These light and airy, delicate little French Macarons are filled with the best buttercream and are oh so pretty! They’re perfect for baby showers, Mother’s Day, a ladies tea or maybe you want to make a batch because you absolutely LOVE French Macarons! Well, now you can with our step-by-step instructions and this delicious recipe.
Our daughter-in-law, Jessica asked me to make French Macarons for their upcoming baby shower. I have to admit I was a little nervous, but they turned out beautiful and they’re really delicious! Jessica and Andy tried them and they said they taste just like the ones they buy at their bakery. YESSS!
I made 2 batches, the first batch I used just a little red food coloring gel and it gave the macarons a very soft champagne pink color.
The second batch I use a just a touch more red food coloring gel, which made them a little pinker. Feel free to use as much red food coloring gel to achieve the color you want. Or, use a different color altogether.
So, let’s get baking!
- Mix the almond flour and powdered sugar together with a whisk in a bowl. Then sift together over another bowl to remove any small particles. Discard the small particles.
- Put the room temperature egg whites in a clean, oil-free bowl (see notes in recipe). Add the cream of tartar and salt and mix on medium speed until foamy. If using a stand mixer use speed 4.
I need to give a BIG shout out to John, because he helped me, for over an hour, look through all our kitchen moving boxes to find this wire whip attachment. Thank you, John. Now, that’s what I call love! 🙂
- Gradually add the white sugar and mix on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. If using a stand mixer use speed 6.
- Add a tiny bit of red food coloring gel and continue to mix on medium-high speed until stiff peaks. If using a stand mixer use speed 6. Do not overbeat.
My first batch I beat the egg whites a little too stiff and some of my macarons cracked on top. So, make sure to stop beating the egg whites when you pull up the beater(s) and it forms a peak like shown above. As you can see the peaks are firm but not too stiff.
- Add the sifted almond flour and powdered sugar mixture and gently fold until blended, about 30-35 strokes.
- Put the batter into a Wilton Dessert Decorator Plus, or a pastry bag, with a round tip attached and pipe small rounds onto a silicone mat, or parchment paper lined baking sheets. I preferred using parchment paper because they didn’t crack on top and they came off the paper easily.
- Slam the baking sheet down on a counter a few times, to level the tops and pop any air bubbles. (See notes for more helpful smoothing tips).
- Allow the rounds to set for 30-60 minutes, or until they form a skin. This means they’re dry to the touch and won’t stick to your finger when gently touched.
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees F and bake for 13-15 minutes or until they form their iconic little crinkly feet at the base of the rounds and the tops don’t move when gently touched.
- Cool completely on baking sheets before removing.
Buttercream frosting:
- In a saucepan whisk together the milk and flour. Stir constantly over medium-high heat until thickened, this will take a few minutes. Set aside to cool until the bottom of the pan is warm to the touch. *To cool mixture quickly see note below.
- While the thickened milk mixture is cooling, beat the butter, sugar and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl until light and creamy, about a minute.
- Take the cooled, thickened milk mixture and give it a stir. Then add a tablespoon at a time to the butter mixture, beating on medium-high speed until all the milk mixture is added. Beat an additional minute or two until the frosting is smooth and extra creamy.
See the step by step instructions for our best buttercream
Assembling:
- Fill a Dessert Decorator Plus, or a pastry bag, with buttercream frosting and attach the round tip.
- Gently remove a macaron from the silicone mat or parchment paper. Pipe a small round of buttercream in the center, leaving a little room around the edge. Then place another macaron on top and gently press together until the buttercream reaches the edges.
If you’ve ever had a French Macaron before then you know how incredibly scrumptious they are! They literally melt in your mouth and have the most delightful texture and flavor. Filling these with our buttercream was the right thing to do, trust me this buttercream is to die for!
We hope you try our French Macarons and enjoy them as much as we do. If you make them, please snap a picture and tag us on social media @MySweetMission or #MySweetMission. We’d love to see it!
Also, please consider giving this recipe a star rating, sharing it or leaving a comment. Thanks, we really appreciate it!
French Macarons
Ingredients
French Macarons:
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 3 egg whites, room temperature
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- red food coloring gel, or color of choice
Buttercream frosting:
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 tablespoons unbleached or all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Macarons:
- Mix the almond flour and powdered sugar together with a whisk in a bowl. Then sift together over another bowl to remove any small particles. Discard the small particles.
- Put the room temperature egg whites in a clean, oil-free bowl (see notes). Add the cream of tartar and salt and mix on medium speed until foamy. If using a stand mixer use speed 4.
- Gradually add the white sugar and mix on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. If using a stand mixer use speed 6.
- Add a tiny bit of red food coloring gel and continue to mix on medium-high speed until stiff peaks. If using a stand mixer use speed 6. But, do not overbeat.
- Add the sifted almond flour and powdered sugar mixture and gently fold until blended, about 30-35 strokes.
- Put the batter into a Wilton Dessert Decorator Plus, or a pastry bag, with a round tip attached and pipe small rounds onto a silicone mat, or parchment paper lined baking sheets.
- Slam the baking sheet down on a counter a few times, to level the tops and pop any air bubbles. (See notes for more helpful smoothing tips).
- Allow the rounds to set for 30-60 minutes, or until they form a skin. This means they're dry to the touch and won't stick to your finger when gently touched.
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
- Bake in a preheated oven for 13-15 minutes or until they form their iconic little crinkly feet at the base of the rounds and the tops don't move when gently touched.
- Cool completely on baking sheets before removing.
Buttercream frosting:
- In a saucepan whisk together the milk and flour. Stir constantly over medium-high heat until thickened, this will take a few minutes. Set aside to cool until the bottom of the pan is warm to the touch. *To cool mixture quickly see note below.
- While the thickened milk mixture is cooling, beat the butter, sugar and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl until light and creamy, about a minute.
- Take the cooled, thickened milk mixture and give it a stir. Then add a tablespoon at a time to the butter mixture, beating on medium-high speed until all the milk mixture is added. Beat an additional minute or two until the frosting is smooth and extra creamy.
Assembling:
- Fill a Dessert Decorator Plus or a pastry bag with buttercream frosting and attach the round tip.
- Gently remove a macaron from the silicone mat or parchment paper. Pipe a small round of buttercream in the center, leaving a little room around the edge. Then place another macaron on top and gently press together until the buttercream reaches the edges.
Notes
- Put them in an airtight container.
- Store at room temperature for 24-48 hours.
- Refrigerate for up to 3 days.
- Freeze for up to 6 months and thaw before serving.
Nutrition
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More delicious cookie recipes you might also enjoy!
Lemon Meltaway Cookies
No Roll Frosted Sugar Cookies
Crispy Palmiers
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