How To Make the Best Italian Macarons Recipe

Italian Macarons Recipe by @SashaCakesChicago

Yields: 50 macarons (100 macaron shells; classic, standard size)
Prep Time: 30-45 minutes
Cook Time (not including macaron resting time): 48-50 minutes total
Macaron Shells Resting Time: 30-60 minutes for each oven tray with 1 macaron mat

Equipment:

Stand Mixer with Whisk Attachment and Mixer Bowl (make sure your bowl and whisk are clean, dry, grease free, wiped with bit of lemon juice)
Food Scale
Small Pot
Laser or Candy Thermometer
Silicone Spatula
Separate Large Bowl
Mesh Sifter
Hand Whisker
Piping Bag
0.5 cm piping tip
2 (or more) Baking Trays – one to be preheated with oven
Silicone Mats (7-8)
Macaron Templates – see attached
Tooth Pick

Ingredients:

200 grams fresh, room temperature Egg Whites (divided: 100 grams for Italian meringue, 100 grams for almond paste)
80 grams filtered or bottled Water
260 grams Sugar
260 grams Powdered Sugar
260 grams Almond Flour (not almond meal!)
Optional: gel or powder food coloring (I prefer Americolor Food Gels or The Sugar Art Elite Colors)
Optional: Vanilla Bean or Paste

NOTE: you can “halve” this recipe, yielding to 25 macarons (50 macaron shells)

Directions:

1. Prepare the sugar syrup: Add sugar and water into your small pot, do not stir. Bring to boil on medium heat until it reaches 244°F on your laser or candy thermometer. I prefer to use laser thermometer from Home Depot or Amazon.

2. While your sugar syrup is getting to boiling stage, prepare Italian meringue: Add 100 grams of fresh room temperature egg whites into a grease-free, clean, dry stand mixer bowl. Start mixing at lowest speed until egg whites start forming bubbles, gradually increasing speed to medium – once your egg whites start foaming up – increase speed to highest and mix until they become very foamy, frothy. Once your sugar syrup reached 244F, slowly pour it right on egg whites in steady, slow, thin stream right on the egg whites area between whisker and the bowl while mixer is continuously whisking it on high. Be careful not to poor your sugar syrup on the whisker. Once all syrup is added, decrease mixing speed to medium and mix for approximately 6-8 minutes, until stiff peaks are achieved. Stop mixing when stiff peaks stage is achieved – overmixing will result in cracked or hollow macaron shells.

3. Preheat your oven to non-conventional (no fan) baking to 350°F with one flat oven tray (cookie baking sheet) on the center rack, heating up together with the oven. We will be baking our macarons on doubled up trays to prevent lopsided macaron shells. Note: this is a temperature and baking time that works for my oven. Below I will be discussing variations of oven temperatures and baking times.

4. While your Italian meringue is getting to stiff peaks, prepare almond paste: Sift together your 260 grams of powdered sugar and 260 grams of almond flour, discarding any large pieces that do not freely pass the mesh sifter. Add your other 100 grams of room temperature egg whites, and mix with silicon spatula until all combined and resembles a paste (at this point you can add few drops of your preferred food coloring gel or powder, if desired). Cover with kitchen towel or cling film until your Italian meringue is whisking, getting to stiff peaks. Once your Italian meringue is ready, add to almond paste in three steps. First two parts of meringue can be mixed thoroughly, to loosen up the almond paste – you do not have to be careful here. Once you add the third, remaining part of meringue - your macronage starts then: your goal is to remove air bubbles without overmixing, by pressing and turning macaron batter to the side of your bowl (watch my video tutorial on YouTube). Every 3 turns - check for readiness: your batter is fully ready when it freely flows from your spatula as thin ribbon, and fully flattens in 10 seconds. Another test is to try “drawing” number 8 with the batter flowing from your spatula onto the bowl. You can also refer to quick macronage video tutorial on my tangi.co/sashacakeschicago channel.

5. Add your macaron batter to piping bag fitted with 0.5 cm round piping tip. Pipe macarons onto a silicone macaron mat placed onto your second oven tray/sheet. (I do not recommend using parchment paper). Holding your piping bag perpendicular to the baking mat, slowly pipe circles, releasing with ”wiping” motion. Rap your baking sheet/tray with piped macaron shells on the counter few times to remove air bubbles; you can also use a tooth pick to pop any remaining air bubbles. Rest your piped macaron shells for 30 to 60 minutes until batter forms a skin/doesn't stick and loses some of its shine. Note: if you do not have templated silicone macaron mat, below are printable templates for classic round and heart macarons. I bake my macarons at 350°F for 10-12 minutes (depending on the thickness of your oven tray/baking sheet), turning halfway (more regarding this below). Allow baked macarons to fully cool off before taking them off your macaron mats and filling .