French Macarons

I use the Italian method, and find that it's not only easier but yields better results. Here is a quick recipe:

160g Sifted almond flour

160g Powdered sugar

4 Eggs white

150g Granulated sugar

40g Water

1g Cream of tartar

  1. Add the finely sifted almond meal to the powdered sugar and mix with 2 of your egg whites until you have a completely homogenous, thick paste.

  2. In a stand mixer, begin whipping the remaining two eggs with a pinch of cream of tartar until is is white and foamy.

  3. Measure and pour your water into a small saucepan, preferably one that has a spout. Place the saucepan with the water in it on medium-high heat just before you add sugar. Pour your sugar right into the centre of the water, and do not stir or even move it around until the syrup is clear, and bubbling across the entire surface. Remove it from the heat at this point.

  4. Back to you stand mixer with the eggs in it, turn it on medium-high speed and begin to pour your sugar syrup as it's mixing. Make sure to hit the side of the bowl rather than pour it straight into the meringue. Continue to beat until you have peaks that are stiff and very shiny.

  5. Add the meringue one third at a time to your almond flour paste and keep folding until its all incorporated and stop once you get a thick pouring ribbon consistency.

  6. Transfer to a piping bag, pipe onto a non-stick mat or parchment paper. Leave to dry in a minimally humid environment while your oven is preheating.

  7. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Once the tops of the macarons are totally dry, drop the temperature to 325 and bake your macarons for 15-17 minutes. Do not attempt to remove them from your baking sheet until they are completely cool.

A few of helpful hints:

  • Sift your almond flour really really well. Weigh it after sifting.
  • Absolutely weigh all your ingredients (one egg white for example, should be about 60g).
  • Be sure to scrape the remaining paste at the bottom of your bowl as you're adding your meringue.
  • Get your macarons as dry as possible before baking them. My house is quite humid, so I will sometimes leave them in a small room with a heater on just to get them super dry.
  • I find that banging your baking sheet on the counter makes the macarons spread more and lose some of their height. I skip this step and have never had an issue with air bubbles.

If I think of anything else, I might edit this post. Let me know if you have any questions.

/r/Baking Thread