Today I wanted to share the most basic macaron recipe possible, as an introduction to this blog. If you are following me on Instagram, then you have noticed that recently some new batch of macarons has been created, and here you will learn how those were made. Listen up!

Vanilla macaron recipe

Your shopping bag:

Macaron shell:

• 2 egg whites
• 70gr of almond flour
• 130gr of icing sugar
• 50gr of caster sugar
• Some recipes suggest adding a pinch of salt, but I never do it

The filling:

• 150gr of unsalted butter
• 75gr of caster sugar (or icing sugar)
• Pinch of vanilla powder

Once you got all your ingredients you can start with the process. My recommendation is to measure all the sugars and almonds in advance, because later on when you will be mixing egg whites there won’t be time for this. Some recipes suggest to have your eggs cold, some say better if they are at room temperature: I tried both and all works quite well. Also try to keep egg whites for 24 hours in your fridge and use them the next day for your macarons. Some suggest that aged eggs work the best. Once you are ready just follow the following steps to create batter for your macaron shells:

1. Preheat your oven to 140-150 C.
2. Sieve well icing sugar as well as your almond flour. Those should be mixed together well. I would advice to sieve icing sugar with almonds, as almonds can be tricky.
3. In the clean and dry bowl whisk your egg whites, first on the slow speed for about a minute, then in the high speed until they look bubbly. Then add 1st half of your caster sugar, mix again for a minute and add more. Mix until meringue is created. Your final result should look creamy. You should be able to turn your bowl and nothing from it would drop on the floor!
4. Once egg part is ready you can start adding your sugar-almond mix into it. I would suggest to add it spoon by spoon, meaning after adding spoon or two, you mix it well together with the “meringue”. Mix it with the spatula, carefully collecting batter from the sides and bringing it to the middle. You need to get rid of the air that got in there while you were mixing the eggs. However, do not overtax your batter! Your macaron batter is ready when it would slowly fall back into the bowl as you raise the spatula. If you are not sure check out some videos on Youtube, there are plenty 🙂
5. Insert your batter in the piping bag. Place silicone mat (works better, believe me) on the baking tray. Then carefully pipe small blobs on it. You can use some template or order silicone mat with pre-made template for macarons to know exactly where to put your batter. Just ensure that there is some space between your macarons, so that they don’t stick all together.
6. Tap the baking tray gently, to remove all the remaining air from the macarons. This will also help batter to form better on the mat. This step is important!
7. Leave your macarons to dry for 30-60 minutes. When you touch them, they should not stick to your finger.
8. Bake your macarons for 15 minutes. Sometimes they can be ready a little bit earlier, it all depends on your oven.
9. Once they are ready, remove your batch from the oven and leave them to cool down. Do not try to remove them before they are completely cooled off, otherwise they can break or still be sticking to the mat.

Now you can move to creating the buttercream. Once you are ready, follow the steps:

1. Mix your butter with the caster sugar or icing sugar.
2. Once your butter is more creamy, add some vanilla powder and mix it in.
3. Tada! Your filling is ready, and you can start creating your macarons!

Take one macaron shell and add some cream on it using piping bag or spoon. Cover your creation with another macaron shell and… enjoy!

I am afraid this will be it for today, but do not worry, I will be back soon with new recipes, tips and ideas for a macaron bake party! Until then, best of luck to everyone!

Sweet times,

AdB.

PS: I believe that learning never stops, and if you have any useful tips or have some ideas for great designs and want to share them, please do! I will be happy to hear what you think.