Miss Confection

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Inspired by Ladurée 🇫🇷 Paris, France

Parisian French Macarons

Smooth, shiny shells and a vanilla-bean filling, inspired by the salons of Paris

Prep
1 hr
Cook
32 min
Total
2 hr 32 min
Yield
About 30 sandwiched macarons
Level
Advanced
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The legend behind it

Macarons go back much further than Paris. Almond-and-sugar biscuits were baked in Italian and French convents for centuries, and legend has it that pastry cooks in the household of Catherine de' Medici brought the idea to France in the 1500s. For generations, though, a macaron was a single crackly cookie, not a sandwich.

The pastel double-decker we know today is linked to Ladurée, the tea salon Louis Ernest Ladurée opened on the rue Royale in 1862. His relative Pierre Desfontaines is often credited with the idea, early in the twentieth century, of joining two shells with a layer of ganache. Ladurée's rotating flavours, gilded boxes and painted salons made the macaron the emblem of Parisian pastry, and you still see queues on the Champs-Élysées.

This is our home version inspired by Ladurée, not their official recipe. We use the Italian meringue method because a hot sugar syrup makes the batter steadier and more forgiving in a home oven. Weigh everything in grams, take your time with the macaronage, and let the filled cookies rest overnight in the fridge. That rest is when they turn into real macarons: crisp on the outside and soft and chewy inside.

This is our own home recipe inspired by the dessert served at Ladurée. It is not the official recipe and we are not affiliated with Ladurée.

Tips for success

  • Weigh your ingredients. Volume measurements are not precise enough for macarons, and the cup amounts are only a guide.
  • For raspberry macarons, swap the filling for a ganache: pour 60 g (1/4 cup) hot heavy cream over 170 g (6 oz) chopped white chocolate, stir until smooth, then add 2 tbsp seedless raspberry jam and chill until pipeable.
  • Every oven runs differently. An oven thermometer is the best fix for cracked or hollow shells.
  • Unfilled shells freeze well for up to a month, so you can bake ahead for parties.

Parisian French Macarons

A Parisian French macarons recipe inspired by Ladurée: Italian meringue shells weighed to the gram and filled with vanilla-bean buttercream. A careful guide for home bakers.

Prep
1 hr
Cook
32 min
Total
2 hr 32 min
Yield
About 30 sandwiched macarons
Calories
~95/serving

Ingredients

For the shells

For the vanilla-bean buttercream

Instructions

Prepare

  1. Line two or three baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats. Fit a piping bag with a 1/2-inch (1 cm) round tip.
  2. Pulse the almond flour and powdered sugar in a food processor for 10 seconds, then sift into a large bowl. Discard or regrind any coarse bits, keeping the total weight at 300 g.
  3. Add the first 55 g of egg whites to the almond mixture and stir into a thick, uniform paste. Cover and set aside.

Make the Italian meringue

  1. Put the granulated sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat and stir just until the sugar dissolves. Clip on a candy thermometer and stop stirring.
  2. When the syrup reaches 230°F (110°C), start whipping the second 55 g of egg whites, with the cream of tartar if using, on medium-high until soft peaks form.
  3. When the syrup reaches 244°F (118°C), take it off the heat. With the mixer running, pour it in a thin stream down the side of the bowl, avoiding the whisk.
  4. Whip on high for 6 to 8 minutes until the meringue is glossy and stiff and the bowl is just warm. Add the coloring now if you are using it.

Macaronage

  1. Fold one third of the meringue into the almond paste to loosen it, then fold in the rest. Press the batter against the side of the bowl with the spatula, then scoop it back to the middle.
  2. Stop when the batter flows from the spatula in a thick ribbon that sinks back into itself within about 10 seconds. Undermixed batter stays lumpy and overmixed batter spreads, so check often.

Pipe and bake

  1. Hold the bag straight above the sheet and pipe 1 1/2-inch (3.5 cm) rounds about 1 inch apart. Rap each sheet firmly on the counter several times, then pop any air bubbles with a toothpick.
  2. Leave the shells for 20 to 40 minutes, until a light touch shows a dry skin that is not tacky. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 300°F (150°C).
  3. Bake one sheet at a time on the middle rack for 14 to 16 minutes. The shells are done when they have risen on ruffled feet and do not wobble on them when gently nudged.
  4. Cool the shells completely on the sheet before peeling them off. If they stick, bake another 1 to 2 minutes next time.

Fill and mature

  1. Beat the butter until pale, about 2 minutes. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla seeds and salt and beat until fluffy, adding cream a teaspoon at a time until it pipes smoothly.
  2. Pair the shells by size. Pipe a generous dot of buttercream onto half of them and sandwich with the rest, pressing gently so the filling reaches the edges.
  3. Refrigerate the macarons in an airtight container for 24 hours, then let them sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before serving.

Tools we use

Recipe from Miss Confection · https://missconfection.com/recipe/parisian-french-macarons

Questions, answered

Why are my macarons hollow?

Hollow shells usually come from an oven that is too hot, meringue that was whipped too long, or shells that were underbaked. Check your oven with a thermometer and bake until the shells stay put when nudged.

Can you freeze macarons?

Yes. Filled or unfilled macarons freeze well in an airtight container for up to a month. Thaw them in the fridge, then bring them to room temperature before serving.

What is the difference between French and Italian meringue macarons?

French meringue is whipped from raw whites and sugar. Italian meringue is made by pouring hot sugar syrup into the whites, which makes it more stable, so the shells come out more consistent.

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