About My Macarons

A Taste of Paris sells macarons, which are meringue based French cookies. They consist of two almond cookies with a sweet, flavorful filling. The perfect macaron has a smooth top, visible feet (the crinkles underneath each cookie), and a crispy and chewy texture. Macarons originated in Italy and were brought over to France, which led to two types of macarons, French Meringue and Italian Meringue. I make Italian Meringue macarons, which involves heating up sugar and water to create a simple syrup that is poured into egg whites while beating them. The meringue is more stable than the French Meringue cookies, and they rise more vertically, too. Italian Meringue cookies are crumbly and powdery and require more steps to complete. In general, macarons are very finicky. Even with the correct equipment and ingredients, the macarons could be ruined depending on oven temperature, humidity, and much more. One small mistake in the process could be disastrous for the final product. They have a mind of their own! My macarons take approximately 3 hours to make 2 dozen, including resting time, baking time, and the time it takes to make the batter and filling.

DSCN0076.MP4

Step 1

My first step involves sifting almond flour and powdered sugar together, then mixing them with egg whites and food coloring, if desired.

DSCN0081.MP4

Step 2

Next, I make a simple syrup with sugar and water.

DSCN0083.MP4

Step 3

The following step is when I whip the simple syrup into additional egg whites and a pinch of sugar to form a meringue. I then gradually add the meringue to the almond flour mixture from earlier, which creates a pipeable batter.

DSCN0100.MP4

Step 4

Next, I pipe my macaron batter onto baking sheet with a nonstick mat, squeezing to form a circle and then quickly releasing the pressure. I then hit the tray on the counter a couple times to get rid of air bubbles, and I let the macaron shells sit for about 45 minutes to create a crust.

DSCN0103.MP4

Step 5

Once the macaron shells have formed a crust, I bake them for about 20 minutes, rotating once. I then let them cool and carefully peel them off the mats.

DSCN0115.MP4

Step 6

The next steps involves making the filling, which can be buttercream, ganache, or basically anything else that is stable enough to pipe. I then match up similar sized macaron shells and pipe filling between them.

DSCN0124.MP4

step 7

After filling all of the macarons, they are done and ready to enjoy! However, my macarons develop more flavor and have a more delightful texture if kept in the fridge overnight.

Recipe Courtesy Of: Sarah Moore - Moore Macarons