It’s finally time! Last year, I taught myself how to make macarons. There were a lot of batches that didn’t turn out right and a lot of wondering what went wrong.

I have worked out the kinks to getting the shells right. The shells are honestly the hardest part. Filling them can be done with any ganache, curd, buttercream, fresh fruit, jams, or even any combination.

I know many people try to post their whole life stories when they post recipes. I don’t want to do that. So here we go:

Ingredients:

• 3 Egg Whites (about 90 grams)
• 72 grams white sugar
• 112.5 grams almond flour
• 130 grams powdered/confectioners sugar (they’re the same thing)
• Any gel colorings and/or flavorings you want to put in

You Will Also Need:

• Stand mixer with whisk attachment (or hand mixer, but it will take longer)
• Food processor or sifter
• Spatula
• Piping bag
• Cookie sheet
• Parchment paper or SILPAT (if you use parchment paper, you need some kind of template or circular object about 1 1/2″ in diameter)
• Oven

Process:

1. Let your egg whites come up to room temperature. (It makes whipping either)
2. *This is an optional step* If you have to trace your circles on your parchment paper, I like to do this while preparing the other ingredients. I use two cookie sheets with a piece of parchment paper per sheet and twenty macarons per sheet.
3. Combine your almond flour and powdered sugar either in a food processor or just a mixing bowl.
4. Whip your egg whites until foamy. There should be lots of bubbles in your bowl. I usually keep it on medium speed for the whole time.
5. Mix in your white sugar and beat until you have a big and fluffy meringue. This is also when you mix in your liquid flavorings (like extracts) and gel (and only gel) food colorings. You should have stiff peaks. The way you test that is you flip your mixing bowl upside down. When you do, nothing should move.

6. Sift and fold in the powdered sugar and almond flour combination, about a third each time. The best way I fold is scoop around the outside and smash down the middle. This is when you add any dry ingredients to flavor your mixture (like cocoa powder).
7. Fold until the texture is like molten lava. Another way I have seen this since many people may not have seen lava in person is if you can make a figure 8 in the mixture and it stays there for a few seconds, then that’s right where you need to be.
8. Scoop your mixture into a piping bag. Holding the piping bag vertically, pipe circles onto your parchment paper or SILPAT.
9. Tap the mixture on a flat surface a few times to get out any extra air bubbles.
10. Preheat the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit or 176 degrees Celsius. I like doing it now so then the oven isn’t on forever.
11. Let the shells rest for about 25 minutes or so, until a skin develops. It shouldn’t move too much when you touch it.

12. Once the skin forms, put them in the oven for about ten minutes. The way that you test them is push the shell a little bit. If the top still moves, put it in for 1-2 minute increments depending on how much wiggle you get.
    
13. Let them cool. Match up similar sized macaron shells.
14. Fill with your favorite flavoring!!!!!

Helpful Tips:

• Be patient- These take time. It still takes me about three hours to make these, and I’ve made eleven batches. These won’t happen immediately.
• Practice- If you don’t get it perfect right away, it’s fine. My first batch turned out PERFECT, but it wasn’t until batch 6 or so that I could consistently get them right.
• Get your meringue right first- The meringue is the most important part of your macarons. Work on your meringue and perfect that first.
• Mix well but don’t flatten your meringue- Your meringue is what causes the macaron shells to rise. Don’t beat out all the air you just whipped up.
• Don’t worry about the “feet”- Every good macaron has little bubbles that run along the base of the macaron. These are called “feet.” You will see lots of tips and trips about macaron feet. The only time you should worry about them is if you don’t have any feet or if your shells go sliding so it seems that ALL your macaron is feet. Macarons don’t have feet if your batter is too “wet” (not mixed enough with the dry ingredients) or if there is no skin. Macarons may go sliding if your meringue isn’t mixed enough. Otherwise, the feet will happen naturally if everything else is done right.

It’s been a long journey, and this is a post I have wanted to do for a while now. But I’m really excited to share this with all of you. I’ve heard it all the time: “Macarons are hard!” They’re not. They can just be complicated. But they can be mastered!!!