Classic Vanilla Macarons
Don't let these little dainty cookies make you think they are to hard to make. With a few tips and tricks you'll be making these naturally gluten free cookies like a pro!
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale
- Stand Mixer
- Sheet Pan
- Silicone Mat or Parchment Paper
- Piping bag with ½ inch round piping tip.
Ingredients
For the vanilla macarons.
- 110 Grams Almond Flour Finely ground.
- 100 Grams Egg Whites At room temperature, about 3 large eggs.
- 60 Grams Sugar This is about ⅓ of a cup of sugar.
- 200 Grams Powdered Sugar This is about 1 ½ cups + 2 ¾ tablespoons.
- ½ Teaspoon Vanilla I suggest vanilla bean paste over extract.
- ¼ Teaspoon Cream of Tartar
For the buttercream frosting.
- ½ Cup Butter Softened.
- 3 ½ Cups Powdered Sugar
- 1-2 Tablespoons Milk Add more or less depending how thick you want your buttercream.
- ½ Teaspoon Vanilla
- ¼ Teaspoon Salt
Instructions
- Sift together the almond flour and powdered sugar in a bowl.110 Grams Almond Flour, 200 Grams Powdered Sugar
- When your egg whites are ready, place them in a bowl of a stand mixer on medium speed until they become bubbly. Add the salt and cream of tartar.100 Grams Egg Whites, ¼ Teaspoon Cream of Tartar
- Turn the mixer to medium-high and slowly add the granulated sugar. Be careful when adding, so your egg meringue does not fall.60 Grams Sugar
- Once it is all incorporated, increase the speed back to high and continue mixing until the soft peaks have formed.
- Add the vanilla, and then continue whisking on high until stiff peaks are formed in the meringue.½ Teaspoon Vanilla
- Gently fold in the sifted dry ingredients with a spatula in batches until they are all incorporated. You want the mixture to have a thick, almost lava type consistency that you can make a figure 8 with the batter. DO NOT over-mix the batter. (See notes above)
- Take a pastry bag fitted with a ½ inch round tip and fill with the batter.
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and pipe batter into about ¾-inch circles, 1- 2 inches apart.
- Firmly tap the baking sheet against the counter 2-3 times to release any air bubbles.
- Let the piped macarons stand at room temperature for at least 30 minutes until they form a skin, so you can lightly touch the top of the macarons without the batter moving.
- Preheat oven to 300 °Fdegrees.
- Bake (one sheet at a time) for 10-12 minutes, rotating halfway until cookies have risen and are just set. The cookies should be able just to come off the baking sheet when you try to lift them.
- Let the baked macarons cool completely on the baking sheet before moving them.
Buttercream Fristing
- Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer, cream butter until soft and smooth.½ Cup Butter
- Add powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, and salt, and mix until light and fluffy.3 ½ Cups Powdered Sugar, 1-2 Tablespoons Milk, ½ Teaspoon Vanilla, ¼ Teaspoon Salt
Making Macarons
- Transfer the buttercream filling into a piping bag with a round tip.
- Pipe a swirl of filling on half the cookies.
- Sandwich cookies together with the remaining halves.
Notes
- It all starts with the egg whites. This is going to sound odd, but I promise it matters that your egg whites are OLD. What does this mean? It’s simple separate your egg whites, cover them, and put them in the fridge for about 2-3 days or up to a week when you are ready to make your macarons bring them back to completely room temperature before whipping them.
- Sifting – This recipe calls for superfine almond flour, but trust me when I stay no matter what the packaging says, ALWAYS sift your almond flour with your powdered sugar. Do not force the large pieces through just discard them. I usually sift them together and then sift again before I add the mixture to the egg whites.
- Weigh your ingredients – I know this isn’t super common, especially in the United States, but trust me, this is going to make a world of difference in your final product. A simple kitchen scale is all you need.
- Parchment paper vs. Silicon – There is a LOT of talk between whether or not to use parchment paper or to use a silicone baking sheet for baking your macrons. I’ve tried both, and especially being in a more humid area, I find that the silicon tends to hold on to the moisture more than parchment paper does, so I prefer to use parchment paper for baking macarons.
Nutrition
Calories: 140kcal
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!