French Macarons

• servings: 30 servings
• total time: 2 hours

Ingredients

120 g superfine almond flour

115 g confectioners' sugar

3 (100 g.) large egg whites

1/4 tsp. cream of tartar

100 g granulated sugar

8 drops pink food coloring

Preserves

A piping bag and a 1/2" round tip

Directions

Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment. In a fine-mesh sieve, shake flour and confectioners’ sugar into a large bowl, breaking up any flour or almond clumps with a fork. Discard solids in sieve (should be no more than 1 tablespoon).

In the large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites and cream of tartar on medium-low speed until frothy, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Increase mixer speed to medium and, with the motor running, slowly add granulated sugar, about 1 tablespoon at a time and waiting until dissolved before adding more (this should take 3 to 4 minutes).

Increase speed to medium-high and continue to beat until small stiff peaks form when whisk is removed and flipped point-up, 1 to 2 minutes more (do not overmix).

Remove bowl from stand mixer and sprinkle half of flour mixture over egg white mixture. Using a flexible rubber spatula, fold in flour mixture in smooth, sweeping strokes, working around sides of bowl with an occasional stroke through the middle, until just incorporated. Add food coloring and remaining flour mixture and continue to fold until incorporated and you can draw a complete figure 8 in the batter without it breaking (do not overmix).

Transfer batter to piping bag fitted with 1/2" round tip. Holding piping bag so tip is 1" above and perpendicular to prepared sheet, pipe 1" circles in rows, spacing 1" apart, as macaron will spread. Using both hands, pick up tray about 2" above work surface and lightly bang against surface twice to expel any air pockets. Repeat with second prepared sheet. Using last bits of batter, glue corners of parchment to baking sheets.

Let rest at room temperature until dry to the touch on top, 15 to 45 minutes, depending on the humidity in the room.

Place a rack in center of oven; preheat to 325°. Bake macarons one baking sheet at a time, rotating after 8 minutes, until firm to the touch on top and crisp, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool.

Arrange half of shells on a clean, dry baking sheet flat side up. Scoop 1/2 teaspoon jam onto flat sides, then close with remaining shells rounded side up.

Make Ahead: Shells can be made 1 day ahead. Store in an airtight container at room temperature, or freeze up to 1 month. Filled macarons can be made 5 days ahead. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate.

Notes

Don’t overwhip your meringue:

After you’ve slowly incorporated the sugar into the whisking egg whites, you’ll need to raise the mixer speed to medium high and whip just until the meringue forms small stiff peaks when the whisk is lifted out of the batter and flipped upside down. This last stage of beating will only take 30 to 90 seconds, so watch closely and check as soon as you think it might be ready. If you overwhip the meringue (you’ll see it suddenly looking chunky), it will not work in the macaron batter. At that point, your best bet is to throw it out and start again.

Look for the figure 8:

Folding the almond flour mixture into the egg whites isn't difficult. What can be tricky is knowing when to stop folding. Basically, your goal is to deflate the meringue (that’s now containing the almond flour mixture) to just the right point. You’ll know you’ve reached that point when you can successfully draw a figure 8 with the batter flowing off the spatula without it breaking. If you mix past this point, the batter will become runny and the macarons will bake flat. If, on the other hand, you don’t mix enough, they might be bumpy on top. Full disclosure: I tend to stop folding too early. But it’s better to stop just a little early than too late.

Bang those pans:

As soon as one sheet is filled with piped macaron shells, lift that sheet with both hands about 2 inches off the counter (making sure to keep it even!) and bang it firmly twice. (Banging helps release air pockets, which might cause the macarons to crack on top or rise unevenly in the oven.)

Let the piped shells rest before baking:

Once piped, it’s critical that the tops of the piped shells are allowed to dry and form a skin before baking. This skin means that the macarons will release steam from the bottom instead of the top as they bake, resulting in that gorgeous foot. Resting time can vary widely depending on the humidity of your kitchen, so use your common sense. The shells should be completely dry to the touch before baking. When in doubt, let them rest 15 minutes longer.

Let the filled cookies mature for 24 hours after filling:

Macarons can be filled with a variety of different things, including preserves, chocolate ganache, and french buttercream. Whatever filling you choose, keep in mind that the assembled macarons will taste best if you let them chill overnight in the refrigerator. This allows the shells and the filling to gel together, becoming a cohesive package. You’ll be able to eat them a lot easier, and they’ll taste a lot more delicious as well.