Vanilla Rose French Macarons
Delicately sweet, flavored with rose and vanilla. These macarons are sure to be a hit anywhere you bring them.
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Servings: 15 people
Calories: 106kcal
Ingredients
- 105 grams egg whites
- 75 grams granulated sugar
- 130 grams almond flour, super fine
- 130 grams powdered sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon rose extract
Instructions
Prep Work
- Wipe down the bowls with vinegar or lemon juice that you will put the egg whites into, the mixing bowl you will whip the egg whites in, and the whisk attachment you will whip the egg whites with.
- Separate the egg whites (105 grams) from the yolks. You can get a fancy egg white separator; or you can pass the egg yolk from one half of the shell to the other until all of the whites have separated from the yolk. Be sure to weigh the yolks out as you do this. Set the bowl the whites will go in on the scale and tare the weight so you don't add the weight of the bowl to the weight of the egg whites.
- Cover the egg whites with plastic wrap and poke a few holes in the wrap. Place it in the fridge overnight. If you do this the morning of making your macarons, that will be ok as well.
- Line 2 large baking sheets with either silicone mats or parchment paper.
Making the Macarons
- Weigh out the granulated sugar (75 grams), powdered sugar (130 grams), and almond flour (130 grams). Be sure to tare the weight of the container on the scale before you add anything to it. Set the granulated sugar aside.
- Sift the powdered sugar and almond flour together into a large metal or glass mixing bowl.
- Add the egg whites, rose extract (1 teaspoon), and cream of tartar (1/4 teaspoon) to the bowl of a stand mixer fit with the whisk attachment. You could also use an electric hand mixer, it would just take a lot more effort.Beat the egg whites on medium-high until you see soft track marks. This should give you soft peaks. You're not looking for anything to be stiff, just very soft. It will look really bubbly and then start to look softer and foamy.
- Reduce the speed of the stand mixer to low and add the granulated sugar into the egg whites in three batches.
- Increase the speed to high. You will see the egg whites begin to build volume. They will start to look glossy. I like to check on them a few times to see if they have formed stiff peaks. To do this, turn off the mixer and lift the whisk out of the whites. You're not done if you don't get a stiff peak that stays up without falling over. Keep whipping the egg whites and checking them every couple of minutes.
- Once you can turn the bowl upside down without the egg whites falling out, and a stiff peak forms in the bowl, they're done.
- If you're adding food coloring, use the gel kind. I use about 1/8 of a teaspoon, roughly. My food coloring comes in a little jar, so I use the end of a butter knife to get a tiny bit out and put it on a spatula and mix it in a bit to the meringue. You don't have to fully mix it in yet. Once you add the meringue to the flour/sugar mixture, it will mix in well and color the batter.
- Add the meringue into the flour/sugar mixture in three batches. It won't seem like it's mixing in well at first, but keep going and it will start to come together. When mixing the batter, we are deflating the air in the meringue essentially. Once the mixture has come together, I use my spatula to scrape the side of the bowl as I turn the bowl. I'll do a few turns, then I bring my spatula through the middle of the batter and repeat the process. You'll want to do the figure eight test after you do this a few times as you don't want to overmix the batter.
- Once your batter is ready, it's time to pipe it onto the prepared sheets. I use a reusable pastry bag and a Wilton 12 tip. Once I have the tip in, I twist the bottom part to help prevent the batter from flowing out once I add it. I like using a large cup-like container to put the bag in. This makes it easier to scoop the batter into the bag.
- Once you've got the batter in the bag, take the entire container over to your prepared sheets. Roll the top of the bag down and take it out of the container. Untwist the bottom. There will probably be a bit of air in the bag, so gently squeeze the bag to remove the air and to get the batter flowing. It will start flowing out right away. You can tip the bag up to help prevent this as you move to your trays.
- Holding the bag upright over the middle of a pre-printed circle (if you are using this type of silicone mat), squeeze the bag and count to 4. Not 4 seconds, just 4. Then make a small C motion with your wrist while pulling up to complete the macaron shell. Move to the next circle and repeat this process until you have your sheets filled. You will have a bit of batter left over.
- The macarons will have small air bubbles in them. Bang the trays of macarons firmly on the counter a few times to help pop the bubbles. It is pretty loud. I will pop my earbuds in while I do this as it is a bit loud for me. You may find that there are still some air bubbles that need to be popped. Using a toothpick, gently pop any remaining air bubbles you see. I like to get down at eye level with the macarons. Sometimes the bubbles are obvious, but not always. Look for places where the batter seems a little thinner, that's usually a bubble. It will get easier finding the bubbles the more you make them.
- Now it's time for the macarons to form their skin. It usually takes 30 minutes but can take longer depending on how humid it is. You will be able to lightly touch the macarons with a finger and not make an indent once the skin has formed. I like to preheat my oven about 15 minutes into the waiting time. Preheat to 315 F.
- Once the skin has formed on your macarons, pop them in the oven on the middle rack one tray at a time. Bake them for 13 minutes. The feet should have formed and the shells will go from glossy to matte. Oven temps can vary, so you may want to invest in an oven thermometer
- Once the macarons have finished baking, remove them from the oven and let them sit for 10 minutes, then remove them to a baking rack to cool completely. Be careful when removing them. They are delicate. I don't pull them from the top, I put my hand under the mat and peel it away from the macaron. I have not tried this with parchment paper as I have only ever used silicone mats. I imagine it would work the same though.
Assembling the Macarons
- To assemble the macarons, you will need to first match them up as best as possible. Once you've matched them, flip one over from each pair. Using a pastry bag filled with your preference of filling (we are using buttercream frosting), put about a dime-sized amount of frosting onto the turned-over shells. Once the shells are frosted, gently sandwich the sets together. I press the shells together softly, using a circular motion to help spread out the filling. Do not press too hard as you could crush the shells. They are very delicate. Complete this process until you have all of the macarons sandwiched together.
- If you can resist eating them, let the macarons sit in the fridge overnight; or a few hours at minimum. Though I have eaten them right away and they are just as delicious as ever.
Notes
- Store macarons in an airtight container on the counter for 24 hours. It is best to layer them with parchment paper. Do not use wax paper as it will stick to the macarons. You don't want to stack them too high as they are delicate. Store them the same way in the fridge for up to one week.
- To freeze the shells, first lay them in a single layer on a large baking sheet to freeze. Once frozen, transfer them to a freezer-safe container. Line the container with parchment paper, and put parchment paper on each layer of macarons. Thaw the macarons in the fridge overnight and decorate as normal.
- Be sure to wipe down your bowls and whisk you will be using to whip the egg whites in with vinegar or lemon juice.
Nutrition
Calories: 106kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Sodium: 12mg | Potassium: 20mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 14g | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 0.3mg