If you always thought macarons were impossible to bake (this was me) or just tasteless, you’ll definitely change your mind with this recipe. The secret for tasty macarons is in the ganache, of course, and I will now share the secrets for having the best and cutest macarons ever.

I am a very clumsy person and a very unorganized cook. Indeed, I don’t really spark in baking sweets, but here we go: trying macarons! After trying a couple of times, I eventually found all the tricks. As well, the filling is the real secret for tasty sweets. So let’s start with the four secrets I learnt while trying these out:

Old Egg Whites

For these cookies specifically, I used already prepared egg whites, opened and used some and left them a couple of days in the fridge. If you want to use egg whites from actual eggs, separate them from the yolk and leave them 3-4 days in a covered bowl in the fridge, then use them. You need the whites proteins to develop and interact for having great macarons.macaronage (add to recipe)

2. Macaronage

After whipping the whipped whites with the almond mixture and adding the colours, you need to perform the so called macaronage. Don’t worry, it’s nothing too difficult or weird. Simply incorporate the whipped whites with the almond mixture mixing from bottom to top at the beginning, not to unwhip it. When you are ready for pouring everything in a sac -a-poche, start mixing vigorously, until the mixture gets smooth. It should look like a silk ribbon when to take it up.

3. You can use any kind of sugar for the syrup

Most recipes require caster sugar, but I used dark or light brown sugar and it still works.

4. Let the macaron rest

Once you shape the macarons on a baking tray, you need to let them rest for a while. Being in a quite cold and wet environment (scotland) I left them rest for about one hour. Touch them before baking, if there’s no fingerprint on the surface they are ready for baking.

5. Let the ganache cool

Of course, once the cookies are ready, you are looking forward to filling them up and trying them. But you have to wait: first for the cookie to cool and then for the ganache to cool. It would melt otherwise!

“’Macarons?’ she guessed. His wife was pregnant and had a constant craving for the French cookies.
He nodded. ‘There are so many flavors. Yesterday Holly requested strawberry cheesecake, today lavender coconut. No telling about tomorrow.'”
Kate Angell, The Bakeshop at Pumpkin and Spice

Colourful and Fruity Macarons: All The Secrets

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Prep Time 30

Cook Time 18

Resting Time (Variable- see post) 1

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine French

Servings 30 Macarons

Equipment

Electric Whisk or Kitchen Robot
sauce pan
baking tray
sac a poche
electric blender

Ingredients

125 gr Almond Flour
125 gr Icing Sugar
45 gr Eggs white

For the Whipped Dough

125 gr Sugar
33 gr Water
45 gr Egg Whites

For the Dark Chocolate, Rosemary, and Orange Filling (makes all 30 macarons)

100 gr Dark Chocolate
50 gr Single Cream
1 Orange Zest
8-9 leaves Rosemary
30 gr Butter

For the White Chocolate, Basil, and Lemon Filling

100 gr White Chocolate
50 gr Single Cream
2-3 leaves Basil
1 Lemon Zest

For the Ruby Chocolate, Mint, and Grapefruit Filling (you can use white chocolate too)

100 gr Ruby Chocolate
50 gr Single Cream
2-3 leaves Mint
1/2 Grapefruit Zest

Instructions

The Dough

For the sough, start from grinding the almond flour with the icing sugar, for about 5 minutes in an electric grinder (less if the almonds are very fine already). Sieve the mixture in a bowl and add 45 gr of egg white. Mix it all well.
Second "dough": in a sauce pan, make a syrup warming up the sugar with water until it reaches 110C (if you do not have a thermometer, it will be ready once the mixture starts boiling). In the meantime, whip up he egg whites and add slowly start adding the syrup. Whip the mixture until dense.
At this point, add the whipped eggs mixture to the almond mixture, in three times and mixing it from bottom to top not to unwhip the dough.
At this point you can either add one gel colour or divide the dough into different bowls or adding the colour. Pour the dough in a sac-a-poche, cut the tip in case it's one time use and place some dough dots to make the macarons. You could use a shot glass or a small cookie cutter to draw the shape on the baking paper.
Let the dough rest until you can touch it and notice a thin layer on top (it usually takes at least 30 minutes, a bit more in case it's a rainy day or a wet environment). You understand the macarons are ready when you touch the top and you can't see any fingerprints.
At this point, warm up the oven at 150C and Bake the cookies for 18 minutes (it might take a little longer in case of bigger macarons. Leave them on a side to cool down.

For the Fillings

For each filling, just melt the chocolate, then add the cream/butter/zest/leaves. Mix until you get an homogeneous cream and leave aside, removing the leaves while the cream is still quite soft (be careful with the Rosemary, in case cut it into very small pieces before adding it to the ganache).
Let it cool until it gets thick. The white chocolate cream will take longer compared to the dark, but don't rush. Use a spoon or sac a pche to fill the macaron sandwiches. Enjoy with coffee or tea!

Keyword chocolate, cookies, dessert, dryfruit, macarons, macarons secrets