Never too late to the game to tick these Basic French Macarons off my baking bucket list! Baking these do indeed bring a sense of accomplishment. However, the difficulty I face makes these Basic French Macarons to be of a love-hate relationship to me! As such, here’s a simple recipe with just four ingredients for practice, and with tips!

Firstly, it is important to use a food processor to make an even finer dry mixture. Store bought ones do still have lumps and I have tried for myself to much disappointment. Just keep processing it at high-speed for 5-6 minutes and stirring every now and then, you woukd have half the battle won. Moreover, make sure that the equipment is free of water or oil to prevent clumping!

Secondly, ensure the meringue has stiff peaks when you raise the mixer. Another way to assess it is by turning the bowl upside-down. Should your meringue remains in place and not slip out of the bowl, it is of stiff peaks.

Furthermore, prevent traces of oil or water contaminant by using a clean metal bowl. In addition, plastic bowls seem to trap oil despite being well washed.

Thirdly, cool your piped shells well enough until it forms a film that is no longer tacky / sticky. This ensures that your Basic French Macaron shells have hardened at the top for air to escape at the bottom to form the macaron’s feet.

Tips aside, these macarons are really delicious. They are fluffy yet crunchy, and the whipped dark chocolate ganache cream is a good complement.

I hope my sharing is of use and do feel free to ask if you have more questions! Without further ado, the recipe for my Basic French Macaron!

Basic French Macarons Recipe
by Javier Tan April-26-2020

Light, crisp and slightly chewy, these delicate Basic French Macarons are guaranteed to melt at the tip of your tongue leaving you wanting more!

Ingredients
For French Macarons (Weigh precision is important):

  • 100g Ground Almond
  • 180g Powdered Sugar
  • 3 Egg Whites (Left covered at room temperature for an hour)
  • 50g Caster / Granulated White Sugar
  • 1/4 Teaspoon or 2g Cream of Tartar (optional, stablize meringue)

For Whipped Chocolate Ganache:

  • 1 Cup or 220g Chocolate Chips, Semisweet
  • 1/2 Cup or 120g Heavy Whipping Cream

Instructions

  1. Place the ground almond and powdered sugar in a food processor at high-speed until its very fine (4 minutes). Use a spoon to dislodge those stuck at the side.
  2. Next, beat the egg whites at high speed for 2.5 minutes until frothy. Add in cream of tartar at the 1.5 minute mark if using.
  3. Then, add in approximately half the sugar and continue beating at high speed until it becomes less transparent.
  4. Add in the final half of the sugar and beat until you achieve stiff peaks (Click here for a more detailed walkthrough).
  5. Sift the ground almond and powdered sugar mixture and fold into into the meringue in three portions. (Sift in one third, fold in, then repeat three times).
  6. Transfer to a piping bag with a round circle tip.
  7. Then, pipe about 2.5cm to 3cm circles with 3-4cm gaps on baking tray lined with parchment paper. You can follow a drawn or printed template (but only fill until it is almost reaching the circle as it expands a little). Personally, I drawn my template in marker on a piece of parchment paper and placed it below another parchment paper over for piping.
  8. Gently hit the tray against the counter. Then, let it rest out for about 1 hour until the top is no longer sticky to touch (you can speed up by using a fan). 
  9. Bake for about 13 to 14 minutes or until it is lightly brown.
  10. Finally, set it aside to cool for an hour before letting them sit overnight in the refrigerator in an airtight container for it to soften.
  11. For the whipped chocolate ganache, heat chocolate chips and heavy whipping cream at medium low-heat until of a single consistency.
  12. Cool to room temperature before placing the chocolate ganache in the refrigerator for two 10-minute interval until its slightly firm.
  13. Whip it at high-speed using a hand-mixer for approximately 4 minutes.
  14. Pipe over the shells and enjoy! Do match the sizes of the shell so that you can form nice and even macarons!
Details
  • Prep time: 1 hour
  • Cook time: 4
  • Total time: 2
  • Yield: 25 Amazing Basic French Macarons!

Notes:

  1. If you would like to be updated for more recipes which I strive to create to perfection for sharing and for free, do check out my Instagram, Facebook Page, or YouTube 🙂 Thank you so much for all of your support! Feel free to tag me or link back here!
  2. Store in refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Optimally, eat it in the second day!

Enjoy!
– Bakeomaniac, Javier Tan