Macarons: Why This Little Cookie Defeats Even the Pros

Macarons are widely considered one of the hardest bakes of all. They come with so many problems that plenty of people give up and decide it's easier just to buy them. Even pros shake their heads, because anyone who has tried knows how hard homemade macarons can be, and even famous recipes can't always save you.

Macarons are one of the classic "expert-level" challenges for pastry chefs because they are so difficult. Yet that difficulty is part of their charm, and every baking lover wants to try making them at least once. You certainly won't master them on the first attempt: with any bake known as an expert challenge, you have to make it again and again to learn the differences and mistakes that lead to different results.

Macarons may seem to have few ingredients and simple steps, but those few ingredients and simple steps hide plenty of secrets. If you don't know them, you're guaranteed to throw away more than you eat. The key to macarons is patience at every stage, with temperature and humidity as your worst enemies.

What Is a Macaron?

The word macaron derives from the Italian "maccherone". It is like a sandwich cookie: the shells are made from egg whites whipped with sugar into a meringue, then mixed with ground almonds and icing sugar and baked so the shells rise (forming what everyone calls the "feet"). Fillings vary, with popular choices including lemon butter, chocolate ganache, buttercream and jam.

French Meringue vs Italian Meringue

The main components of a macaron are meringue (egg whites and sugar), icing sugar and ground almonds. There are generally two kinds of meringue used for macarons: French meringue and Italian meringue. French meringue is made by whipping egg whites and sugar to stiff peaks before mixing with the ground almonds and icing sugar. Italian meringue is made by heating a sugar syrup to about 118°C and whipping it into the egg whites. The difference is strength: Italian meringue is more stable, so when you add colour or flavour, you can be more confident it is less likely to collapse than French meringue.

Ingredients

1. 125 g ground almonds
2. 150 g icing sugar
3. 55 g egg whites (1) + 1/4 tsp red powdered food colouring
4. 55 g egg whites (2) + 1/4 tsp yellow powdered food colouring
5. 150 g sugar
6. 40 g water
7. 55 g egg whites (3)

Method

1. Put the ground almonds and icing sugar into a food processor.
2. Blend just until combined.
3. Sift into a mixing bowl and divide into two equal portions.
4. Add the red food colouring to the first almond portion and mix well.
5. Add egg whites (1) and mix well. Set aside.
6. Add the yellow food colouring to the second almond portion and mix well.
7. Add egg whites (2) and mix well. Set aside.
8. Make a syrup by putting the sugar and water in a pan and bringing it to the boil.
9. While waiting for the syrup to boil, whip egg whites (3) until fluffy, then stop and wait for the syrup.
10. When the syrup reaches 118°C, take it off the heat and slowly pour it into the whipped egg whites while beating at top speed.
11. Beat until the whites form stiff peaks: this is your Italian meringue.
12. Leave it until the temperature drops below 50°C.
13. Add a small amount of meringue to the red almond mixture and stir to combine.
14. Then add all the meringue and mix until no white streaks remain (don't mix for too long).
15. Repeat with the yellow mixture.
16. Spoon the mixture into a piping bag and pipe onto a baking mat (estimate by counting to about 10 in your head as you pipe). Leave for about 40 seconds until the surface is smooth and shiny. (There's no need to rest them for long; just wait for the mixture to settle until the top is smooth and glossy, which only takes 40 seconds.)
17. Bake at 135°C for about 14 minutes.
18. When the time is up, take them out of the oven and let them cool completely.

Note: choose a good-quality silicone baking mat. Don't buy a cheap one costing just a few hundred baht, because it distributes heat poorly, leaving the undersides of the shells soggy so they tear when you peel them off. Piping onto a non-stick metal tray is best of all, as it distributes heat well and the shells rise beautifully without tilting.

Common Macaron Problems and How to Fix Them

The main things that will make a real difference to your macarons are:

• Egg whites: don't use very fresh eggs. Check the production date on the box and use eggs 2–3 days after that date. Once you have them, crack them and leave the whites overnight before use.
• Ground almonds: dry the almonds to release moisture before use by spreading them across a tray and leaving them for about half a day.
• Resting time and baking temperature can also cause problems. Rest the piped shells for about 40–50 seconds before baking so they settle; then, in the oven, the feet will rise beautifully. Always preheat the oven to 180°C, and when the macarons go in, lower the temperature to just 130–135°C (depending on your oven) and bake. The result should be airy yet chewy. If you're wondering what that means: the top and bottom shells are light and airy. You can test this after baking by pressing with a finger: you'll see a hollow space between the top and bottom of the shell, while the base is slightly chewy, but not so chewy it sticks to your teeth, just pleasantly chewy. That is the hallmark of a correct macaron.
• The filling is a key factor in beautiful macarons. Fillings are usually chocolate, butter-based creams or cream cheese, because they aren't too wet and hold their shape well, which makes them ideal and popular for macarons.

Macarons may not be something you make every day, but anyone who loves baking will want to try them at least once in their life. Even though they are famously an expert-level challenge, if you're determined and understand the principles, you can succeed without being an expert at all.