| Line your trays with aluminum foil. Yes in the photo I’m using baking paper… and you know what, it sucked. Every recipe I found said to use baking paper but EVERY batch that I did using baking paper failed miserably. So what I ended up using for the successful batches was aluminum foil *very* lightly sprayed with olive oil. I’ll talk more about the failed batches and how to avoid that later!
Measure out your almond meal. Having the correct weights is very important so be quite careful. Now about the almond meal… many recipes I found said that you should crush the meal even further in a food processor to make it extra fine. I don’t have a food processor so I used it straight from the pack. No problems so far.
This is how fine it was:
Do the same with your icing sugar and sift them into your bowl. Make sure there are no lumps.
Then mix them together very well and make sure the consistency is even.
Now weigh your castor sugar.
And your egg whites. Egg whites are another highly debated point of this recipe. Some say you should leave them out over night, some say leave them for a week. I made macarons with eggs right after cracking them, over night and week old… and they were all exactly the same in my opinion. I really don’t think it makes a difference. Just make sure they aren’t too cold or else they won’t froth well.
Put your egg whites into a mixing bowl.
Add a pinch of salt to them
Now using your electric mixer beat them until they become slightly frothy.
When they look like this you should start adding the castor sugar a little bit at a time…
Keep beating…
… until it looks like this :D The eggs should be light fluffy and peaky.
Now this part is quite fun! You should take your mixed up icing/almond and add 1/2 of it to the egg mixture.
Mix it up carefully, don’t be over zealous otherwise it will end up like cake. Once the first half is mixed in, add the rest and repeat.
According to a lot of recipes it should form ribbons off your spoon when you’re done. XD
Now mix in your spoon of cocoa
Delicious yes?
Ok time to get ready to pipe them. You can use a proper piping bag but if you’re not keen on cleaning one you can just use a plastic bag and throw it away after ^_^
Put your mixture into the bag!
And tie a knot into the top of it.
Now cut off the corner with a pair of scissors and pipe circles onto your tray.
Apparently some people will actually draw circles onto the baking paper to make sure they are completely perfectly shaped… I don’t really think that is necessary. If I wanted perfection I would go and buy them, I like he idea of mine being a little individual ^_^
Ok! So we’ve done the hard part! You should take your tray and bang it on the counter a few times to get rid of any air bubbles. Then leave the macarons on the counter for 1 hour to settle. While they are settling let’s talk about some other variations!
James doesn’t like chocolate much either so he asked for some blueberry flavored ones.
I used tinned blueberries, crushed them and added to the mixture just before piping.
This is easy enough, you just need to add slightly more of the dry ingredients to counter the wet of the blueberries. If you’ve made a couple of batches you should be able to roughly guess at what the correct consistency should be.
My absolute FAVORITE flavor is green tea with pistachio filling. OMG this is seriously awesome. All you need to do is add 1/2 a teaspoon of matcha powder to the mixture instead of your chocolate powder. I’m using one from Tea2 but any will work.
Green!
They all look so pretty!
When you come back to the macarons the icing should have formed a very slight shell, you should be able to touch the top without getting your finger wet. Pre-heat your oven to 160 degrees Celsius. When the oven is ready you can put in the tray and cook for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes you should be able to see the little crinkly bottom feet, if not something has gone wrong! Cook for another 4 minutes and then allow them to cool on the bench.
This is a picture of the first time I tried to make them, they weren’t very pretty but you can see the little crinkly feet I’m talking about…
Leave the macarons to cool while we make the filling.Basically all that is involved in that is melting chocolate in the microwave, adding a little cream, butter and a little icing sugar so it doesn’t go solid again. Very delicious. Be sure to taste it along the way ;)
The pistachio variation on this is basically crushed pistachios with butter and icing sugar to make a delicious paste:
Now it’s time to remove the macarons from the tray and turn them over… the bottoms should look like this:
Below is a good example of failed bottoms. The reason this didn’t work is because they weren’t cooked long enough so the insides were liquidy. They stuck to the (stupid) baking paper and collapsed when being removed. Still tasted good though.
Take a half and spread some filling on, pop another half on top and you’re done :D
Taadaa! Success!
And here are the delicious green tea ones:
So there you have it! No longer will I be a slave to sweets deco and brand prints! Next time I crave macarons I’ll bloody well make some! :D Mine may not be the prettiest ever made but they tasted damn good and nobody complained so I’m happy!
Hope you all enjoyed the adventure as much as I enjoyed eating all of the failed and successful batches of macarons! |
Well done on the macaron success! It takes a lot of experimenting and heartbreak, but there’s nothing more satisfying than a good batch.
Thank you so much! And thank you so much for the original recipe, I had a huge amount of fun with it :)
LOVELY!!!!
I always love homemade things. Doesn’t matter if it’s less than perfect^^ All the better I say.
I’ll always tell Ben that it adds a rustic feel to it^^
Brilliant job Violet^^ *clap clap*
I love home made things too! I think it gives it extra special touch because you know how much effort went in. Thank you!
Do you know, I’ve never tried macarons? Another lovely post and it looks doable, (though I’m not much of a baker). Looks like you need a cute apron, miss! Maybe another DIY idea?
I hadn’t tried them until recently too, but they really did become an obsession! I completely suck at generally cooking so I figure if even I can manage to do this, anyone can! Oh an apron is definitely on the list :D
Hey, the same day I read this, I went to Takashimaya Times Square and had my first ever chocolate macaron! It was yummier than I thought it’d be..like cake :)
And same day also at Takashimaya at Tokyu Hands I saw this miniature heart shaped baking set, with tiny cake tin/jelly moulds/heart handled spoons…and totally thought of you!
HAH! Clearly it’s fate! The baking set sounds completely adorable! I love the texture of macarons, kind of melt in your mouth-y, I’m glad you enjoyed your first experience!
How amazing are you? Seriously! I try not to make sweets in my house as they are quickly eaten by me, but dear god. Skills girl, skills. That’s always what I say, but’s it’s true. You’re the MacGyver of Hime and self-made. <3
Haha I know what you mean, these babies don’t generally last past the afternoon! XD I am so using that as my tag line from now on!! “Violet Lebeaux- Tales of the MacGyver of Hime Style…. but totally cuter” XD
Ahh macarons! I’ve made them about 5/6 times now and let me tell you, the recipe is sooo deceiving because even tho there’s only a few ingredients in them, they take foreverrr to make. xD BUT SO WORTH IT, ZOMG. xD
I really love this recipe, it’s my favorite, and has turned out the best IMHO: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/gale-gand/chocolate-peanut-butter-burgers-french-macaroons-recipe/index.html
Also for getting them to come off the sheet, I pour some really hot water inbetween my parchment paper and my baking sheet (over the sink!!) and it literally “steams” the cookies off the sheet! No breakage! Just deliciousness! :)
I think it’s totally worth it, I mean other than all the waiting there’s only really 15min worth of making them ^_^ So yummy! Oh that recipe looks good, peanut butter and chocolate yum! I’ll have to try the steaming idea, good though :D Thanks for commenting!
THANK YOU! I’ve been looking at French recipes all night and you just solved the almond meal part~ Most French cooking books talk about Almond flour which is pretty hard to come by when you’re not in Europe so I’ll definitely try that recipe =)
And I’m in love with your hear shapped mixing bowl~
Yes the almond flour part in French recipes confused me for aaages! I didn’t even think I would be able to find Almond meal here but it was cleverly hidden in the health food section >_< My Mum bought be the mixing bowl and spoons for Christmas, I love them!!
wow u sure do make it sound easy! i wonder if i’ll need more than 10 failed attempts before i get a decent batch!
i better run off to try some macarons first to get an idea of what they should be like!! haha
I LOVE your heart shape mixing bowl.. where did u get it from??
Hahaha it’s all about trial and error, and even if they don’t turn out they still taste delicious :D I so want to express post you some of my macarons so you know what they taste like! The best I can describe it is they have a shell on the outside like an M&M and then when you take and bite it melts in your mouth like delicious sugary goodness…. mmm now I need to make some more!
Omg I totally forgot, the mixing bowls and spoons are from a little kiosk thing that seems to have set up at all the Westfield’s here. My Mum bought them for me for Christmas!
omg sounds yummy!! haha maybe i can attempt baking them w/o knowing what they taste like.. hahaha! hv to get my lazy a** to work ;)
so now i’ll hv 2 missions! BAKE and find cute mixing bowls!! :D
Oh if you can’t find any email me and I can mail you some of the mixing bowls! They were quite cheap I think. I’ll email you about it tonight!
Yummy, yummy, yummy, YUMMY ! :D
^_^ Definitely!
I laughed so hard at your description of the “crinkly little bottom feet”!
I have *never* been able to get macarons quite right, despite numerous attempts. I might take your recipe for a test drive this seekend. It seemed very thorough.
XD Glad to be of service! If you give it a go I’d love to see how it turns out :D
They look yummy! I think pistachio would be my fave. I think it’s great when you really, really want something and just go make it yourself…
Oh pistachio is sooooo yummy! They add a really savory level to counter all of the sweetness. I completely agree with you, I love being able to just do these whenever I want rather than having to wait for a place to open!
look so yummyyy !
Oh they were!
thankyouuuuuu !!!
I can’t wait to try it !
Just showed your picture to my friend, she said: “yuck? what’s that?” she just wait I’m going to make a batch and let her taste!
Haha I agree, make her some and she’ll never say yuck again!
good! want to try too!I got the mouth watering!
Heehee good luck! They are very yummy!
That is a MAMMOTH post, thankyou for being so thorough! I now feel like I can tackle the macaroon challenge!
Thank you so much for commenting :D If you give them a go, I would absolutely love to see your results!
Wow, I was seriously just saying to my fiancee the other day that I really wanted to consider making some macarons sometime soon! Thanks for the tutorial :) I really want to make some green tea flavoured ones but it looks like T2 doesn’t stock the matcha powder on their online store ;_; I’ll have to get my mum to do some city shopping for me >:D Tea2 is so awesome, I love their Turkish Apple and Strawberries and Cream! So yum to have it iced!
No worries! Oh they don’t stock it? I’m trying to remember what it was called, it’s quite a rip off from T2, mine cost around $24 for 30grams where as I’ve seen higher quality stuff at the markets for 100grams for $18 *_* I felt mighty silly after that! Oh you totally picked James and my favorite teas, mine is the Strawberries and Cream and his is the Turkish Apple!!
First off, I love your mixing bowls. I wish I could find a set like those in blue.
Secondly, thank you for posting this tutorial. Every time I look for a recipe for macarons in cookbooks there is always mixed reviews on the taste.
Another great post! ❤
I seriously love the mixing bowls, my Mum bought them for me ^_^ I hope you give it a go <3
u always looks so cute ^^
thanks you for the recipes they look yummy as :3
Aww thank you! I hope you enjoy the recipe!
omg, these came out FREAKING AMAZING! I AM JEALOUS OF YOUR BAKING SKILLS!
xxoo
XD They really aren’t that hard to make! I’m not a good baker at all, just quite obsessive ;)
Great looking recipe and I ADORE your heart shaped mixing bowl…squeal of pleasure.
Heehee thank you so much!
Yay so cool! How awesome you can make macarons. What flavours will you try next?
:-D
Oh I really want to try more fruity ones like strawberry etc and I’ve heard rose are delicious. I think they are definitely next on the agenda :D
I ADORE your heart shaped bowls and measure spoons! I’ve seen the spoons before but never the bowls, I’m gonna get them in the future ;D
Macarons are fun, I’ll try cooking them once, lol. But what I will do as soon as I can find a microwave owen are the strawberry daifuku you posted before! I can’t wait *-*
Oh thank you! My Mum bought them for me for Christmas ^_^ Oh you totally have to try to daifuku, they are so yummy!
Hey you guys, this heart-shaped thing actually got the better of me, as I’ve yet to find a Westfield in the new area I’ve moved to. So, I did some googling, and found this: http://www.littlebetsybaker.com.au/store/pc/Heart-Shaped-Bowl-143p962.htm
I’m not sure if it’s the same as your bowl with the handle, Violet, but it looks very similar, and another page has the measuring cups. I’m definitely grabbing these, they are too cute!
Hahaha, it got the better of a couple of people! I think that might be the same, or if not very similar. My Mum sent me a link to where you can get the one she bought me online too so I will post both of them up today :D Thank you!
I saw macarons in Paris for the very first time…they’re just colorful and cute and the taste awesome^^
greets
They are really cute! And very yummy too :D
Haha what a macaron addict!!! ^_^
I know! It’s an obsession now ^_^
Your macaroons came great! I’ve heard they’re really hard to make. It looks like you’ve been making them for years :)
They can be really fickle, I made them yesterday and it was a complete failure! I think it’s as much having patience to do it over and over again XD
Hee Hee, I’m making some right now on my day off, I’m only at Batch 1 and I can just tell it will be disasterous! I think I need to beat the eggs a little longer and mix it together more gently, none-the-less I’ll see how turns out rather than scrapping right now! They’re resting on the table, I’ll send pictures if I eventually get them to turn out ok! I really wanted to have a nice afternoon tea with my family on Easter sunday so I’m hoping to get some presentable Macarons by then – T2 has chocolate tea for Easter :O Crazy-awesome!
XD How did they end up turning out? It seriously is hit and miss sometimes, I thought I had my routine down to fine art but last week I decided to double the ingredients and it was a DISASTER! Omg I have the T2 chocolate tea!! It’s awesome :D Good luck with it!
Is there anyway you could substitute brown sugar or something for the almond meal? I want to make them, but my fiance has serious nut allergies >_< Also, your tutorials are made of adorable, I just read the strawberry mochi one as well, and I'm -so- impatient to try them!
Hello ^_^ Sorry I don’t think you could substitute brown sugar for the almond meal as that is the part that holds it all together. I’m not an expert but I think that the almond meal is basically what makes it a macaron >_< Allergies suck! Aww thank you very much, I hope you can try the mochi one!
I was just craving some macaroons and spent part of the day searching out a good recipe!
My very first thought was “Violet should have one… hasn’t she made and blogged about several different batches of them?” But I couldn’t find a post with the recipe…
Then, I checked my email this evening and there was a comment update message from your website, and when I went to check it out, what did I find in the “related posts” field but this post! Yay! I KNEW you had to have posted a recipe. Apparently this is the universe’s way to telling me that I NEED to make your recipe and quickly.
I’ll have to see about gathering all the ingredients together though…
I’m pretty sure icing sugar= powdered/confectioner’s sugar (here in the states), but the almond meal and the caster sugar I don’t really know about… I’ll have to scope out the local grocery stores, maybe the health food one will have the almond meal?
Sydney recently blogged about..Friday night
Oh yay! I’m glad you found the recipe! In case you ever need to find it again it’s on the tutorials page :D I think icing sugar might be confectioner’s sugar in the US, it’s the same stuff you make cake icing from… Almond meal might be called ground almonds and it will probably in the health food section. Caster sugar is basically just sugar that has been ground more finely ^_^ Hope that helps, let me know how they turn out!
This makes my life sooo much easier! I hadn’t thought that that almond meal might be ground almonds! I’m pretty sure I know exactly where to get it now! I guess I thought it had some other special ingredients in it or something… never crossed my mind that it was JUST almonds, haha.
If you make icing out of icing sugar then I’m 99.9% sure that it is powdered sugar, so at least thats settled. The caster sugar I googled, and I can just make some from regular sized sugar in the food processor if I can’t find any, so now I just have to out there and get everything! But since I’m pretty much a fail baker… I’ll have to purchase stuff to make more than one batch! So I can get it wrong enough to get it right.
Sydney recently blogged about..Friday night
Oh I’m really glad to help XD Make sure you let me know how it goes!
I made some today! I ended up having to change a few things, but all in all, it wasn’t a bad first try.
I do hope you don’t mind, but when I wrote about it on my blog, I mentioned that I was using your recipe, and copied and pasted the ingredients to my blog. You can check it all out here:
http://laceandbuttons.blogspot.com/2010/08/macaroons-from-australia-with-love-to.html
If for any reason you see something that you would like changed or removed please let me know, and thanks for all the effort that you put into your blog!
Yay!! Of course you are more than welcome to link etc :D Thank you so much for showing me I’m off to look now!
You are so inspirational and friendly!
You make everything look so easy & fast, but I’m going try out this recipe since it has your thumb’s up. I love almond flavor & anything with meringue in it.
Life is very difficult & stressful at times, but you really make it look pretty and happy. Thank you!
Aww Lizzie, thanks so much for commenting, I’m really glad to brighten your day! I really hope the recipe works out for you, I’d love to see photos when you finish! Good luck :D
I tried those today but they turned out horrible T.T
I have like 5 nice macarons but the other didnt work out. I have a really shitty oven I guess thats why they turned out so bad. buhu.
Oh no! I’m sorry they didn’t work out for you. If only 5 of them worked it’s probably because your oven didn’t have a consistent temperature You might need to wait longer for it to heat up properly or try another over, macarons can be very fickle so everything has to be completely perfect!
They do look delectable violet – next MBBE meet needs to have them on the menu :)
Hahaha ok I’ll see what I can do!