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The Best French Macaron Recipe

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The Best Macaron Recipe

My first ever post on this blog! It’s only fitting that I talk about my favourite item to bake – macarons! My obsession with making macarons started a month after I started baking for the very first time, my hubby bought me a macaron making class at a popular local French bakery and I learnt how to make French macarons from a French chef. It seriously changed my life as I became obsessed with macaron making ever since. I would practice by making several batches every week, and sometimes several a day

I love macarons on so many levels – both aesthetically and technically. As you probably already know by the barrage of #macaron hash tagged photos seen on Instagram, they are literally the most photogenic food ever to exist (my own very biased opinion of course haha). On the other hand, on a technical level, I love them because I’ve become addicted to the challenge of making them. They are super finicky to get right and it is one of the very few foods that, just by looking at its outer appearance, you will know which techniques were used to make it.

This is a recipe for the FRENCH method macaron.

It is different from the Italian method, which involves simultaneously pouring hot syrup into egg whites that are being beaten. If you have no experience making an Italian meringue for other baked goods, this French method is the easier one to start with. Some bakers swear by the Italian method while some the French but both would yeild the same type of magical fluffy cookies that most people would know to be a macaron. (Click here to read the explanation between the two). Essentially, in the French method, we are using a French Meringue and in the Italian method – an Italian Meringue.

A Little Note Before you Begin:

Macarons can be very finicky to bake. If it doesn’t work out the very first time you try to make them, don’t be too upset. Any one of a gazillion factors can affect how your macarons will turn out. Most home bakers often lament on how there must be something wrong with the recipe and is forever in search of a magical recipe which will yield perfect macarons. To be honest, most of the items on the ingredient lists for the shells are very similar to one another because a certain ratio of each (but few) ingredient is needed for their composition. Where you really have to pay attention is whether you are mastering the important techniques at every step of baking these little treats. This includes the mixing of the batter and even how to use your home oven amongst others.

“So, Will My Macarons be Perfect?”

The recipe I’m giving you below includes all the techniques you will need to master at each step. I have also included links to several other posts I’ve written which will help you further pinpoint areas which you may need to tweak in order to bake a successful batch. In my recipe are all the things I’ve learned from my macaron baking adventures in my home kitchen. I can tell you that without a doubt, you will also yield wonderful macarons if you practice a lot – with the right techniques of course. I don’t believe that there is one magical recipe out there, including mine! What’s important is that you learn the proper techniques and then tweak them with what works best in your kitchen and in your oven. Below are all the foundation techniques you will need. Start by following each step carefully and practice, practice, practice! Good luck my dears!

Here’s my YouTube Video Tutorial, it will act as a visual aid. It’s very condensed and fast paced so I highly recommend using it in conjunction with all the information I have provided in this post.

 

Serving size: Makes 12 macarons (Recipe can easily be doubled or tripled)

How-to-grind-your-own-almond-flour♥ Ingredients ♥ 

**PLEASE DO NOT REPUBLISH WITHOUT PERMISSION**

– 65 grams – almond flour (click here for the tutorial on how to make your own almond flour)

– 65 grams – powdered sugar

– 45 grams – castor sugar (or a.k.a “berry” sugar or extra fine granulated sugar)

– 50 grams – AGED egg whites (app. 2 medium egg whites) Read this post on how to age your egg whites. NOTE: Do NOT use meringue powder

– 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar or 1 teaspoon of lemon juice

– GEL Colour of your choice (DO NOT use liquid color)

♥ What you will need ♥ 
SHOP the supplies I use here.

– electronic scale

– 2 very clean and dry mixing bowls absolutely free of oil or water – preferably NOT plastic.

– a hand mixer

– a sifter

– a flexible spatula

– a piping bag

– a round piping tip

(I prefer Ateco #805 Plain Seamless Tip for regular round macarons or Wilton 12 for more control with animal macarons)

– a good quality baking pan

– template with macaron outline

– oven thermometer

– parchment paper or Silpat mat (I prefer the Macaron Silpat mat with macaron outline) – DO NOT use wax paper

– dehumidifier or make in a dry environment with low humidity

 

 

Prep Work: 

Prepare everything that you will need in advance for piping your macarons because once your batter is ready, it must be used right away.

aged egg whites macaron

♥ Wipe down mixing bowls with some vinegar to remove leftover oils. Then use bowls to store egg white for “aging”

♥ Age your egg whites 24 hours in advance

Separate egg whites, making sure that you leave no traces of egg yolks. Water and yolks inside egg whites will make it very difficult to beat your egg whites into stiff peaks. Place egg whites in a very clean, dry, oil-free bowl. Wrap with saran wrap and poke a few holes into it. Place it in the fridge to dehydrate until ready to use. Read this post for detailed instructions.

♥ If your parchment paper comes on a roll, flatten it out by laying heaving objects on top. Providing a smooth flat surface for piping your shells will prevent them from spreading into odd shapes.

♥ Print out macaron template and place it underneath the parchment paper on a baking tray. My free macaron templates are available to newsletter subscribers. Please sign up for the newsletter and  you will be sent a password to access the members only area. Please remember to confirm your subscription since it is a Double Opt-in process. 

You’ll get various sizes of macaron templates in the Member’s Only Template area:

1.5 inches macaron shell – MOST POPULAR

1.25 inches macaron template – smaller sized shells help save batter

1.75 inch macaron shells – bigger shells are good for decorating and macarons with multiple types of fillings.

♥ Measure out all your ingredients

piping-macaron-batter♥ Set up your piping bag

Push the piping tip firmly into the bag to ensure that it doesn’t move around when you start piping. Twist the bag and push it into the piping tip. It will act as a seal and stop any batter from leaking out of the tip when you begin to fill it. Set this bag inside a tall glass. Open up the top so that you can have both hands free to fill up the bag later.

♥ Set out egg whites about 20 min. ahead of making macarons to bring them back to room temperature

♥ Sift the almond flour and powdered sugar together, mix well

Sifting will allow your macarons to develop smooth shiny shells. Throw away course almond or sugar bits as they can cause the egg whites to deflate and you will end up with a collapsed or uneven macaron. Remember to add back sifted amounts to compensate for the discarded amounts.

♥ Set dehumidifier to bring humidity level in the room below 50

A dryer environment will allow the macaron shells to “rest” after piping. This resting period will help the macaron develop feet.

 

 

Baking Steps:

ice-cream-macaron-sandwhiches-yummy1. Beat egg whites with a handheld mixer until foamy, add cream of tartar (1/8 tsp) or salt (pinch).

2. Once the egg whites start leaving trails, add granulated sugar 1/3 at a time

“Leaving trails” refer to being able to see visible tracks in the egg whites.

3. Once all the sugar has been fully incorporated and before reaching stiff peaks, add 1-3 drops of gel colour to your liking. Beat until Stiff Peaks.

The term “Stiff peaks” is derived from how the egg whites appear when you pull the whisk out of it. It should be so firm that it literally stand up vertically and point upwards without falling back into itself. Also, test it by flipping your bowl COMPLETELY upside down. The whites should not slip or fall, instead it stays firm inside the bowl.

4. Test meringue stiffness.

Once it has reached “Stiff Peaks” stop and do not beat any more. The meringue should also start clumping up inside the whisk like this:

The meringue should start clumping up inside the whisk. That’s how stiff you need your french meringue for making macarons.

Soft Peaks is characterized with the egg whites falling back into itself when the egg when the whisk is pulled out.

Soft Peaks is characterized by the egg whites falling back into itself when the whisk is pulled out.

Stiff Peaks is achieved when the egg whites stand straight up when the whisk is pulled out.

Stiff Peaks is achieved when the egg whites stand vertically straight when the whisk is pulled out.

 

5. Pour a third of the almond mixture into the egg whites. Gently fold the egg whites into the almond flour and sugar mixture. Then add the rest of the almond mixture. 

How to FOLD: This is a very critical step in the macaron making process called “macaronage”. Take the spatula and gently go under the mixture, use a sweep down-across-up-and-over motion (like you’re scraping around the bowl towards the middle) while turning the bowl at the same time. Occasionally, cut down through the center of the mixture to incorporate the ingredients in the center. As well, very gently take your spatula and sweep against the top of the batter to properly deflate some of the air in the mixture. Do not “dump” the mixture back into itself. If you fold gently, it will eventually incorporate into one mixture even though it may not look like it will at first. 
 

DO NOT NEED TO MIX or STIR. Folding properly will ensure that the air bubbles that you beat into your egg whites do not all deflate when incorporated with the heavier dry ingredients. You want to beat out some of the air that was created in the whipping of the egg whites, but not so much that its fully deflated and prevents feet from developing.

6. Stop folding once your batter has reached a “lava” like or honey consistency

Occasionally check the consistency to test doneness.  The success of your macarons will depend largely on your ability to gauge when to stop folding your batter.

How to Judge when to  Stop Folding Your Macaron Batter

As soon as the batter begins to look homogenous, start testing the consistency. With your spatula, pick up the batter and drop it back into the bowl. It should not “plop” down into the bowl but flow very slowly like thick molten lava. It should fold into itself just a few times like a ribbon but no more than that. Pick up the batter and let it flow down while drawing the figure “8”. If it can do that,  immediately stop folding when you see that you have reached this stage. If it looks like a runny pancake batter, then you’ve gone too far! Watch my YouTube video as a visual guide.

It’s always better to under mix than to over mix. When you under mix, your macaron shells will still form albeit, they’ll be bumpy. But if you over mix, you will deflate the air in your egg whites and your macaron shells will spread like crazy when you try to pipe it.

Here’s a new video I made to show you how to properly macaronage in 2 minutes:

How-to-macaronage-properly

 

injection-syringe-for-piping-macarons7. If using parchment paper, dab a little bit of batter on the bottom of all four corners of the parchment paper.  Use it as a “glue” to keep the paper attached to the tray while piping. Or use magnets to secure the paper onto the tray. Using the spatula, gently transfer the batter into the piping bag. Pipe the batter to the size of the circle on the template.

Start from the center while holding the piping bag vertically and squeeze while applying even pressure to all sides until the batter has nearly reached the size of the template, swing the tip around back towards the center and pull away, that’s where you want your batter to end. Ideally, if your batter has been mixed properly and is at the correct consistency, any “nipples” or “tails” should sink back into itself. Also, remember to squeeze out the batter from the top of the bag without handling it excessively since you don’t want the structure of the batter near the end to be compromised.

Here’s a post showing you the proper consistency of a macaron batter after piping.

8. Remove the paper template from underneath the parchment paper. 

how to make macarons9. Rap the tray several times on the counter.

This will allow any air bubbles to escape and prevents your macarons from cracking during the baking process. Rap it once or twice, rotate the pan and repeat.

 

10. Let it rest on the counter for 30 min. AND until a “skin” has developed.

Let the piped shells rest under the range hood fan. It will help dry them out. Do not use a fan which blows on an angle since it will cause your macarons to become lopsided. Once the shell looks dull and matte as opposed to glossy like when it was first piped, test on a sacrificial shell. Lightly touch the surface of the shell and if no batter sticks to your fingers, a “skin” has developed. It will be very clear when a skin has developed, you will be able to touch it without the batter transferring to your fingers. It will also not indent easily as well.

Why should I rest my macarons?

cloud-macaronsResting the macaron is a crucial step that allows your shells to harden up and thereby, allowing it to be strong enough to develop feet during its time in the oven. Many recipes do not clearly explain the purpose of this rest period and it has become quite a controversial topic. Some bakers say they never rest their macarons and some swear by it. For me, I find it depends on whether or not a “skin” has developed. The timing is not as important as the presence of a skin and a matte dull finish. Sometimes in a humid environment (or your batter is bad – too runny) you can rest your macarons for 30 minutes and a skin may still not develop while on other days, a skin can quickly develop without this rest period. That is probably the reason why some bakers claim that they never rest their macarons. I’ve tested this many times in my kitchen and I have found that I will get great feet once a skin has developed, regardless of the resting time. You DON’T have to do it but it is extra insurance for those who are new to macaron baking. Click here for a full post on this topic.

11. Preheat your oven to 320 F.

Place an oven thermometer inside the oven to ensure that the temperature is correct. Many bakers assume that their ovens are at the correct temperature when in fact the temperature has increased or decreased during the baking process without their knowledge.

how-to-use-oven-squared12. Place the tray on the middle shelf and bake for 12-14 minutes. Bake only one tray at a time. SEE COMMENT BELOW:

Every oven is different so I suggest using this temperature and rack position as a baseline if it’s your first time making macarons, then make any adjustments you need to perfect them. Click here to read about the different ways to set your oven for baking perfect macarons.

macaron-doneness-150x15013. Take them out and test to see doneness.

Use a spatula to lightly tap the feet, it should be firm and not push back. Wiggle the top of the shell from left to right, it should not be wobbly. Lightly peel back the parchment paper and the macaron should peel off easily without sticking. (This does not work well on silpats though.) If it doesn’t pass the tests above, put them back in the oven and bake an extra 1 min. at a time.

14. Keep on pan to cool off or take them off.

If the bottoms are just a tiny bit sticky (just a little bit though), keep them on the tray to cool off for about 15 min. If however, the bottoms are already brown, they peel off cleanly or appear over-baked, take them off the hot tray to cool down. Break one open and check the inside, it should be fully set and not overly moist. If it is too moist the cookies will collapse when they cool. Err on the side of over baking rather than under baking as the maturation process will be able to salvage over baked macarons. See step 15

P217058715. Fill with your favorite filling.

Click here to get some yummy filling ideas

Place the filling in a pastry bag and squeeze a dollop of it in the center. You don’t need too much, you don’t want it to squish out past the shell once you assemble the other side of the macaron shell.

16. Leave them in the fridge in an airtight container and let them mature for 24 hours.

They are best eaten after 24 hours since the flavors will be absorbed into the shell. If your shell is hard/crunchy/over baked, letting them develop will also allow the shells to absorb the moisture from the filling and it will develop that distinctive soft and chewy texture. The maturation process can also be sped up by lightly brushing the bottom of the shells with a syrup that is the same flavour as the filling. Milk works too!

17. After 24 hours of maturation in the fridge, bring them back to room temperature 30 min. before serving. ENJOY!

 

This Macaron Recipe Works!

Take a look at the awesome reader work using my macaron recipe. OMG! They all did such a lovely job and I am so pleased to see their results. If you want to share with me, please tag me on IG, Facebook or send photo via email. Love you all, XOXO Mimi

See more beautiful work from bakers using my recipe by clicking any of the images below:

 

My Recommended Tools

Disclosure: Affiliate Links


 

So how did yours turn out?

I hope you enjoyed the process and the recipe worked out well for you. If you didn’t quite achieve the results you’re looking for this time, try using some of the tips I’ve provided in these other posts I’ve written – all experiences from my home kitchen. And don’t forget to share all your beautiful babies with me on Instagram. Let’s talk baking! Until next time.

XOXO, Mimi

Comments

  1. Oh my goodness, I’m so happy! These came out ABSOLUTELY PERFECT!! Thank you! Can you please help me take the next step with flavoring the shells? I’m scared to change a thing about a recipe that works. These were great. Just great. You’re amazing.

    Reply

    • So happy to hear that Katie! There are lots of other flavored macaron recipes on the blog. Look under recipes.
      XOXO,
      Mimi

      Reply

  2. Hi,

    I am trying to follow this recip but my batter is gettung thicker as i fold it. Im not sure what im doing wrong 🙁

    Reply

  3. Thank you so much for this tutorial! I want to make them soon, I have printed the templates but when I measured them the size is smaller than the one stated. What software do you use to print them so they print the right size?

    Reply

    • Hi,
      Any basic printing software on any computer will work. You can control how big or small you need it by adjusting the print size. Maybe you can scale it bigger by a few percent.
      XOXO,
      Mimi

      Reply

  4. Hi Mimi! I’m so glad to find your blog with this endless macaron creations. I just tried making my first macaron yesterday with your recipe, but sadly the batter was way too thick and I couldn’t achieve the proper macronage consistency no matter how long I’ve been folding.

    In your YouTube video, you mentioned that you’re using 65g blanched almonds (not the weight after they are grinded into a meal), whereas in the blog post you wrote 65g almond meal. I believe 65g of blanched almonds isn’t equal to 65g of almond meal. Can you please clarify what is the correct measurement?

    Can we also substitue the castor sugar with granulated sugar? Most recipes I find call for granulated sugar. Is there a reason behind using the castor sugar in your recipe?

    Please let me know! I’m definitely looking forward to retry your recipe. Thank you!

    Reply

    • Thank you! I’m referring to 65 grams almond flour, sometimes the two terms are used interchangeably. I use castor sugar so it can be absorbed easier into the egg whites. You can use granulated sugar if you can’t find castor sugar.
      Xoxo,
      Mimi

      Reply

  5. Hi Mimi. I just wanted to thank you for taking the time to do all the macaron troubleshooting/tutorials. You made it possible for me to figure out exactly what was causing the hollows in my macarons. 🙂 I’ve made countless perfect looking batches that ended up being hollow on the inside, so frustrating. Now I’m finally getting perfect, fluffy macarons!

    Reply

    • That is so wonderful to hear Brittany! Thanks for taking the time out to write me and let me know. I hope you’ll get a chance to work on some designs later too. XOXO, Mimi

      Reply

  6. Hi Mimi! I have been reading a lot on macarons lately to muster up strength to try out these amazing cookies. As I was reading your page I noticed a cookie press in one of the pictures above. I have read that cookie press tends to deflate the meringue…but can it be used to pipe macarons? Thank you so much for your time and determination to share with us all about macarons.

    Reply

    • Hi Mary,
      I have used that tool to pipe my macaron batter for a long time now and I do not have any problems with deflating macaron batter 🙂
      You can see more about the product and purchase it in my SHOP if you’re interested.
      XOXO,
      Mimi

      Reply

  7. Thanks so much for this! I’ve tried a few different recipes but I’m not there yet. Getting hollows. Question, recipe calls for a hand mixer? I have a kitchen aid stand mixer. Can I use that instead?

    Reply

  8. Hi Mimi!! Just wondering how you store your macarons if you have to make them ahead of time? I’ve heard you should freeze them? I’m making mine a week ahead of time. If I should freeze them should I do it with or without the filling?
    Thanks for all of your macaron tips! I use your pins a lot! And I absolutely love your trouble shooting guide!!!
    Amy

    Reply

    • Thank you so much for your support Amy!
      You can freeze them with the filling depending on what the filling is. Some fillings don’t do as well after thawing. Chocolate ganache and meringue buttercreams are pretty resilient to thawing. You do not need to take them out the night before, they can thaw easily at room temperature within half an hour.
      XOXO, Mimi

      Reply

  9. I’ve been using your recipe with some amount of success. Lately I’ve been noticing that my feet are rising nicely in the oven but then they deflate at the end of the baking. How can I prevent this?

    Thanks for sharing so many of your great recipes and ideas!

    Reply

    • You might have over whipped the whites a bit. If the temperature you have been using has been successful for you, then work on the egg whites.
      XOXO, Mimi

      Reply

    • Technically you can, but I would not recommend it as the lower quantity may be hard to guage how stiff the egg whites should be and may be hard to see the batter at the “lava” stage after folding.

      Reply

  11. Hey Mimi,

    Thanks for sharing all your wonderful knowledge. I’ve tried your recipe 3 times and it’s wonderful. My only concern is that it’s very soft. Is there a way to ensure I get that nice crunch on top?

    Thanks!
    Lisa

    Reply

  12. I am so incredibly disappointed. They looked amazing after I piped them and then cracked in the oven. Only about half of them cracked though…. I’m not sure what I did wrong. This is my 5th attempt and I feel like I am done. These take too much time and effort to come out awful!!! Any help would be appreciated!!

    Reply

    • For what it’s worth, every time I get a bad batch (this far, 5 out of 6 have been bad! Haha!), my husband tindd me that even though it’s not a “perfect” macaron, it’s afill a cookie that I enjoy. Sure, I don’t enjoy it AS much, but it IS still sugar and baked yummy goodness. So at least there’s that! And I’ve got a few good friends who willingly take whatever “crap” cookie I give them! So it’s win/win!

      Reply

  13. I would like to make your matcha macaron recipe but I have to store if for five days after baking them. Will that affect the flavor or texture at all, and what should I do to combat any defects? Thanks and I love your site!

    Reply

    • You can let the macarons mature for 1-2 days. Test it and see if it has indeed become softer with the maturation. If this happens after 24 hours, then place it in the freezer until you are ready to serve it. The day you bring it out of the freezer will be like the “first” day of it’s freshness countdown.

      XOXO,
      Mimi

      Reply

  14. Thank you for this detailed explanation. Like you, I want to perfect making macarons – not because i love them, but because I love the challenge.

    Just curious – does the early step of wiping down your bowls with vinegar add acidity to the mixture or cause a different reaction (good or bad) when making the macaron? I’ve never used this method before but willing to give it a shot.

    Reply

    • There are no negative effects of wiping down the bowl. You will be using cream of tartar (also acidic) to stabilize the egg whites so it the extra acidity left behind on the bowl won’t be harmful to the batter at all.
      XOXO, Mimi

      Reply

  15. Hi! When do I add the food coloring? during folding? And does the flavor usually only come from the filling?
    Thank you!!!

    Reply

    • It’s a good idea to leave the flavours out of the shells and let the fillings flavour the macaron shells through osmosis during the maturation process. There are a few flavours that can accommodate flavoured shells – usually adding dry ingredients to the dry mix will give the shells more stability than adding liquid extracts to the meringue.

      As for when I add the color ( i use gel color), please refer to the recipe as written above.

      XOXO,
      Mimi

      Reply

  16. Hi Mimi, so I have been trying to bake macarons on and off since February and it’s been so frustrating! They always come out looking perfect, but completely hollow. In advance, I’m sorry for this super long comment haha

    There were a few months where I had basically mastered them, and they were not hollow, had feet, smooth tops, chewy. However, my most recent batches have regressed. Basically what happens is that the feet rise really high in the first 5-7 minutes of baking, and then come back down. They look pretty bubbly when they rise, which I think is a sign that they will be hollow. The macarons seem full and fluffy right as they come out of the oven, but minutes later, the insides collapse and they are hollow with paper thin, smooth shells. This happens even when I transfer the parchment paper immediately to a cooling rack as soon as I take the pan out of the oven.

    When my recipe was working, I was doing 175g confectioners/125g almond/100g egg whites…then when I began having trouble again, I tried your recipe out, and the SAME thing happened! So I am convinced that it is something with my technique. I tried beating the meringue to when it was JUST clinging to the bowl, to when it was more stiff, but still glossy. When I macaronage, I use your technique, where I mash the batter onto the sides to deflate it. It looks really similar to yours, and I am able to do the infinity test, without the macarons spreading out too much once piped. I used this technique when my macarons were coming out perfect, so I personally don’t think this caused it. When they were working, I baked them at 315 for 14 minutes. With the recent batches, I tried 300, 325, 350, and they still came out the same. I use an oven thermometer, although it is a cheap one and my oven is pretty temperamental, so maybe the temperature might be off? I tried it out with cream of tar tar and without. I don’t sift my ingredients, because I get the superfine almond flour, and it has been okay in the past, but maybe this could be why they are coming out hollow? It has also been pretty humid here recently. I am so frustrated because I have made perfect batches in the past, and I just want to get them right.

    I would appreciate any help!!

    Also, I was considering trying the italian method, but with a swiss meringue, since I do not have a stand mixer. I was wondering what you think about this method?

    Reply

    • If you feel like you are absolutely certain your technique is spot-on (i’m assuming it is since you have made them sucessfully in the past and know what to look for ), then take a look at the freshness of your ingredients. Sometimes almond flour batches can be too oily, eggs are too old, gel colour is too old and thinning out etc…

      XOXO,
      Mimi

      Reply

  17. Hi Mimi,
    I tried your recipe. I was able get the right batter. But after baking they were not leaving the parchment paper 🙁 got stuck to it. From the inside they moist as well.
    Btw how are Macrons from inside. Are they dry? Because I haven’t eaten macrons..

    Reply

    • They should be able to peel of the parchment paper after it cools. They do tend to stick when they first come out of the oven though. If the inside is moist even after cooling down, then bake them longer next time. They should not be moist after cooling. After a few hours, you’ll find that the cookie “snaps” open. That’s where maturation with a filling is needed to make it soft again.
      XOXO,
      Mimi

      Reply

  18. Hi, getting ready to try out this recipe. I’ve already made the almond flour per your almond flour recipe, I am just wondering, as I don’t want to mess it up, since the almond flour recipe has powdered sugar added into it, would I still be adding additional powdered sugar into this recipe as well? I was only able to make exactly enough flour for this recipe, so I won’t be able to test it beforehand, or I’ll have to wait a while before I can try it again lol. Please let me know when you can! Thanks!

    Reply

  19. Hi Mimi, I needed to make 36 macaron in 5 different colours, should I reduce your recipe? Or whip the egg whites and then split the batter evenly before folding and then color? I have no idea how to go about this. 🙁

    Reply

    • I prefer to make separate batters for each color to make sure the batter is stable. A lot of problems can arise from splitting the batter incorrectly. However, since 36 macarons divided into 5 different colours would be very difficult to do without wasting lots of ingredients. You can try making them in 2 or 3 separate batches. Use the ingredients in this macaron recipe to make two colors each. In this recipe, I use a method to split up the batter for different colors.

      xoxo,
      Mimi

      Reply

  20. My macarons turn out fine, but I have noticed that when I use a silicone baking sheet, they do not rise as much as they do when they’re on parchment paper. Have you noticed this also? I should note that my silicon baking sheet is made for Macarons, and it has circle indentations to show you where you should pipe. I’m wondering if it’s the indentations that are screwing things up

    Reply

    • Silicone generally doesn’t conduct heat as well as paper. Many readers have also had problems with the mats with the circle indentations. They are generally not very good for macaron baking, even though they might LOOK convenient. If using silicone, I recommend the SILPAT brand without the indentations.
      XOXO,
      Mimi

      Reply

  21. Hello! Can i decrease your recipe down 2.5 times? Because almond flour is quite expensive in my country. So it should be:
    26g almond flour
    26g powdered sugar
    18g caster sugar
    20g egg whites

    Reply

    • You can but you might find the egg whites hard to whip in a stand mixer. You might find success whipping it by hand with a hand-held mixers. Also, the videos I make are of my regular recipe so you might find that your batter folds and flows differently (visually) since you have so little of the batter to work with. XOXO, Mimi

      Reply

  22. hello thanks for your fully explanation about macaron. Id like to ask : as you said and as i read many where each time good to bake only one tray . by this way most of the times we have some trays witch stay out side for longer time and this will cause more rest time and cracked macaron. so whats the solution for this case .? thank you so much

    Reply

    • Hi Paris,
      It’s completely fine to leave the trays out to dry when the other trays are in the oven. Unless you have excessive amounts, I don’t see a problem. Piped macaron shells can stay out for a MINIMUM of 2 hours.
      XOXO,
      Mimi

      Reply

  23. Please, please, please help!!! I’ve made beautiful macarons before but lately, they’ve been going all awry. This most recent batch ballooned up and looks like Hershey kisses…

    Reply

      • I made them twice with the same issue when I realized the only things that had changed were the recipe and I was using a silicone mat, which I had never used before. I made this recipe a third time without the mat, and they were perfect. I didn’t get the silpat brand, and will never use this brand again.

        Reply

        • I’m glad you found a solution that works for you. This would be related to the “hot spots in the oven” issue. Since your mats may be conducting heat differently than the parchment paper. I would definitely recommend the Silpat brand the next time you decide to buy silicone mats again:)
          XOXO,
          Mimi

          Reply

  24. Can I use egg whites that are in a container? You know the kind they sell in cartons?

    Reply

  25. Thank you so much for this macaron post & recipe. I was going crazy trying other recipes from Pinterest (because I lost my favorite macaron recipe) and having major macaron fails of all kinds. I did yours and, voila!, PERFECT macarons. Thank goodness! You are a macaron angel!

    Reply

  26. Hi Mimi,
    What kind of almond flour do you use? I am using Wellbee’s super fine. I keep getting hollows. I read somewhere that the coarseness can cause the inside of the macaron to deflate while baking. Do you think I need to grind the flour prior to using? I don’t own a food processor. I own a oven thermometer and a hygrometer for these finicky cookies. I guess I could buy a food processor too.

    Reply

    • I make my own almond flour as I prefer the consistency and quality. You can make your own with this tutorial here. You can definitely grind it down a bit more with some of the icing sugar in the recipe. It can make it finer and more to your preference.
      XOXO,
      Mimi

      Reply

  27. hi mimi. i tried this and it worked like a charm. although i find the macarons too sweet. have you ever tried adjusting the ratio of almond flour to powdered sugar?

    Reply

    • Hi Mariel,
      Compared to other recipes, this one has already been reduced to the lowest amount of sugar possible. You do need a certain ratio of sugar for macarons to bake successfully. You can try using a more tart filling, that will make the perception of macarons less sweet. (Do not use American/simple buttercream, it makes the macarons way too sweet.)
      You can take a look at all the different fillings here.
      XOXO, Mimi

      Reply

  28. Hi Mimi! Do you stick to flavoring the filling, or can extracts/oils/baking emulsions be used in the shell? If so, how much (in general, I know this can be subject to personal taste and strength of the option used)? Using everything dry works fine as long as I don’t go over a tablespoon, but liquids are testing my hair follicle strength. Thanks a million! 🙂

    Reply

    • Hi Coni,
      I don’t like to add extract to the shells and I haven’t yet so I don’t have any advice on that unfortunately.
      XOXO,
      Mimi

      Reply

  29. Hi Mimi,
    This is my second time attempting to use your recipe. I’ve been successful with others but when I try yours my batter is way too thick and I cannot get it thin enough 🙁 Any suggestions? Thank you!

    Reply

    • Look out for not overwhipping the egg whites, wrong almond flour measurements (too much) and old gel colours.

      XOXO,
      Mimi

      Reply

  30. Hello! I sifted through the comments, but not too well, so I might have missed it. I do not have access to a food scale. Are there alternate measurements I could use? I have tried a few other recipes and I consistently get hollows. I am hoping with your recipe and tips it won’t happen again. But I don’t have the scale so I don’t know how to do the recipe. Thank you!

    Reply

    • Hi,
      Sorry, I really don’t recommend making macarons without a scale. It’s hard to tell if the problems you’re having are due to incorrectly measured ingredients or just technique 🙂
      XOXO,
      Mimi

      Reply

  31. Hi Mimi, thank you for the tutorial!

    Any advice on what to do with the batter while waiting for the first batches to bake? I have a very small oven in my apartment so it takes me 4+ batches to bake all of my batter and I’ve found that the last one always ends up soft and wrinkled even when I have covered up the batter while it’s not being used.

    Thanks again!
    Anna

    Reply

  32. I just wanted to say thank you. from the bottom of my heart thank you
    you have invested a huge amount of time into your posts and they are invaluable!
    I have finally today, successfully!, turned out FOUR back to back batches– including two chocolate ones! (all previous chocolate ones have exploded and turned into a mess for me, or fudgey brownies messes)
    One of my problems I am almost certain of, was due to high altitude (4000ft). Using your recipes with a much more stable meringue was what finally did the trick– there really isnt much out there for addressing altitude problems, only a few comments here and there.
    I’m going to give it another go tomorrow, and hope that today wasnt just luck (I’m sure it wasnt, but I have had such horrible luck I’m doubting myself) I just wanted to take the time to thank you, before I forgot to

    Reply

    • Wow! thanks for leaving me such a lovely note. I’m so excited for you and it’s great to hear my recipe has worked well for you in high altitude since I do get asked that question a lot. I’ve found many people have had great success with the chocolate as well. (Baking macaron shells with chocolate can be bit tricky if the ratio is not correct.) Keep it up and happy baking!! XOXO, Mimi

      Reply

    • There are two ways to do it. The most reliable way which I prefer is to make two batches back to back. I have two kitchenaid mixers plus two bowls for one of them so if you don’t have two mixers, you can buy an extra bowl and sort of recreate that sort of setup. Here is the tutorial which shows you how i do two macaron batters. Alternatively, you can also just split the finished meringue up into 2 or 3 parts and do the same with the dry mix. Then fold. Here is a recipe where I split up the macaron batter. xoxo, Mimi

      Reply

  34. Hi Mimi, i would like to ask if i’m using the same batter for french method , how do i colour two different colors? as i know must color when before reach stiff peak . can i actually color it when i fold in dry mixture then i take out some to color the color that i wan?

    Reply

    • Yes, it will be fine to multiply it 🙂 You just need to carefully watch the consistency of your meringue and batter since they will be a little different than what you’re used to when using less ingredients.
      XOXO,
      Mimi

      Reply

  36. Hi Mimi, just wondering do you put the flavouring in the macaron shell or do you just have a flavoured centre? Thankyou xx

    Reply

  37. MIMI!!!! I did it! Thank you for your awesome video and recipe. I would upload a photo, but I don’t see that option here. I just wanted you to know how happy I am today! Though the bottoms were a bit tan and I do have hallows, they are otherwise perfect and I am pleased with that! I’ll keep practicing and I know now I am on the right track!! XOXO

    Reply

  38. Hi Mimi,

    I have done several recipes for macarons and I have always achieved good results. I really like your method and due to that I have as a goal, to have good resutls with your recipe. Although I have a lot of practice and I have tried your recipe, I have never achieve my goal. I have never been able to get good results with your recipe. I have gotten full macarons with a somewhat good feet but the dome sinks. I have baked from 300 to 335 and I am not able to get good results, before this time, I always got hollows, I read your blog entry about the meringue (if everything else looks good). So, this last time, they were full, but they were super chewy and they sank. I sent pictures to your email address as I have not seen anything like this in your troubleshooting blog entry.

    Thank you!

    Reply

    • You may want to scale back with the amount of time you’re beating the meringue. If they look great in every way, that may be the fix for you. Here’s more details on this post about hollow macarons. Have you read it yet? Let me know if it pertains to you.

      xoxo,
      Mimi

      Reply

      • Hi! I have read it, it’s pretty amazing btw, the thing is that they are not hollow at all but they deflate in the middle. Do you think it can be the temperature or the baking time?

        Reply

        • It’s the meringue stiffness. You can bake them longer will it will most likely be a little bit depressed because your meringue is simply not stiff enough.

          xoxo,
          Mimi

          Reply

  39. Mimi,
    I need your macaron-goddess advice. I am using your recipe for my macs and I love it. Recently, I bought heavy duty aluminum pans and silicone mats thinking it will be good. Macarons were nicely rounded, had feet and all. However, I don’t think my temperature was right, because after about 18-20 minutes, they were still stuck to the mat. I baked them on 315.
    I ended up baking them for 21 minutes which resulted into slightly hollow and dry macaron while those baked on parchment paper were great. Are silicone mats tricky? What should I do about it? I was trying to find some troubleshooting post on silicone mats with no success. Let me k now please what I should do differently. Thank you very much!

    Reply

  40. Hi Mimi,
    I saw your FB post on the gender reveal macs and wonder if you will do a video on how to make the dual colored macs. They are so cool and I can think of so many other reasons to use two colors in the shells… I guess a quick question would be how long do you wait until you pipe the second color on and is there a technique you use to get the second layer to evenly cover the first?

    Reply

    • Hi,

      I have hear others use my recipe successfully at high altitudes so I think you can try it and see. I don’t have any personal experience with high altitude baking. This guide might be of use.. I’m not sure. Let me know how it goes.

      Reply

  42. Mimi! I’ve tried your recipe over 6 times,now and am loosing my mind here 😭 no matter what I seem to do they crack on top! I have always been successful with another recipe however they’re always hollow, u like yours which are delecious! I’ve tried stiffer peaks, softer peaks. More folding, less folding, more resting less resting. I’ve tried between 285-320°F no matter WHAT at least 70% of the pan the tips crack within 6 minutes of cooking! Please help as I really want to desperately make your recipe work for me. I’m using aluminum thick sheets and have a ga oven with heat source on the bottom.

    Reply

    • Hi Stephanie,
      I think you can benefit from 3 issues making your meringue stiffer and letting them dry much more. First of all, the meringue doesn’t sound quite stiff enough. Age your egg whites and beat until really stiff so that it creates a small clump in the whisk when you pull it out. Afterwards, let them dry much longer. I mean really dry, when it doesn’t indent after you press it. Watch out for the amount of gel color you put in as well. Old gel colors start to thin out and destabilize your batter. Lastly, your oven (not as immediately important as the ones above), Keep track of your temperature with a thermometer. If it doesn’t crack when using a lower temperature, then you might want to consider baking for a lower temperature for much longer.
      XOXO, Mimi

      Reply

      • I had cracking too. I got a thermometer and our ovens seem to be under heating by about 15-20 degrees. Would cracking come from being too hot?

        Reply

          • No, not to my knowledge. I think there are inherent problems with the batter when it cracks. Watch out for things that cause a “wet” batter like a too-soft meringue, overfolding, over use of runny, old food colours etc.
            XOXO,
            Mimi

  44. Dear Mimi,
    Thanks for this recipe. I know you got a lot of comments here but I am still gonna add one. I have been baking macarons with Pierre Hermes recipe and unfortunately, I have not been getting desirable results. I tried your recipe yesterday and was amazed that it produces much nicer macarons. Thank you and keep up the good job!

    Reply

    • That’s great to here. I’m glad it worked for you! Thank you so much for letting me know. I’m so excited and happy to hear that each time.
      XOXO,
      Mimi

      Reply

  45. Hi Mimi!
    I’ve been struggling with hollows for a while now, and upon switching to your recipe, my macarons are less hollow, but unfortunately not as they should be still. I believe I’m whipping my egg whites the correct amount, and I follow your macaronnage technique exactly. I’m baking them at 300, so I doubt it’s too high of a temp? The strange thing is, when I make your chocolate ones, they turn out SO full and delicious, BUT they wrinkle the moment they start to cool, and their shells are super delicate and barely there. I’m wondering if you could give me any suggestions for this? Thanks so much! I love how descriptive you are in your instructions, especially the troubleshooting page!

    Shannon

    Reply

    • Hi Shannon,

      Some bakers go even 350 but it really depends on your own oven and setup. You might want to watch out on the meringue…try beating them to when they don’t slip anymore. Maybe you have whipped them a bit too much. I find in the beginning the problems come from underwhipping for most people but once you get what looks like a macaron, the problem is that they tend to have over-whipped. As for the chocolate… per what I wrote in the post… I have tried to replicate the problems that others have had with chocolate macarons in general but I couldn’t because they keep coming out perfect for me. I think it might be due to the cocoa powder you are using. It might be too “oily”, try using half the amount of cocoa powder instead.
      xoxo,
      Mimi

      Reply

  46. This is my first time making them and the batter is too thick. After 30min I am pretty sure i have overly folded them. They looked ok, and taste great. Just don’t know what to do about the thickness.

    Reply

    • You may have overwhipped your meringue causing it to be too dry. I hope you were able to practice baking them again. XOXO, Mimi

      Reply

  47. I thought things were going well today (my first time) but after several minutes in the oven they began to wrinkle. I did 320 degrees but need to get an oven thermometer to check accuracy. I lowered my 2nd oven to 300 while the 2nd set of macs were in there and although they wrinkled it wasn’t quite as much as the first. Any thoughts on wrinkles and oven temp? Or do you think something else?

    Reply

  48. Oh, and some people on Amazon mentioned the Silpat circles are too big for macarons? How wide are those? I have 6 plain mats already, can I put the paper template underneath? I’m afraid they will get messed up when lifting to pull the paper out…

    Reply

    • If you are using silpat, moving the templates from underneath won’t really harm your piped macarons if you do it right away. The silpats really help keep things nice and neat.
      xoxo,
      Mimi

      Reply

    • Hi Valerie,

      Thanks for letting me know. All my recent recipes are on a new recipe format and it is ad free when printing. This one in particular is a little longer and there’s lot of accompanying notes so it’s hard to provide it on the same format… I am going to think of something… I do see what you are saying and I never considered that before…
      XOXO,
      Mimi

      Reply

  50. I’m going to attempt making macarons for the first time ever and thank you so much for all the detailed information! I’m very excited to get started.

    I do have one question on egg whites though… I know that the amount of cream of tartar or lemon juice might need to be adjusted based on the use of pasteurized or unpasteurized eggs. Which do you use?

    Reply

  51. Hi Mimi, thanks for the tutorial! I’m planning to use this recipe to make macarons for my birthday. Do you think that powdered cane sugar will work for making the meringue or do I need to buy another sugar?

    Reply

    • Hi Gabriel,

      I don’t prefer powdered sugar since it has cornstarch in it and may hinder the whipping process but I have heard it has worked for others. So if you want to give it a try, you can.

      XOXO,
      Mimi

      Reply

  52. Hi Mimi,

    I’m not sure if this question has already been answered and I can’t see it in the recipe, I was wondering what size template is used for this basic macaron recipe that makes 12?

    Thank you

    Reply

  53. Mimi, you are a macaron genius! I had my heart set on making French macarons as favors for my husband’s upcoming 40th birthday party. I consider myself a relatively advanced baker, having owned my own side cupcake and decorated cookie business for some time now. I knew macarons were supposed to be challenging, but I figured I had it in the bag. So after trying a few recipes and methods, and coming up with nothing but hollow macarons, I felt utterly incompetent! I was beyond frustrated. I stumbled upon your video on Youtube and realized my first problem was improper macaronage. Tried it again, still another fail. Finally I compared the recipe I was using to yours, and realized the difference in the amount of castor sugar was pretty noticeable. Decided to toss that one in the garbage and give your recipe a try, complete with the aged egg whites. Figure if I was going to fail at this I was going to at least prove I had tried everything. Followed a long with your video and tossed them in the oven.

    Guess what!?!? Perfect macarons!!! Not a single hollow! They were picture perfect. I was literally so happy, I started jumping up and down and clapping. (I’m a little too old for that lol!) Anyway, I am so thrilled and appreciative of your site and you sharing your recipe and tutorials. I’m looking forward to trying some of your shapes and templates as I play around with them a little more. Seriously, thank you so much! I’m looking forward to making some fun favors for the party!

    Reply

    • Aww wow. Thanks for letting me know Carrie. I am always so moved when readers leave me a simple message of thanks when they don’t have to. It’s amazing to see how many people are on the site each day but for you to take the time to write me. It means a lot!
      Tag me with your creations if you’re on IG or FB 🙂
      XOXO,
      Mimi

      Reply

  54. Hi Mimi,

    Thank you so much for the great recipe and tips!
    I have successfully made this receipe several times, I’m currently trying to figure out how to flavor the shells. Have you tried this before? Are there any modifications that should be made to the receipe when using flavor extracts ? Thank you in advance ! ❤️

    Reply

  55. Hi Mimi, Thank for your informative blog post! Have been trying to mimick the steps you have provided and produced pretty good results so far however I keep getting overgrown feet on all of my batches of macs! Have tried 150, 160 and 170deg celsius and all produced same exploding/tall feet which is pretty weird. Tried adding a layer of baking tray below to block the heat but it isn’t helping as well. Any idea why is that so?

    Reply

    • Watch out for your folding! If you’ve tested your heat already then make sure you’re folding until it reaches the figure 8 stage but no more than that.
      xoxo,
      Mimi

      Reply

  56. Hi Mimi,

    I love using your recipe for my indulgence 🙂 I wanted to double check with you, I know you mentioned the recipe is alright to double and triple but I want to make sure if I multiply all ingredients to make about 100 macarons will the recipe still work?

    Thank you!

    Reply

    • I have successfully made batches doubled, tripled and quadrupled (which makes 48 assembled macarons). I know for a fact that it works up to that point. I’m not sure if 8X the original recipe will work as well. If multiplying that amount, watch out that your mixer bowl can handle so much meringue since it increases in volume and also pay attention to the consistency of your meringe and batter at every stage since it will look a little different on a larger scale.
      xoxo,
      Mimi

      Reply

  57. I made macarons for the first time and followed this recipe to a ‘T’—it worked great!
    I particularly appreciated the hints as to which side to err on, i.e. undermix but overbake.
    And while ‘magma,’ or ‘lava,’ or whatever other consistency known only to geologists isn’t super helpful (seriously, why does every macaron recipe on the internet say that?), the video of the figure 8 test is.
    I made them more or less on the cheap—hand cranked egg-beater, tiny analog kitchen scale, parchment paper (circles drawn on the underside with a sharpie!), no oven thermometer, no idea what the humidity in my kitchen is—and they still came out great.
    I’m not advocating anyone forgo fancy implements, just want to reassure anyone without them that some attention to detail and a clear set of instructions (like yours!) can make up for a large lack of kitchen gadgetry.
    Turns out they’re not as scary as the internet would have had me believe.
    Thanks again for sharing a great recipe and all of the insightful advice.

    Reply

  58. Hi Mimi!
    I always use your recipe as my go to for macarons ! It’s my favorite as I always have good results, however I am wondering if you have any tips for increasing the quantity? I usually get about 10-15 complete macarons from the recipe which is less than most other recipes I have used . Is it safe to double the recipe or should I just continue to make multipe batches? Thanks!

    Reply

  59. Hi Mimi,
    First of all many thanks for sharing with us your recipe for French Macarons.
    Today I tried to make it and everything was perfect since I mix the merengue with the almond flour… 🙁
    I started with one part of the almond and it was good really, but when I add the second part of almond flour the all mix came too sticky and heavy. Of course like you say in your video lesson I kept mixing aprox. 30min. and nothing changed. It was totally impossible to make the number “8” like you say. Please tell me where did I go wrong?
    My mix looks like something liquid is missing.

    Thank you!

    Reply

    • It sounds like your meringue may be beaten too dry (beaten too much), ratios of your ingredients are not accurate or you are using too much gel colour 🙂
      Xoxo,
      Mimi

      Reply

  60. Thanks for the great recipe with very clear instructions! My first time ever making macarons: two batches today both turned out great!

    Reply

  61. Hi there,
    I have tried about 3 different recipes so far and none of them have worked (overtime they crack). I tried this recipe and the only thing i changed was i used my kitchen aid to mix the ingredients instead of a hand mixer. They also cracked at the top, any suggestions?

    Thank you

    Reply

  62. I have several plain Silpats. Can I use one of your templates under a Silpat? Or, only under parchment?
    Thanks!

    Reply

      • Hi – I have tried to subscribe twice today and it seems to go through but I don’t get an email to confirm. It’s not in my junk mail either. Any suggestions? I’d like to be able to get the templates.

        Reply

        • Hi Valerie,

          I see you have not yet confirmed to the Double Opt-in email. I sent the request to you twice just in case you didn’t get it. Find that email and confirm you do want to receive mail from us. Sorry for the inconvenience. If it doesn’t work, let me know and I’ll send you the info.
          xoxo,
          Mimi

          Reply

  63. Hi there! I’ve never eaten a macaron let alone bake one. They’ve been on my baking bucket list for a few years now and whenever I see them on t.v. I remind myself I need to try it. I followed your recipe to the gram and they came out perfect my first time. At least I think they were. They tasted great and looked right, a few had small hollows but I wouldn’t throw them away because of that lol. I tried to look at all the questions above to see if this was already answered, sorry if I am repeating someone here. Can you use an egg white substitute to make them vegan or does it need to be real egg whites to achieve the correct consistency? Thanks!

    Reply

    • And I found the answer after a more careful look at all the comments. If you have any updates on the topic I’d love to hear them. Also if you have any appropriate fillings for vegans?

      Reply

      • I don’t have any vegan filling recipes now but you can make American buttercream with vegetable shortening instead of butter and add almond milk instead of cow’s milk. For flavourings, use extract and fruit puree.
        xoxo,
        Mimi

        Reply

  64. How stiff do you whip your meringue ? When you pull your whisk out so you want zero droop or is a little droop okay?Thank you!

    Reply

  65. Hi Mimi. I was wondering. How to make less sweet macs?? Do I substitute some icing sugar with almond?? Will it works??
    Or do you have less sweet recipe??
    I always having a trouble baked my macs. Always turn brown, cracked, undercooked, sticky, and lopsided. The problem is in my oven temp. I’m using gas home oven. Always have a problem with it bcause I’m not used to baked macs. I was so happy to find ur post. I’m going to try ur tips. And hope it will turned out well. Thanks!! Love.

    Reply

    • Hi Michelle,

      I always say, either you like macarons or you don’t. They are composed mainly of sugar, protein (egg whites/aquafaba etc) and a seed or nut. You need the sugar to help maintain the structure for the shells. You can try putting a more tart filling to cut down the sweetness but I don’t think you will be able to reduce the sugar any more for it to remain stable.

      xoxo, Mimi

      Reply

  66. Dear Mimi!
    Thank You so much for the recipe!❤ I make macarons for almost a year, and they always come out nice, but I used Italian meringue method only. THIS is an absolutely amazing recipe, I was wondered how easy, fast and “meety” macarons can be made 🙂 THANK YOU! This is my new ideal recipe?❤

    Reply

  67. Dear Mimi, thank you very much for your recipe. I tried it as my last chance because the former recipe stop working. Can you advice me what I do wrong because all macaron are like buns and they are cracked :-(. I always rap the pan and prick the bubbles. I will appreciate all your advices. thank you very much

    Reply

  68. hi I have a bag of ground almonds, can i use these? and if so do i still need to mix with sugar and blend ? ?

    Reply

    • You can pulse it with the icing sugar in a food processor to make them finer if needed. Here’s a post about making your own almond flour and why you need to pulse it with the icing.

      Xoxo,
      Mimi

      Reply

  69. Hi Mimi,

    First of all, thank you so much for your recipe as well as your troubleshooting guides. I’ve read pretty much all of your posts and they are very helpful. I’ve tried several macaron recipes, and I’ve noticed that there is so much variance in the amount of powdered sugar to castor/granulated sugar. Do you know why this is? Some recipes use double the amount of sugar to almond meal and barely any granulated sugar, while others are closer to yours and use an equal amount of powdered sugar to almond meal, but more granulated sugar. I’m guessing that more granulated sugar in the meringue makes it more stable, but just wondering if you know why this is and how they function.

    Reply

  70. Hello,

    Just wondering, what kind of food processor do you use for making your own almond flour? Do you think the cuisinart 8 cup food processor would be sufficient/powerful enough to grind whole almonds into a fine powder? Thanks again 🙂

    Reply

    • Some people have but I haven’t tried yet so I am not sure what they deem as a success. I have heard there are differences between ones that can be “re-whipped” and just the regular kind. You might want to check this before you begin.
      xoxo mimi

      Reply

  72. Hi I was wondering if I wanted to add peppermint extract where would I do it, and would I remove the lemon? Thanks

    Reply

    • Some people like to add it into the meringue but I would recommend using it in your filling instead as not to compromise your batter.
      Xoxo
      Mimi

      Reply

    • oh and no, the lemon has nothing to do with the flavour. you still use it. it’s for removing oils from the bowl and also to stabilize the meringue.
      xoxo Mimi

      Reply

  73. Hi Mimi,

    Thank you so much for the recipe! I am from Vancouver too, and I was wondering where you get your americolor gel? I have been using the Wilton food coloring GEL and I think it may be the culprit as to why my macarons are hollow (since they come out perfectly whenever I use matcha powder to color them green). I have checked Amazon but they seem pretty expensive on their and also take months to ship out.

    Thank you!

    Reply

  74. Hello,
    If the peaks of my meringue are still flopping over when I pull out the whisk – would that mean that you still need to mix it some more? I have tried your recipe several times, and although the insides are more full, there is still a little bit of hallow there. The batter is the right consistency as they are forming little feel and baking nicely, so the only thing I can think of is that there is still too much moisture in my meringue. Would that be possible if I am still getting peaks that tip over? Should the peaks not tip over at all?

    Reply

    • stiff peaks (what we’re looking for) are characterized by points in the meringue that stand up straight without falling over. you’ll also want to make sure the meringue is clumping inside the whisk. If you feel like your batter is good, try increasing the temperature a bit. Read my oven guide here
      xoxo
      Mimi

      Reply

  75. Hello Mimi,

    I have family members who are vegetarian and don’t eat eggs. I was wondering, is there any way to replace the egg whites?

    Reply

    • Yes it is totally possible with Aquafaba. Look it up, there are a few recipes out there using that ingredient.
      xoxo
      Mimi

      Reply

  76. Hi Mimi! Thank you so much for sharing your amazing recipe with everyone! I’ve been using it for awhile now with mixed results (pretty sure I’m doing SOMETHING wrong every time ?) – my question for you is about hollows. My shells are usually very delicate and thin. I’ve tried beating the meringue longer; doing the figure 8 test; baking them longer; different oven temps … but they still come out so hollow! 🙁 Please help me

    Thanks!
    Duyen

    Reply

  77. Hi Mimi I baked last night using the recipe u provided at 160C for 11minutes. The skin is crispy but inside still not quite cooked. Also, the macaron placed at inner part of my oven the skin get burnt as well. Not seriously burnt it has the golden tone on the skin. How should I fix this?

    Reply

  78. Mimi,

    Can I replace almond flour with coconut flour? If so, what’s the ratio?

    Thanks
    Hannah

    Reply

    • Yes it is possible to make macarons with coconut flour but I don’t have a recipe for it. I’m sure you can look it up 🙂
      xo mimi

      Reply

  79. Hi how are you? I was wondering how would you make lemon shells. How much lemon zest and any other ingredients would you use? Thanks in advance!

    Reply

  80. Hi, mimi

    I am first time baker and i am interested with your recipe. But I found out that my shell flat and no feet
    Is there any mistakes in making the batter?
    And what temp you recommend if i use electric oven to bake?

    Thanks.

    Reply

  81. Hi Mimi. I was on a roll and was consistently getting amazing results. Great feet and no hollows. I’ve now hit a slump and getting a beautiful exterior but all partially hollow. They are collapsing as they cool. I’ve referenced your troubleshooting guides and viewed your videos countless times. And tried various temperatures as low as 300 and as high as 330 while varying the bake time. I’ve tried baking longer til very crispy but find they collapse in the oven when baked to this point. Any suggestions to help? I think maybe it’s due to the meringue. When you say stiff peaks when you pull the whip out of the bowl do you take the whip attachment off the mixer, swirl it around the bowl and then test for stiff peaks. Or do u pull it straight up while the whip is still attached to the mixer and you’ve turned off the machine. I’m trying to get down to fine details to figure out my issue. BTW, when folding I do take it to the figure 8 test and pipe a few as tests to make sure the peaks disappear back into the batter. Thanks for your feedback.

    Reply

    • Hi Mimi. Never mind. I figured it out. I got my mojo back. I needed to beat the meringue more to very stiff peaks (this time I have much more meringue balled up in the whisk) and I mixed the batter more (when the batter dropped back into the bowl I did the figure 8 test and waited to see how long it took for the ribbon to disappear aiming for within 30 seconds). I’m so happy and now I can rest at ease again. Thank you for all your continued support and motivation with your jaw dropping macaron art!

      Reply

  82. Please help! I’ve turned up my oven down my oven adjusted cooking times tried a million different recipes. Extra stiff peaks softer peaks, different batter consistencies. I cut them open in the oven to see if their ready to come out yet and every time I think I’ve got it right when I take then they cool down and become hallow. What in the world do I do to fix this??

    Reply

  83. Hi Mimi. Thanks a lot for this recipe. It went perfectly well the first time I tried it. I used almond meal then. But now I have managed to find really fine almond flour – it’s like powder. The mixture was very, very dry and I had to add unbeaten egg whites to loosen it and still couldn’t reach the lava phase. I was worried that egg whites would be too much. I know how precise I should be with measures here.

    Has this happened to you as well? How much should I increase the egg whites in case I use almond powder.

    Thanks a lot!

    Reply

    • Hi Elana,

      I don’t add unbeaten egg whites to my mix. Your meringue might be too dry. I have had experience using an almond flour that is too oily and I actually had to abandon the flour. I like to make my own and it gives me consistent results every time.
      Here’s how: click here
      xo mimi

      Reply

  84. Hi Mimi.
    Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.
    First of all, your voice is so soothing to listen to. LOL.
    About the macarons, the feet developed very wide and big 🙁

    Reply

  86. Hi Mimi!

    I tried at my first attempt at macarons today, and predictably I had a bit of a struggle. Everything seemed fine up to till I tried to combine the almond/sugar mixture with the meringue. Once I started folding it, everything turned stiff and the batter became very similar to cookie batter. I’ve looked around online and no one else seemed to be having this problem. I know overmixing causes the batter to be runny, but for me it just seemed to be getting thicker and thicker. The only differences with my methods were that I hand whipped my meringue and I did not use any food coloring.

    Just curious in why this happened, will attempt macarons again tomorrow!

    Thank you

    Reply

  87. This recipe is awesome and your steps are extensive yet easy to follow and informative.i am an avid home baker and have been hesitant on the daunting task of making the perfect macaron. Low and behold, I tried your recipe for the first time today and they turned out really well, few things to adjust but your blog and notes should certainly help with my next try. Thank you for sharing and inspiring us all!! This is truly the best macaron recipe!

    Reply

    • Thank you Mae! Such a nice note from you. It means a lot that you took the time to write it. I hope you’ll do some macaron art in the future too. Xoxo Mimi

      Reply

  88. OMG!!! Thank you for this recipe! This one works for me! I noticed this one has the same amount of almond flour and powdered sugar, while almost the recipes online has double amount of powdered sugar. Why is that? This one worked like a charm!

    Reply

  89. I tried your recipe a hundred times and failed miserably. But after a few more tries and a bit more patience I finally got it right! Thank you so much for sharing your recipe!

    I have question. Have you tried splitting the meringue into two (or more) to mix to the almond flour mixture? For example, i have 50g egg whites., the almond flour & sugar will be 65g each, but distributed into 2 bowls with 32.5g each of almonds and sugar. Then once the meringue reaches stiff peaks, split the meringue in half to mix with the almond flour.

    I’m just wondering if this is possible and if you’ve tried it before like when doing two or more different colors of shells.

    Thanks!

    Reply

  91. Hi Mimi,
    I just had a question about your bake temperature for this for regular baking or using a convection oven ?

    Reply

    • I use a convection and thats what I use. However, all ovens are different, regardless of whether or not it’s convection. Please use that as a baseline and go from there 🙂

      XOXO

      Mimi

      Reply

  92. Hi Mimi. From the bottom of my heart, thank you thank you thank you for posting your recipe. I have been trying for literally a year to perfect macarons and after a gazillion failed attempts your recipe has gotten me to near perfect. I’ve found the higher amount of caster sugar when whipping the egg whites has made all the difference in getting the right consistently with the meringue before folding in the dry ingredients. My only problem is I’m still getting a slight hollow after the macaron cools. They are perfect coming out of the oven but collapse when they cool. I tried baking longer but find that it dries out the cookie and even after 3 days of maturation that the chewiness just isn’t there. I think I might be overwhipping the egg whites. I take it to what appears like stiff peaks (ie it stands straight up in the bowl when I pull the whisk out and it clumps inside my whisk). But I’m so paranoid that I might be under whipping so I also detach the whisk, dip the whisk into the egg white and turn the whisk upside down to make sure the meringue also stands straight up from the whisk. When I do this, the meringue is glossy and sticky and notice that it pulls out almost like a thin stringy peak so that it curls just a bit at the end (note in the bowl the peak is straight up and it clumps in the whisk). I can’t tell if this still means it’s already at a stiff peak and I’m just paranoid. I usually whisk a bit more just to be sure but worry that maybe that is my mistake. Could you please comment on this? Thanks you so much!

    Reply

    • Hi Karen, it sounds like you are almost there! And thank you for your kind words. I wouldn’t do anything else to your meringue if you are just slightly under in the nohollows area. You should work on optimizing your oven conditions to make sure your meringue doesn’t collapse after coming out of the oven. I would make sure to bake them long enough. try lowering you temp just a bit and baking longer or opening the oven door near the end so it doesn’t get too hot. You’ll need to find your own methods in adjusting your oven 🙂 but i’d start there. XOXO Mimi

      Reply

  93. I have finally found the holy grail of macaron recipes. I can’t say I’ve faltered even once. I was especially pleased this time around when I nailed the Galaxy macarons I have been dying to make! I am going to recommend this blog to all my friends who have been very impressed with the macarons I make, all thanks to Mimi! 🙂

    Reply

    • Hi Ambreen,

      Thank you so much for taking the time to write me 🙂 I’m so happy to hear you did well with your macarons!! Very excited for you! There’s so much possibilities once you get the shell right.

      XOXO,
      Mimi

      Reply

      • I would upload a picture to show you but I have no idea how to do that! I am going to try the double chocolate macarons next. Thanks again for the great instructions. Like I said, perfect macarons every time. 🙂

        Reply

  94. Hi Mimi!
    Thanks for sharing your recipe ??? I’ve recently gotten into a macaron baking craze and after a few trial and errors, I’ve finally found the right temperature and duration for my oven!!
    I’m just very curious though, do you know what the ratio of powdered sugar to almond flour affects? Before I found your recipe, I’ve made macarons before with other recipes that had the ratio at 2:1 with much more powdered sugar, whereas your recipe here has a 1:1 ratio, which I find to be a big difference, so I was wondering if having more powdered sugar just makes the whole thing much sweeter or if it changes the texture or anything? Thanks!

    Reply

    • The sweetness will be negligible since most of the times, those recipes will compensate with less granulated sugar 🙂

      Reply

      • Hi Mimi,

        I love your recipe so thank you for sharing not only the recipe but everything you know about macarons.

        I would like decrease the sweetness in the macaron., perhaps by decreasing a little of the confectioners sugar since there isn’t much
        granulated sugar. Will this negatively impact the outcome of the macaron?

        Thank you.
        Cindy

        Reply

        • Hi Cindy,

          YW, thanks for your note. I don’t think you will be able to decrease the sugar to a point that will make your macarons less sweet. A certain amount of sugar is needed along with egg whites to make the macaron structure stable. Afterall, macaron shells are composed mainly of nuts, sugar and egg whites. It’s a small list of ingredients and sugar is there so it will be sweet. You can try putting in a tangier filling to cut down the sweetness. Use macaron fillings that are less sweet. See some ideas here. Macarons are going to be “sweet” so I often say, either you need to take them as they are or not 🙂
          Xoxo
          Mimi

          Reply

  95. Hi Mimi! Thanks for this recipe. First time I’ve had success with macarons. Just curious-if I wanted to flavor the recipe with cocoa or vanilla how much should I use?

    Reply

  96. Hi, I have just recently started trying macarons, and used a different website before I found yours. They always looked pretty, but were hollow. I tried your recipe today and my first one I checked was fluffy!!! Im thrilled, but they dont look very pretty. They are pretty smooth on top, but the feet are horrible. Im hoping its the oven being too hot. Im going to try lower for longer next time. Can I add any extracts to this recipe? Thank you!!

    Reply

    • Hi Jane,

      I’m so happy to hear your results! Way to go!
      I would not recommend adding any extracts in this recipe since it will compromise the structure of the shells which is the most important part. I’ve seen some bakers do this but I would not do so myself and most professionals prefer to let the filling flavour the shells through the osmosis that occurs in the maturation process.

      XOXO,

      Mimi

      Reply

  97. I love love LOVED this recipe and teqnique ? They came out great ! I’m sure someone asked this already and I probably missed it, I’m baking Macarons for a wedding and I wanted to know how can I double this recipe ? I know Macarons are picky so I don’t want to add too much or too little of anything. Hope you can help me out ? Thank you!!! ?

    Reply

  99. Hi Mimi. Thank You soooo much for the recipe and tips. I’ve tried multiple recipes and never was I able to bake a decent macaron. Now, I am having a small issue. My macarons from the top are not hard enough and the bottom are a little under cook. Oh, and no hollow shells. I bake at 320f for 14 min. Should I increase time? Decrease temperature? Help…

    Reply

    • Hi Myra,

      You’re very welcome. I would make sure the meringue is firm enough and wait for it to dry fully before baking. You can either increase temperature and reduce time or increase time and keep the temperature the same.

      XOXO

      Mimi

      Reply

  100. I made this today and it turned out well! I’ve tried so many different recipes but most of them ended up with cracked shells. Then I read your blog about how to use our oven. I use gas oven which is probably the problem, then i borrowed my mom’s oven (it’s a tiny electric oven) and it works beautifully. The feet came out well but it’s still a bit hollow inside. I’m still playing with the temperature of the oven. I’m using 150 C for the first 15mins and it was underbaked (but no hollow) , then i tried the second tray on 150C for 20 mins and it turned out slightly brown,a bit hollow inside but still looks good. Maybe i’ll try to bake it on 160C for 15mins tomorrow. Very excited to see the results! Thank you so much for sharing all the knowledge about making macarons!

    Reply

    • Hi Gita,

      thank you so much for your message. It’s soo nice to hear from all of you and I love how you tried to troubleshoot your own problem. I do agree with your next step. Let me know how it goes.

      XOXO

      Mimi

      Reply

  101. Hi mimi, i just found your blog and i’ve tried your recipe few times but it ended up with cracked shells 🙁 so i bake my cookies at 145C (i’m using gas oven) but it cracked like volcano,and no feet at all..i have followed each step on your videos and i have been very careful to pop some air bubbles (because i read that air bubbles may cause cracked shells) but it’s still no feet and always cracked shells. Yesterday i’m using 30gr of egg whites, 55gr of almond flour, 55gr of powdered sugar, 30gr caster sugar and cream of tartar and the results were okay, the feet came out but lopsided, and the batter consistency were waay too thick. But at least it didn’t crack and there were feet on it. Then i tried your recipe again and it ended up with cracked shells. I’m a bit frustrated since some of my friends want me to bake these macarons for them but i still unable to make it perfectly. What may cause the cracks actually? Is it the recipe proportion, or my oven? Again, I use gas oven at 145C (if i use above that it’ll be too hot,lower than that will be too low so i confused) and most of the results were cracked shells. Please help me 🙁 thanks for your time.

    Reply

  102. Thanks very much for all your detailed posts and videos, I’ve watch them thousands of times 🙂 I’ve been using Beavetart’s recipe so far with mixed results, sometimes OK, sometimes an epic fail :(I suspect one of the reasons is the humidity here where I live, letting my macarons resting one hour is not enough, the most sucessful batches so far where those that were resting for 5-6 hrs! i would like to ask you if there’s any trick to dry them faster. I read in another blog to let them dry for
    10 min in the oven with the lowest tenperature (50 degrees in my case) but they came loopsided 🙁 could you pkease help me?? I can’t find a proper solution and I’m about to quit 🙁

    Reply

    • Hi!
      Oh my, I really feel for you. I’ve never had to make macarons in a humid environment before so its hard for me to say with certainty whether or not your macarons are not working out because of the humidity or your techniques. I have heard of other bakers in humid environments drying their shellss for 1-2 hours. However, there are also bakers (don’t know if they are in humid or non humid climate) who say they never rest their shells. I like to keep my shells under a rangehood fan and also use a dehumidifier. Although, I can also get away without using them. Have you tried a dehumidifier? That will help dry up your kitchen environment. Also, do not be fooled into assuming that a dry crust will mean successful macarons. If you can bake your macarons without the shells cracking, then you really do not need to dry them for hours and hours. The other problems you experience will not be due to humdidity.
      XOXO Mimi

      Reply

  103. Hi mimi! I’ve been using your recipe for a while now and noticed many things in each one of my batches. The first time I used the recipe my macarons turned out almost perfect looking (except for its slightly wrinkled top around the edges). However, these macarons turned out to be completely hollow. So fast forward to the second time I used this recipe, the macarons tured out to be absolutely perfect! I baked at 325 instead as my oven was a little wonky and instead of aging my egg whites, I microwaved them for 8 seconds and it totally worked! Although, the next time I made macarons I had to make a total of 125 of them for 2 parties, and the first batch I did exactly as the last perfect batch but my macarons took long this time to release from the silpat. By the time it came off clean, the macarons were slightly browned and super crunchy and slightly hollow. I even tried lowering the pan one rack down for the rest of the batches but the macarons still turned out crunchy and slightly hollow with a puddle of chewy interior sitting at the bottom of the macaron. Don’t get me wrong, these macarons looked absolutely great despite its texture. Now at this point, I wasn’t so disappointed because I have made hollow macs in the past and when ever I filled them then refrigerated them afterwards, their shell was soft enough to just collapse and still be nice and soft and you could barely even tell if they were hollow or not. But when it came to the party these macarons have been in the fridge for about 2 days already and the shells were still at its normal state and did not soften as much as I’d like. Now if these macarons were to not be hollow and cool down, I’m sure they would not be like this. However, I put this to a test and made a batch of chocolate macarons the next day (as I find that my chocolate macarons tend to be the least hollow). I followed your video exactly and this time I really emphasized the deflating of the air in the macaronage, and used the same technique of yours. I baked them just as I did the time I produced perfect macs, bit this time about 1 minute longer (the macsrons still were slightly stuck to the silpat but i did not want them to be crunchy like my previois batch) and to my surprise these macarons turned out perfect! They were completely full and I was so happy! …but now the bad news. After I’ve filled these macarons and chilled them in the fridge for about half an hour, I bit into one and the exterior was pretty crunchy to the point where it kind of cracked and crumbled off when you bit it and the insides for some reason we’re just slightly hollow. Id say these macarons were definitely better than the large order I made the previous day but I was just disappointed with how it wasn’t as perfect as I thought it was. So in general, among all the batches of macarons I’ve made besides the second one which turned out perfect, the macarons all had very crispy exteriors and a puddle of chewy insides at the bottom of the shell. And of course I’m aware that this is due to the cause of underbaking, but I do have the fear of over baking now since I’ve tried that and just made things worse as the overall macaron shell would be crunchy and slightly brown. Please tell what I’m doing wrong mimi! Thank you!

    Reply

    • Hi Kaitlyn,
      Sounds like your last batch collapsed a bit after coming out of the oven. I would recommend playing with your oven a bit more to find the optimal temperature and time. You’ll need to bake them just enough so that they don’t get too hard but still fully set.
      XOXO Mimi

      Reply

  105. I’ve been practicing with this recipe since the beginning of April for my mother’s birthday, who’s never had them before. The first one was a chunky under mixed mess and was only able to get three complete macarons out of them, but my family (who aren’t that big on macarons either) loved the taste so much, I was determined to get them right. Today’s batch was a hair’s breath from absolutely perfect (the feet were too small and I’m still undermixing just a tad. I also suspect I hadn’t rested them enough). But I believe I can do it! I’ll master these little devils and then take a break and possibly buy myself a nice slice of cake from that french pastry shop I like (funnily enough not for their macarons. I’m actually not a fan I just know they’re nice and that my mom will like them)

    Reply

      • i’m back!!! the ones i made for my mom came out perfectly just in time! and then later i made them for a tea party! chocolate ones and vanilla with cream cheese frosting.(where i discovered a baking rival. she made beautiful mini apple pies but /I/ had macarons! the showdown! would have made my grandmothers proud) everyone loved them! even me! they’re so soft and chewy! i’ve never actually had macarons as good as these! i’m gonna make more and experiment with more flavors too! probably even hunt for some gel pr powder food colorings as well. thank you mimi. you’ve opened a whole new world to me.

        Reply

    • Hi Ingrid,

      I don’t measure my macaron ingredients in volume. Macarons are quite finnicky to make and you’re already using so much time and ingredients, I would highly recommend you get a kitchen scale to avoid any failures due to incorrect measurements. There are a myriad of issues that can go wrong in macaron making, at least you’ll know incorrect measurements isn’t one of them.

      XOXO
      Mimi

      Reply

  107. Hello mimi. I tried your recipe by the letter, but my macarons did not develop feet. It’s my first time to bake though. I hope I can improve this because I really am a fan of macarons. Thanks!

    Reply

  108. Are you saying to replace the powdered sugar (65)grms with cocoa powder (65) grms for chocolate macarons

    Reply

    • Hi Antoinette,

      No. Use my Matcha Macaron recipe and replace the matcha powder with cocoa powder 🙂

      Xoxo,

      Mimi

      Reply

    • Hi Gina,

      No you cannot replace it with powdered sugar. It will prevent the meringue from developing properly. Only use castor sugar.

      Xoxo

      Mimi

      Reply

  110. Hey MiMi,
    is there a way i can measure the ingredients but without a scale. Like in cups/ tablespoons?

    Reply

    • Hi Gina,

      I always recommend using only a scale to measure the ingredients. Measuring in any other way, its easy to get the wrong amount depending on how ingredients are scooped into the cups. Don’t waste your ingredients, get a scale! 🙂

      Xoxo

      Mimi

      Reply

  111. Hi mimi.. can you suggest what i would need to do in order to use this exact recipe but make them chocolate shells?

    Reply

  112. Omg. Thank you so much for the oven troubleshooting and recipe. For the first time in a while, my macarons came out without any hollows. And looking perfect!

    Reply

    • Hi Cici,

      Thank you soo much for taking the time to tell me that! I want to give you a HI-FIVE! yay!!!
      Now theres lots of macaronart template you can use on this site for making cute characters.

      XOXO,

      Mimi

      Reply

  114. Hi Mimi! I’m going to try out this recipe and it was very detailed so i hope I’ll be sure on what to do!! >< However, I was wondering how long it would take to bake, including the prep but excluding leaving them in the fridge?

    Reply

    • Hi Karina,

      I’m excited for you and thanks for the feedback! For macarons, I really think it’s all in the details! I hesitate to write whole project times since everyone works at a different pace. If it were me (and I always take my time even though I have the experience), I’d say 3 hours to make one batch including, rest time, bake time, assembly and filling.

      XOXO,

      Mimi

      Reply

  115. Hi Mimi ! Your tips are awesome. I had trouble with hollows but now it’s all good. I let them sit in a ziplock & put them in the fridge & they come out so moist & great. Thank you for sharing wonderful & helpful tips.

    Reply

    • Hi Marissa,

      Thank you soo much for your feedback! I am so appreciative that you took the time out to tell me that! Hope you get a chance to make some macaron art too in the future.

      XOXO,
      Mimi

      Reply

  116. Hi Mimi ; I’ve been trying to make these for a while now & haven’t had any success in making them. I’m not sure what it is but they come out hollow & I don’t know how to get rid of it. I don’t use food coloring because I’m just starting to make it you know. Any suggestions ? Thank you.

    Reply

    • I would make sure your meringue is stiff, you’re folding until the figure 8 stage and using enough heat. YOu’ll have to play around with all of those elements to find the perfect combo 🙂 Make sure to watch my video tutorials to see how far you need to fold

      XOXO,
      Mimi

      Reply

    • I used to use the Italian Method a lot However, I use the French one for the video tutorials since that is what I have taught on my blog for the macaron base. The sugar syrup is very important in Italian. IT has to reach the right temperature before adding into the meringue. Watch for how it bubbles when it boils. Someitmes you cannot rely soley on the thermometer. The bubbles should be slow to expand and pop.

      Reply

  119. Do you know what changing the ratio/amount of powdered sugar, almond fliur, and egg whites will do? I’ve made several batches of macarons and everytime they have hollow shells (some more so than others). They are sometimes so hollow that the shell will crack even with gentle pressure (such as stacking the macaron or when pushing it together when filling) or the shell will actually come off from the base. Other than the hollowness, my macarons look fine with smooth tops and good feet that are not too high (my macarons err on the flatter side rather than the nice high shells you see in photos). I have tried baking my macarons longer (to the point where they start to brown) and still have hollows. I am currently baking my macarons at 285 F for 13.5 – 14 minutes because higher temperatures brown the tops of my macarons very quickly (I started with 310 F for 8-10 minutes and lowered the temperature + increased time with every subsequent batch as my tops were quite brown and shells were hollow). I suspect my hollow shells are due to incorrect macaronage and I have looked at your video and several others to observe the technique but am still not sure if I am doing it right. (I think I am not correctly deflating the air which is thus causing the hollow shells). Any advice/suggestions on what I should do?

    P.S. if this is of relevance, the recipe I use (I have cut it down significantly to make small batches) has 25g egg white, 50g powdered sugar, 30g almond flour, and 7.5g granulated sugar. Could this be part of the reason for my hollow shells??

    Thank you! Love your videos and please keep making tutorials 🙂

    Reply

    • Hi Tammy,

      Thanks for your feedback. I advise that you ask the original recipe writer for the recipe you’re using. They will be in a better position to tell you how to best use their recipe.

      XOXO,

      Mimi

      Reply

  120. Hi mimi today I tried your macaron recipe. Still I didn’t get the feet. It was coming up little bit. I don’t know what wrong I did. I will try it again tomorrow. It was cracked also. What was my fault. Thanks a lot

    Reply

    • Hi Priya,
      It’s hard for me to pinpoint exactly where you went wrong without actually seeing the way you’re doing it. I would recommend following my recipe exactly, bring the meringue to a very stiff stage and don’t overfold. Let me know how it goes.
      XOXO,
      Mimi

      Reply

  121. Thank you so so much!!!
    I could have just cried last night from happiness, using your recipe/tutorial my salted caramel macarons came out perfectly! Not a single crack in sight & no hollows! I really couldn’t believe it, especially after watching the last few attempts just crack slowly as they baked. Thank you again!

    Reply

    • Hi Kimberly

      Thank you so much for taking the time out to let me know that! I’m so happy to hear that! YAAAYYY!!! There’s a lot of wonderful things you can do with macarons once you get the hang of it. Try the Over the Rainbow macarons tutorial when you get a chance (it has a template too). They are a total crowd pleaser!

      XOXO,

      Mimi

      Reply

  122. Hi Mimi,

    I’ve tried your recipe 3 times and they were all failures. The macarons are not developing ANY feet and are also cracking. I have looked at your trouble shoot but believe I’ve been doing everything correctly. I’ve had one mini success in the other her recipes I’ve tried. I would really love to be able to make macarons like you do (love all the pics on your IG). Please help!

    Reply

    • It’s hard for me to pinpoint exactly where you went wrong without actually seeing the way you’re doing it. I would recommend following my recipe exactly, bring the meringue to a very stiff stage and don’t overfold. Let me know how it goes.
      XOXO,
      Mimi

      Reply

  123. Hi MiMi Its antoinette starting to get good results they are tasting wonderful but if I want to add any almond extract or other flavor when should I use it and how much???

    Reply

  125. we would like to incoporate baking cocoa in to the macaroon recipe please advise on how much to add having pretty good results with your recipe thank you

    Reply

  126. Dear mimi thanks alot
    I have a quastion some article have said about macaron formula which is the wheight of egg × 1.3= almond meal amount. Egg wheight × 1.8= powedred suger and egg wheight × 0.8 = caster suger. In your oponion is it correct basod on your experience.
    Best regard.

    Reply

  127. Hi mimi
    My meringue dont get to stiff peak but when i upside down the bowl it dosent slip or flip. In your oponion this point is enough for meringue or it should get to stiff peak?
    I dont have kitchin scale can i request to tell me measuremet to cup or tbs?
    Thanks alot

    Reply

    • Hi Vahideh,

      Not slipping is a great sign. However, I find that a point and no slippage can be achieved even at a “firm” stage. I would also look for clumping inside the balloon whisk. Check out my youtube video if you need more visual clues. good luck!

      XOXO,

      Mimi

      Reply

    • I don’t believe in using volume measurements. There are just too many factors that can affect how much your ingredients weigh (how you scoop it, how compact it is). Macarons really rely on very precise weight measurements to do well and I’d loath to see anyone wasting precious time and ingredients in the process. Please get a scale 🙂 even a simple one at around $20 will be just fine! XOXO, Mimi

      Reply

  128. Hi, Mimi, your title “perfect French Macaron” lead me here, and I follow every steps you mentioned above, however, the little mac all look super neat, however, ALL HOLLOW!! I don’t know what went wrong, looking forward your reply:

    1st: 320F, 14min—-slightly high feet, all hollow, nice shell, slightly stick and flat bottom not raising at all

    2nd: 300F, 15min—-same as 1st trial, also hollow, but bottom seems to raise a bit

    3rd: 285F, 16min—- also hollow, bottom seems to raise a bit more…

    Reply

    • Hi Ruo,

      Sometimes if your batter is not correct, they won’t develop properly at any temperature. You can try to go even higher next time to 350 as I have heard some bakers find success at this temperature. But more importantly, you should work on making a strong meringue and folding properly. I think the temperatures you are testing at should be at least 30-40 degrees difference since most ovens tend to cycle up and down between 5-15 degrees anyways. It will be hard to tell the difference if you’re only going by 20 degrees. Good luck

      XOXO,

      MIMI

      Reply

  129. Hi Mimi,

    i tried your recipe and it worked wonderfully for me. I was wondering if I wanted to make pistachio macaron shells, do i need to substitute any of the almond flour for pistachios? Or do i just keep the recipe the same and then add in the pistachios? How many grams would you recommend?

    Thanks!

    Reply

    • Hi Val,

      Almonds are one of the least oily nuts so it’s a staple for macarons. Most nuts can be substituted for almonds. I would recommend subbing from 1/3 to 1/2 of it 🙂 xoxo Mimi

      Reply

  130. Hello Mimi,

    Thank you so much for your recipe! I failed twice using different recipes, but your green tea macarons turned out perfectly with their cute little feet!

    My only problem is storage. After I made them, I let them cool and used a white chocolate ganache for the filling. After I put them in the refrigerator overnight, the flavor was gone the next day. All I could taste was the white chocolate. Do you have any suggestions?

    Thanks again!

    Reply

    • Hi Katrina, I’m so happy you got to make the Green Tea macarons and how nice they turned out. If you want a stronger green tea flavour, try adding more flavour into the ganache. Dissolve the green tea powder into the hot cream, whisk until all the lumps are gone, then use it to make the ganache as per recipe. Hope that helps, XOXO, Mimi

      Reply

    • Thanks for your message Lindsey ♥ Hope it helps! Oneday, I’d love to make some macaron characters inspired by the cute animal cakes you make. I find they are quite perfect for macarons as well 🙂

      Reply

    • Almond extract is a liquid and almond meal is the actual almonds themselves. I’m not quite sure of what you are trying to ask. Would you mind re-phrasing it? Thank you.

      Reply

  134. Thank you SO much for this recipe and your macaron posts! I’ve made literally dozens of failed batches because of bad recipes and a terrible oven. I tried again taking your oven advice into consideration and putting baking pans above and below my macaron trays along with this recipe, and they turned out perfect! I didn’t get any hollows and the feet were textbook!! Can’t thank you enough 🙂

    Reply

    • Hi Alex

      OMG! I’m literally sooo excited for you! I love hearing that! You really got me interested with your descriptions! Do you have IG? Please tag me (indulge.with.mimi) or send me a photo through email. I love seeing everybody’s work.

      XOXO,

      Mimi

      Reply

    • Hi Raven,

      Not yet, for Italian I use Pierre Herme’s recipe which you can find in his book. Most bakers use the equal sugar, icing to almond ratio for Italian macarons so you won’t usually find any recipes out there that deviate much from that. However, using the right technique is very important and that is what you need to achieve success. I will definitely do an Italian macaron recipe with my own tips and elaborated techniques oneday soon.

      Xoxo,

      Mimi

      Reply

      • Hi,
        I’m using the Italian way now but I was getting a lot of lopsided macs.

        After a few batches they are getting better. I thought it was the heat do I reduced temp and adjusted time. A lil better.

        Also, I’ve seen and heard you don’t have to let them rest, but I e tried twice and they didn’t turn out? Am I doing something wrong???? Confused!

        Reply

    • Hi Maria,

      How do they break? I am guessing that there is a hollow pocket inside the shell. This type of shell cracks easily because there is nothing inside to support it. Please clarify a little more if you’re having a totally different issue.

      XOXO,

      Mimi

      Reply

  137. Hi Mimi! thank you for sharing your recipe with us
    I was wondering if I can use powdered sugar for the whole recipe, also instead of caster sugar?

    Reply

    • Hi Eli,

      No, do not use powdered sugar to make meringue ever. It will stop it from forming properly. You really do need to use caster sugar. If you don’t have it, you an use regular granulated sugar and pulse it a few times in the food processor to refine it a bit.

      xoxo Mimi

      Reply

      • Hi Mimi,
        I’m hoping to give this recipe a try this weekend. Can you clarify for me what is wrong with using powdered sugar here? I am asking because all the recipes on The Food Network and also Martha Stewart’s use powdered sugar.

        thank you so much,

        Meredith

        Reply

        • Hi Meredith,

          The recipe does require powdered sugar. I’m not sure where you are reading that it’s wrong. can you clarify?

          xoxo,
          Mimi

          Reply

  138. Hi Mimi! Thanks for your recipe. I tried the green tea macaron recipe today and they turned out not bad. Only thing was that the feet were not that high. Any suggestions?

    Reply

    • Hi Melissa,

      Thanks for your feedback. First of all, were they hallow? Did the feet have small air pockets in them. If they don’t have hallows and the feets actually have small air pockets in them, then I would keep doing it 🙂 Small feets are not a problem, usually the ones with smaller feet are not hollow so a lot of bakers prefer it instead. I’d have to see a photo to know.

      Reply

  139. Hey Mimi, I was wondering if you’ve ever had success in making white colored macarons? Every time I try making it, I just don’t add any coloring and bake them. But my shells always have a light brown color on the sides. I have a thermometer to make sure my oven isn’t too hot and it still gives me trouble. Help please…

    Reply

    • Oh yes, I hear about this problem a lot with white macarons. Not many bakeries do sell white macarons. Its just easier to mask browned macarons with vibrant colors. I have baked white ones successfully in my oven. In fact, here’s the link to a post I did on some snow white Mashi Maro macarons I did and it will address the browning problem. You’ll need to learn how to use your oven a bit better to achieve the whiteness. Read that post and it will lead you to another post on how to use your oven correctly
      Happy baking to you
      Mimi

      Reply

  140. Hi Mimi! This recipe has been so good to me:) I was just wondering, have you ever tried substituting the almond flour for hazelnut flour? If so, does it produce the same results?

    If not, how do you recommend making hazelnut macaron shells?

    Reply

    • Hi Niki,
      Thank you so much for leaving me a note. I really appreciate it. I’ve worked with this recipe for a long time, editing it and making sure everything important is included. It makes me happy (and relief lol) to know that others have found success using it. I have yet to try using hazelnut instead of almond flour. However, I have read that it is totally possible to substitute any most kind of blanched nuts in place of almonds. Perhaps, I will have to try it one day soon for a blog post 🙂 Happy baking to you

      XOXO,

      Mimi

      Reply

      • I have a question why can’t I use wax paper?
        The thing is that on my country there’s no silicone sheets and I was wondering what else could I use instead ?

        Reply

        • Hi Pamela,

          No, you cannot use wax paper. The feet won’t form properly since the batter doesn’t cling onto the wax surface.

          XOXO,

          Mimi

          Reply

    • Awe, you’re welcome! I don’t sell them for a living so I don’t mind sharing what I do to make them work for me. I really enjoy talking baking with all of you. It’s what I like to do best 🙂

      Reply

      • Lots of great information. Will try again. I keep getting hollow and fragile shells.
        Also, what exactly is ceram wrap? I have searched and cannot find it anywhere even online. Thank you.

        Reply

        • Oh my goodness. It should have been saran wrap. I will edit it. Thank you so much for bringing that to my attention.
          XOXO, Mimi

          Reply

Got questions? Let me know what you think here. XOXO, Mimi

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