In this recipe, I teach you how to make perfect Italian Macarons at home! My go-to flavour is an Earl Grey Macaron with earl grey buttercream. It’s a classic and it’s always a hit with friends.
Disclaimer: The base recipe has been kindly provided by Ollia with their permission. I create all my flavours and I made the instructions based on my personal experience.
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Macarons are Tricky to Make
For years, I never understood the craze behind macarons. I admired how pretty they were but always thought they were a bit overrated and pretty expensive. A year ago, I took a Macaron 101 Baking Class offered by a local bakery called Ollia. I finally started making them at home and oh boy, did I realize how tricky they were to make.
Macarons are EXTREMELY temperamental. The first seven times I made them, they failed each time, and for various reasons. I now realize why macarons are $2.50 each and I have such an appreciation for them! I finally feel that I am at the stage where my basic macarons are 95% of the time perfect. My macarons failed because I didn’t pay attention to the close details. Now that I’ve made them over 50 times, I realize that consistency is key and those minor details count!
If you’ve never made macarons before, do not panic! Just understand that macarons require some patience and some experimentation, but you can do it! Pay attention to the close details, experiment with your oven temperature and baking times. Most importantly, do not give up – I promise you once you get the hang of it, you will be a macaron expert! It’s so much fun to make them and very satisfying to gift to friends :). The purpose of this recipe to guide you through making macarons and help you succeed on your first or first few times!
Macaron Basics and Terminology
Flavour: Did you know that most macaron shells aren’t flavoured? Most shops will make the shells without adding any additional flavours. The flavour comes from the filling itself. When the shells and filling are sandwiched together, that flavour infuses into the shells. I was shocked when I learned this! Some recipes do add additional flavouring to the shells, ex. you can add earl grey tea leaves to shells, but most will just add food colouring for visuals.
Meringue and Texture: Meringue is made from whipping egg whites and sugar together. The egg whites will become fluffy, and the sugar helps stabilize them. For macarons, you always want to beat your meringue till it reaches stiff peaks. This means when flipped upside down they do not fall and when you take your whisk and lift the meringue it forms a little peak. Careful not to over-whip or under-whip the meringue as it will impact your macarons.
Macaronage: Macaronage in french means mixing the batter in a specific way. In macarons, it means mixing the meringue with the almond flour or paste to make one homogenous mixture. Generally, you want to fold your meringue in gently, to prevent it from deflating. In this recipe, you use a stand mixer to actually do most of the macaronage for you. The trick is to switch to a paddle attachment when macaronaging, to prevent deflating the meringue.
Macaron ‘Feet’: Everyone always talks about macaron feet. Macaron feet are the little ruffles around the macaron. They should be small and evenly around the macaron. This usually indicates the macarons are well made.
Maturing: When we mature macarons, it means we let them sit in the fridge for at least 24 hours. This helps the filling infuse into the shells and gives that perfect consistency of a chewy but slightly crisp macaron. I always recommend maturing your macarons for 24 hours.
Italian Macarons
You may have heard of “French Macarons” and wondered what that meant. Macarons can be made with different methods and there are three: Italian, French and Swiss Macarons. This recipe uses an Italian macaron method. Let’s briefly talk about the differences.
Macarons differ by the way the meringue, the egg white and sugar mixture, is prepared.
- French Macarons: Known as the most basic recipe. There is no heat required for this method. The sugar is gradually added to the egg whites and whipped until stiff peaks. People prefer this method because there are fewer tools required. However, because there is no heat, the egg whites in this method are the least stable, meaning they are more likely to deflate.
- Italian Macarons: In this method, sugar and water are boiled together to a high temperature to form a syrup and then added to partially beaten egg whites. This requires the most heat and uses a thermometer to measure the sugar temperature. In this method, the meringue becomes very full, glossy and fluffy, which gives your macaron a smooth texture.
- Swiss Macarons: The swiss method involves using a double boiler to heat the egg whites and sugar to a low temperature. Once the sugar has dissolved and has reached it’s temperature, it is beaten on high speed to form a meringue. This method also provides a more stable meringue.
I’ve made French and Italian macarons before but never made Swiss macarons so I can’t comment on that. Personally, I prefer Italian macarons. Italian meringue is less likely to deflate, and it retains its form well. It makes it less difficult to over-mix the batter, which is especially great for beginners. This method has worked the best for me. Though it requires a few additional steps, once you’ve made them a few times, it’s fairly easy to do. I can make macaron batter in around 6-7 minutes and most of it is passive work (ex. whipping the egg whites and meringue).
Essential Tools for Making Macarons
These tools are necessary to make macarons.
- Digital Kitchen Scale: Regardless of the macaron method you use, a scale is super important. I don’t list US measurements for the macaron batter. Macarons are very precise, so a scale is essential. I use this one.
- Digital Cooking Thermometer: As this is an Italian macaron, you will need a digital thermometer to measure the temperature of your sugar syrup. I like this thermometer because you can switch between Celsius and Fahrenheit.
- Sifter: Nobody wants a lumpy macaron, which is why you need to sift your almond flour and powdered sugar!
- Stand Mixer: A stand mixer makes making macarons so easy. A stand mixer is used to whip the egg whites, whip it with the sugar syrup, and mix in the almond paste. Though I always use a stand mixer, it can be done with just a hand mixer. You will likely need a second person to help you pour the syrup while you simultaneously beat the egg whites. When adding your almond paste, switch to a hand spatula to manually fold in. This recipe would be extremely difficult to do by hand – though it’s probably not impossible, I do not recommend this.
Helpful Tools for Making Macarons
Though you don’t need them, these tools are very helpful when making macarons. I’ve listed some substitutions if you don’t have these items.
- Silicone Mat: In my experience, I have found silicone mats more useful than parchment paper. They are heavier so when you go to whack them, they’re less likely to move around. Also, they are thicker so they provide less direct heat, which is less likely to overcook your macarons. You can use parchment paper though – I recommend you adjust your cooking time down slightly if using parchment and be careful when you whack your macarons. I don’t use a special macaron silicone mat, just a regular one. I use this one from amazon.
- Scribe: A scribe is a little metal tool with a sharp end. It’s used in baking to clean up the edges. It is very useful in shaping macarons and removing air bubbles. I recently got one and can confirm they are extremely helpful, especially when you are making various macaron shapes. If you don’t have one, you can use a toothpick, but I find a scribe has a cleaner edge. I use this one from amazon.
- Piping Bags and Tips: I use a reusable piping bag, which is easy to clean and works great. However, if you don’t have a piping bag you can use a small ziplock bag and cut the end off. I use round tips (Wilton #12) for piping macarons. If you don’t have a tip, cut a clean straight edge of your piping bag. Try to make it as straight as possible otherwise your macarons might be lopsided. I use the same round tip or a star tip (Wilton #12) for piping fillings. Again you can just snip the edge if you don’t have one.
I hope this was helpful for you! The recipe is very detailed so I won’t repeat the steps here, but if you have any questions about macaron making, feel free to message me on my Instagram @createandrecreate_ !
Macaron 101 – Earl Grey Macarons
Course: MacaronsDifficulty: Intermediate35-40
Macarons1
hour30
minutes13
minutes1
hour45
minutesIngredients
- Almond Paste
150g Fine Almond Flour, Sifted
150g Powdered Sugar, Sifted
55g Egg Whites* See note re: aged vs non-aged egg whites
Optional: 1 Tsp Fine Earl Grey Tea Leaves
- Italian Meringue
150g Granulated Sugar
37g Water
55g Egg Whites*
Optional: Gel Food Colouring, and Sprinkles
- Earl Grey Buttercream
175g Unsalted Butter, Softened
250g Powdered Sugar
1 Tsp Earl Grey Tea Leaves
Pinch of Salt
*Warm Milk, 1-2 Tbsp
Directions
- Almond Paste: In a bowl, add 150g sifted almond flour and 150g sifted powdered sugar. Add 55g of egg whites into the almond flour and sugar and combine with a spatula until it forms a thick paste. It takes a few minutes and may look dry but do not add any more egg whites!
Optional: Occasionally, I add 1 Tsp of earl grey tea leaves to the almond flour and powdered sugar, to give the shells an earl grey flavour. - Sugar Mixture: In a heavy-duty pot, add 150g granulated sugar and 37g water (room temp water). Place a digital thermometer in the pot and heat over medium heat. As it cooks, it will start to bubble up, you can occasionally swirl the pan but do not mix it with a spatula or whisk, otherwise, the sugar may crystallize.
- Egg Whites: While the sugar is coming to a boil, in a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, add 55g of egg whites. When the sugar mixture reaches 105° Celsius(221° Fahrenheit), beat the egg whites on high. The egg whites should be fluffy and white before adding the sugar mixture.
- Meringue: When the sugar mixture reaches 118° Celsius (244° Fahrenheit), remove it from the heat and immediately pour the sugar mixture into the mixer while simultaneously running it at high speed, in between the whisk and the bowl. Do not scrape all the sugar syrup out, only use what will easily pour out. Whisk for 2-3 min until the meringue is fluffy, glossy and has formed stiff peaks. The temperature of the meringue should be around 40-45° Celsius and the outer bowl should be warm to touch but not hot.
- Macronage: Switch the whisk attachment of your stand mixer to a paddle attachment and add all the almond paste to the meringue. Turn on the mixer to low for 5 seconds, then gradually increase it to medium-high for 10 seconds or until the almond paste is mostly mixed in. At this point, you can add your food colouring. Remember to use gel food colouring otherwise, you will water down the meringue and can affect the consistency of the macaron. Remove from the bowl and scrape the sides with a spatula and gently fold in until the mixture is homogenous – this should only take another 30 seconds or so. When you lift the batter you should be able to drop it to make a figure 8 shape. Do not overmix!
- Piping: Transfer to a piping bag with a round tip (I use Wiltons #12) and pipe onto trays lined with a silicone mat or parchment paper. For standard macarons, I pipe each macaron around 1.5 inches wide and 1 inch apart from each other. They will spread slightly so make sure you space them out! For an 11.5 x 16.5 inches silicone mat, I end up piping 4-5 rows of 7, making around 28-35 shells per tray. This recipe makes around 70 shells, making around 35 total macarons, depending on their size.
I don’t use a guide but you can use macaron silicone mats or print out a template and trace it onto parchment paper. - Removing air bubbles: While holding the parchment or silicone mat in place with both hands, whack the entire macaron tray straight down on a safe counter. Whack the tray 2 times then turn the tray 90°, and whack it again 2 times. Continue turning the tray by 90° and whacking twice until you have come around 360°, for a total of 8 whacks. Make sure you whack the tray straight down! If you whack it on a slant, they will bake unevenly and your feet will be uneven. Whacking is really important because it makes the shells smooth, releases air bubbles and prevents the macarons from cracking.
If there are any remaining air bubbles you can pop them lightly with a toothpick or a scribe, lightly swirling around to remove the bubble. - Drying: Let the macarons dry completely at room temperature in a dry area for around 30 minutes or until the surface is dry to a light touch. The macarons should form a slight film on top, which creates that smooth shell. If you do not dry them completely they will crack.
Optional: If you are adding sprinkles, add them to the shells right after you have whacked them and removed the air bubbles. The macaron shells need to be wet for the sprinkles to stick. Also, a reminder that not all sprinkles are heatproof, so please check the label. - Preheat your oven to 290° Fahrenheit and move the rack to the middle of the oven. Bake dried shells one tray at a time for 13-15 min.
*Now this is the tricky part – not every oven is the same so unfortunately, you may have to play around with the oven temperature and time. I found 290° Fahrenheit worked consistently for me.
Fully baked macarons are done when you slightly tap on the top and they are firm, but there are no browned edges (otherwise you have over-baked them). Under-baked macaron bases will be slightly gooey still and with a light touch will be slightly squishy. - Cool shells completely at room temperature.
Tip: If the shells are under-baked, they will be difficult to remove from the tray cleanly. After cooling them completely, place them in the freezer for 15-20 minutes, until they firm up enough so that when you remove them with a spatula, they come out clean! If they are slightly under-baked they should still be good to eat but will just be slightly softer.
For over-baked macarons, the filling should soften the shells as they sit in the fridge for a few days. - Earl Grey Buttercream
- In a stand mixer with a whisk attachment or a bowl with a whisk, cream softened butter until slightly fluffy for 2-3 minutes. Add 1 tsp of earl grey tea leaves and whisk till combined.
- Add a pinch of salt and half of the powdered sugar and mix on low until fully combined.
- Add the rest of the powdered sugar, mixing on low until fully combined. If the cream is a bit thick you can add a splash of warm milk. Make sure it is warm, as the buttercream will separate if you add cold milk.
- Transfer to a piping bag with either a round or star tip. If the cream is a bit soft, place the filled piping bag in the fridge for 10-15 minutes until it slightly firms up. You do not want it to be completely firm as it will be lumpy and difficult to pipe.
- Assembling the Macarons
- Before piping the macarons, line up two shells of equal size together. Pick up two shells, with one in each hand so that the macaron bases face one another to match them up. Repeat until you have two shells that are similar in size and then place them beside each other.
- Take one of the macaron shells and pipe the filling, leaving a small border around the edge. With a round tip, pipe a circle in the middle. For a star tip, pipe a circle starting on the edge, leaving a small space between the shell and cream, until you come to the centre. Take the corresponding half and slightly press the macaron together, just until the cream comes up to the edge. Do not push too hard or you can crack your shells.
- Optional – add sprinkles to the edges of the buttercream while it is still wet if you like!
- Place macarons in the fridge uncovered for 30 minutes until the buttercream is set. Transfer to an airtight container and let the macarons rest in the fridge for 24 hours. Macarons taste better when they have time to “mature”. The shells will soak up the flavour of the buttercream and give the shells a consistency that is crisp but slightly chewy. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 days, or transfer to the freezer for up to 2 months. Frozen macarons will need to thaw for around 15 minutes before consuming. Enjoy!
Notes
- The original recipe recommends using aged egg whites, egg whites that have been stored in the fridge for at least 2-3 days. Personally, I haven’t noticed a difference between fresh egg whites or aged ones. If you are ageing egg whites, or saving them from a yolk-only recipe, place egg whites in a clean airtight container and store them in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
- Storage: Place macarons in an airtight container in the fridge for up 4 days. You can also freeze macarons. Place macarons in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months. Defrost macarons for 15 minutes at room temperature before consuming.
The base measurements have been provided by Ollia with their permission. I’ve altered the steps to match what works best for me, but the base macaron itself belongs to them. However, I always make my own buttercream and fillings. Thanks to the staff at Ollia for always being so helpful! It’s thanks to them that I have a solid recipe and technique down. If you are in the Calgary area, I highly recommend you try Ollia’s macarons. They are amazing and their flavours are always spot on!
Feel like making other earl grey desserts? Check out my Earl Grey Cupcakes.
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