French macarons made at home might sound intimidating, but with the right technique and simple ingredients, you'll be whipping up bakery-worthy cookie sandwiches in no time.
This French macaron recipe walks you through each step with tips to ensure success-even for beginners! Customize them with endless flavor and color combinations to suit any occasion.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Beginner-friendly: This post breaks down every step so even first-timers can master macarons.
- Made with simple ingredients: No need for fancy tools or hard-to-find items.
- Customizable flavors & colors: Make them your own with your favorite extracts, fillings, and hues.
- Perfect texture: Learn how to achieve the classic chewy shell and fluffy interior.
Ingredients in French Macarons
This easy macaron recipe uses simple ingredients for macarons:
- 3 egg whites
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup extra-fine almond flour
- 1 cup confectioner's sugar
Vanilla French Macarons
- Add ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract
Strawberry French Macarons
- Add ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract
Lemon French Macarons
- Add ½ teaspoon of lemon extract
Macaron Filling
- ¼ cup unsalted buttter, softened
- ¾ cup of confectioner' sugar
- 1 teaspoon milk
- ½ teaspoon of flavoring of choice.
Mastering the Meringue
The meringue is the heart of any successful French macaron. It gives the cookie its signature texture and helps form the beautiful "feet."
Ingredients:
- 3 egg whites
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
How to Make Meringue:
- Separate the eggs: Use an egg separator or your hands to separate the whites from the yolks. Make sure no yolk gets into the whites.
- Double boiler method: Combine egg whites and cream of tartar in a heat-safe bowl over a pot of steaming water. Whisk until frothy-this helps stabilize the mixture and speeds up whipping.
- Whip to stiff peaks: Transfer the macaron batter to a mixer. Slowly add granulated sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. The peaks should stand upright without collapsing. Don't skip this step-undermixed meringue leads to failed cookies.
The Art of Macaronage
Macaronage is the technique of folding almond flour and confectioner's sugar into your meringue.
Dry Ingredients:
- 1 cup extra-fine almond flour
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- Sift together almond flour and confectioner's sugar. (Optional: blend first in a food processor for a finer texture.)
- Fold carefully: Add ⅓ of the dry mix to the meringue. Fold using a spatula-scoop under the batter and fold over. Repeat until all dry ingredients are incorporated.
- Figure 8 test: Lift the spatula and try drawing a figure 8. If the batter flows smoothly without breaking, it's ready. If it breaks, fold a few more times and test again.
Piping Perfect Macarons
You can use parchment paper or a silicone mat.
- Prep your baking sheet: Place a silicone macaron mat on a baking sheet or cover it with parchment paper.
- Fill a pastry bag fitted with a round tip. Pipe by holding the bag still in the center and pipe the filling in a circular motion outwards.
- Drop the tray: Bang the tray on the counter several times to pop air bubbles and flatten peaks.
- Let them rest: Allow the shells to dry until they are no longer sticky to the touch. This can take 30 minutes to 2 hours, depending on humidity.
Tip: If it's humid, drying may take longer and bubbles may be harder to remove.
Baking the Macarons
- Preheat the oven temperature to 300°F.
- Check dryness: Gently touch the top of the shells. If your finger glides without sticking, they're ready to bake.
- Bake for 17 minutes.
- Cool: Let them sit for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
Filling and Flavoring
Basic Macaron Filling:
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup confectioner's sugar
- 1 teaspoon milk
- ½ teaspoon flavoring of your choice
To Assemble:
- Pipe filling onto one macaron shell.
- Gently press another shell on top to create a sandwich.
- Let macarons rest in the fridge for 24 hours for best texture and flavor.
Flavor Ideas for Homemade Macarons
You can easily customize your macarons by switching out extracts and adding gel food coloring to match the flavor. Here are some simple ideas:
- Vanilla Macarons: Add ½ teaspoon vanilla extract to the meringue.
- Strawberry Macarons: Add ½ teaspoon strawberry extract and a drop of pink gel coloring.
- Lemon Macarons: Add ½ teaspoon lemon extract and yellow food coloring.
Tips on How to Make French Macarons
- Always sift your dry ingredients.
- Don't overmix or undermix your batter-watch for that figure 8!
- Let the shells dry completely before baking.
- Patience pays off-macarons are best after resting for 24 hours.
How to Store French Macarons
Macarons are best stored in the fridge in an airtight container. They'll stay fresh for up to 5 days, and they actually taste better after 24 hours. The filling softens the cookie just enough, making them even more delicious.
If you want to keep them longer, you can freeze them. Put the macarons in a container or freezer bag and freeze for up to 1 month. When you're ready to eat them, just let them sit in the fridge overnight or on the counter for 30 minutes. Keep them in the container while they thaw to avoid moisture.
To keep them from sticking together, place parchment paper between layers.
📖 Recipe
French Macarons
Ingredients
- 3 egg whites
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup extra-fine almond flour
- 1 cup powdered sugar
For Vanilla French Macarons
- Add ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract
For Strawberry French Macarons
- Add ½ teaspoon of strawberry extract
For Lemon French Macarons
- Add ½ teaspoon of lemon extract
Macaron Filling
- ¼ cup unsalted butter - softened
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon milk
- ½ teaspoon flavoring - of choice
Instructions
- Use a food processor to grind the granulated sugar.
- Sift the almond flour and powdered sugar into a mixing bowl. Set aside.
- Add the egg whites and cream of tartar to a double boiler and whisk until frothy.
- Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, add the granulated sugar to the egg whites and beat until very stiff peaks form.
- At this point, you will add your flavoring and coloring of choice.
- Slowly FOLD ⅓ of the almond flour mixture into the meringue until combined.
- Starting from the center, fold the mixture outwards into the bowl.
- Repeat with the remaining flour and fold until batter if glossy.
- Carefully transfer the macaron batter to a piping bag fitted with a round piping tip.
- Pipe by holding the bag at 90º angle and gently squeezing to form circles.
- Drop the tray onto the counter to pop any bubbles.
- Rest the cookies for 30 to 40 minutes to allow the tops to crust over.
- Preheat the oven to 300°F and bake for 17 minutes.
- Allow to cool for a few minutes and transfer to a cooling rack.
French Macaron Filling
- Combine the softened butter, confectioner's sugar, milk, and flavoring if using.
- Using a piping bag fitted with a round tip, begin in the center and fill until half the width of the cookie.
- Gently press a cookie on top of the filling.
- Allow the cookies to rest for 24 hours for full flavor.
Notes
- Always sift your dry ingredients.
- Don't overmix or undermix your batter-watch for that figure 8!
- Let the shells dry completely before baking.
- Patience pays off-macarons are best after resting for 24 hours.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate based on third-party calculations. Actual values may vary due to ingredients, measurements, and serving sizes.
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Dana is the lead recipe developer and photographer for PopularRecipes.com. With her 10+ years of experience creating, testing, and photographing recipes, she has become an artist in developing wholesome, family-friendly meals that are a hit with both kids and parents.
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