place them on your stove top and turn on your vent van to help circulate the air. Another option is to place a fan, or two, nearby.I hope that your macarons are successful, and if they don't come out in one try, don't give up! Every climate and oven are different, so you have to see what works for you! Once you can get that technique down, flavoring them is a breeze and you can be so creative! Once again, thank you so much for reading. Please share this recipe on social media and tag @MallaryMade!
From my kitchen to yours,
MallaryMade
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