Macarons are the most dainty French cookie with a crunchy exterior and chewy interior, where the colorfully filled center uses buttercream, ganache, or jam. Elegantly recognized by their gleaming colors, macarons can be intimidating due to their dexterity techniques in preparation. But patience helps you master the art of making attractive macarons in your own kitchen!

In this recipe, everything you need to know for making perfect classic French macarons can be found with a few tips in the finishing.

Classic French Macarons Ingredients

For making the macaron shells:

Almond Flour: 100 grams-used and sifted to ensure the superfine texture
Powdered Sugar: 100 grams
Egg Whites: 70 grams or approximately 2 large egg whites aged overnight in the fridge
Granulated Sugar: 50 grams
Food Coloring: Using gel or powder coloring, because liquid could affect the filling consistency.
Filling: Buttercream, Ganache, or Jam
Butter: 1/4 cup for buttercream, softened
Powdered Sugar: 1 cup if using buttercream
Heavy Cream or Chocolate: As needed for ganache fillings
Flavoring Extract: 1/2 teaspoon, such as vanilla, almond, or raspberry
Step 1: To Do the Dry Ingredients
Sift the almond flour and the powdered sugar in a big mixing bowl. This step is to prevent lumps that will undoubtedly affect the final texture of the shells.
Whisk them together again so that they will also be uniformly and aerated. Set aside this mixture.

Step 2: Whip the Meringue
Start beating the egg whites at a medium speed with a stand or hand mixer in a dry, clean bowl.

Add granulated sugar gradually as the egg whites froth up. Continue to beat until they become stiff, glossy peaks, around 5-7 minutes.

If you desire colored shells, add some food coloring. Gel or powdered food coloring is best with macarons because it will not disturb the meringue consistency.

Check your peaks: Stiff peaks to hold their shape when you turn the bowl upside down. This is the most basic meringue quality you will need in making structure on a macaron.

Step 3: Macaronage or Folding Technique
Macaronage: the almond flour mixture will be mixed with the meringue. Folding is essential to get the right consistency.

Combine the dry ingredients with the meringue in two stages. Fold gently, applying pressure by scraping the spatula along the sides of the bowl and carrying the mixture to the center. Continue doing this motion until all the ingredients are fully incorporated.

Taste the consistency: The batter should flow like lava and, when lifted by spatula, form ribbons. One good way to test the consistency is to let the batter drop into the bowl. If it settles on itself in 10 seconds, it is ready. Otherwise, continue folding, but do not overmix.

Step 4: Piping Macarons
Fill the piping bag with macaron batter and fit with a round tip.

Pipe small circles about 1 inch in diameter onto the baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Each shell should be pretty close in size to ensure even baking.

Tap out any air bubbles trapped inside the shells on the counter with some taps of the baking sheet. You do not want any remaining air bubbles to create holes or cracks in the shells, so pop any you see with a toothpick.

Allow the shells to rest 30-60 minutes. This resting stage is crucial because it will allow the shells to develop a “skin” on the surface; this skin prevents cracking while baking and allows for the ruffled edges to develop. They are ready when the touch test will cause them to feel like the surface has an honest attempt at dryness.

Step 5: Baked Macarons
As they cool, preheat your oven to 300°F (150°C). Place the rack to the centre for even baking.
Toss the shells in the oven for 14-16 minutes, toss half way through. When they lift off the parchment paper well without sticking to the surface, it is done.
Cool completely on the baking sheet as you transport them; otherwise, they tend to crumble. This cooling helps them set and not break apart.

Step 6: Choose and Prepare the Filling
One can get really imaginative with fillings. Here are some of the most common ones:

Buttercream
Cream 1/4 cup softened butter in a mixing bowl until fluffy. Add 1 cup of powdered sugar and gradually mix until smooth. Add a flavor extract, such as vanilla or almond, if desired.
Add 1 to 2 teaspoons heavy cream if you want it thinner.
Chocolate Ganache
Heat 1/4 cup of heavy cream until warm, but do not boil. Pour over 1/2 cup of chopped chocolate. Step back for 2 minutes. Then gently stir until smooth. Allow slightly to cool until it thickens to a spreadable consistency.
Jam
Use a favorite jam or fruit spread for a simple, yet flavorful filling.
Step 7: Assemble the Macarons
Shell by size, that is how they assemble, since baked macarons come in different size measurement.

Fill a minute portion of the filling inside one shell, put on top another shell calmly as to sandwich.

Let macarons refrigerate for about 24 hours before eating; the best time to experience how flavorful it is with nice chew.

Tips for Perfect Macarons
Age the Egg Whites: Let egg whites sit in the fridge 24-48 hours before using. This does two things: dries them a tad which will help your meringue to come out stiffer, and also kill off the jellyfish-like creatures that can live in egg whites, which can cause them to go bad rather quickly in some refrigerators.

Weigh Ingredients: Macarons is a recipe very sensitive to ingredient proportions so weighing will yield measurements correct and results will vary less from batch to batch.

Check Oven Temperature: A thermometer helps you maintain a steady temperature. Too high and the shells crack; too low and the shells do not develop feet.

Avoid Overmixing and Undermix: The batter should be smooth but not runny. Fold until it resembles molten lava.

Practice Patience: Macarons get better with each batch. Start making small adjustments if the first batch isn’t perfect. Each attempt will teach you about timing, oven temperature, and consistency.

Variations to Try
Once you understand how to make the basics, try experimenting with flavors and colors:

Matcha Macarons: Add a teaspoon of matcha powder to the dry ingredients for a green tea flavor.
Chocolate Macarons: Add a tablespoon of cocoa powder to the almond flour mixture.
Lavender Macarons: You should use lavender extract in the butter cream and just a hint of purple food coloring.
Enjoying Your Macarons
It is very rewarding to make macarons at home where, not only can you experiment with a host of flavors, colors, and even textures, but macarons will add a level of elegance and fun to your events, whether entertaining loved ones or enjoying them yourself.

With a little time, patience, and practice, your home-made macarons can be as beautiful and delectable as those in a patisserie on the streets of Paris. Enjoy each chewy, flavorful bite and celebrate your baking success!