This is a sweet treat that everybody loves. They were created a long time ago but their popularity hasn’t changed. The key to great macarons is a very crispy exterior and a very chewy interior. From Bouchon Bakery. © 2012 by Thomas Keller and Sebastien Rouxel, published by Artisan Books. All rights reserved.
| Level: | Advanced |
| Total: | 1 hr 12 min |
| Active: | 1 hr |
| Yield: | 12 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 1/8 cups sugar, plus 1 teaspoon
- 2/3 cup Water
- 1/3 cup egg whites, from 2 large eggs
- 2 1/4 cups almond flour
- 1 3/4 cups Powdered sugar
- 1/3 cup egg whites
- Food coloring (Wilton or Chefmaster gel)
- 1/3 cup egg whites, from 2 large eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup Water
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons Raspberry jam
Instructions
- For the macaroon: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (preferably convection). Make an Italian meringue by combining sugar and water in a saucepan over high heat until it’s 110 C (230 degrees F). At the same time, beat all the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment on medium speed. Meanwhile, mix the rest of the macaroon ingredients by combining almond flour and powdered sugar together. Make a well in the middle of the bowl and add all the egg whites. Mix by starting in the center and mixing towards the outside. Set aside. Finish the Italian meringue when the egg whites are at “soft peak” stage in the mixer by adding 1 teaspoon sugar and mixing 15 more seconds. Pour the heated sugar mixture into the beating egg whites, slowly to make the meringue. Continue beating until it’s at room temperature, 5 more minutes.
- When the meringue is at room temperature, combine it with the almond paste mixture, a third at a time. Continue to add meringue until the batter forms ribbons. The mixture shouldn’t be too stiff or too loose and you may not need all of the meringue. Using the tip of a knife, add a small amount of food coloring, a little at a time. Place macaroon mixture into a piping bag and squeeze a little into the bowl to remove air at the tip. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper, then draw rings on the paper to use as guides for the macaroon size. Pipe onto the baking sheet by starting in the center and pushing up, staying inside the ring. Repeat until all of the rings are filled. Bake 12 minutes until shiny with a little “neck” on the outside.
- For the buttercream: In a saucepan over high heat, add sugar and water and bring to a boil until thermometer reaches 120 degrees C. Meanwhile, place egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and beat on high. When egg whites are firm and sugar syrup has reached 120 degrees C, slowly pour the sugar mixture into the egg whites and continue beating until it cools down to room temperature, 5 minutes. Slow down the mixer and add butter, a little at a time. If at any point the mixture looks broken, increase the speed and beat to re-emulsify it, then reduce the speed and continue adding the butter. Continue whipping until it’s the texture of butter cream. If the buttercream is too loose to hold it’s shape, it should be refrigerated for up to a few hours to harden, then beaten again to return to the proper consistency. Place 1 cup of butter cream into a bowl and fold in the jam. Place the buttercream into a piping bag with tip and pipe the cream onto the center of a macaroon (using the same technique as the macaroons). Sandwich together and enjoy. Note: The buttercream can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 1 month; defrost frozen buttercream in the refrigerator before using. Thirty minutes before using the buttercream, place it in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and allow to soften. Then mix on low speed to return the buttercream to the proper consistency.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 12 servings |
| Calories | 553 |
| Total Fat | 34 g |
| Saturated Fat | 15 g |
| Carbohydrates | 60 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Sugar | 55 g |
| Protein | 7 g |
| Cholesterol | 61 mg |
| Sodium | 40 mg |
Reviews
I watched the class and then followed the recipe which made my first time making French macaroons success! The first batch in the oven i over cooked, but i lessened the time to 10 minutes for the second batch and they came out great! Next time I will add more food coloring gel. It didn’t seem to pop as much as I wanted. I also added 2 tbsp of ground up dried strawberries (powder) into the macaron batter and i think it turned out wonderful. I would have liked the gram or oz equivalent in the recipe for the ingredients.
I tried making this recipe today twice. Each time the tops cracked. The buttercream wasn’t tasty either. I tried a basic recipe I found elsewhere and they turned out perfect. I think this recipe over complicates everything.
It is a little confusing but you need to watch the video
I haven’t made this yet but to my knowledge, those of you having trouble with the egg whites, when they say all egg whites they mean all the egg whites for the particular step that you’re on. Each step the meringue, the paste and the buttercream call for 1/3 cup egg whites which is two eggs each. So this recipe is going to need 6 eggs total and when it says to use all the eggs for the meringue that means use both eggs and do the same for the almond paste and the buttercream. That’s just my understanding of baking. I am not a professional by any means. I’m just a mediocre home Baker, but I have taken several classes on this Food Network app and that is what I believe to be the correct understanding of the recipe. If I am wrong one of the moderators please buzz in and let me know so when I go to make this I don’t make a mistake as well. I also think I’m going to substitute strawberry instead of raspberry. I also have a question for somebody, anybody that can help me. The only attachments I have for my stand mixer are the beaters. So when it says use paddle attachment or the whisk attachment for this recipe, is it ok that I just use the beaters because like I said that’s all I have? And please don’t tell me to do any part of it by hand. I’m sure it would be better to do that but I’m disabled and it’s too hard for me to mix things by hand. So I hope I got my advice correct and I also hope that somebody is able to help me with my question. Thanks and happy baking.
I’m with Jessica. I read the recipe through 3 times and am still not exactly sure of the egg whites. Afte
rreading the reviews, I decided to wait to make these until the directions were clearer.
rreading the reviews, I decided to wait to make these until the directions were clearer.
The directions are too vague. Not clear about how many egg whites to put in the paste.
Poorly written recipe – are the egg whites from both the meringue mixture and the macaron mixture the same? It says “all” egg whites several times throughout. Very confusing. I didn’t have enough meringue to macaronage properly and when they cooked I got feet, for sure, but I also had spread flat crunchy cookies (using convection 350° for 12 mins)
They were really fun to make
I don’t mean to give this recipe one star because the cookies are good, however I have tried twice and they are not getting that nice little foot on him when I bake them. They’re also browning instead of keeping their vibrant color. And I am using gel food color. I would love to know what I’m doing wrong.
Easiest macaron recipe ever. They are absolutely delicious!