Macaron Shells

Katyusha Popovych
Mar 4, 2015
6 min read

(makes about 60 halves)

Plain base:

200 g poudered sugar (icing sugar)
200 g almond flour
5 – 6 egg whites (150 g), aged 1 – 2 days at room temperature, or a week in fringe at room temperature
75 ml water
200 g (8 tbsp) granulated sugar

Chocolate macaron shells (for 130 g or 1/3 of the total mixture):

13 g (2 tsp) unsweetened cacao powder

Grapefruit macaron shells (for 130 g or 1/3 of the total mixture):

2/3 heaping tbsp freshly grated grapefruit zest
1/6 tsp ground ginger (optional)
1/6 tsp pink powdered food colouring

Coconut macaron shells (for 130 g or 1/3 of the total mixture):

13 g fine coconut shavings

1. Prepare three – four baking sheets lined with baking parchment paper and a pastry bag (per mixture) with a large piping tip. Using a pencil and a small shot glass or something similar, draw on one side of each baking parchment circles in staggered rows (as on a chess – board) with 1.7 – 2 cm distance between each one in every direction. Then turn the parchment over and set aside.

2. Sift almond flour twice through a fine mesh strainer and add some more if needed in order to get 200 g outcome. Repeat the same procedure with the powdered sugar (also 200 g outcome). Combine together sifted almond flour and powdered sugar with a balloon whisk. Sift the dry mixture another 2 – 3 times. (The outcome has to be 400 g.)

3. Sift 5 egg whites 3 times and add another one if needed in order to get 150 g outcome. Using a spatula gently fold the sifted almond and powdered sugar mixture into the half of (2,5 – 3) egg whites in three to four stages, just until the ingredients are incorporated.

4. Pour water into a small saucepan and add granulated sugar in its middle. Don’t mix! On low heat bring it to a boil (let the sugar melt on its own).

5. Meanwhile in a separate glass bowl whisk the rest of (2,5 – 3) egg whites to a foam using an electric mixer at medium speed.

6. Let the syrup simmer for 3 – 3:40 minutes. It has to be 118 ⁰C hot (the consistency of the syrup has to allow you roll few drops of it in a small ball using your fingers).

7. Using an electric mixer continue beating egg whites for 3 minutes at medium speed, gradually adding still hot syrup and increasing the speed to medium – high until you reach glossy, almost – stiff peaks.

Plain macaron shells:

8. Divide each meringue (the egg whites mixture) and the almonds mixture into 2 or 3 even portions, if you want to make different macaron shells and proceed with each batter separately.

9. Using a spatula gently fold still warm meringue into almonds mixture in circling movements, always folding from underneath, until the ingredients incorporate and the batter re – absorbs peaks. The batter will lose some air in process and, thus, its volume.

10. Transfer the macarons mixture to the prepared piping bag. Take two baking trays, put one into another, then turn them upside down (making them borderless). Place one baking parchment with drawn circles on top (the clean side of the parchment has to be facing you).

11. Take the piping bag with the mixture, and holding it at 45 ⁰ to the surface, starting at the middle of the circle, make a dot and start filling it, until the batter meets the borders of the drawn circle (at least at any side, if the rounds turn out not perfectly round). When piping the rounds don’t move your wrists or hands, simply hold the piping bag at 45 ⁰ to the surface, freeze in this position and squeeze the bag. If you do it correctly, you may see ripples forming from the tip of your bag (don’t worry, they will fade away). When you finish filling each round, pull your hand with a jerk.

12. When finished with all the rounds, tap the baking trays on the table a few times to release air pockets. Rest macarons for 30 minutes (but no longer than 1 hour), until the outside shells are no longer tacky and sticky to a light touch.

13. Preheat the oven to 165 ⁰C. Place both trays together in the middle of the oven with one parchment of shells on the top one (borders of the trays have to be facing ground).

14. Bake the macarons in the oven, one layer at a time, for 9 – 12 minutes. Open the oven for a few seconds on the 4th and 8th (or 9th) minute to let the steam go out.

15. Remove from the oven when shells don’t stick to the parchment no more. Remove the shells from the parchment (or if not possible, at least from the trays) and move to the freezer for 10 minutes.

Grapefruit macaron shells:

7(a). Combine grapefruit zest, ground ginger and pink food colouring in a food processor and grind until a fine powder. Sift thoroughly through a fine mesh strainer.

8(a). Fold powdered mix into the almonds mixture and mix until it is evenly distributed.

9 - 15. Continue following the recipe for the plain macaron shells, but use the appropriate amount (1/2 or 1/3) of meringue.

Chocolate macaron shells:

8(b). Fold thoroughly sifted cacao powder into the almonds mixture and mix until it is evenly distributed.

9 - 15. Continue following the recipe for the plain macaron shells, but use the appropriate amount (1/2 or 1/3) of meringue.

Coconut macaron shells:

7(c). Grind coconut shavings in a food processor until a fine powder. Sift thoroughly through a fine mesh strainer.

8(c). Fold coconut powder into the almonds mixture and mix until it is evenly distributed.

9 - 15. Continue following the recipe for the plain macaron shells, but use the appropriate amount (1/2 or 1/3) of meringue.

My Tips:

There are many recipes for macarons with completely different techniques. The one I chose is the one that is bound to give you great results if you follow the recipe precisely. This recipe is professional and comes from a Paris school for chefs.
Be gentle to all the ingredients at all times!
No matter what recipe you choose, there are some rules that work in every case:
Don’t open windows or cool down the kitchen during the whole time cooking. For merengue and especially egg whites it is important that the air is warm or even hot.
Sifting egg whites multiple times is necessary if they are fresh or just out of the fringe and thus still cold. But in other cases such practice only improves the result (peaks are forming better).
When you work with egg whites make sure you use only glass bowls (in no case aluminium ones!). Moreover, don’t touch the egg whites with your fingers, because it may prevent peaks’ formation. Use a spatula at all times (no aluminium spoon!).
In order to check the temperature of the syrup, either take a bowl with very cold water or a knife. In the first case you will have to submerge your fingers in cold water and then quickly in the syrup. (If you do it fast and submerge them into the syrup just a little bit for a few seconds, there is no danger.) In the other case, you can use the tip of the knife instead of your fingers. In any case you would get a little bit of the syrup that you have to try to roll into a small ball. If it still is quite liquid, then it is too early yet, and if you miss the right moment, instead of a syrup you will get caramel.
If you want to add any other powdered ingredient(s) to get a different flavour of the plain macarons, measure and use only 10% of the total weight of the mixture, e.g. for 1/3 of the mixture from this recipe (that is 130 g), you will need 13 g powdered ingredient (about 2 tsp).
However, as to food colourings you should use less than 13 g. For 1/3 of the mixture (without other ingredients) you would need only 5 g powder food colouring (1 tsp).
If you want to have a smooth and glossy surface of the macaron shells, use only additional ingredients after powdering them first.
Baking can sometime take a little longer, about 15 minutes.
Macaron shells without filling can be stored in a fridge for 1 week.
Maracons with the filling can be stored in a fridge for 3 days.