Anyone love a good French macaron? (Not to be confused with macaroons, the yummy coconut cookies. Although I certainly love those, too...)
But back to macarons. Jayme, our creative director, recently returned from an unforgettable trip to France. While there, she and her daughter took an authentic macaron baking class in Paris. How fun is that?
Unfortunately, we can't share the exact recipe she used. For one thing, it's in French and the measurements are all in grams. 🤔 Rather than try to Americanize the recipe and maybe mess it up, here's a similar recipe that's sure to make you say, "Ooh, la, la!"
I'm including Jayme's pictures for inspiration, as well as the ganache filling from the Parisian recipe (in English AND French, just for fun). Enjoy!
Ooh La La French Macarons
Cookie Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup almond flour
- 3 large egg whites, room temperature
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- Pinch of salt
- 1/4 cup superfine sugar
- 2-3 drops gel food coloring
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla or almond extract
Cookie Directions
- Preheat the oven to 320 degrees F.
- Line three baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper.
- Measure the powdered sugar and almond flour by spooning them into measuring cups and leveling with a knife.
- Transfer powdered sugar/almond flour mix to a bowl and whisk to combine.
- Sift the sugar/almond flour mixture a little at a time through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl. (This will take a while. Coarse flour may be left, and that's okay. You can throw this away or save for another use.
- Beat the egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt with a mixer on medium speed until frothy. Increase the speed to medium high; gradually add the superfine sugar and beat until stiff and shiny (about 5 more minutes).
- Transfer the beaten egg whites to the bowl with the flour mixture. Fold in egg whites with a rubber spatula until incorporated.
- Add food coloring and extract and continue folding and turning until the batter is smooth (about 2-3 minutes).
- Transfer the batter to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch round tip. Holding the bag vertically and close to the baking sheet, pipe 1 1/4-inch circles. When you are finished piping the macarons, drop your tray 2-3 times flat on a table to get rid of air bubbles.
- Let the cookies sit at room temperature until the tops are no longer sticky to the touch. Slip another baking sheet under the first batch (a double baking sheet protects the cookies from the heat).
- Bake the first batch 12-14 minutes until the cookies are shiny and rise 1/8 inch. Transfer to a rack to cool completely. Repeat, using a double sheet for each batch. Peel the cookies off the mats and sandwich with a thin layer of filling.
Filling Ingredients
Dark Chocolate Option
- 150 g (3/4 cup) dark chocolate
- 150g (3/4 cup) light whipping cream (35% milk fat)
- 5/8 cup butter
White Chocolate Option
- 200g (1 cup) white chocolate
- 6g (A little less than 1/2 a Tablespoon) light whipping cream (35% milk fat)
- Splash vanilla extract or fruit extract
Filling Directions (English & French)
- Put the dark or white chocolate in a mixing bowl (you can melt it a little bit in the microwave to make it slightly soft).
- Placez le chocolat blanc ou noir dans un cul-de-poule (vous pouvez le faire fondre légèrement au micro-onde pour qu’il soit mou.
- When the cream boils, pour it on the chocolate and let it sit for one minute.
- Lorsque la crème arrive à ébullition, versez-là sur le chocolat et laissez reposer une minute.
- Mix with a spatula until the texture is nice and smooth.
- Puis mélangez à l’aide d’une maryse jusqu’à obtenir une texture lisse et brillante.
- For the white chocolate ganache, add extract and mix. For the dark chocolate ganache, add butter in small pieces and mix until completely melted.
- Pour la ganache au chocolat blanc : ajoutez vos arômes et mélangez. Pour celle au chocolat noir, ajoutez le beurre en petits morceaux et mélangez jusqu’à ce que celui-ci soit totalement fondu.
- Leave the ganache in the fridge to cool until it's properly set and solid enough to pipe.Pour ganache into a large flat container to cool it faster, then use plastic wrap to cover it.
- Versez la ganache dans un grand récipient plat pour la refroidir plus vite, puis couvrez de film transparent.
Assembly/Piping Directions
- Take the ganache out of the fridge: it should be solid enough to pipe. Work it with a spatula to make it smooth again.
- Sortez la ganache du frigo: elle devrait ĂŞtre assez solide pour la pocher. Retravaillez-lĂ Ă la maryse pour la rendre souple Ă nouveau.
- Put the ganache into a new piping bag (no need for a tip this time).
- Placez-lĂ dans une nouvelle poche Ă douille (pas besoin de douille cette fois-ci).
- Pipe a drop of ganache on the middle of a shell.
- Pochez une boule de ganache au milieu d’une coque.
- Twist the other shell on top to close the macaron. Et voilĂ !
- Puis refermez le macaron en vissant l’autre coque par-dessus. Et voilà !
Note: Macarons need a maturation time, during which the ganache makes the shells soft and chewy. If you can resist, let them sit overnight in a closed container in the fridge!
We hope you enjoy this small "taste" of France!
ABOUT ME TIME: Every machine embroiderer knows how frustrating it can be to find the time and materials to start a new project. ME Time delivers complete machine embroidery experiences right to your doorstep so you can start creating the moment you're ready!
Click to learn more about ME Time subscriptions.