Name: French Vanilla Macarons
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 16 min
Total time: 56 min
Yield: 24 macarons
Ingredients: Macaron Shells; ⅔ cup ground blanched almonds/almond flour; 1½ cups confectioners’ sugar; 3 large egg whites, room temperature; 5 tablespoons granulated sugar; 1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract; Food coloring gel, optional

Sweets

French Vanilla Macarons

Author: Mary DiSomma

When my cousin Joey proposed to his wife in front of the Eiffel Tower, of course Lauren said, “Yes!” It wasn’t long before they asked me to be in charge of their wedding dessert table, and my daughter Madeline suggested that I make macarons… hundreds of macarons… in honor of Joey’s Parisian proposal. I’d never done a macaron before, but I’m not one to shy away from a challenge, especially if it’s cookie related!

French Vanilla Macarons

Discover the secrets to perfect vanilla French macaron shells—the ideal base for any flavor macaron. Master macaronage and before you know it you’ll be making a whole macaron tower!

Yield: 24 macarons
Prep Time: 40 minutes 40 min
Cook Time: 16 minutes 16 min
Total Time: 56 minutes 56 min

Ingredients

Macaron Shells

⅔ cup ground blanched almonds/almond flour
1½ cups confectioners’ sugar
3 large egg whites, room temperature
5 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
Food coloring gel, optional

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Using a sheet of parchment paper, draw 48 one-inch circles on the paper, spacing them at least an inch apart. You can use the wide end of a large pastry tip for the circles. Lay this paper on a baking sheet, with the drawn circles face down. You can also use a preprinted macaron mat.
Place the ground almonds and confectioners' sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Process until you have a fine powder. Sift the almond flour mixture through a fine-mesh sieve twice. Transfer the dry ingredient mixture onto a clean piece of parchment paper.
Place the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer. Whip on high speed until the egg whites are foamy. With the mixer on medium-high, gradually add the sugar to the egg whites. Add your vanilla, If you want to color the shells, you can add a few drops of food coloring gel at this point. Beat on high speed until stiff peaks form, about 1 minute.
Pick up the parchment paper that has the almond mixture on it. Using a wide spatula, carefully fold half the mixture into the whipped egg whites. When the first batch of the almond mixture is incorporated, add the remaining dry mixture, scooping it up from the bottom of the bowl.
Once the almond mixture has been incorporated, press and spread out the batter against the sides of the bowl. Using the macaronage method, scoop the macaron batter from the bottom and spread it on the sides of the bowl, pressing with the spatula. Repeat this step 10 to 15 times. The batter should form ribbons into the bowl when lifted with a spatula. A good method of checking the batter is to form the ribbons and count to 30. If the ribbons fade into the batter, it is ready. If the ribbons are still present, do a few more macaronage turns. It is better to err on under-folding the batter. If the batter is too loose, the macarons will be flat and not have their distinctive “foot.”
Place a ¼-inch round tip in a piping bag. Fill the bag halfway with batter. Squeeze the batter into the center of the traced circles. The piped macaron batter tends to spread slightly, so avoid filling the circle in completely.
Firmly tap the tray on the countertop several times to remove air bubbles. Allow piped macarons to dry out at room temperature, uncovered, for 15 to 30 minutes. A slight crust should form on top of the macarons. If the batter does not stick to your finger when you touch them, the drying process is complete. If they are still a bit wet, allow them to dry a little longer.
Nest the tray of macarons onto another baking tray. Doubling the trays helps prevent the macarons from over-browning on the bottoms.
Using the middle and bottom racks of the oven, bake until cookies are slightly crisp, about 14 to 16 minutes. Tap on the side of a cookie. If the top of the cookie moves and the bottom is still tacky, they are not done. If the inside of the macarons is still soft, cover the tray with foil and continue to bake for an additional 2 to 3 minutes so the tops do not brown.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 1 minute on the pan. Carefully move the parchment with the macarons on it to your countertop and allow them to cool completely. After the macarons are cooled, finish with the filling of your choice. The macaron shells can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for 2 days. They can also be frozen for up to 4 months.
Prepare your buttercream of choice (see below). Using a pastry bag fitted with a small round tip, pipe a circle of buttercream on the flat side of half of the shells. Top with another shell and press lightly.

View Mary's Tips

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Classic Buttercream Frosting

This simple frosting is perfect for beginners and longtime bakers alike. With these easy variations, you can turn this classic into seasonal favorites.

Yield: 2 Cups
Prep Time: 10 minutes 10 min
Cook Time: 0 minutes0 min
Total Time: 10 minutes 10 min

Ingredients

For the Basic Buttercream

1⁄2 cup (4 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 to 2 tablespoons heavy cream, as needed to make a spreadable frosting

For the Variations

Peppermint: Replace the vanilla extract with peppermint extract. For a festive crunch, add 1⁄4 cup finely chopped hard peppermint candies or candy canes to the buttercream
Limoncello: Replace the vanilla extract with a teaspoon of lemon juice and substitute the heavy cream with limoncello.
Raspberry or blueberry: Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of seedless raspberry or blueberry jam. You may not need the additional cream.
Chocolate: Replace 1⁄2 cup of the confectioners’ sugar with cocoa powder. Make sure to sift the cocoa powder with the 11⁄2 cups confectioners’ sugar.

Instructions

Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until smooth.
With the mixer on low, gradually add the confectioners’ sugar along with the vanilla and enough heavy cream to make a spreadable frosting.
Store unused buttercream in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or freeze for later use.

A close-up of assorted colorful French macarons arranged in a white ceramic tray

Tips

Because I use this with so many different macaron fillings, I don't use vanilla bean paste or a vanilla bean pod. Instead, I use clear vanilla extract for an immaculate macaron shell. You can learn to make your own homemade vanilla extract, our purchase it. I sell a pretty great one!

Once you’ve mastered the basic vanilla shell (which is delicious all on its own, by the way), the possibilities really are endless: Pumpkin Spice for fall, and for Christmas, you can make this Gingerbread Buttercream tower!

There's a specific technique used when folding the batter for macaron shells, and it’s called macaronage. Macaronage is a specific process that involves whipping your egg whites, sifting your almond flour and sugar, and then folding the dry ingredients into the egg whites. And then there's the drying process that has to be done before those shells hit the oven.

Tip: If making two different colored shells, do not add the gel coloring when whipping the egg