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–+ servings
A stack of macaron cookies.

EASY FRENCH MACARONS

Learn how to create homemade French macarons that are both stunningly beautiful and surprisingly affordable with this easy-to-follow recipe.
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Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Resting Time 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Course Desserts, Holidays and Entertaining, Very Diva
Cuisine French
Servings 18 cookies
Calories 119 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup almond flour
  • 2 cups powdered sugar 
  • 3 egg whites at room temperature
  • ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
  • ¼ cup granulated white sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • pinch fine salt
  • Gel or paste food coloring in red- optional
  • 6 tablespoons raspberry jam

Instructions
 

  • You’re going to preheat oven to 300°F degrees – but not yet! No sense having your hot oven sitting empty for an hour. 
  • Line a big baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside.
  • Press almond flour and powdered sugar through a fine mesh sieve into a large mixing bowl.
    A mixing bowl with powdered sugar and almond flour being combined and pressed through a fine mesh sieve.
  • I found this to be the most time-consuming part of this whole recipe. You need a fine powder mixture to create a smooth top to your cookies, so put on some music, grab a glass of vino and get sifting. Set aside.
    Powdered sugar and almond meal mixed together and pressed through a fine mesh sieve into a mixing bowl.
  • Be sure everything that touches the following egg whitemixture is completely free from any oil or grease.
    A stand mixer witha whisk attachment whipping lovely, pillowy pink meringue.
  • Using a stand mixer with whisk attachment or hand mixer and mixing bowl, beat room temperature egg whites on medium speed until foamy, then add cream of tartar.
  • Continue to whisk, gradually adding the white sugar, vanilla, and salt.
  • When incorporated, increase the speed to high and mix untilstiff glossy peaks form. 
  • Add the food coloring (I dipped the tines of a fork into the color and dabbed it into the meringue) and mix 10 seconds more. The color fades when baked so go a shade darker and brighter than your desired finished color.
  • Using a (clean -  no oil residue!) rubber spatula, fold the eggs into the almond and sugar mixture, gently folding until the mixture makes smooth ribbons when you lift the spatula. This takes 50-60 strokes or “folds”.
    A mixing bowl with fluffy meringue combined with almond flour and powdered sugar.
  • Transfer the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a ½ inch tip, or spoon into a gallon sized zip top plastic bag and cut ½ inch off one corner to pipe like a pastry bag. 
    A zip top baggie filled with meringue based macaron cookie batter. Showing a scissor to cut the tip off the baggie to pipe the batter on the cookie sheet.
  • Pipe 1½ inch rounds onto the parchment lined baking sheet.
    A cooking baking sheet topped with parchment paper with small circular meringue cookies are being piped ready to bake.
  • Tap the pan on the counter to release air bubbles.
  • Meanwhile, here is the secret to amazing macarons. Allow the cookies to sit out on the counter for 20 minutes. This lets the tops dry out and form a “skin” on top. This prevents them from spreading out when baking. Instead, they rise upward making the “feet” that indicates a well-made macaron.  
  • Now, preheat your oven!
  • Bake the cookies, in the lower third of your oven, for 20 minutes.
  • Let cool completely on parchment.
  • Prepare filling by passing raspberry jam through a mesh strainer to remove seeds.
  • Place one scant teaspoon of jam between two cookies.
  • Et Voila! Macarons!

Nutrition

Calories: 119kcalCarbohydrates: 22gProtein: 2gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 0.2gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.003gSodium: 11mgPotassium: 21mgFiber: 1gSugar: 19gVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 15mgIron: 0.3mg
Keyword Christmas, Cookies, Dessert, Easter, Eggs, Festive, Gluten Free, Great Foodie Gift, Mother's Day, Spring, Valentine's Day
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!