Macarons Recipe – Foolproof Swiss method

I have been making macarons since 2010. When a client who ordered a customized themed cake wanted to have colorful macarons as well for her son’s birthday party. I had been making
French Macarons for a long time as it is marketed as “the best macaron” but due to its temperamental nature and lot of factors which if disturbed can completely destroy the final results. I have now resorted to Swiss method for making the best and predictable macarons with more room for error.

If you want to see the detailed recipe, a checklist and a video guide, do check out my detailed French Macarons Recipe post.

I posted my first ever macaron recipe back in 2009 as a part of challenge Daring Bakers.

What ingredients do you need for Macarons?

It may come as a surprise to many of you but there are four main basic ingredients to make a macaron shell.

Egg whites – fresh or from carton, no meringue powder

Sugar – granulated

Almond Flour – typically made from blanched almonds, not almond meal (which typically has almond skin as well)

Icing Sugar or confectioner’s sugar – preferably commercial one which has little bit of corn starch added and is super fine

For fillings, I personally prefer dark chocolate ganache as it balances out the sweetness of macaron shells but there can be many options, please see the Macarons filling section below.

Step by Step Recipe

The steps are less but all of them are important.

This recipe is based on measurement by a scale and not by cup and spoons.

1. Place egg whites and granulated sugar in a stainless steep bowl that has been wiped with a kitchen towel and a few drops of vinegar or lemon juice to ensure there is no grease.
2. Over a pan of simmering water place the bowl and whisk continuously until the temperature reaches around 50 degrees celscius. The sugar dissolves and the mixture is ready to be whipped up to maximum volume and is stable as well.
3. Pulse the icing sugar and almond flour in a food processor and sift in a thick sifter.
4. Whisk the egg white mixture in a stand mixer or with a hand beater until stiff peaks are formed.
5. Add in flour and icing sugar mixture in 3 stages until well incorporated.
6. You can add water based color paste at whipping stage of meringue (egg white and sugar mixture) or when mixing with almond flour and icing sugar (called macronage stage)
7. Pipe with a small round shape nozzle on silicon sheet and tap several times to remove any air bubbles.
8. Let the macaron shells dry to touch for around 20-30 minutes.
9. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Farenheit.
10. Bake on the medium rack on a thick/double stacked baking trays for around 20-25 minutes rotating the trays halfway.
11. Cool and peel carefully from the silicon mat.
12. Fill with desired filling.

FAQs

Substitutions and Variations

The Egg whites can be replaced by carton pasteurized egg whites. I have used it once but meringue powder cannot work.

You can attempt to make powdered sugar at home but I do not suggest as the commercial one is very fine with some added starch.

Almond powder is simply ground, peeled almond flour which you can make at home as well. You can replace some of the almond flour with hazelnut or pistachio flour.

Macarons Fillings

Macaron Shells alone can be eaten but paired with some amazing filling combinations, that when a perfect macaron is yield.

Since Macarons are naturally very sweet and you can’t really alter the ratios, it the filling part you can have fun with and control the amount of sweetness.

Some of my favorite combinations for fillings are:

1. Dark chocolate ganache or if you prefer more sweetness, milk/white chocolate ganache
2. Buttercream – may be italian or swiss but not american because its very sweet
3. Cream cheese Filling – can be paired with some citrus zest and fruit filling in the center like berries jam, lemon curd etc. Three ingredients strawberry Jam recipe can be found on my blog.
4. commercial fillings like hazelnut spread, pistachio paste, biscuits cream etc.
5. more creative fillings like coconut, fudge, mousse etc.

Storage and Make Ahead

Ideally these cookies when assembled need 24 hours to “mature” and brings out the maximum flavor. However in my house that only lasts a couple of hours.

The shells can be made a couple of days ahead and can be stored in air-tight container at room temperature. For longer periods, you can freeze the shells.

The filling also can be made ahead and then they can be assembled at least one day before serving.