Macaron Basics 101

A quick glance at this blog will tell you that I am a lover of macarons.

From the simple chocolate or vanilla to the more sophisticated salted caramel or rosewater (or even the downright bizarre wasabi and mayo flavoured!) - macarons are a vessel of limitless possibilities!

However, all good macarons rely on a few basic things:

1. A solid base recipe
2. Good technique
3. Lots of loving! 

So, I thought I would create a post that can help anyone (from the first-time baker to a seasoned kitchen warrior!) to master the macaron basics as well as a few hints and tips to help you create your own unique designs and flavours. I am by no means an expert in the fine art of macaron creation, however I have tried and tested a lot (and I mean A LOT!) of recipes, techniques, flavours etc. and found a recipe and style which hasn't failed me yet.


A few things to note before we continue...

1. The Macaron Recipe

   
   The recipe I use and recommend uses a French Meringue as its base - this means you simple add sugar to egg whites whilst you are beating them. There are a huge range of varying macaron recipes out there and many other macaron recipes use an Italian Meringue (where you make a boiling sugar syrup to add to the egg whites). The latter is the recipe used by Adriano Zumbo in his book Zumbo and one I have attempted numerous times, but for whatever reason I never seem to get the same result as when I use  my favourite French meringue recipe!
   
   After adjusting and tweaking my recipe over time I eventually settled on a final version which has provided me with consistently good results, so this is the one I have stuck with and recommend to you!
   
   
   
   

2. The Individual Oven

    

   The recipe below is based on the cooking time required in my oven. Its a pretty standard oven - some knobs, a light, glass door and a fan. Unless your oven for some reason lets hot air escape or suffers from fluctuating temperatures (in which case it may be worth investing in a new one... just a though) there is no reason it shouldn't work for you too. That said, cookbooks are always adding that little ........  "cooking times may vary" so I thought I would mention it here! If possible try out this recipe using the stated cooking temperature and times and check you macarons - if they don't wobble or shift when you give them a gentle poke then you are set to go. If they aren't to this stage yet pop them back in for a further 5 minutes and check again, repeating until they are cooked then note down the extra time needed for future reference.
   
    
   
   

3.  Piping Your Macarons

    

   If your not familiar or comfortable with piping you can get a piece of paper and draw small circles on it the size you want your macarons to be. Then just pop it underneath the baking paper on your tray (you should be able to see the drawings through your baking paper) and use the circles as a guide to ensure you get perfectly round and uniform macaron shells. Just remember to slide the paper off of the tray before sticking it in the oven - you don't want to set off any smoke alarms! 
   
   
   
   
   

4. Ageing Your Egg Whites 

    

   Many macaron recipes will call for 'aged eggwhites'. This means that the egg whites are separated from the yolks and left in a bowl covered with clingfilm for a couple of days before they are used. The theory behind this is that as the egg whites age they lose some of their moisture which makes for a better batter texture - resulting in 'chewy-er' macarons! Whilst the actual effect of this process is debatable macarons are such finicky little beasts that I think it's better to be safe than sorry. 
   
   
   
   If I have planned ahead I will separate my egg whites 2-3 days in advance BUT if you are short on time you can also separate your whites and microwave them for 5-10 seconds. This helps to quickly reduce their moisture content but make sure you don't do it for any longer or they will start to cook!
    

So, with these things in mind, lets proceed!

Basic Macaron Shell Recipe

 Makes ~24 macaron shells or 12 sandwiched macarons 

 

 

2 aged egg whites (at room temperature)

100g icing sugar

60g ground almond

60g caster sugar

Method:

1. Put ground almond and icing sugar in a food processor or a small blender and process until they are finely ground.
   
   
2.  Sift the blended mixture and set aside
   
   
3. With an electric beater (or your ass-kicking Kitchenaid mixer!), beat the egg white for 1-2 minutes until frothy (start from low speed and increase slowly to maximum speed).
   
   
4. Whilst continually beating, add in the caster sugar in a little at a time and beat at maximum speed for around 2 minutes until they just reach the "stiff peak" stage.  If you over-beat them you will get too much air in your macarons so as soon as you can lift you beater and it leaves a peak standing upright (or when you hold the bowl upside down and the mixture don't fall out!) stop the beating.  
   
   
5. Taking care not to over mix, fold the dry ingredients into the egg whites with a spatula until the mixture is incorporated and when you lift your spatula the drizzle  that falls back into the bowl should completely disappear into the remaining mix within 10 seconds
   
   
   
6. Line several baking trays with non-stick baking paper and spoon the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a large round tip
    
   
7. Carefully pipe out the macarons (aim for a roughly 2cm diameter, or whatever size you are after!) leaving a couple of centimetres space between each
   
   
8. Leave the macarons for at least half an hour for the 'skin' to form (when you gently touch the shell your finger shouldn't stick to it!). How long this will take can depend on the weather, temperature, humidity etc. so just keep gently poking them until they are ready. Poke, poke, poke!
   
   
9. Bake them in a 150C oven for about 20 min or until firm to touch ( to test if the macaron is cook, touch softly on the shell and when the macaron doesn't slide on the feet, it's ready!). If not yet ready keep a close eye on them and give them another test every minute or so.
   
   
10. When finished take out of the oven and leave to cook completely on the baking trays.

 

So that's the basic macaron in a nutshell! 

Next time I will discuss how you can give your macarons a little more flair by colouring, flavouring and decorating the shells so stay tuned!  xo