Oh the French macaron….the world’s most finicky cookie! Let’s face it, these cookies are hard! They can seriously drive you crazy! I too have had my battles. But this foolproof French Macaron Recipe will come to your rescue!
The trick with these cookies is patience and to follow the steps exactly! And if you don’t succeed at first, the old age to try again applies! These cookies take practice, and you’ll find each batch will get better the more you experiment with it!
They are similar to French Madeleines and Caneles. The more you make them, the more you get to know “how they work” until one day you’re a pro at whipping them up!
In fact, before you set out, it might be easier to watch my French macaron recipe video below and then give them a go. Pay special attention to what the batter should look like after mixing in the dry ingredients. It should have that same texture.
WATCH MY VIDEO DEMO OF THIS RECIPE BELOW!
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There’s nothing quite like seeing the success of smooth macaron tops, with bottoms that don’t stick to the pan, complete with feet, come out of the oven!
And believe me, it took several tries, and endless revisions, to get it right! Yes, I too have “been there!” did I mention these cookies can drive you crazy?!
Are French Macarons Really That Hard to Make?
In a word, YES. There’s just so much that can go wrong! Between the under-mixing and the over-mixing issues, the baking time, the cracks, the lack of feet….and the list goes on!
As a result, I set out to see if I could create a foolproof French macaron recipe. A recipe that may take some practice, but in the end would cause fewer problems and less hassle for us all. And friends, here it is!
Before you set out on your first batch, it helps to know the pitfalls. Check out my Top 10 French Macaron Troubleshooting tips!
DO YOU HAVE TO MAKE FRENCH MACRONS WITH ALMOND FLOUR?
Yes. Almond flour or Almond Meal is the same thing and I find it’s the perfect nut for creating the right chewiness in the cookie.
Some people have had success with cashew flour and pistachio flour, but I can’t say it worked for me. I ended up with horrible cracks, whereas with the almond flour it’s smooth sailing!
Bob’s Red Mill brand is my favorite brand of Almond Flour that I highly recommend.
For more product recommendations for achieving macaron success see the recipe card below or check out my post on 8 Great Products for a Foolproof French Macaron.
A few other tips for a foolproof French Macaron before you begin.
TIP#1: DON’T USE COLD EGGS
Be sure to start with room temperature eggs. If you forgot to take your eggs out just set them in some warm water for 5-10 minutes. When you crack the eggs open, you’ll see they’ll be at room temperature.
This is a great trick for any baked good since room temperature eggs will always combine better in a batter.
TIP#2: BE GENEROUS WITH THE FOOD COLORING
I prefer the gel food coloring, I think it’s easier to control how many drops you put in. But the color tends to fade with baking so add a shade or two darker of coloring past the desired shade, when they bake it will fade.
TIP #3: IT’S ALL ABOUT THE FOLDING
You’ll gently fold the almond flour mixture into the egg whites with a rubber spatula. This is usually where it can all go wrong. Getting the sense of when to stop is really a thing that just comes with practice.
Under mix and your macaroons will be lumpy and cracked when the bake with no feet, over mix, and your macarons, will be flat and won’t have feet, the mark of a well-made macaron.
SO HOW MANY STROKES DOES IT TAKE?
In my experience 65-75 turns of your spatula when folding, is about the right amount of time.
But again, it can be tricky, depends on how strong you are, Ha! So it can take a few tries to get it right. But when you do, the trumpets will blare and you will feel SO accomplished!
TIP:
To assure that your buttercream does not separate make sure your raspberries are at room temperature! If they are fresh out of the fridge, the juice won’t combine with the butter at all!
How Long Do French Macarons Keep?
In my experience, French Macarons are best eaten the day they are made. But if you had to make them in advance I would say only bake them a day ahead and keep refrigerated, then take them out to come to room temperature before serving.
If you make them any farther ahead, the macaron shells start to become brittle and crispy. They lose their “chew” the longer they sit. This is why fresh is best! But you could make the buttercream up to 3 days ahead.
More French Dessert Recipes!
Please let me know if you make this recipe
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Beth's Foolproof Macaron
Learn how to make a foolproof macaron using my 6 foolproof tips! A great cookie recipe for Valentines Day or Baby or bridal showers!
Ingredients
- 3 Egg Whites (at room temperature)
- ¼ cup white sugar (50 g)
- 2 cups powdered sugar (200 g)
- 1 cup almond flour (120 g)
- pinch of salt
- ¼ tsp cream of tartar (2 ml)
- RASPBERRY BUTTER CREAM
- 1/4 cup salted butter (60g)
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar (75 g)
- 1 cup (150 g) fresh raspberries, worked through a sieve to extract 3 tbsp of juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300F degrees
- Beat egg whites until foamy, then add salt, cream of tartar and white sugar for 8-10 mins.
- Whip until they form a peak that stands upright. Think Seattle Space needle.
- Then add the food coloring.
- Sift almond flour, and powdered sugar. What remains will be the larger lumps of almond pieces. Just discard those, or use them to snack on 🙂 You want a really fine powder mixture to create a smooth and pretty on top to your cookie.
- Fold flour/sugar mixture into the egg white mixture. About 65-75 good strokes.
- Transfer batter to a pastry bag.
- Pipe out 1 inch rounds on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Tap the pan hard at least 2-3 times to release the air bubbles. This will prevent the tops of your macaroons from cracking.
- Let them sit out for 20-30 mins, or up to an hour if you want. This will allow them time to dry out a bit before hitting the hot oven. They should be "tacky" to the touch, but not stick to your fingertips. This is another important step to assuring your macarons develop feet! When they dry out they can't spread out in the oven, and are forced to rise up. That's what creates the feet!
- Bake for 20 mins. DO NOT UNDER BAKE, even if they look done! Otherwise they will stick to your tray.
- Meanwhile mix the buttercream. Whip butter with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Slowly add sugar. Then place sieve on top of a bowl the same size. Work raspberries through the sieve with a spatula, pushing them through, mashing them around until you extract their juice. You want 3 tablespoons of juice.
- Add juice to buttercream, and whip until combined. Transfer to a pastry bag, fitted with a small tip (about ¼ " in diameter)
- Reverse cookie shells on their backs, and pipe a small mound of filling on one of them. Top with the other shell et Voila!
- If not eating right away, keep refrigerated.
Notes
- Be sure to start with with room temperature eggs. If you forgot to take your eggs out just set them in some warm water for 5-10 minutes.
- The color tends to fade with baking so add a shade or two darker of food coloring past the desired shade, when they bake it will fade.
- In my experience 65-75 turns of your spatula when folding in the dry ingredients, is about the right amount of time.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
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Wilton 404-304 Professsional Decorating Bag, 16-Inch -
Kayaso 9 Piece Round Piping Tip Set with 20 Disposable Decorating Bags, Stainless Steel Pastry Tips, Graduated Sizes
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Bob's Red Mill Almond Flour, Resealable Stand up Bag, 32 OZ
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Silpat Perfect Macaron Non-Stick Silicone Baking Mat, 11-5/8" x 16-1/2"
-
Betty Crocker Classic Gel Food Colors - 4 CT
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KitchenAid KP26M1XBZ 6 Qt. Professional 600 Series Bowl-Lift Stand Mixer - Black Storm
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 115Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 8mgSodium: 33mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 1gSugar: 15gProtein: 2g
I did it! Although I was so focused on not screwing up the cookie that I missed the tip about room temperature raspberries! Sure enough it separated, but I just kept throwing in more powdered sugar until I got something workable. The first batch was a little slippery but it kept getting better. How long would you say to whip the butter for? I thought that was my issue, not the raspberries but it was fluffy.
I still cannot believe the first time I ever made macarons I got feet! I did this all with an electric hand mixer, too (ouch…will borrow a stand mixer next time). Thank you so much.
YAY! I’m so glad you had success! I would whip the butter for at least 5-7 minutes 🙂 And yes room temp raspberries will help!
Beth: this recipe came together as planned following all of your recommendations. The only thing was after piping and banging and resting, the tops didn’t smooth out. They baked beautifully, feet and all. However, the tops still had the swirl of the original piping. But other than that, they came out perfectly baked.
Ah OK next time to smooth them out just use the back of a spoon dipped in cold water to pat/smooth them out. That will help!
I used this guide for my first try at macs and it was amazing. I’m obsessed now, still working on getting them just right but every batch has turned out really well.
Great recipe and tips Beth, Thank you!! I’m having trouble getting a good temp.- I placed the pan at the bottom 3rd of the oven, and 300 caused browning 🙁 even with the oven thermometer showing 300 at 13 min. I lowered the temp to 275 at 18 min which resulted in a tiny bit of browning on bottoms and nicely colored tops but got hollowed cookies instead 🙁 🙁 should I try the nordicware pans and go back to 300? Help please!!
Hmm yes it could be your pan’s heat conductivity, yes I like the Nordic Ware pans, or these AirBake are also great too!
We made ours with pumpkin seed flour. We first watched your YouTube video twice, then read the recipe twice, just to be sure we were on the right pate. The macarons turned out excellent, feet and all.
Thank you.
YAY! I’m so glad it worked with the pumpkin seed flour! Amazing! Bravo!
This recipe worked really well! I made it for Christmas to give to my family and friends and it worked the first time I tried it!
I am loving this recipe! I would love to use it for a chocolate cookie. Do you know what I need to tweek to add in cocoa powder?
Sure I would add 2 Tbsp of unsweetened cocoa powder to the dry ingredients and sift it in 🙂 Hope you enjoy it!
Hi, the mix worked perfectly. Any tips on how to get good circles? I place a mat under heath my paper as a guide and pipe to the smallest circle to all to expand to the larger circle. They never end up even or a proper circular shape.
Have you tried a mat with circles? Like this one. That may be helpful 🙂
I made this recipe the other day and my batter was way way too thick when I incorporated all my dry ingredients. The eggs I was using were pretty small. Do I need to add another egg white maybe?
I use Jumbo Eggs, so yes maybe another white would have been necessary? 🙂
I will be looking at the macrons I will be putting in the oven. I hope they turn out better than the last time I tried. You had a lot of great tips. I was watching the video and I don;t think you realized how much you were speaking. Yes it was great I wish the receipe was at the begg ing to get everything ready. It was hard stopping you from talking and going to see how much to of this or that to put in the reciepe. But I am hoping this goes well. Thanks
Oh sure you can always click the JUMP TO RECIPE button at the top of all my posts, this will take you to the ingredient list before watching the video 🙂 Hope that helps!
I made these today and when I added all my dry ingredients the batter was super thick. Were my eggs too small? Should I add an extra egg white?
I have made these on a couple of occasions now and this is the best macron recipe i have ever tried. (my mum and I joke cause I can bake them and she struggles with them and I’m only in junior high)
very informative site.
I need to keep ready 300 wafers (150 pairs) of 4 flavours on 5 Dec, the consumption will be in the week that follows, how early can I start making the wafers? after baking can I keep in the normal fridge in closed container? I’m planning to fill on 4th & 5th Dec, Pistachio & cream cheese, Chocolate butter cream with butterscotch sauce, strawberry butter cream with strawberry sauce & lemon butter cream with lemon curd.
Also is it required to slam the tray very hard after piping the batter? Because it spreads and doesn’t rise much. I would appreciate your reply as it will help me a lot.
thanks
Sophia
WOW! That sounds like quite the undertaking! I’m impressed! These finicky cookies do not last that long and are ready best eaten 1-2 days after they are baked. 3 days max. Otherwise, they start to dry out and become crumbly. The best way to store them would be in a closed container in the refrigerator. Hope that helps and best of luck!
I’ve made a lot of Macaroons… it failed most of the time…
Thank you very much for this recipe! It worked the first time!!! Perfect!!
YAY!! So happy to hear that 🙂 These cookies can drive anyone crazy! Bravo!!
Goodmorning, I tried for the first time yesterday making macarons. (2 attempts) They were smooth on top ,had my feet cooked at the 300 temp,stirred to ribbon stage, but both times when i took them out ,you could touch the tops and the would crack into pieces and hollow center. I did not count the mixing, but i will the next time. I think i need to check my oven temp. but the second time i cooked less time and they were sticking to parchment paper. Im not going to give up. Please help.
Ah OK so sticking to the mat would indicate not enough baking time. Cracked and hollow can mean not folded enough in the egg white stage/ dry ingredient. These tips and a few more can be found on my Troubleshooting Macarons page. Hope that will help too!
Hi, just tried making macarons for the 4 time and they came out perfect with your recipe.
The only issue I had was the oven temperature…as I found that 145 degrees C for 19 minutes was good previously but this time the macarons didn’t easily release from my mat.
Would you recommend a different time / temeperature for a more successful macaron? Loving the recipe!
Actually you just probably needed a few more minutes in the oven if they are sticking to the mat, this usually means they are underbaked. I wouldn’t raise the temperature otherwise they’ll become too browned on top. They just need a bit more time at the lower temperature. Hope that helps! 🙂
I’ve made these time and time again and the batter is perfect. My problem is the oven temp… my heat source comes from the bottom but my tops are still browning. How do you Recommend lowering the temp for a longer time?
If everything else is okay other than the tops browning, try putting an empty tray on the top rack to shield your macs rather than messing with the temp.
Tried this! Same batch, put on trays at the same time. One came out perfect with its feet. Yay! The other came out without feet and cracked, sinking in once out of the oven. I put them in the oven at the same time. It was the lower tray that was no success.
What might the issue be that one batch led to such different outcome? Any clue?
Yep, they really do not like to share “oven space” these cookies are serious Divas! They need the oven all to themselves! So what you can do is bake one tray, and allow the other tray to rest on your counter, already piped and ready to go, until its their turn. Having the trays at different heights (lower rack, upper rack) at the same time means they are exposed to different levels of heat and will not bake at the same rate, they just hate sharing 🙁 So one tray at a time and you’ll be able to have two perfect trays 🙂
Hello Beth,
I am going to try your Macaroon recipe. I made some today and for the most part They came out good. I had the feet on the bottom, but some of them were hollow inside. I wanted to know if you have any other recipes for filling other than Raspberry?
Thank you for your help
Ah OK, so the hollow macs mean your oven was a bit too hot, or they were left in a bit too long. You can try reducing the oven 25 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for the same amount of time Or keep the temperature the same and reduce the baking time by 5-7 mins. I don’t currently have any other filling recipes on the site but you could use a simple ganache filling, caramel, or lemon curd that would all be good too!
Do you use rasberries with all you macaron flavors? “
What is the substitute for cream of tartar?can we replace it with any other ingredients?
Well you can also try 1/2 tsp of fresh lemon juice. It’s the acid that helps stabilize the whites 🙂
Hi there! Just a quick Q. regarding eggs!
I’m outside the US and the eggs here are much smaller than back home! I tend to measure everything (grams) and I’ve found online that a “standard” egg white can weigh anything from 30 – 45g which leaves for a big margin of error when multiplying … Thanks Dr. Google!
Any chance you’ve weighed out your whites for the recipe?
Either way, thanks so much for the recipe, I’m excited to bake these over the weekend!
Ah yes people always ask me this, but really I never measure! I just use 3 eggs whichever I have on hand and it works fine 🙂 Hope you have a great weekend baking!!
I made them twice already and both came out perfectly! Thank you so much! The tips help a lot.
YAY!! So glad to hear it! Bravo!!
I’ve been doing research on macs and failed on my 3rd try. They did have feet and a hard top but were partially hollow.
So I came to your site for help! What about aging the eggs? Everything told me this is a MUST. Do you age your eggs?
Personally, I do not think this makes a big difference I’ve never aged my eggs. I find what makes the bigger difference is making sure you use the cream of tartar, only folding the dry ingredients 65-75 strokes and letting them rest before baking. This troubleshooting guide is also helpful to read before you start out. Best of luck!
The first time I made these they came out perfectly, except for the hollow middle which from what I read is because I over baked them. The second time they never sat up like they were supposed too. Any suggestions, I followed the recipe exactly unless I missed something.
Ahh if the “feet” were missing it could be because the egg whites deflated a bit when you mixed in the dry ingredients 🙁 next time only fold about 65-75 strokes and perhaps use a touch more cream of tartar (1/4 tsp) to add some added stabilization power to your whites. Hope that helps!
The recepie is perfect….. This was my 1st time making macaroons and was very sceptical but this recepie was spot on and easy to follow.Thank you somuch
Bravo! I’m so glad they were a success! These cookies can be so tricky! 🙂
Thanks for the recipe! I baked mine 20 mins and they supposed to be pink as yours but they came out brown, I don’t know why. SO the other tray I left them in the oven less time, but they are sticky on the bottom. Could you help me please!
Ah OK it has to do with the oven temperature. The browning happens when the oven is too hot, and the sticking happens when the mac isn’t baked all the way through. I know these cookies will drive you crazy! So I would 1.) Make sure your rack is in the lower third of your oven so they don’t get too much heat, and 2.) reduce the oven temp by 10-20 degrees and bake for longer. If you test one (while in the oven don’t pull them all the way out to prevent the cool air from deflating them) and they are sticking bake a few minutes longer. The baking is essentially “drying” the cookies out, so if they stick they are still a bit wet inside. Hope that helps! 🙂
Hi. Do you use convection or standard oven setting?
I use the standard setting 🙂
Just made these today the recipe is great! The tips you gave made these a success, giving an approximate number 64-75,of fold in the dry ingredients, adding more pink food coloring, eggs room temp. Excellent!! I did however change the filling to a cream cheese butter cream, and I folded in some sour cherry preserves instead of raspberries. I pipped the buttercream in a circle on one macaroon and put a small dollop of preserves in the center then put the other half on. Huge hit!
Oh wow that sounds so great!! Bravo! Love the idea of sour cherry preserves! 🙂
Can these be put in the freezer?? And if so so they freeze well?
Unfortunately, these cookies don’t freeze well 🙁 but Madeleines do! And they are way easier too!
I keep having trouble when it comes to whipping my egg whites; Whether I’m using the French or Italian method, it seems like my egg whites always go flat when I add in the sugar/simple syrup! What am I doing wrong??? Thanks!
Are you using cream of Tartar or lemon juice? I find this s the secret to stabilizing the egg whites and preventing them from falling! 🙂
Make sure you have a very clean oil free bowl, when the egg white is frothy toss in your cream of tarter and then once they are a little thicker slowly, very slowly add in your sugar. Hope this helps!
Hi there! I’ve made these in the past and they are awesome! Thank you. I want to make them coffee flavored this time, how should I do this besides just making the filling coffee? I was hoping to make the cookie itself coffee flavored.
Ahh, well these cookies are so finicky I’d be afraid to alter them too. Much but if I was to try it I would whip 1 tbsp of instant coffee into the egg whites just as they are becoming stiff. And yes a coffee buttercream would be great too. Let me know how it goes?
Thank you for the easy to follow recipe. This is a favourite for my 13 year old who made this recipe. She was sure this would be too difficult to make. We watched the video and she followed the recipe. They turned out perfect the first time she tried. What a confidence booster.
YAY! So glad to hear that! I started cooking at that exact age and YES it is a total self-confidence booster! 🙂 So glad to hear it was a hit! 🙂
Hi Beth…thank you so much for this recipe…I haven’t tried it yet but I wanted to know by powdered sugar, do you mean confectioners sugar/icing sugar or just home ground sugar…just want to make sure that I use the right one as confectioners sugar contains a little bit of cornflour I believe…
Would appreciate it if you could clarify this…
Thanks!
Yes exactly right. Powdered Sugar is the same thing as confectioner’s sugar/icing sugar. Sorry for the confusion! Best of luck! 🙂
Is white sugar granulated sugar that we normally use for things like tea etc
Yes exactly! That’s the kind 🙂
Are we using powdered sugar in macaroons and icing sugar for icing?
Powdered sugar and icing sugar are the same things depending on where you live :). Here in the States we call it powdered sugar or confectioner’s sugar, where my family in France will call it Icing Sugar. All the same thing! 🙂
How many ml are 3 egg whites please? Using egg whites from a carton.
Ah I’m not exactly sure since I only use whole eggs. I haven’t had much luck with eggs from a carton, because they are often times treated or pasteurized which can affect the final result. But often it will say on the carton the measurement for 1 egg. I believe it’s around 15 ml. These cookies are tricky enough, best not to add one more element to them that could alter results. 🙂
Hi, I’m not sure if this was mentioned in the video but which function of the oven should I use? Theres like a few options on my knob – lines on top and bottom, fan, lin at bottom, zigzag line on top with fan, zigzag line on top. Please advise, thank you very much!
Ahh yes in the USA we don’t have all those options, but I have seen them in France :). I would try lines on top and bottom first, and if that doesn’t work well then I would try the fan option. 🙂
Can you use strawberries instead of raspberries
Sure you could try that too if they are very ripe, but I’ve found the raspberries work a bit better because the emmit more juice 🙂
Hi so I made these today for the first time ever, and they turned out amazing!! I am so proud of myself being such an amateur baker but first times a charm I guess? Just having an issue with some being more of a shell then cookie? If you bite it its shell then cookie with a pocket of air in between, was wondering if I over baked them? Other than that the feet or crust is beautiful and they still taste lovely.
Yes exactly if you find they are hollow inside it’s typically due to being baked a bit too long. Next time try a few minutes less of baking time and you’ll get the more traditional chewy center :). Hope that helps!
Hoping to try this soon, I can’t wait! I’ve never had macarons before =)
If I wanted to make a citrus macaron (like a lemon cake flavor or an orange dreamsicle flavor) how would you suggest adding the citrus? Juice to the buttercream and/or zest to the cookie?
I would do juice to the cookie. These shells are so temperamental best to leave them alone ha! Until you get the technique down, then I’d experiment 🙂 Hope that helps!
I tried out this recipe but the feet were really big and the cookies were hollow. Could you tell me how to fix these problems
Oh sure hollow cookies mean they baked a bit too long or your oven was too hot. Feet too big could mean the egg whites were whipped a bit too long. This troubleshooting guide should help.
This was my first time attempting macarons and they turned out perfect thanks to your recipe!!
So glad to hear it! 🙂