Food & Cooking Recipes Dessert & Treats Recipes Cookie Recipes Mix-and-Match French Macarons 3.3 (3,287) 48 Reviews By Martha Stewart Test Kitchen Martha Stewart Test Kitchen The recipes developed by our test kitchen team have undergone a rigorous process of development and testing, ensuring that every element is optimal, from ingredient amounts to method and cooking time. This process includes triple-testing recipes to ensure they meet our high standards. The many stellar cooks and food editors who have been part of our team include Sarah Carey, Lucinda Scala Quinn, Jennifer Aaronson, Shira Bocar, Anna Kovel, Greg Lofts, Riley Wofford, Lauren Tyrell, and Lindsay Leopold. Editorial Guidelines Updated on April 1, 2020 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Yield: 35 macarons Macarons are light-as-a-feather French cookies that can be assembled using any sweet fillings and bases that you please. Our best, step-by-step recipe for this sophisticated French dessert offers variations for vanilla bean, chocolate, peanut buttter, coconut, raspberry, and pistachio macarons. Ingredients For the Macarons 1 cup confectioners' sugar ¾ cup almond flour 2 large egg whites, room temperature Pinch of cream of tartar ¼ cup superfine sugar Suggested Fillings for Macarons Chocolate: Chocolate Ganache Coconut: 1 cup Ombre Swiss Meringue Buttercream, mixed with 1/3 cup angel-flake coconut. Peanut: Chocolate Ganache, or store-bought dulce de leche, jam, or peanut butter. Pistachio: 1 cup Ombre Swiss Meringue Buttercream, mixed with 1/3 cup finely chopped pistachios. Raspberry: 3/4 cup seedless raspberry jam Vanilla Bean: 1 cup Pineapple Buttercream, 1 cup Ombre Swiss Meringue Buttercream, or 3/4 cup storebought jam or preserves Directions Pulse confectioners' sugar and almond flour in a food processor until combined. Sift mixture 2 times. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Whisk whites with a mixer on medium speed until foamy. Add cream of tartar, and whisk until soft peaks form. Reduce speed to low, then add superfine sugar. Increase speed to high, and whisk until stiff peaks form, about 8 minutes. Sift flour mixture over whites, and fold until mixture is smooth and shiny. Transfer batter to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain round tip, and pipe 3/4-inch rounds 1 inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets, dragging pastry tip to the side of rounds rather than forming peaks. Tap bottom of each sheet on work surface to release trapped air. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Bake 1 sheet at a time, rotating halfway through, until macarons are crisp and firm, about 10 minutes. After each batch, increase oven temperature to 375 degrees, heat for 5 minutes, then reduce to 325 degrees. Let macarons cool on sheets for 2 to 3 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. (If macarons stick, spray water underneath parchment on hot sheet. The steam will help release macarons.) Sandwich 2 same-size macarons with 1 teaspoon filling. Serve immediately. Cook's Notes Piping the perfect macaron takes a little practice. Treat it as you would a rosette, bringing the pastry tip to the side of the circle, rather than forming a peak, to finish. Macarons will keep for up to 3 months if stacked between layers of parchment, wrapped in plastic, and frozen. Variations Chocolate: Substitute 3 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder for 1/4 cup of the almond flour. Coconut: Substitute 2 tablespoons desiccated unsweetened coconut for 2 tablespoons of the almond flour, and add 1/2 teaspoon rum; sprinkle with additional coconut before baking. Peanut: Substitute an equal amount finely ground unsalted peanuts (peanut flour) for the almond flour. Pistachio: Substitute 1/2 cup finely ground unsalted pistachios (pistachio flour) for 1/2 cup of the almond flour, and add 2 to 3 drops forest-green gel-paste food coloring. Raspberry: Add 1 tablespoon fresh raspberry puree, strained, plus 3 to 4 drops dusty-rose gel-paste food coloring. Vanilla Bean: Add 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or seeds from 1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped, pod reserved for another use. For filling you can use our Pineapple Buttercream from the Pineapple Dacquoise. Rate it Print