How Do You Make Authentic Macarons?

Learn how to make authentic macarons with a French chef. Anthony Rosemond is the French founder of Pastreez, an online bakery based in California. Along with his wife Yami, they handcraft macarons daily. This macaron delivery is available in the entire United States! Psst. Looking for the perfect Mother’s Day gift? This limited-edition box is packed with heart-shaped macarons in luscious flavors like orange blossom and cherry blossom tea. Place your order by May 2nd to make the deadline.

Anthony’s note: I’ve been into macarons for a while. After selling 1 million+ macarons in the United States with my bakery Pastreez, I can say I know a few tips. The recipe below is described to give the best results, whatever your level.

A macaron is a traditional French delicacy consisting of soft and tasty filling which is sandwiched in almond-based shells. The filling we will use for this recipe is white chocolate ganache.

MAKES: 125 Macarons

Since this is a complex recipe, it’s better to make bigger quantities, as it is good for practice and can be stored for weeks.

PREP

• Make sure your egg white is at room temperature – do it a day prior to be safe.
• Preheat your oven at 300°F – if you’d like to be more precise, place a portable thermometer in your oven.

INGREDIENTS (Shells)

MACARON BATTER

STEP 1:

• Mix the fine almond flower and powdered sugar in a bowl. Use a sift to make sure there are no lumps.

STEP 2:

• Mix in egg white and food coloring until the batter is stiff. Top tip: to test the texture, put the spatula up and the batter shouldn’t run

STEP 3:

• Put the water and sugar into a pan, and warm it up to 115°C. In the meantime, start your stand mixer on high speed with the second set of egg white. 

STEP 4

• Once at the right temperature, pour this hot mix into the stand mixer bowl, and let it mix for about 7 minutes. 

STEP 5:

• Mix the meringue with the previous almond mix. That is what we call macaronage

Once you get this smooth flowy texture, you are ready to pipe your macaron shells.

STEP 6:

• Pipe your batter using a 21-inch long piping bag. Wrap your piping bag around a container to avoid ruining your kitchen table

Now is probably the most technical part. We recommend using these silicone mats below, because they help you to get the same round shapes for every single shell. Pour your batter into a piping bag and twist at the top to make sure nothing comes out.

The professional way to properly pipe macarons is by using the bottom hand as a guide while the top hand presses. It sounds easy but it can be quite hard to coordinate both hands.

That is why I advise you to use these silicon molds, because they have two rings that guide you. It will ensure the shells are uniform.

STEP 7:
After piping, tap the pan sheet at least 5 times on your table. It will release the air bubbles trapped in your batter.

STEP 6:

• Let it rest for 30 minutes before placing them in the preheated oven (300°F) for 15 minutes. Leave out to cool.

Not to worry, the recipe works with gas or electric, home or professional ovens all the same.

INGREDIENTS (Filling)

• 180g (7oz) of chocolate chips any flavor
• 80g (3oz) of whipped cream

There are two different types of fillings for macarons: ganache or buttercream. Buttercream is made with butter, and is usually more fat and less tasty.

White chocolate ganache is the filling that we use at Pastreez. Our customers are always asking what macarons taste like – the taste comes from the filling.

STEP 1:

• To make a simple chocolate ganache, use the “bain-marie” method to melt the chocolate chips.

STEP 2:

• Once melted, mix the chocolate with whipping cream, and making sure to mix well.

STEP 3:

• Pour the ganache into a new piping bag.

STEP 4:

• Place the piping bag of ganache in the refrigerator for at least an hour. (The filling is too runny when too hot)

STEP 5:

• Pour the filling in between two macaron shells.

Et voilà!