Vanilla Macaron Recipe

This vanilla macaron recipe is so simple, you’ll be able to make this delicious, yet notoriously difficult cookie in no time!

Ingredients

• Powdered sugar and almond flour – The flour and the sugar need to be finely ground. I puree them in the food processor for about a minute until they look very fine and then sift the powder to make sure there are no large chunks or lumps.
• Egg whites – I don’t age my egg whites, but I do make sure they’re room temperature.  Tip: If you want to bring your eggs to room temperature quickly, put the eggs in a small bowl filled with hot water for about 5 minutes.
• Food coloring – Gel food coloring keeps the color from fading when you bake it.

How to make macarons

Combine the powdered sugar and almond flour in a food processor and process until very fine.  I like to use the puree button to make sure there are no big chunks of flour left.

Sift the mixture to make sure you have no large flour chunks.  You can see here what was left in the sifter and the finely ground almond flour and powdered sugar.

The Meringue

A quick way to get your eggs to room temperature is to put them in a bowl with hot water for a few minutes. Whisk the eggs and salt until the mixture turns frothy. Then slowly start adding the granulated sugar.

After you’ve added all the granulated sugar, keep whisking.  See how the peak on the left just fell to the side? Those peaks are still too soft.  The peak on the right is what you need at this point so it’s a good idea to stop whisking now, since you still need to add the coloring and vanilla.

Add the vanilla and the gel coloring and whisk just enough to incorporate the color, making sure not to over mix.  Once your egg whites are the right consistency, you’ll be adding the flour mixture in three parts.

Start adding the flour and fold the mixture to incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Continue adding the flour and folding until all the flour has been added.

This is the consistency you’re aiming for.  Transfer the macaron batter into a piping bag with a medium round tip. (I couldn’t find the tip so I just free handed it, which I don’t recommend because my macarons were a bit misshapen… lesson learned!)

How to pipe macarons

You’ll need a pastry bag (you can also use a ziploc bag, but they can be a bit flimsy, so I stick with a piping bag) and a medium round tip. Start in the middle and squeeze out just enough to make a 1-inch circle. The batter will flatten and spread so don’t squeeze out too much.

Pipe the macarons onto the baking sheet, leaving at least an inch in between.  I used parchment paper for this batch. You can see the small dots under each corner of the parchment paper that keep the paper from moving.

When you’re done piping, remember you MUST tap the baking sheet on the countertop to release air bubbles. I do about 5 taps on one side, turn tray clockwise, do 5 more taps, and so on, until I’ve tapped the baking sheet about 20 times. You may still have some little bubbles on the surface, you can just pop those with a toothpick.

I also did a batch using a silpat mat. You can see the batter is a little more even on the mat because the silicone helps it from spreading too much.

Now, once you’ve piped the macarons, and before baking them, you MUST let them rest for about an hour.  This is key!  The top shell needs to dry. If you can touch the top of the shell and the batter doesn’t transfer to your finger, they’re ready to bake. This usually takes about an hour in my kitchen.

Baking macarons

You’ll want to bake these at 300F.  I would highly recommend using an oven thermometer for macarons. My oven is about 10 degrees off, which means when I set it to 300F, the internal temperature is actually 290F.  Not a great thing when you’re baking!

How long to bake macarons

I baked these for 17 minutes at 300F and they came out great!

Here are the finished macaron shells baked on the parchment paper.

You can see the feet under the macarons here. Success!  However, I did crack one (you can see it above) when I removed it from the baking sheet. These cookies are delicate!

Here is the batch baked on the silpat. This was my first time using a silpat for macarons and I was very impressed at how evenly they baked. And they looked so pretty! However…..

The bottoms of the macarons baked on the silpat were a bit sticky and kind of difficult to remove from the mat.  I had to be extra careful removing these.

Buttercream for macarons

I like to fill my macarons with a classic vanilla buttercream. Butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla. So easy!  If you’re feeling adventurous, you can add a little flavoring to the buttercream, but I usually stick to classic vanilla.

I fill my macarons with the buttercream starting at the center, and going around until I reach just inside the edge. Once you place the top shell, the buttercream will spread out a bit.

And here are the filled macarons!

Macaroon or macaron

These cookies may have a similar name but they couldn’t be more different.  Macaroons are made with coconut flakes, have a chewy interior, and are baked until golden brown.  French macarons are made with almond flour and are a sandwich style cookie. They have a thin, delicate shell with a chewy interior and usually have a fruity or buttercream filling.

Macaron flavors

With this vanilla macaron recipe, there are endless possibilities of flavor combinations! Some of my favorites: Red velvet macaron with cream cheese filling, vanilla macaron with raspberry jelly filling, and my favorite, oreo macarons. This recipe really is the perfect starting point for any macaron.

How long do macarons last

These macarons can last up to a week.  Because they keep so well, and actually taste better the next day, they’re a perfect make ahead dessert!

How to store macarons

I keep my macarons in an airtight container in my fridge. Macarons are best the day after, as they need time to mature in the fridge once filled. This is what makes them chewy.  Once you’re ready to eat, take them out of the fridge and let them come to room temperature.