Learn how to make macarons with a Swiss-style meringue. This macaron guide is perfect for beginners to understand the fundamentals of making Swiss method macarons.
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This macaron recipe is made with a Swiss style meringue. This type of meringue is made by combining egg whites and granulated sugar in a bowl and then heating the mixture over a double boiler (bain marie).
This guide will walk you step by step through how to make macarons using Swiss meringue. Plus, since macarons can be finicky and troublesome to make, I've created a whole troubleshooting guide to fix any mistakes you may make along the way.
You can rest assured that this recipe has been reliably tested (over 20 times) and has proven successful in many different home kitchens.
You can use this classic Swiss macaron recipe along with any of your favorite fillings. Don't forget to dye your macaron shell to match the filling recipe.
I promise this easy Swiss macaron recipe is perfect for both beginners and macaron experts. If you have any trouble along the way, feel free to comment below, and I'll do my best to help you out.
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What You'll Learn In This Recipe
- The qualities of a traditional macaron.
- How the ingredients used in Swiss-style macarons affect the final product.
- The most important steps to get correct in order to bake perfect macarons.
- Troubleshooting steps to try if your macarons aren't turning out correctly.
Enjoy learning tips about making macarons? Sign up for my free macaron template and email series. You'll learn my favorite tricks for achieving perfect macarons.
Qualities of a Good Macaron
There are some qualities that good Swiss method macarons have. You'll want to try to achieve these within your own macarons:
- Crispy (not too soft) top. You don't want the top to crack when you touch it.
- Small feet with a slight vertical rise. You don't want lopsided or ruffled feet that are spread out on the sides.
- Full, slightly chewy interior. You don't want a large hollow gap between the top and bottom, although this is one of the hardest things to get correct and can take some practice!
- Equal-sized top & bottom shells. You don't want small and large shells paired together to make one full macaron.
Ingredients You Need
Super fine almond flour: This ingredient is made from almonds that are ground into a fine powder. Almond flour adds a subtle but delicious flavor to macaron cookies. Make sure to sift the almond flour to remove any large clumps which could lead to bumpy shells.
Confectioners' sugar: This is another one of the dry ingredients used in macarons. Confectioners' sugar is sifted together with the almond flour to create a smooth shell.
Egg whites: Egg whites are the base of the meringue. As air is beaten into the egg whites, some of the egg proteins unfold. These unfolded proteins turn into a strong network of air bubbles. This ingredient provides a strong base to the macarons.
Cream of tartar: Adding an acid to the meringue helps to stabilize the egg whites. This is especially important in this French macaron recipe since it leads to a firmer, more stable merginue.
Granulated sugar: While making the meringue, you'll add in granulated sugar. The sugar helps to build up the structure of the egg whites.
Gel food coloring: Liquid food coloring will not work. Be sure to use a gel or powdered food coloring. These types of food coloring won't add too much liquid to your macaron batter, yet they create bright and vibrant colored shells.
If you're interested in learning more about the science of macarons, check out this article about macaron ingredients.
How To Make This Recipe
Here's a step by step photo guide to making Swiss method macarons:
1. Prep Work
Before you start baking the macarons, there's some prep work you need to complete. This will help set you up for success:
- Separate the egg whites from the egg yolks.
- Measure all of the dry ingredients using a digital kitchen scale. Measuring by weight ensures your ingredients are accurately weighed.
- Sift the almond flour and confectioners' sugar together twice. Discard any large pieces of almond flour that may cause your shells to be bumpy.
- Wipe down the stand mixer bowl and whisk attachment with a little white vinegar on a paper towel to remove any leftover oils. Fats interfere with the aeration of the egg whites and can ruin your meringue.
- Print off a macaron template. Place them on a light-colored sheet pan underneath a piece of parchment paper. You can also opt for a silicone baking mat or Teflon mat.
- Prepare your piping bag with a ½ inch round tip. Push part of the side of the piping bag into the piping tip to ensure nothing leaks out. Set the bag inside a tall glass, and pull the remaining top of the piping bag out over the outside of the glass to make pouring the batter easy and clean.
2. Make Swiss Style Meringue
First, you’ll need to find a saucepan that’s small enough that you can rest your stand mixer bowl on it. The goal is to make a double boiler (or bain marie), so the saucepan should perfectly allow the stand mixer bowl to sit on top.
Once you’ve found a saucepan that will work, fill it partway with water, and bring the water to a boil. You don’t want the water too high in the saucepan. We’re just using the steam from the water, so make sure the water will not touch the bottom of the stand mixer bowl once it’s boiling.
Next, add the egg whites, granulated sugar, and cream of tartar to the stand mixer bowl and whisk together. Since we’re heating the egg whites with a double boiler, they don’t have to sit out and come to room temperature for this meringue method.
Once the water is boiling, reduce the heat to medium-high, so we can ensure the boiling water doesn’t become too aggressive and start boiling high enough to touch the stand mixer bowl.
Place the stand mixer bowl on top of the water to create a bain marie (double boiler). Whisk the egg mixture, stirring constantly, until the mixture reaches 100°F (38°C) on an instant-read thermometer.
This is a quick process, around 30 seconds to 1 minute. The goal of this process is to dissolve the sugar, which you can actually double check that you’ve done correctly by pinching some of the mixture between your fingers to see if you feel any sugar granules. Remember, it will still be hot.
Once that’s done, carefully remove the hot bowl from the heat, and transfer it over to the stand mixer. Turn your mixer on medium-high speed. For my KitchenAid, this is speed 8.
With Swiss meringue, at the soft peaks stage, the meringue is glossy but very runny and flimsy. There’s not very much structure in the meringue quite yet. Remember to add in some gel food dye at this stage, and continue mixing the meringue.
After a few more minutes of whipping, you'll arrive at medium peaks. Similar to the other types of meringue, once it hits medium peaks you’ll notice the meringue still feels slightly flimsy and doesn’t have much resistance when you run the whisk through it. There’s not enough resistance to bake up good quality macarons.
If you were to stop at this stage and finish making the macarons, they would turn out very fragile with tops that break easily and ruffled feet.
Be sure to also lift the whisk off of the mixer, and scoop up a bit of meringue to check it. Medium peaks fold over on themselves, rather than standing straight up like stiff peaks.
Continue whipping! Be sure you’re checking for the visual indicators that will show you the meringue has whipped to stiff peaks.
You’ll know you’re ready to check for stiff peaks once you see noticeable indentations left in the meringue from the whisk as well as see the meringue balling up inside the whisk.
Here’s how your Swiss meringue will look once it’s reached stiff peaks:
- You’ll notice that parts of the egg whites stand straight up (no curl on the end)
- You’ll see these pointy off-shoots of egg whites on the whisk and mixing bowl
- Finally, when you whisk the meringue, it feels sturdy and has some resistance.
Now, remember, it is possible to overwhip the meringue, past stiff peaks. If this happens, the meringue starts to look curdled. Parts or all of an overwhipped meringue start to take on a rough looking texture and a more dull coloring.
3. Mix In Dry Ingredients
Grab a heavy-duty silicone spatula, and fold the sifted almond flour & confectioners' sugar into the meringue.
Continue until all the meringue is fully incorporated, and no dry bits of almond flour remain on the bottom of the bowl.
4. Macaronage (Mix) Batter
Next, it's time to macaronage the batter. This is another important step to correctly perform.
Macaronage is a term that refers to folding the dry macaron ingredients (almond flour and confectioners' sugar) into the meringue. This process smooths the mixture and helps the macarons bake with proper structure.
To properly macaronage, you will continue folding the batter until it reaches a lava-like consistency. You can test this by lifting your spatula and seeing if the batter drops almost like lava. Once it drops off the spatula, the batter that was dripped should fade back into the batter within 10 - 15 seconds (not immediately).
Additionally, the almond flour should look blended into the meringue (not lumpy).
Many home bakers who are new to baking macarons will over macaronage the batter. If you're unsure if your batter has been properly macaronaged, it's better to under macaronage a bit since the batter will still be worked in the piping bag.
5. Pipe Macaron Shells
Pour the batter into the prepared piping bag. Hold the bag vertically, and gently pipe 1.5 inch (3.8 cm) circles. Once you have reached the desired size, release the pressure on the bag and twist your wrist without lifting up.
Here are some tips for improving your piping technique:
- Try not to move the piping bag to ensure you pipe an even circle.
- The macarons will spread slightly once they're piped, so pipe them .25" smaller than you want them to be after they have been baked.
- Flick your wrist after you've piped the desired size to cleanly finish off each macaron.
6. Pop Air Bubbles
Tap the sheet pan down the counter a few times to release any air bubbles. You can tap the pan fairly aggressively, so don't be scared! Failure to do this could result in cracked macarons.
You can pop any air bubbles that rise to the top with a toothpick.
7. Dry Macaron Shells
Before baking the macarons, allow the batter to sit on the counter and dry for 45 - 60+ minutes until a thin "skin" develops, and you can touch the tops without ruining the macaron. This may take up to 90+ minutes if you live in a humid climate or it's a rainy day.
If you're having trouble with this, check out my tips for how to fix macarons that aren't drying.
While the macarons are drying, heat your oven to 300°F (150°C). If this is your first time making macarons, you might want to experiment with the oven temperature to find out the best temperature range for your home oven.
8. Bake Macarons
Once the macarons are done drying, bake one sheet at a time on the center rack of the oven for 19 - 23 minutes. Check that the macarons have fully baked using the following tests:
- The feet and the edge of the macarons feel firm when you gently touch them.
- It feels like you could forcibly lift the macaron shell off the parchment paper if you needed to (don't actually do this, just use it as a test).
- If you touch the shell and it wiggles, is still sticky, or is wet, you know the macarons need longer to bake.
8. Fill Macarons
Finally, allow the macarons to fully cool. Then, it's time to pipe your filling of choice on the inside. Check out this list of my favorite macaron filling recipes if you need some inspiration.
Some of my favorite fillings include this five-ingredient vanilla buttercream, a 20 minute chocolate ganache, or white chocolate ganache.
Don't forget to be creative, and decorate your macarons or use different macaron piping tips to make fun designs with the filling.
Mature the macarons with the filling in the refrigerator overnight. This will allow the macarons to slightly soften and develop a deeper flavor. Be sure to pay attention to the storage instructions of each filling to see how long they will last.
After you've mastered this Swiss base recipe, try inventing your own flavor combinations. I've got lots of ideas about how to flavor macarons for a unique taste.
Expert Tips
There are a few crucial steps you must get correct in order to achieve perfect macarons:
First, you must perfectly whip your meringue. Both overwhipped and under whipped meringue can cause many problems such as cracked macarons, ruffled feet, or soft shells.
Here are some visual cues you can use to know that your meringue has whipped to stiff peaks:
- You'll notice the meringue starts to ball up inside the whisk while it's mixing.
- Pull the whisk out of the mixer. A stiff peak should stand straight up (no curl at the tip).
- You can fully flip the bowl over and nothing moves or falls out.
- The meringue feels sturdy (not flimsy).
If you're a visual learner, here's a photo guide that shows the various stages of meringue:
Next, you'll need to properly macaronage the macaron batter. This refers to the process of folding the egg whites into the almond flour and confectioners' sugar.
To macaronage, slowly spread the mixture along the side of the bowl, then wipe it back down. Be sure to do this gently.
Repeat this process until the mixture has reached a smooth, shiny, and flowing consistency. You can test this by lifting your spatula and seeing if the batter drops almost like lava.
Once the batter drops back into the bowl, it should take about 10 - 15 seconds for the ribbon that formed to "disappear" back into the rest of the batter.
Over macaronaged batter is very thin and runny. When you pour it off the spatula it almost immediately disappears back into the macaron batter.
When in doubt, it's better to under macaronage. A batter that's too runny will not produce the macarons you're looking for.
Finally, it's important to dial in your oven temperature. Slight changes in temperature can make the difference between ruined macarons and perfect macarons.
I'd suggest conducting an experiment with your home oven to find the perfect temperature range since every home oven varies slightly with the amount of heat it radiates.
Here's an example of my home oven experiment and the results I got from various temperatures. You can read more about how to conduct your own oven temperature experiment if you're interested.
Macaron Troubleshooting Tips
Are you having trouble with your macaron shells turning out correctly? Don't worry! Use this troubleshooting guide or check out the frequently asked questions below.
Here are a few common causes of flat macarons:
1. The oven is too hot or too cold: If your oven is too low, you'll notice that the macarons won't properly rise. Not only will they be flatter than a normal macaron, but the feet will be short (under 2 millimeters), and the tops will likely be wrinkly or indented.
On the other hand, if your oven is too hot, the shells will be flat because proper feet will not form. The macarons will bake too quickly on the outside, leaving a moist interior that doesn't properly rise.
2. You under whipped the meringue: You didn't whip your meringue to stiff peaks. Under whipped meringue won't be strong enough to properly rise in the oven. It can lead to flat, wrinkled, or weak macaron tops.
3. You over macaronaged your batter: Another common issue that results in flat macarons is over macaronaged batter. Macaronage is a term that refers to folding the dry macaron ingredients (almond flour and confectioners' sugar) into the meringue. This process smooths the mixture and helps the macarons bake with proper structure.
When you over macaronage, you'll notice the batter is very thin and easily falls off the spatula. You'll also notice that the batter spreads really easily when piped. It might even fall out of your piping bag when transferring from one circle to the next on your piping template.
If you're still having trouble, check out my troubleshooting guide for flat macarons.
Here are a few common causes of cracked macarons:
1. Your oven is too hot: Most likely, cracked macarons are related to oven temperatures that are too hot. To fix this issue, you'll first want to purchase an oven thermometer.
This inexpensive cooking tool will allow you to see if your oven is heating to the temperature you're setting it to. Oftentimes, home ovens are known for heating hotter or colder than you set the temperature to.
2. Your meringue is under or over whipped: Both under-whipped and over-whipped meringue can result in cracked shells. This is because the meringue needs to have the proper structure in order to rise in the oven.
Weak meringue will not be strong enough to withstand the heat of the oven when baked, causing a cracked top. Alternatively, meringue that has been over-whipped won't have enough air incorporated to properly expand in the oven.
3. You didn't rest your macarons long enough: It's important to allow your macarons to rest on the counter until they've formed a skin.
Typically, you'll need to allow the shells to rest for about 45 - 60+ minutes on the counter until a skin has formed on top. If you live in a humid climate, this may take up to 90+ minutes.
4. You have air bubbles in the macarons: Did you put your macarons in the oven without banging them on the counter? Oftentimes, air bubbles are trapped in the macaron batter. Air bubbles occur naturally in the batter during the macaronage and piping process.
In order to avoid cracked macaron shells, you need to release and pop these air bubbles, otherwise, they will burst in the oven and ruin the shells.
If you're still having trouble, check out my troubleshooting guide for cracked macarons.
Here are a few common causes of wrinkled macaron shells:
1. Your oven temperature is too low: To remedy this, you'll first need to purchase an oven thermometer and place it in the center rack of your oven to double-check the temperature reading before baking the macarons.
Next, you'll need to play around with your temperature settings. I usually recommend heating your oven to 300°F (150°C) and adjusting from there. Pipe a set of 4 - 6 macarons on a baking sheet and test just a few macarons at a time (so you don't ruin a whole batch).
2. You over or under whipped the meringue: One of the most important techniques to learn, especially when making macarons, is how to whip egg whites to stiff peaks.
Egg whites that are under whipped or over whipped can result in wrinkled shells, weak tops, and macarons that will not properly rise.
3. You over macaronaged the batter: Another common issue related to wrinkly macaron shells is over macaronaging.
Macaronage is a term that refers to folding the dry macaron ingredients (almond flour and confectioners' sugar) into the meringue. This process smooths the mixture and helps the macarons bake with proper structure.
To properly macaronage, you should fold the batter until it reaches a lava-like consistency. You can test this by lifting your spatula and seeing if the batter drops almost like lava. Once it drops off the spatula, the batter that was dripped should fade back into the batter within 10 - 15 seconds.
If you're still having trouble, check out my troubleshooting guide for wrinkly macarons.
Here are a few common causes of weak/soft macaron shells:
1. Your meringue is under whipped. French meringue needs to be properly beaten in order to form a strong macaron. Make sure that you're beating the meringue to stiff peaks.
To test the meringue stiffness, pull the whisk out. A stiff peak should stand straight up (no curl at the tip). Signs that you're ready to test the stiffness include seeing lines left from the beaters in your eggs. In addition, the meringue starts to almost ball up inside the whisk attachment. You'll also know it's ready because you can fully flip the bowl over and nothing moves or falls out.
2. The macaron shells are underbaked. If you don't give your macaron shells enough time to bake in the oven, a sturdy outside will never develop. Make sure to check that the macarons are done before pulling them out of the oven. If you touch the shell and it wiggles or is still sticky/wet, you know they need to bake longer.
Here are a few common causes of small feet, no feet, or feet that have ruffled/spread too far:
1. Your oven temperature is too high or too low: Work on dialing in your oven temperature. You may have to try a few different oven temperatures in order to find the perfect temperature for your home oven. You can read more about my experiments with oven temperature if you're curious to learn more.
2. You didn't rest the macarons long enough: Typically, you'll need to allow the shells to rest for about 45 - 60+ minutes on the counter until a skin has formed on top. If you live in a humid climate, this may take up to 90+ minutes.
3. You over or under macaronaged the batter: If you've over macaronaged your batter, it will be too thin and runny. This will cause your macarons to fall flat with small feet or even no feet. An overworked batter can also cause the macarons to spread out horizontally, rather than rising up vertically.
If you're still having trouble, check out my troubleshooting guide for macaron feet.
Here are a few common causes of browned macarons:
1. Your oven is too hot: To fix this, make sure you have an oven thermometer to measure the exact temperature of your oven, then place it in the center rack of your oven for a proper reading. Try lowering the oven temperature by 5°F (3°C) at a time.
2. The macarons are baking too long: Turn on your oven light (but don't open the oven door) to keep an eye on the macarons while they're baking. You'll know the macarons are done backing because the feet and the edge of the macarons feel firm when you gently touch them.
Here are a few common causes of hollow macaron shells:
This is the last troubleshooting problem you should worry about. Before perfecting your macarons so that they don't have hollows, make sure all the other properties are correct:
1. The meringue is over and under whipped: In order to prevent hollows, you need the perfect consistency of meringue before starting the macaronage process. Oftentimes, adding in acid, like cream of tartar, can help stabilize your meringue and allow more time for the air to get incorporated.
2. The batter was over or under macaronaged: The macaronage stage, which refers to working your batter to the proper consistency, is a technique that takes a while to master. If you've worked the batter to a lava-like consistency, and you're still getting hollow shells, try working it a tad less.
3. Your oven temperature is too high or low: Oven temperature plays a big role in hollow macarons. Unfortunately, due to the capabilities of home conventional ovens, you have to test and play around with the temperature to get your macaron shells perfect. Most recipes suggest baking macarons anywhere from 275°F (135°C) - 325°F (163°C). Test these temperature ranges out with your home oven and an oven thermometer to see what works best.
If you're still having trouble, check out my troubleshooting guide for hollow macarons.
More Macaron Shell Recipes
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Swiss Method Macarons
Equipment
- stand mixer with whisk attachment
- silicone mat or parchment paper
- pastry bag with ½ inch round tip
Ingredients
- 112 grams egg whites
- 140 grams super fine almond flour
- 140 grams confectioners' sugar
- 126 grams granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 5 - 10 drops gel food coloring
Instructions
Prep Work
- Separate egg whites from yolks.
- Measure dry ingredients using a kitchen scale. Double-sift the almond flour and confectioners' sugar together in a large mixing bowl.
- Wipe down the mixing bowl and whisk attachment with a little white vinegar on a paper towel to remove any leftover oils.
- Print off two macaron templates. Place them on a sheet pan underneath a piece of parchment paper.
- Prepare your piping bag with a ½ inch round tip. Push part of the side of the piping bag into the piping tip to ensure nothing leaks out. Set the bag inside a tall glass, and pull the remaining top of the piping bag out over the outside of the glass to make pouring the batter easy and clean.
For The Macarons
- Find a small saucepan that your stand mixer bowl can sit on top of to create a double boiler (bain marie). Add water to the saucepan and bring to a boil.
- Add egg whites, granulated sugar, and cream of tartar to a stand mixer bowl. Whisk to roughly combine. Once the water is boiling, reduce the heat to medium-high. Place the stand mixer bowl on top of the water to create a double boiler (bain marie). Whisk the egg mixture, stirring constantly, until the mixture reaches 100°F (38°C) on an instant-read thermometer, about 30 seconds - 1 minute. Carefully remove the hot bowl from the heat, and transfer it over to the stand mixer.
- Whip on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Optionally, add 5 - 10 drops of gel food coloring once the egg whites reach soft peaks stage. Once you reach stiff peaks, you'll notice the meringue starts to ball up inside the whisk and is glossy. To test the meringue stiffness, pull the whisk out. A stiff peak should stand straight up (no curl at the tip). You'll also know it's ready because you can fully flip the bowl over, and nothing moves or falls out. Make sure not to overbeat the meringue at this stage (this is when the egg whites look dull or curdled).
- Pour the sifted almond flour & confectioners' sugar into the meringue mixture, and gently fold them together using a silicone spatula. Continue until all the meringue is fully incorporated, and no dry bits of almond flour remain on the bottom of the bowl.
- Begin working the batter until everything is fully incorporated (this is called the macaronage process). Slowly spread the mixture along the side of the bowl, then wipe it back down. Be sure to do this gently. Repeat until the mixture has reached a smooth, shiny, flowing consistency. You can test this by lifting your spatula and seeing if the batter drops almost like lava. Once the batter drops back into the bowl, it should take about 10 - 15 seconds for the ribbon that formed to "disappear" back into the rest of the batter. Don't over macaronage the batter or the macarons will not properly bake in the oven.
- Pour the batter into the prepared piping bag. Hold the bag vertically, and gently pipe 1.5 inch (3.8 cm) circles. Once you have reached the desired size, release the pressure on the bag and twist your wrist without lifting up. Continue until no batter remains.
- Tap the sheet pan down the counter a few times to release any air bubbles. Pop the air bubbles with a toothpick. Allow the batter to sit on the counter and dry for 60+ minutes until a thin "skin" develops, and you can touch the tops without ruining the macaron. This resting time will vary depending on the humidity (they may take up to 90+ minutes to dry if you live in a humid or rainy environment). While the macarons are drying, heat oven to 300°F (150°C).
- Bake one sheet at a time on the center rack of the oven for 19 - 23 minutes. You can test that the macarons are done by gently touching the edge and the feet of the macarons. If the shell wiggles, is sticky, or wet, the macarons need to bake longer. Remove macarons from the oven, and move the silicone mat or parchment paper to a cooling rack until completely cooled.
- Match up macaron shells so that they are paired with a similar size/shaped shell. Pipe your desired filling on one side of the macaron shell. Gently place the matching side on top of the filling.
- Mature the macarons with the filling in the refrigerator overnight. This will allow the macarons to slightly soften and develop a deeper flavor.
Notes
- You'll notice the meringue starts to ball up inside the whisk while it's mixing.
- Pull the whisk out of the mixer. A stiff peak should stand straight up (no curl at the tip).
- You can fully flip the bowl over and nothing moves or falls out.
- The meringue feels sturdy (not flimsy).
Heidi
I really want this recipe to work, but I folded until I actually got a blister and batter still too thick. I weighed dry ingredients, used aged room temp eggs and had a nice peak to my egg whites. HELP!
Jessica Mode
Hi Heidi! Two things you should check! Did you over cook the sugar mixture? Make sure you're using a thermometer to check the temperature while cooking the egg whites with sugar. This is a common mistake and can lead to similar problems you are describing. Second thing to check is how stiff you have whipped the meringue. Don't whip it too long (past stiff peaks), or you'll risk the batter being too thick. If you have a picture of the meringue, I can look at it and offer more advice. Shoot me an email at hello@homebodyeats.com and I'll help you out 🙂 Nailing macarons is all about refining your technique. Good luck!! You've got this!!