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)
♥ Ingredients ♥
**Please do no re-publish 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
These are my favorite Silicone Mat brand and size. One is blank and the other has a convenient macaron template printed on. I like the blank version for using with my macaron art templates since it’s easier to see the template underneath. The mat with the pre-printed macaron template is convenient for piping lots of round shells at once.
(Diclosure: this is an affiliate link)
SILPATS is the only mat brands I use for baking macarons. This one comes with a circle template so you don’t have to make your own. It’s so convenient!
11 5/8 X 16 1/2 is the size I use in all the videos showing one single mat on a pan. SILPATS are is the only mat brand I use for baking macarons. This mat has no preprinted templates on it so it’s great for using over my free macaron art templates.
Toaster oven sized mats are perfect for counter top ovens. I sometimes place two of these on one tray to bake two different sized macarons shells at once. You can easily take out one mat earlier once it’s done, leaving the other mat to bake longer. SILPATS is the only mat brand I use for baking macarons.
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.
♥ 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 Ceram 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
♥ 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:
1. 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 by the egg whites falling back into itself 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.
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.
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:
7. 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.
9. 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.
Resting 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. 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.
12. 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.
13. 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
15. 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!
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
– How to Use Your Home Oven for Baking Macarons
– Controlling the Oven Temperature
– Macaron Troubleshooting and Problems
– Proper Consistency of Macaron Batter After Piping
– Tips on How to Bake Smooth and Round Macaron Shells
– Anatomy of a Perfect Macaron
– The Difference Between French and Italian Method Macarons
– How to Make Almond Flour for Making Macarons
– Should I Rest the Macaron Shells?
This Recipe Works!
Below are the work of lovely bakers who sent me photos of their successful macarons using my recipe. OMG! They all did lovely work and I am so pleased to see their results. If you want to share with me, please tag me on IG 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:
Other Macaron Posts You Might Like
Pink Bear Bridal Macarons Favors with Royal Sugar Roses (Bear Template)
September 2nd, 2016
Mother's Day Macaron Flower Bouquet and Brunch in Vancouver's Revolving Restaurant
May 8th, 2016
Hello Kitty Macaron Tower and My First Lesson on Individuality (w/ Kitty Template)
September 28th, 2016
Horse Carousel Macaron Cake Collab with SILPAT Mats & GIVEAWAY (w/ Template)
October 2nd, 2016
Big Cherry Blossom Macaron Cake with Big Macaron Shell Template
August 22nd, 2016
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!
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
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 ! ❤️
Hi Roxy,
I really do not advocate adding extracts to the meringue. I do however add powders, tea and dried herbs to the dry mix. Here are some of those recipes:
Lemon Lavender Macarons, Earl Grey Macarons, Green Tea Macarons
Xoxo,
Mimi
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?
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
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!
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
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.
How wonderful! Thanks for sharing your experience with my recipe.
Xoxo,
Mimi
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!
Hi Micaela,
Yes, you definitely can double or triple it.
Xoxo,
Mimi
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!
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
Thank you Mimi
I’ll try again later 🙂
Thanks for the great recipe with very clear instructions! My first time ever making macarons: two batches today both turned out great!
How lovely! Thanks for letting me know. I’m so happy it worked for you the first time. XOXO, Mimi
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
Hi, the cracks are very unlikely to come from using a kitchenaid mixer. Here’s a troubleshooting guide which will help pinpoint your specific problem.
xo
Mimi
I have several plain Silpats. Can I use one of your templates under a Silpat? Or, only under parchment?
Thanks!
You definitely can use them under silpat. You’ll find me using them quite a lot under Silpat’s in my videos.
You can view them here.
xoxo,
Mimi
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.
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
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!
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?
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
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!
This post will show you in detail how to whip a perfect for macarons.
xoxo,
Mimi
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.
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
I think yours already good. Not too sweet like I buy here. Ohh… I see. I can make buttercream + jam filling. Thanks
YW! I like this lemon buttercream. It’s tart and refreshing.
xoxo,
Mimi
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😌❤
thanks for letting me know! I’m so happy to hear that!
xoxo,
Mimi
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
Here is a troubleshooting guide for you:
xoxo mimi
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 ? ?
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
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.
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 🙂
Hi,
all my supplies can be found here
xoxo
mimi
Could I make these with pasteurized egg whites from a carton?
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
Hi I was wondering if I wanted to add peppermint extract where would I do it, and would I remove the lemon? Thanks
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
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
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!
I buy them from the Gourmet Warehouse on Hastings Street 🙂
xo mimi
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?
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
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?
Yes it is totally possible with Aquafaba. Look it up, there are a few recipes out there using that ingredient.
xoxo
Mimi
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
Hi Duyen,
Here is a troubleshooting guide which will address those issues.
In your case, I would err on the side of a stiffer meringue and fold adequately and thoroughly.
Xoxo
Mimi
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?
Here is a post I wrote on how you can use your oven properly for baking macarons.
xoxo
mimi
Mimi,
Can I replace almond flour with coconut flour? If so, what’s the ratio?
Thanks
Hannah
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
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!
I don’t add lemon zest in my shells, I find that a lemon buttercream made with lemons and zest will be flavourful enough to incorporate into the shell after maturing. Here’s my recipe for a lemon filling:
Lemon Buttercream Macarons
Xo
Mimi
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.
Hi Daniel,
Every oven is different, I’d start at 320 and just go from there. You’ll have to learn how to use your own oven optimally for baking macarons. Here are two oven guides I wrote which will help you:
How to use your oven properly to bake macarons
finding the right oven temperature
As for the no feet macarons, here’s a troubleshooting post which will address that very issue:
Macaron Troubleshooting guide
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.
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!
Great! I’m very happy to hear that! Thanks for letting me know Karen.
Xoxo Mimi
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??
Bake them longer! the meringue is collapsing because it’s not fully baked.
xoxo
mimi
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!
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
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 🙁
Hi Ayman,
Thank you so much for the feedback on my recipe. Have you read my other two posts. It discusses the large feet issue and how to use your oven properly to bake macarons. Sometimes it may be an issue of a hot oven or may be your meringue. Give it a read:
How to use your oven to bake macarons
Macaron Troubleshooting
The Macaron looks Yuuumiii!
Thank you Henry!
XOXO Mimi
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
You may have overbeaten your meringue.
xoxo
Mimi
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!
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
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!
PS: What should I decrease if I wanted to make it chocolate flavored shells for chocolate macarons?
Here’s my Chocolate Macaron Recipe
xoxo
Mimi
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!
Do you measure the almonds before they form a flour or after ?
Here is how I make and measure my almond flour. Read this post.
XOXO,
Mimi
Hi Mimi,
I just had a question about your bake temperature for this for regular baking or using a convection oven ?
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
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!
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
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! 🙂
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
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. 🙂
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!
The sweetness will be negligible since most of the times, those recipes will compensate with less granulated sugar 🙂
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
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
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?
I just read the comment above mine and saw you don’t recommend extracts. What about cocoa powder?
Yes, most dry ingredients will work fine when added to the dry mix 🙂 Here’s my recipe for double chocolate macarons.
Double Chocolate Macaron Recipe
XOXO
Mimi
Click here for Double Chocolate Macaron Recipe
see above comment as well. thx
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!!
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
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!!! 💗
Thank you so much Bianca
Yes you can easily double it 🙂
Good luck!
XOXO Mimi
Hi
how to make the top of the shells glossy/ shiny. mine are dull looking
Thanks
Make sure you’re folding enough. Under mixed batters usually look coarse and rough 🙂
XOXO
Mimi
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…
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
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!
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
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.
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 🙁
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
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!
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
May I know what dehumidifier you used? You macarons are lovely! Thanks
Hi Chris,
It’s from DeLonghi 🙂
XOXO
Mimi
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)
Keep going! Good luck! 🙂
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.
Can you post your recipe but in U.S. cups ?
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
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!
Hi Louren,
That’s not an uncommon problem. See this troubleshoot guide I made:
Trouble Shoot Guide
XOXO ,
Mimi
Are you saying to replace the powdered sugar (65)grms with cocoa powder (65) grms for chocolate macarons
Hi Antoinette,
No. Use my Matcha Macaron recipe and replace the matcha powder with cocoa powder 🙂
Xoxo,
Mimi
Sorry to bother mimi!
can i use powder sugar in replacement of the castor sugar?
Hi Gina,
No you cannot replace it with powdered sugar. It will prevent the meringue from developing properly. Only use castor sugar.
Xoxo
Mimi
Hey MiMi,
is there a way i can measure the ingredients but without a scale. Like in cups/ tablespoons?
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
Hi mimi.. can you suggest what i would need to do in order to use this exact recipe but make them chocolate shells?
HI Sabina,
Use my matcha macaron recipe and then sub it with cocoa powder 🙂
XOXO,
Mimi
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!
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
Hi, can I double or triple the recipe for my purposes? Or is this a set ratio?
Thanks
Hi Arsalan,
Yes you can definitely!
XOXO,
Mimi
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?
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
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.
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
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.
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
Thanks Mimi!
Do you ever use the Italian method? If so i need some advise on hollows. Thanks
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.
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 🙂
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
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
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
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!
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
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!
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
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???
great recipe would like to incoperate baking cocoa into this recipe how much to add and when
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
Hi Antoinette,
You can add 1/2 to 1 tablespoon of the powder in the dry mixture. make sure to sift it as well.
XOXO,
Mimi
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.
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
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
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
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…
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
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!
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
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!
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
I’m going to add this to my post on macarons … 🙂
Woot! Can’t wait to try this, Mimi – you are very generous to share your best macaron recipe! Love how helpful you are, it is MUCH appreciated by us macaron newbies! xo
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 🙂
Hi MiMi. Thks for the recipe. I wondering tho if I could use almond extract instead of almond meal?
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.
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 🙂
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
Do you have an Italian Rec. To share?
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
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!
Hi Mimi, why do my macaron become easy to break after matured & out of the fridge? Thank you
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
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?
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
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
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
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?
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.
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…
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
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?
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
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 ?
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
you’re so kind for giving out YOUR perfected recipe!
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 🙂
Thanks for this tutorial! My macarons have not been behaving lately and I’m trying to identify the issue. Will give it another go this weekend with your tips!