How to Make Macarons Video: Step by Step French Macarons Recipe & Tips

Looking for cookie recipe ideas for your cookie exchange, housewarming gifts or dinner party? This easy macaron recipe will do the trick. I’ve been baking since grade school, and French macarons have become one of my favorite cookie recipes in recent years, as we often serve them at Jordan culinary event dessert stations. In this step-by-step video for how to make macarons, you’ll find tips and techniques for baking the perfect French macaron cookies with different flavors and a basic macaron filling recipe. I’ll also show what you need to make macarons. These delicate cookies aren’t as difficult to bake as you might think. The key is finding the right recipe and following each step I share–from sifting techniques and preparing your ingredients in advance to whipping the perfect macaron texture and piping precise cookie shapes onto baking sheets. This recipe is adapted from one of the best, Martha Stewart Living. (If you’re curious about the difference between macarons and macaroons, here’s a great explanation.)

Thanks to our friends at Foodista for sharing this recipe with all the home bakers in their community.

If you’re looking for a wine pairing with the macaron cookies, try the Jordan Cuvée by Champagne AR Lenoble or Jordan Chardonnay.

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French macarons baked by Jordan Winery's best baker, as featured in Wine Country Table
French macarons, Spring at Jordan party

French Macaron Cookies Recipe

These delectable cookies in soft, sherbet-toned hues make a beautiful addition to any holiday dessert ensemble. Create an endless array of flavors and colors by simply adding different fillings and colorings. Recipe adapted from a Martha Stewart Living favorite.

Ingredients ~

For the cookie:

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 3/4 cup almond flour (regular flour cannot be substituted)
  • 2 egg whites, room temperature
  • Pinch cream of tartar (optional)
  • 1/4 cup super-fine sugar

For flavoring (choice of):

  • Food coloring (for strawberry macarons, pictured)
  • Flavored extract (pistachio used in green macarons, pictured)
  • 2 teaspoon cinnamon (for cinnamon macarons, pictured)
  • 2 Tablespoon TCHO cocoa powder (for chocolate macarons, not pictured)

For basic meringue filling:

  • 6 egg whites, large
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions ~

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. The key to this recipe is in the preparation – have all ingredients measured and ready before you begin. Separate the eggs whites and keep at room temperature until ready to incorporate.
  2. In a food processor, pulse powdered sugar and almond flour. (If making chocolate or cinnamon macarons, the cocoa powder or cinnamon should be pulsed with the sugar and almond flour.) Sift combined mixture 2 times. Whip the room-temperature egg whites on high with a mixer until foamy and then add cream of tartar. Slowly stream in superfine sugar and whip until stiff and shiny, about 2 minutes on high.
  3. With a rubber spatula, gently fold in desired food coloring and/or flavor extract, sugar and flour mixture into whipped egg white mixture. (Only a few drops of food coloring or flavor extract are needed. Add one drop at a time with the mixer on until the whites reach the color you want; the color and number of drops will not affect the recipe.) Fold the ingredients as little as possible until it is smooth, shiny and slightly runny. If it holds its form, it is under mixed. Scoop into piping bag fitted with a small round tip.
  4. Pipe onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, holding the piping bag in one place while applying pressure. Release pressure when a 1” cookie has been formed and gently swirl the tip out of the mixture without forming a peak. This will allow the cookie to remain smooth on top. Let stand at room temperature 30-40 minutes.
  5. Bake in preheated oven at 325 degrees for 5-10 minutes, until cookies are firm and crisp. Be sure to keep a close eye on the cookies – they should not brown on top. Remove cookies from oven and cool.
  6. For a basic meringue filling, place egg whites and sugar in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Whisk until sugar dissolves and mixture reaches 160 degrees on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat, whip on high speed until mixture is cool and stiff peaks form, approximately 6 minutes. Beat in vanilla extract. Use immediately.
  7. Sandwich 2 same-size macarons with 1 teaspoon meringue, flavored buttercream or other desired filing. Serve immediately, or stack between layers of parchment, wrap well in plastic, and freeze for up to 3 months.

Preparation time: 1 hour(s)

Number of servings (yield): 12 (makes 36 cookies)

Different colors and designs of macarons with flowers, culinary arts, ready to eat.
French macarons, Spring at Jordan party

Video Transcript

This time of year a lot of people are baking, wanting to make different types of cookies, and today I’m going to show you a really unique cookie, the French macaroon. A lot of people feel intimidated by this because it’s a really delicate cookie, and for a long time, I was too. But, I found that really what would help you be successful is having the right recipe. I went through a lot of recipes that failed. This particular recipe came from Martha Stewart and it’s almost foolproof. You follow these basic techniques, you’ll end up with a really nice cookie.

Before you begin you want everything to be ready because with this cookie, there’s not a really good stopping point.

One of the most important ingredients is your egg whites, to have them separated beforehand and sitting at room temperature. That’s what we start with and that’s because when they’re warm like that, it’ll increase their ability to hold air and they’ll whip up a lot faster.

You’ll start by adding your eggs first to the mixer, and then go ahead and turn it on too high. Once you see it start foaming, what you’re going to add is a little bit of cream of tartar. This is an acid and what it does is it stabilizes the egg whites and also helps it to increase its ability to hold air. Once it starts whipping up, I’ll gradually add some granulated sugar. This is just a quarter cup. I’m using superfine sugar, which just is a lot finer. It’ll dissolve much quicker to give you a better texture. You don’t want to add it all at once or too soon, because then it prevents the meringue from whipping up nicely. Just a little bit at a time through the mixing. You might just mix it about two minutes on high.

This is what you’re looking for here, and it’s something that’s really stiff and shiny. Also, at this point if you want to add a liquid flavor, like an extract or a color, you would do that now. And mixing is really the most crucial part, especially when you go to add your dry ingredients, because there’s so much fat in the almond flour, that fat will start breaking down your egg whites. I’ll just add half of it. You’re trying to mix as little as possible. If you over mix, you’re going to have a really runny product at the end, but if you under mix it, you’ll end up with a lumpy grainy kind of looking cookie. You want it to be nice and smooth and shiny. You just want to gently fold it till everything is evenly incorporated and mixed up. And, you can kind of tell when it’s ready because if it’s under mixed it’s going to just hold its form, but you want it to be slightly runny so that you know you can pipe it, but it’s not going to keep the exact same form so what you’re seeing. And then when you’re ready, transfer it to your piping bag and I’ll show you how to pipe that.

This is about what you’re looking for. It’s not completely firm, it’s a little smooth and still runny, and that’ll go into the piping bag.

When you go to pipe, you want to keep it in one spot and squeeze until you’re done, and then when you get the shape you want, don’t just lift it up, you’ll end up getting a peak on each cookie, which you don’t want.You’re going to squeeze and when you’re done take the pressure off. Leave the tip right on the cookie and just kind of go in a swirl, and that will give you a smooth top. Just pipe them all out. Leave them apart about an inch.

At this point, what you do with macaroons is you leave them sitting out at room temperature for about a half hour to 40 minutes. And what you do is you end up getting skin from the air over them. With any baked product, you usually notice it on bread, as there’s always moisture in it that wants to escape once it’s in the oven. With bread you see it coming out the top or you see the score where the bread expanded. When you have skin on it, the moisture can’t get out. What it does with the macaroon, is the moisture comes out the bottom. And that gives you the nice traditional feet that you’re looking for right there. While it’s sitting, heat your oven.

And, the recipe calls for about 10 minutes. You want to keep a close eye on them because it only took me about four. You don’t want to get any color on these. Let them cool completely and then they’ll come right off of the parchment paper. And at that point you, you know, fill them with your own filling. Traditionally, it’s buttercream. Like this with a strawberry, I’ll put strawberry jam in there. If you want to do pistachio, I just made a buttercream and I added pistachio paste. Really whatever you want to do. Play around and make them unique to yourself.

Right here, I have a variety of different flavors and colors which is really one of the nice things about them. You can make all these using this same basic recipe. If you don’t want to do them all in one day, they freeze really well, so you can wrap them up really well. They freeze for about three months, and it just takes about 20 minutes to let them defrost.

I know a lot of people feel that French macarons are a really difficult cookie to make, but, what I found throughout the years, you know for years I failed but, finding the right recipe has really made a huge difference. If you use this basic recipe and follow these tips, you’ll end up with a beautiful cookie. And, if you have any questions about what we did, just leave us a comment.

    • Sophie
    • February 2, 2021
    Reply

    They came out Picture prefect

      • Caryl
      • October 28, 2021
      Reply

      Loved the video on utube thank you

    • Diana Pilar Penavic
    • March 15, 2018
    Reply

    You said we can frezze?

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    • Liz
    • January 28, 2017
    Reply

    I have tried 4 times to do this I don’t know what i am doing wrong but they come out hollow and the tops actually slide off while in oven… Ugg

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    • Erica
    • December 2, 2016
    Reply

    Do you have weight measurements for each ingredient if I’m using a scale? I want them to be perfect – thanks!

      • Dee
      • January 11, 2017
      Reply

      This is the same recipe I use but mine is in grams and it’s a tant pour tante recipe, meanin the almond flour to icing sugar is 1:1 ratio. The almond flour is 100 grams and the icing sugar is 100 grams. I have seen this recipe use 30g of granulated or extra-fine granulated sugar or 50g of either granulated sugar so it depends on how sweet you want them or if your meringue needs a little help to get fluffier. I can’t find my cream of tartar (chaos in my kitchen) so I use a couple splashes of lemon juice. Serves the same purpose….an acid which makes the meringue more stable. I hope this helps 🙂

        • Kiki
        • May 24, 2018
        Reply

        Thank you so much actually i was wondering where can i change those stuff ti grams and where i get that tartar thing

      • Dee
      • January 11, 2017
      Reply

      Oh, also, for the cocoa powder or cinnamon, etc, I would use a level teaspoon or tablespoon of whatever is called for. I use grams like yourself, but for something like these flavourings, I would just grab a measuring tea or tablespoon and use it, or if you don’t have a measuring spoon, just a teaspoon or tablespoon from your cutlery drawer but don’t heap it. And by the way, the amount of egg whites required for this recipe in grams is 75g. If you just use 2 egg whites, it can vary from 60-66 grams but since I use the same recipe in weight I know it’s 75 grams of eggwhite, preferably aged in the fridge a couple days with cheesecloth on the top to allow the water to evaporate off. This gives you more concentrated proteins. Hope this helps Erica!!

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    • Ekaterine Buckley
    • March 2, 2016
    Reply

    Dear Lisa,

    I’ve tried the recipe for the second time. The taste is okay, the feet are comig out but unfortunately after I take them out of oven the surface of the cookies get “greasy”. I know almonds have a lot of fett in it but still. I really would appreciate if you Could give me some advice how I can prevent cookies from greasing?
    Regards from Germany

      • Frank
      • June 21, 2016
      Reply

      Hey, the weather and moisture in the air can be a problem for maringue

      • Dee
      • January 11, 2017
      Reply

      Do you whizz both the almond flour and icing sugar together in a food processor before? This helps remove excess oiliness from the almond flour and the starch in the icing sugar helps lock it away. Also, don’t whizz it for too long in the food processor or the almond flour will start to turn into almond butter because too much oil is released. I have to whizz every bit of almond flour I get and place it in the oven on low heat (like 100°C) for about 5 minutes, then turn the oven off and let the heat left in the oven dry the almond flour out. Sounds like you may have coarser almond flour or even maybe almond meal. If your almond “flour” has visible dark skins left in it, it likely won’t work. If you just have a coarser flour, try whizzing it in the food processor for a few seconds at a time, 4 or 5 times and place it in the oven to dry as I described above. All the best!!

      • RC
      • February 27, 2017
      Reply

      dont put almond flour with power sugar in food processor, its kind tricky if too long it will turn like butter ( i always scare to do it will wasting my almond powder)
      just strain almond power by it self works good too, the rest of bigger chuck can use it for some thing else like frangipane ( almond paste)
      also like one of them mention the weather don’t make it when its humid outside
      good luck

    • Vahideh
    • January 10, 2016
    Reply

    Dear friend
    Thanks for sharing this recipe.
    I tried this instruction but my macaroon come out like meringue cookie with carack on top like volcano. Please guide me about this problem and tell me the exact amount of ingredient to gram.
    Thanks alot.

      • adas
      • May 9, 2016
      Reply

      It means your filling has air bubbles inside, which, when heating, they expand and blow you macaron. When you squeeze the macarons on the tray, tap the tray to the kitchencounter a few good times for air bubbles to dissolve before cooking, this should fix it.

      • Dee
      • January 11, 2017
      Reply

      Did you allow the pan of piped macarons to be dropped flat on a table 4 or 5 times and then dry until they are no longer sticky? Both should help. 🙂

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      • samantha
      • February 6, 2016
      Reply

      Thank you so much for posting this recipe! I’ve have tried this recipe countless times and it has never failed me even once! I have tried other recipes before this one and I’m telling you guys, this is the best recipe there is!!

      • Milly
      • April 7, 2017
      Reply

      If you want to freeze them should I freeze the dough or the baked cookie ready to eat.

    • Linda
    • November 11, 2015
    Reply

    Hi!!

    First of all I would like to thank you so so so much for your tutorial. I’ve been able to make super beautiful macarons for the first time in my life thanks to your recipe and reply to comments.

    I’ve recently had a stumble though. The last two batches of macarons that I’ve made look great even when they come out of the oven. But after a minute, dark spots start to show up on the shell and I’m not so sure why. I’ve taken a photo of it but don’t know if I can post it here.

    Do you have any ideas? 🙁

      • Ekaterine Buckley
      • March 2, 2016
      Reply

      These dark spots are comig from almod fett. Have the same problem here. Don’t know what to do 🙁

      • Amanda
      • April 1, 2016
      Reply

      It sounds like they might be slightly undercooked. My second time attempting them, they came out looking really good at first, but within a couple of minutes they “collapsed” a little and got dark spots where the inside was still moist.

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    • Katie O
    • October 18, 2015
    Reply

    I used this recipe and it turned out flawlessly, just like Cristina’s pie crust tutorial. She is fabulous!! She makes it look easy (and following her recipes, it actually is), and I love the information she provides about the rationale behind her techniques. I’m so thrilled to finally be able to make pie crust and French macarons!! Does Cristina still work at Jordan? I would love to see more videos from her!

    1. Reply

      Hi Katie,
      Thank you so much. We will pass your kind words to Cristina. She is currently on a humanitarian mission; was working overseas for a year. She comes back to do videos with us once a year, and her sister is baking for us while she is gone. Let us know what topics are of interest to you. We posted her new pizza dough video this summer.

    • Luis Arguedas
    • September 14, 2015
    Reply

    Hi! I have done this recipe several times but I never get it right. I know that this is an old video. I did follow your instructions, ingredients, baking are the same. Everything start to look wrong where they are in the oven, they start to rise and the feet start to form but then continue growning and then they go down and they look like a tortilla with feeds. Any idea?

      • Corina
      • January 6, 2016
      Reply

      I’ve tried her recipe and I find that it works. U may have overmixed. I have an oven thermometer and I go by that rather than what my oven tells me. Check the heat.

      • Dee
      • January 11, 2017
      Reply

      I don’t think this recipe’s baking time is appropriate for most home ovens. Best to put them in, monitor them and when they can come off parchment paper without leaving their “bellies” behind, they’re done. If the heat from either the top or bottom is too strong, try placing another pan way up on the top slot or down on the bottom or both 🙂

    • Susan
    • August 18, 2015
    Reply

    Hi, can you please tell me why do I get hollow shell on the top? Did I do something wrong?

      • Amanda
      • April 1, 2016
      Reply

      Try cooking them hotter (for a slightly shorter time-span) to prevent hollows, and make sure the consistency is right (similar to flowing lava) before they are piped out. 🙂

        • Dee
        • January 11, 2017
        Reply

        Exactly right Amanda. Too many macaron baking websites suggest turning down the heat and baking longer. I feel this has what has caused me to have hollow macarons. They simply dried out and the inside sort of recrystallizes into this super crunchy, flat mass under an egg-shell delicate top. It has no give either so when I filled them, they couldn’t even reabsorb moisture and get more tender inside. I also say bake at higher temp for less time if this is happening to you. It should bake the shell but leave the insides moist and fluffy. 🙂

    • Elizabeth
    • March 26, 2015
    Reply

    Hi,
    I’m wondering why the almond flour I used for the macaroni is a yellowish beige color and the one shown in the video is white?

    Thanks!

    1. Reply

      Elizabeth,

      Sorry for the delay in responding. It is normal for the almond flour to be a yellowish beige color. Perhaps the lighting in the video made the one being used white, but it is always the color you described.

    • Chef Marsha Peters
    • March 25, 2015
    Reply

    My macaroons are cracking on the top …not developing feet….what am I doing wrong?

      • Delilah smith
      • May 7, 2015
      Reply

      Hi Marsha,

      If your macarons are cracking AND not developing feet, it is very likely that you are over mixing your batter. Hope this helps!

    1. Reply

      Marsha,

      Sorry for the delay in responding. It could be that the egg whites are a bit over-whipped. The other possibility is that once piped, they are not sitting out long enough to develop a thick skin to prevent cracking while baking. Try letting them sit out for at least an hour before baking.

    • alejandro
    • February 28, 2015
    Reply

    In point number 7, you say: Serve immediately, or stack between layers of parchment, wrap well in plastic, and freeze for up to 3 months. Do you mean freeze the cookies for up to 3months? or you can make the sandwich with filling and such, then freeze.

    thanks for your time.

    Alejandro

      • Diamond
      • April 12, 2015
      Reply

      She means you can freeze it in the freezer up to three months if there’s leftovers or just not ready for it now

    1. Reply

      Alejandro,

      Sorry for the delay in responding. You can fill the macaron sandwich and have it ready entirely. You can freeze them for 3 months this way.

    • Michael
    • December 30, 2014
    Reply

    I just did this recipe but I found out that I had too much dry ingredients compared to the egg white. I think the sizes of eggs here in Hong Kong are different to the ones in US. Can you please tell me the weight of the egg whites needed for this recipe? Thanks

    1. Reply

      Michael,
      Sorry for the delay in responding. We were closed for the holidays.
      The weight of each egg white is about 36 grams and could go up to 40 grams….Hope that helps. Also, make sure that you are whipping the whites…that gives them volume, which is why those instructions are included in the recipe…hopefully you didn’t forget that step.

      • Dee
      • January 11, 2017
      Reply

      This is the same recipe I use but mine is in grams. The amount of egg whites in my weighted recipe is 75 grams. I hope that might help you 🙂

    • ray
    • November 13, 2014
    Reply

    Do u add the food colouring while its whipping or do u fold it by hand?

      • lisamattson
      • November 19, 2014
      Reply

      You should fold in the food coloring with a rubber spatula after the egg whites are whipped…trying not to over mix. Hope that helps.

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    • Natasha Almeida
    • April 3, 2014
    Reply

    hi i so do love macrons and i am definitely going to try this one and have not tried it before. i have a question though…i am living in a country (Kuwait) where it is usually difficult to get confectionery sugar…is it possible if i could replace it with icing sugar or could you suggest an alternative …any guidance will be much appreciated….Thanks Natasha

      • lisamattson
      • June 3, 2014
      Reply

      Hi Natasha, confectionery sugar and icing sugar are the same thing, so yes, you can substitute. Cheers!

    • Astrid
    • March 21, 2014
    Reply

    Thank you so much for this great video. Can you tell me what size piping tip you used? Thank you!

    • Joy
    • March 4, 2014
    Reply

    hi! i’m really interested to make some lf these but just a few questions, do I bake these macarons in the top, middle or bottom rack? and what if my oven is a fan-forced oven? do I need to change the temperature?

      • lisamattson
      • May 27, 2014
      Reply

      Hi Joy, The middle rack is best; most even temp wise. And for convection oven, drop temp about 25 degrees.

    • Kimbe160829
    • February 21, 2014
    Reply

    I just made chocolate macarons and instead of the TCHO chocolate I used unsweetened cocoa powder do you think they are going to come out ok?

    • Serena Choi
    • January 18, 2014
    Reply

    Hi I’m wondering when the recipe says it yields 36 cookies, is it 36 shells or 36 sandwiched macarons? Thanks in advance.

      • Dee
      • January 11, 2017
      Reply

      36 shells, or 18 sandwiched cookies. Yeah, lots of work for 18 cookies isn’t it? 😀

    • Kevin Anderson
    • November 27, 2013
    Reply

    Cristina is a master demonstrator. She keeps your interest. But I noticed in the making of the pie filling you say 3/4c sugar the 1t sugar, but when mixing the ingredients you say 3/4 c and 3t of sugar confusing.
    Did u make a video for the apple filling?

    I know making instructional videos are time consuming, but yours are some of the BEST out there.

      • lisamattson
      • November 27, 2013
      Reply

      Hi Kevin,
      Thank you so much for your kind words. We were alerted yesterday on Facebook to the apple pie filling recipe typo on the 3 tablespoons of butter and corrected it: http://blog.jordanwinery.com/2012/11/how-to-make-pie-crust-video-flaky-delicious-apple-pie-recipe/

      Happy holidays,
      Lisa

    • Erika R.
    • November 9, 2013
    Reply

    Hi, I noticed in several adaptations of macarons all over the internet that ovens can be slightly ajar when baking, does this necessarily need to be the case with this particular version?

      • Dee
      • January 11, 2017
      Reply

      That’s usually recommended if your oven builds up a lot of moisture. I just pull the door of the oven down here and there to have a peek and the steam has a chqnce to escape. I don’t think we ahould do this too much though or else our oven will cut in and send out loads of heat to rehat the oven and this can cause an imbalance of heat in baking macarons, and I never do it before they develop their feet.

    • Amira Alhendi
    • September 30, 2013
    Reply

    your recipe is my go to recipe!

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    • Joyce
    • August 11, 2013
    Reply

    Great video and very detailed steps! My macarons were a success 😀 Thanks for the recipe and demonstration!

    • Rebeca Ortega
    • July 14, 2013
    Reply

    hello, I love the video, I jsut have one question. My macaroon instead of baking “up” they expanded to the sides, I ended up with a flat macaroon. The top “crust” did form. What did I do? over folded the batter? maybe baked them too long?(6 min ). thanks

      • lisamattson
      • July 17, 2013
      Reply

      Hi Rebeca,

      We’re glad you enjoyed the video. Here’s our chef’s thoughts on your dilemma:

      My first thought would be a little too long on the whip which will weaken the
      protein “mesh”; the other thought would be a slow oven recovery when
      door is closed ( door may have been open too long?).

      Hope that helps. Happy baking.

    • Aubrey
    • July 13, 2013
    Reply

    Hi Cristina!

    I was wondering if you had to use superfine sugar, or if you could use possibly make superfine sugar out of fine cane sugar?

    Thanks!
    Aubrey

      • lisamattson
      • September 7, 2013
      Reply

      Hi Aubrey,

      Cristina is on a humanitarian mission in Africa for at least one year. I will try to get an answer from our chef, but I’m not sure how long it will take. Thanks for watching our video.

      • Corina
      • January 6, 2016
      Reply

      Aubrey u can make ur own by throwing some into the food processor. Just pulse until u get that super fine sand texture! I make my own that way. Hope this helps.

    • Zsuzsa
    • July 11, 2013
    Reply

    Hi, I think it is a very good recipe and my macarons look great in the oven, they come up, they look firm, they have their feet but as soon as I take them out them get soft and lumpy. Not holding at all. Can you please give me your advice? Thanks.

      • lisamattson
      • September 7, 2013
      Reply

      Hi Zsuzsa,

      Cristina is on a humanitarian mission in Africa for at least one year. I will try to get an answer from our chef, but I’m not sure how long it will take. Thanks for watching our video.

    • Colleen Chevalier
    • June 15, 2013
    Reply

    how many finished macarons (sandwiched) does this recipe make?

      • lisamattson
      • June 15, 2013
      Reply

      36 cookies as noted in recipe.

    • chacha
    • May 1, 2013
    Reply

    hi why is it my macarons has no feet and not shiny? please answer my question huhu:

      • Vee
      • July 4, 2013
      Reply

      chacha: I think you underfolded your egg& flour. That was my experience

      • Dee
      • January 11, 2017
      Reply

      Not rested to dry long enough or batter is too thin.

    • Rem
    • March 26, 2013
    Reply

    Hi There, Thanks for this wonderful receipt.
    How can I convert it to chocolate macarons? What should I add or subtract? Please replay to me as soon as possible as I need it before Thursday. Thanks again.

    1. Reply

      For chocolate I would add about 2 Tbl. of good cocoa powder in with the dry; it can go into the food processor with the flour and sugar.

    • Esther Lee
    • March 23, 2013
    Reply

    Hi. I’ve been trying a lot of recipes and every time, my macarons look perfect, but there is only one problem I cannot figure out. I have left comments on most recipes to find the answer I am looking for, but no one has answered me back. My macarons have great “feet”, barely any hollow inside, tastes great, slightly chewy, but I cannot seem to get it to crisp on the outside like the stores sells them. I have left it out to dry for 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 45 minutes, 60 minutes, and 75 minutes, and it doesn’t give me the slightly crispy skin after baking. Just about 30 – 45 minutes of drying, it does give me the dry skin, but after baking, i don’t get the crispy skin. I hear that the cookies have to mature after filling them for 24 hours, but the next day, it’s only chewy, but with a soft skin. could it be that there’s not enough sugar to make the outer skin crispy? or maybe i have to dry it longer? it has been frustrating me for over a month and i am urging to find out what i’m doing wrong to perfect the macarons. thanx. =)

      • lisamattson
      • March 25, 2013
      Reply

      Hi Esther,

      The only possibility is that perhaps you could reduce the sugar in the recipe and
      see if that helps. Or try baking at a slightly higher temp.

      • Dee
      • January 11, 2017
      Reply

      If your heat comes from the top, maybe move them to one rack up halfway through or maybe the whole way through after you see how he first attempt went. Also, you might want to “waft” your oven of moisture every now and then. I do it a few times but not until they get their feet.

    • suzq
    • March 22, 2013
    Reply

    my macarons they brown up fast and they are still raw! wht is the problem?

    • Corina
    • March 17, 2013
    Reply

    Hello Christina,

    do I have to use the almond flour? could I use regular flour in this recipe? Thank You

    1. Reply

      Unfortunately not. The definition of a macaroon is that it is made using a nut flour, traditionally almond. Sorry.

    • Beth Trimble
    • March 5, 2013
    Reply

    Hello – I have been making macarons for the past 3-4 months (almost daily I might add) – I am between fianlizing two recipies and wanted your opinion re: powdered egg whites – one recipie I have been working uses them in addition to the aged egg whites and another does not – what are your thoughts? Also, I am between letting the macarons rest room temperature for 30 minutes v. starting to bake them at lower temperature then raising it mid-way through baking…so many variables!

      • lisamattson
      • September 7, 2013
      Reply

      Hi Beth,

      Sorry for the delayed response, but Cristina is on a humanitarian mission in Africa for at least one year. I will try to get an answer from our chef; I’m not sure how long it will take or if he’ll have a recommendation. Thanks for watching our video.

    • Papisa
    • February 24, 2013
    Reply

    Hi, would it matter if I don’t use cream of tartar in the mixture

    1. Reply

      The cream of tartar is optional.

    • DC
    • February 17, 2013
    Reply

    Thank you for the video. I have a few questions:

    Are the 325 degree and 160 degree, fahrenheit or celsius?

    Butter: cold, just out of the regrigerator, soften or slightly melted?

    Thanks.

    1. Reply

      325 fahrenheit (U.S. ovens) is what we recommend. That’s roughly 162.7 celsius.

      There is no butter in this recipe that I can see; where did you find that? The eggs are room temperature in this recipe.

        • DC
        • February 18, 2013
        Reply

        Thanks, Lisa. Sorry that I mixed up this with a recipe that I found somewhere else.

        So, in the sentence “the Whisk until sugar dissolves and mixture reaches 160 degrees on a candy thermometer,” the 160 is also fahrenheit?!

        Can I assume that, In another words, all temperatures in this site are in fahrenheit?

        Thank you for the great works.

        1. Reply

          Correct. We are based in California, and we use fahrenheit in the U.S.

  10. Pingback: Frozen yogurt and vanilla macaroon | Grunley Walsh

    • erika
    • February 11, 2013
    Reply

    My macarons are hollow and stick to the parchment paper. What am i doing wrong?

      • lisamattson
      • February 13, 2013
      Reply

      They stick if they are under cooked, generally. They work best using parchment and you can also lightly spray the parchment first. Slightly hollow is normal but if the batter has too much air they will be overly hollow. You can prevent that by mixing the batter by hand a little longer to make sure some of the air is broken down.

    • iman
    • January 31, 2013
    Reply

    hello i am about to make the macarons but i have seen my oven doesnt go to 325 degrees it only goes to 260 what should i do

      • lisamattson
      • February 1, 2013
      Reply

      325 fahrenheit (US ovens) is 162.7 celsius. Try that.

    • Azalea
    • January 13, 2013
    Reply

    i always make it bad while baking step, i followed the instruction but the result the macarons is brown. what solution do you have to solve this? please i need your answer

      • lisamattson
      • February 1, 2013
      Reply

      From Cristina: Each oven is slightly
      different, so the temps I gave may not work for your oven. You can
      try lowering the baking temp. Although, if you are baking in a convection oven,
      keep in mind that the heat is more aggresive and the temperature should
      always be lowered by 25 degrees for any given recipe. The macarons can be
      very sensitive also, keep a close eye on them during baking- if they seem
      close to being done they can quickly go from almost done to overdone.

    • Geraldine
    • January 1, 2013
    Reply

    Perfect! Your video along with the recipe helped a lot, after trying to make macarons twice with a diferent recipe, finally found a good recipe and instructions, thankyou!

      • lisamattson
      • January 2, 2013
      Reply

      So glad you enjoyed it. Happy New Year and happy baking!

    • Mary
    • December 26, 2012
    Reply

    I really enjoyed making these and learned a few things by trial and error – like how big to make the cookies and how long to keep them in the oven. I had no major issues (no cracks yay!), however I found the cookie a bit overly sweet, almost sickly. Any way to cut back on the sugar content but still retain the correct consistancy? Thanks for this great recipe!!

      • Delilah smith
      • May 7, 2015
      Reply

      I would try using a filling that isn’t very sweet, perhaps a bitter chocolate ganache. Another way is to add a pinch of salt to cut the sweetness.

      1. Reply

        Thanks, Delilah.

    • Tiffany
    • December 17, 2012
    Reply

    Can you use less powdered sugar rather than the 1 cup?

    1. Reply

      The powdered sugar is really one of the main ingredients so if you cut it back, it will most likely alter the final product. You can try cutting it back a little if you want.

    • Michelle L
    • December 5, 2012
    Reply

    Your definition of 1 cup is equal to how many grams actually? Because different cups comes with different sizes.

      • lisamattson
      • December 6, 2012
      Reply

      Here’s an online research for converting cups to grams. http://allrecipes.com/howto/cup-to-gram-conversions/

      • lisamattson
      • December 6, 2012
      Reply

      Michelle,
      Cristina is referring to a standard measuring cup.

    • Anon
    • November 29, 2012
    Reply

    Is it alright to use regular sugar instead of superfine?

    • Ana
    • November 7, 2012
    Reply

    Hello! This looks like such a lovely recipe and I feel like you understand the confusion we people get upon seeing all these different ways of making the same cookie (to let sit out, to not let sit out, how much of this, how long, etc, etc.)! I was wondering what to do since I don’t have a food processor. For the almond flour and powdered sugar, do you think I can just use a blender or is that not good? Thank you 😀

      • lisamattson
      • November 13, 2012
      Reply

      A blender will not be the same, but you can certainly try it. If you have a
      good high quality blender it will do just fine. A blender that does not
      have much power may just get clogged up.

  11. Pingback: Dear Pastry: French Macaroon « The Pastry Diaries

    • Y.
    • September 16, 2012
    Reply

    Hi , I would like to thanks for the recipe first. I have some enquires to ask. When i bake my macarons for 10mins , the macarons just stick on my non-greasy paper. So i thought its not baked enough so i bake it for 10-20mins which then my macarons turn brown and too crispy. What went wrong ? I tried for 3-4 times but i still couldnt get the macarons beautifully coming out from my paper. Thanks!

      • lisamattson
      • September 18, 2012
      Reply

      You should allow the macaroons to cool completely before lifting them off the paper. When they are warm they will still be slightly sticky, and will harden as they cool. If you did let them cool and they were still sticky, you were right in baking them longer. 10 minutes may have been too much time. Since they are sensitive, I would check them every 2-3 minutes.

        • Carla M. Jones
        • September 22, 2012
        Reply

        If the stick, you can also place them in the freezer for a couple of minutes. The thermal shock between hot and freezing makes them unstick instantly and easily.

      • MACARONLOVER
      • October 19, 2012
      Reply

      Hi 🙂 My macarons also stuck to my parchment paper. I thought of something to help me get my macarons completely and nicely off the piece of paper. Hold up the paper (and make sure you don’t drop it!!!) and dip your finger into water. Spread the water on the back of the paper where the macaron is (remember the entire bottom of the macaron, more like the paper itself, must be dabbed with water) then leave it for like 10-15 seconds. You should beable to peal the paper away from the macaron as the water somehow ‘melts’ / ‘softens’ the paper. 😀 have fun!!!

        • Lisa
        • October 31, 2012
        Reply

        Thanks for sharing. Someone did just ask if there is a substitute for parchment. Cristina says:
        No, parchment is all that you should use. The cookies will definitely stick to the pan, foil, glass or anything else.

        • lisamattson
        • November 13, 2012
        Reply

        Thanks! You definitely need to use the parchment paper.

    • PATRICIO
    • September 13, 2012
    Reply

    REALLY NICE. THANKS!!!

    • Iliketoeatmango
    • August 5, 2012
    Reply

    After folding, my mixture is too thin.  After I put it into piping bag, it simply dipping to the cookie sheet.  It cannot hold the height as per what I saw on your video.  Please advise which step I did it wrong.  Thank you.

      • Anonymous
      • August 6, 2012
      Reply

      It sounds as if the batter has been over
      handled, or overmixed.  Remember that all the fat in the almond flour will
      break down all the air in the egg with each fold.  You therefore should
      strive to fold it in gently and with fewer strokes.  If you are very
      gentle and your batter ends up thick and lumpy, no worries: just keep folding
      until you get the right consistency.

    • Anonymous
    • July 9, 2012
    Reply

    Cristina has included several answers to multiple questions here. Thanks for watching!

    In
    regards to the question about substituting almond flour…
    The almond flour is really the key ingredient in this recipe.  But it
    is basically just finely ground almonds. You could try to replace it with any
    other type of  ground nuts and see how it turns out, although I have never
    tried it before.

    Several asked if they should add regular flour to change the texture. 
    Some recipes will call for a few tablespoons of all purpose flour in addition
    to the almond flour, but I have never really had much success with those
    recipes.  If you want to try the recipe using all purpose to see the
    difference in texture, I would suggest finding a recipe that includes it
    already since the ingredients are proportioned correctly.

    As far as the flavor and colors..
    Yes, you can use any extract or small amount of concentrate to create any
    flavor combination you want, and all colors will work the same.

    Questions about cream of tartar…
    Cream of tartar is optional.  If you don’t have it or choose not to use
    it do not substitute it with any other leavening agent, just leave it out.

    Question regarding the use of baking spray on the pan…
    Most people will tell you not to use any baking spray because the moisture
    in it may cause the cookies to spread as they sit on the paper.  I have
    occasionally used spray very lightly as extra insurance that the cookies will
    come off the paper and had no issues .  On the other hand, another method
    recommended for removing them is that when they are still warm, flip the entire
    piece of parchment over and place a slightly damp towel on the back of
    it.  The steam should make the cookies fall right off.

    Question asking if @ 4:33 I combined buttercream with jam as I suggested on the
    video…
    YES!

    One person wanted to know why, after letting her macaroons sit for 2 hours, did
    they not form a skin?  ( She was using another recipe)
    The reason that this would happen could have to do with humidity or too much
    moisture in the air.

    • Lilem96
    • May 20, 2012
    Reply

    this is probs a stupid question but is the meringue filling is the suff in the middle right?
    its my first time making macrons and i want to get it right?
    also can u put a flovor in that instead of the macron shell and any color?

      • Erin
      • May 23, 2012
      Reply

      Yes. That’s correct.

      • Anonymous
      • July 9, 2012
      Reply

      Lilem,
      On our blog post, I posted a list of answers to several French macaroon baking questions sent to Cristina. Your question is included. Thanks for watching!

    • jp
    • April 24, 2012
    Reply

    I try it tast too sweet if I want less how can do it?

    • Kellymeadows
    • April 23, 2012
    Reply

    i tried a recipe for macaroons and they turned out perfect the first time.  The next 3 times i’ve tried to make it, using the same recipe, it didn’t turn out.  They didn’t really form the skin. even after an hour.  I don’t understand.  Anyway, is it necessary to have the eggs sitting out for 2-3 days or is putting eggs out the day off and waiting awhile good enough?  I’ve been so disappointed with trying to make these after the first batch being perfect.  
    I’m going to try this recipe next.  I just hate wasting the ingredients.
    Any suggestions?

      • Anonymous
      • July 9, 2012
      Reply

      Kelly,
      On our blog post above, I posted a new comment with a list of answers to several French macaroon baking questions sent to Cristina. Your question is included. Thanks for watching!

    • jessicaswan
    • April 21, 2012
    Reply

    hi there, I had made my first batch of macaroon yesterday. However, i have met some problems. I let the macaroons to rest for two hours, but there are no ‘skin’ to form on top of it. Can you tell me the reason of not forming the ‘skin’?

    Thank you.

      • Anonymous
      • July 9, 2012
      Reply

      Jessica,
      On our blog post above, I posted a new comment with a list of answers to several French macaroon baking questions sent to Cristina. Your question is included. Thanks for watching!

    • maggie
    • April 19, 2012
    Reply

    Hi Cristina,
    Thanks for sharing
    for almond flour, how many gram is for one cup of it?

    1. Reply

      Hi Maggie,
      Conversions are available at http://allrecipes.com/howto/cup-to-gram-conversions/.

    • Jese Lee
    • April 16, 2012
    Reply

    Hi Cristina,

    thanks for all the tips and techniques.

    when you said use high speed to whip the egg white, what speed number do you actually use?

    also when you freeze the macaroon, will the moisture from the filling affect the cookie while defrosting?

    1. Reply

      Hi Jese,

           When I whip the whites on high I will turn the machine all the way up.  But if you are still preparing your other ingredients or getting your pan and piping bag ready, you can turn the speed down to buy you more time.  The speed is really up to you as long as you end up with the desired result in the end.

           As far as defrosting the macaroons goes, they seem to do just fine.  Even when frozen, the cookie itself stays somewhat chewy and soft.  So I find that they defrost and are ready to eat very fast.  I even like them directly out of the freezer.  So if you decide to freeze them for a later time that shouldn’t give you any problems.  Hope that helps!

      Cristina

    • Caothang Nguyen
    • April 9, 2012
    Reply

    Cristina,
    Thank you for sharing this recipe, It is very rare to see baker like you to give away secret and technique. I am going to practice this and planning to make them for my daughter Graduation Party coming up. Wish me luck!

    • Lrosemeier
    • March 13, 2012
    Reply

    A couple viewers have asked questions on YouTube. Below are Cristina’s helpful answers to their questions.

    Should I spray the parchment paper before baking?
    Most recipes will not ask you to spray your parchment first. If the macaroons are baked just right they will just come off easily, but  that is easier said than done.  But a tip, if they stick they may be either overcooked (dry and crumbly) or undercooked (may actually stick and the bottom stays n the paper but the top comes off).   If that is the case, you may want to adjust your baking time of temperature.  Another tip that is often recommended  is while they are still warm, flip over the entire sheet of parchment with the cookies attached, and lightly spray the back of the paper with water, or place a damp towel on it. In this way the steam will release the cookies.  Having said that though, I see nothing wrong with lightly spraying the parchment beforehand just to be safe.  But if you put too much it may cause the cookies to spread out so just use your good judgment.  Hope that helps!

    How do I add the chocolate flavoring? 
    This recipe came from Martha Stewart and her recommendation for the chocolate variation is to substitute 1/2 c. of the almond flour with 6 Tbl. dutch cocoa.  Dutch cocoa is much darker and has less acid than  regular cocoa powder so will give you a nicer color and flavor.  Just add it in with the dry ingredients and follow the directions.  Happy baking!

    • Ruthy
    • January 12, 2012
    Reply

    So I just made a batch. finished product was very airy and meringue like. Maybe I overwhipped the eggwhites? My almond flour did NOT look as smooth as yours in the video. Should I put it through the food processor? I also sifted the confectioners sugar.

      • Lisa
      • January 13, 2012
      Reply

      Hi Ruthy~
      Here is Cristina’s reply. Thanks so much for watching and testing the recipe!

      Yes, I will pulse the powdered sugar and almond flour just a few times in the food processor to break down the almond a bit more, sorry if I failed to mention that in the video or instructions. Sifting it will also help….. As far as the texture goes, if they came out more “meringue-like” it sounds to me as though they stayed in the oven a minute or two too long, they should still have somewhat of a chewy and soft center. If they are slightly over-baked they will end up crunchy all the way through. It can be tricky since every oven is different, but I would say next time pull them out a little bit earlier. If you had over-whipped the egg whites like you mentioned, they would have been really dry and hard to fold your dry ingredients into. In that case, fold them more than you usually would with the dry ingredients to break down some of that air….. I hope that helps, let me know if you have any more questions, thanks for watching!

      Cristina

      • Anonymous
      • January 14, 2012
      Reply

      Hi Ruthy,
      Thanks for using our recipe. Cristina’s reply is below.

      Yes, I will pulse the powdered sugar and almond flour just a few times in the food processor to break down the almond a bit more, sorry if I failed to mention that in the video or instructions.  Sifting it will also help…..  As far as the texture goes, if they came out more “meringue-like”  it sounds to me as though they stayed in the oven a minute or two too long, they should still have somewhat of a chewy and soft center. If they are slightly over-baked they will end up crunchy all the way through. It can be tricky since every oven is different, but I would say next time pull them out a little bit earlier.  If you had over-whipped the egg whites like you mentioned, they would have been really dry and hard to fold your dry ingredients into.  In that case, fold them more than you usually would with the dry ingredients to break down some of that air…..  I hope that helps, let me know if you have any more questions, thanks for watching!Cristina

      • Anonymous
      • January 14, 2012
      Reply

      Hi Ruthy,
      Thanks for using our recipe. Cristina’s reply is below.

      Yes, I will pulse the powdered sugar and almond flour just a few times in the food processor to break down the almond a bit more, sorry if I failed to mention that in the video or instructions.  Sifting it will also help…..  As far as the texture goes, if they came out more “meringue-like”  it sounds to me as though they stayed in the oven a minute or two too long, they should still have somewhat of a chewy and soft center. If they are slightly over-baked they will end up crunchy all the way through. It can be tricky since every oven is different, but I would say next time pull them out a little bit earlier.  If you had over-whipped the egg whites like you mentioned, they would have been really dry and hard to fold your dry ingredients into.  In that case, fold them more than you usually would with the dry ingredients to break down some of that air…..  I hope that helps, let me know if you have any more questions, thanks for watching!Cristina

      • Anonymous
      • January 14, 2012
      Reply

      Hi Ruthy,
      Thanks for using our recipe. Cristina’s reply is below.

      Yes, I will pulse the powdered sugar and almond flour just a few times in the food processor to break down the almond a bit more, sorry if I failed to mention that in the video or instructions.  Sifting it will also help…..  As far as the texture goes, if they came out more “meringue-like”  it sounds to me as though they stayed in the oven a minute or two too long, they should still have somewhat of a chewy and soft center. If they are slightly over-baked they will end up crunchy all the way through. It can be tricky since every oven is different, but I would say next time pull them out a little bit earlier.  If you had over-whipped the egg whites like you mentioned, they would have been really dry and hard to fold your dry ingredients into.  In that case, fold them more than you usually would with the dry ingredients to break down some of that air…..  I hope that helps, let me know if you have any more questions, thanks for watching!Cristina

      • Anonymous
      • January 14, 2012
      Reply

      Hi Ruthy,

      Thanks for using our recipe. Cristina’s reply is below.

      Yes, I will pulse the powdered sugar and almond flour just a few times in the food processor to break down the almond a bit more, but that instruction was included in the accompanying recipe with the video. Sifting it will also help….. Did you do either of those? As far as the texture goes, if they came out more “meringue-like” it sounds to me as though they stayed in the oven a minute or two too long, they should still have somewhat of a chewy and soft center. If they are slightly over-baked they will end up crunchy all the way through. It can be tricky since every oven is different, but I would say next time pull them out a little bit earlier. If you had over-whipped the egg whites like you mentioned, they would have been really dry and hard to fold your dry ingredients into. In that case, fold them more than you usually would with the dry ingredients to break down some of that air….. I hope that helps, let me know if you have any more questions, thanks for watching!

      Cristina

      • Anonymous
      • January 14, 2012
      Reply

      Hi Ruthy,

      Thanks for using our recipe. Cristina’s reply is below.

      Yes, I will pulse the powdered sugar and almond flour just a few times in the food processor to break down the almond a bit more, but that instruction was included in the accompanying recipe with the video. Sifting it will also help….. Did you do either of those? As far as the texture goes, if they came out more “meringue-like” it sounds to me as though they stayed in the oven a minute or two too long, they should still have somewhat of a chewy and soft center. If they are slightly over-baked they will end up crunchy all the way through. It can be tricky since every oven is different, but I would say next time pull them out a little bit earlier. If you had over-whipped the egg whites like you mentioned, they would have been really dry and hard to fold your dry ingredients into. In that case, fold them more than you usually would with the dry ingredients to break down some of that air….. I hope that helps, let me know if you have any more questions, thanks for watching!

      Cristina

    • Cherub08
    • December 19, 2011
    Reply

    Hello,  Now that I learned the science of the macaron,  I find them easy to make..  one thing I make sure is the egg white MUST be stiff enough,  and they have to have that “skin”,  otherwise there will be no feet..  I find piping the easiest part of the whole process.  I do not use templates,  I just eye ball them,  when to start squeezing and when to stop.

    thank you for showing us how to make them..

    • Kristynstoia
    • December 18, 2011
    Reply

    I have been trying SO many french macaron recipes too. This is the only one that worked, thank you! Everything was great except for the feet on the bottom of the macaron. What did I do wrong? I even let it form a “skin” overnight. 

      • Cherub08
      • December 19, 2011
      Reply

      Hi,  I let mine dry for at least 45 mins.  to me 15-20 is not long enough to form a really good skin..  try again,  you will get there.

        • Lisa
        • December 19, 2011
        Reply

        Thank you! We’re excited to find so many fellow macaroon lovers.

      • Lisa
      • December 19, 2011
      Reply

      Hi Kristyn,

      The macaroon will form the skin within the 30-40 minute range. Allowing them to sit longer will not help improve the skin on top. The fat from the almond meal will eventually break down the air in the meringue. So if your cookies sat for a longer period of time (overnight) they will become somewhat deflated. So you may have let it sit too long and it lost what is called it’s “oven spring.”

      Hope that helps!
      Cristina

      ~ sent by Lisa for Cristina

    • Lynn
    • December 14, 2011
    Reply

    How apropos, just last night I made a template of circles for piping macaroons. Planning on making them this afternoon.  This is a first time for me thus I’m glad I can watch your video Lisa!

  12. Reply

    This is great! Thanks for sharing this. The cookies really are lovely. I could see making a gift of them. 

      • Anonymous
      • December 14, 2011
      Reply

      Thanks, Robyn. Happy holidays!

    • Jasper Tommy
    • December 13, 2011
    Reply

    These look delicious and would make a perfect centerpiece at a holiday party! Would you mind sharing them on the USPS Facebook? Here’s the Link: on.fb.me/ujGGtE

      • Anonymous
      • December 14, 2011
      Reply

      Thanks for your comment. The USPS page doesn’t allow status feed shares by other companies. Just tried and left a comment there. Sorry. Glad you enjoyed the video.

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