How to Make Perfect Macarons – Earl Grey

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.

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.

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Sifter: Nobody wants a lumpy macaron, which is why you need to sift your almond flour and powdered sugar!
4. 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.

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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_ !

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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