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Eid Mubarak! I want to wish everyone a very happy Eid al-Adha! You might remember that for Eid al-Fitr (which is the Eid celebration at the end of Ramadan) I made Syrian Ice Cream, which was flavored with lovely things like pistachio and rose. As a play on those lovely flavors I wanted to remake them into another dessert, Pistachio Macarons with Rose Buttercream. I chose macarons because they’re special and very celebratory, and besides, with all my failed attempts and macaron-making woes, I thought it was high time I mastered the recipe. Without further ado, I give you my macaron story.
* * *
I’ve gone and mentioned the unmentionable. Made the unmakeable (at least for me!). Macarons, those little fear and lust-inciting bites of heaven are indeed the topic I’m tackling today. Since they’re no longer my nemesis, I feel like I can speak freely of them. Share my knowledge on the topic, in hopes of helping someone out there who, like myself, had been beaten by them on several occasions prior.
You see, the first time I made them (which was just over a year ago) I tried grinding my own almond meal. It turned into nut butter and I (ever the optimist) still continued onward with the recipe. As you can probably guess, it wasn’t pretty. The second time I made them (which was during the summer) was on a hot and humid day but I thought that since I was making them in a climate-controlled environment the weather wouldn’t be an issue. Turns out, it was. The third time I made them I didn’t quite work the batter enough to achieve macronnage (what a taunting word that is!). I was getting closer though, at least they had feet! I continued on in this way a few more times, each time failing but learning something. (You might be wondering why I persisted in my macaron experimentation for over a year. Maybe the simultaneous best and worst thing about me (definitely my Achilles’ heel anyway) is that when I set my mind on mastering something there really isn’t any way I can be dissuaded. And I refused to let a cookie beat me, lol!) And now I present you with my masterpiece, which has produced consistently beautiful results on three separate occasions.
When I first started looking for a macaron recipe to make I was blown away by the sheer volume of recipes out there. I finally decided to start with Martha Stewart’s recipe for Parisian Macaroons (I figure she didn’t get to be the domestic goddess she is by having non-workable recipes, right?). Sadly, the recipe didn’t work for me. I ended up making so many alterations and tweaks throughout my experimentation process that my masterpiece no longer looks anything like Martha’s original recipe. The other thing that completely frustrated me when I was looking for a macaron recipe is the fact that most recipes only give ingredient amounts in grams, ounces, or cups, but never all three (when you’re playing around with a recipe, this is really helpful information to have)! This is why for my masterpiece I list amounts in grams, ounces, and cups.
The trickiest thing about making macarons is that there are so many variables that affect the end result. Here are some tips I’ve discovered during my macaron project:
- Weather: Don’t make macarons on a day that’s too hot or humid.
- Baking Pan: Choose your baking pan carefully. Since I don’t have special insulated macaron pans, I like to use heavy-duty half sheet pans.
- Almonds: Don’t try to grind your own almonds. I was ambitious enough to think that my food processor was capable of a fine grind…of course I ended up with almond butter before I had a grind that was fine enough.
- Eggs: I don’t bother with old eggs or room temperature eggs or special eggs that have been laid from super chickens; instead, I use a pretty fool-proof method. I put the eggs in a small bowl and fill it with hot water from the faucet (about 105F). Once the eggs don’t feel hot or cold to the touch, they’re ready to use.
- Macronnage: This crucial step is where macarons are truly made. The batter is finicky in that it needs to be worked enough so that the feet develop and there are no points on top, but not worked too much, which will result in the macarons being flat or cracked. It’s a fine line, my friends. Here is an easy way to see if the batter is ready: use a rubber spatula to lift and drop the batter onto itself; if the ribbon gradually disappears into the batter within 30 seconds, it’s ready to go. If this step is done correctly, you will not end up with points on top of the macarons; by the time you’re done piping the first row, the points will have disappeared. (In the past, I’ve used a damp finger to push the points down; granted, this does get rid of the points, however it doesn’t fix the underlying problem, which is that the batter wasn’t worked long enough).
- Piping: Start off by fitting a pastry bag with a round 1/2 inch tip. Put the bag in a tall glass and pour the batter in. You’re ready to pipe. Hold the bag straight above the tray (this gives you the most control of how fast the batter comes out) and gently apply pressure to squeeze out 1-inch circles. Speaking from experience, you will get much better at this with practice.
- The Shell: Let the macarons sit at room temperature before baking until they form a shell that’s dry to the touch. How long this takes depends on the temperature, humidity level, and how fickle the macaron batter is feeling that day. In general, this can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours or more.
- Baking Time: Determining when macarons are done baking can be somewhat tricky, as baking time can vary based on several factors, including your oven, the weather, how big you piped your macs, etc. At the oven temperature I use (300F), baking time ranges from about 10 to 20 minutes. The best thing you can do is to start checking them for doneness around 10 minutes, and keep a close eye on them after that. Macarons are done baking when the feet are formed, the top feels firm (but is not browned), and the insides are set. When they’re cooked all the way, they should easily come off parchment paper or a silicone baking sheet once they’re cooled (you can just peel them off or use a thin metal spatula), and the bottoms of the cookies should be flat.
- Aging: Like most things, macarons get better over time (in this case, after a little aging in the fridge). (Aging not only helps the flavors develop and mesh, but if you happened to overbake your macs a teensy bit, the moisture from the filling will soak into the cookies, helping you end up with perfectly chewy macs.) Aging them is easy: line an airtight lidded container with parchment paper, carefully arrange the macarons inside, and let them sit in the fridge for a day or two (or up to a couple weeks) before eating. Let the cookies sit at room temperature for about 45 minutes before serving.
The last resource I want to offer you before I leave you with my recipe is an article that I found extremely helpful in my quest for the perfect macaron, called Macarons: Tips, Tricks and How to Macaronnage by Bake it Off.
Happy Macaron-Making, Everyone!
Pistachio Macarons with Rose Buttercream
(Yield: About 20 filled macarons)
Macarons:
2 1/2 oz (70.9 gm or about 2 large) egg whites (ounces measured by weight, not volume)
4 oz (113.4 gm or 1 cup) powdered sugar (also called confectioner’s, icing, or 10X sugar)
2 oz (56.7 gm or 1/2 cup) almond meal/flour*
Pinch fine salt
1/4 teaspoon pure pistachio extract (use almond extract if you can’t find this)
About 5 drops liquid green food color
1 1/2 oz (42.5 gm or 3 tablespoons) superfine (castor) sugar
Equipment (for macarons):
Handheld electric mixer
Rubber spatula
Piping bag fitted with 1/2-inch round tip
Baking pans
Parchment paper or silpat liners
Buttercream:
1 large egg white
2 3/4 oz (77.962 gm or 1/3 cup) sugar
Pinch salt
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon rose water
3-5 drops liquid red food color
Equipment (for buttercream):
Double boiler
Whisk
Stand mixer
Instructions for Macarons:
Step 1: Line 2 half sheet pans with parchment paper or silpat liners.
Step 2: Fill a bowl with hot water from the faucet (it should be about 105F); put the eggs in the water and let them sit until they come to room temperature. (Check them and turn them over every few minutes so they can come up to temperature on both sides. They’re ready when they don’t feel hot or cold to the touch. You may need to add more hot water if they’re not warming up fast enough.) Once the eggs are the right temperature, remove them from the water and dry them off. Separate the yolks from the whites, measuring 2 1/2 oz egg whites for this recipe (you don’t need the yolks for this recipe).
Step 3: In a medium bowl, whisk or sift together the powdered sugar, almond meal, and salt (or you can pulse it together a few times in a food processor).
Step 4: Put the egg whites in a medium bowl and use a handheld electric mixer to whip. When the egg whites are foamy (this should only take a few seconds), gradually add the superfine sugar while still beating. When you have stiff, glossy peaks, beat in the pistachio extract and green food color.
Step 5: Use a rubber spatula to gently fold the almond meal mixture into the egg whites. Only fold the batter in one direction by sliding the spatula into the center of the batter, then lifting it up and letting the batter fall back onto itself. It generally takes about 50 strokes to work the batter, but this number isn’t as important as how the batter looks. The batter is ready to pipe when it has a smooth, shiny surface and flows like lava in one large ribbon off the spatula. Here is an easy way to see if the batter is ready: use a rubber spatula to lift and drop the batter onto itself; if the ribbon gradually disappears into the batter within 30 seconds, it’s ready to go.
Step 6: Pour the batter into a pastry bag fitted with a round tip (1/2 inch in diameter); hold the piping bag straight (i.e., at a 90 degree angle) above baking sheet and pipe 1-inch circles onto the prepared sheet. (You should get about 40 macarons.) Leave about 1 inch between each macaron. Tap each tray a couple times on the countertop to help flatten out the macarons and get rid of any air bubbles. The macarons should not have points on top.
Step 7: Let the macarons sit at room temperature until they form a shell that’s dry to the touch (this could take anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours or more, depending on the weather).
Step 8: Once the macarons are dry to the touch, preheat oven to 300F; once up to temperature, bake both trays at the same time for 10 to 20 minutes, rotating trays once. Let the macarons cool completely on parchment paper or silpat liner before removing.
Step 9: To fill the macarons, pair up similar sized cookies. Pipe filling onto the bottom of one macaron, then place the matching macaron on top of filling.
Step 10: Line an airtight lidded container with parchment paper and carefully arrange the macarons inside; let them sit in the fridge for a day or 2 (or up to a couple weeks) before eating. Let the cookies sit at room temperature for about 45 minutes before serving.
Instructions for Buttercream: In a double boiler, whisk together the egg whites and sugar. Heat until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is warm (about 140F), about 3 to 5 minutes, whisking frequently. Transfer the egg white/sugar mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Add the salt and beat on high speed until the mixture is thick and glossy, about 5 to 7 minutes. Gradually add the butter piece by piece while beating, then beat in the rose water and red food color; stop beating when the buttercream is thick and smooth.
*For this recipe I used almond meal because I couldn’t find pistachio meal (and I’ve learned from past mistakes not to try to grind my own nut meal/flour at home :) ). If you have access to pistachio meal/flour and would like to try it in this recipe, let me know how it turns out!
Processed Powdered Sugar, Almond Meal, & Salt 
Foamy Egg Whites
Lovely Stiff Peaks
Mixing, Mixing, Mixing…
Flowing Like Lava in One Large Ribbon off the Spatula
Here is an easy way to see if the batter is ready: use a rubber spatula to lift and drop the batter onto itself; if the ribbon gradually disappears into the batter within 30 seconds, it’s ready to go.
Easiest Way to Fill a Pastry Bag
Pretty Little Piped Circles
Some Gorgeous Feet!
I’m the writer, recipe developer, photographer, and food stylist behind this blog. I love finding the human connection through something we all do every day: eat! Food is a common ground that we can all relate to, and our tables tell a story. It’s my goal to inspire you to get in the kitchen, try something new, and find a favorite you didn’t know you had.
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Faith these are STUNNING! You don’t happen to have a plain vanilla french macaron recipe, do you? It’s my favorite flavor :)
Hi Annette, You are so sweet, thank you so much for your kind comment! I don’t have a recipe for vanilla bean macs, but I do have a couple recipes bookmarked from a couple of my favorite bloggers: Yummy Mummy Kitchen (http://www.yummymummykitchen.com/2011/06/vanilla-bean-french-macarons.html) and Kevin & Amanda (http://www.kevinandamanda.com/recipes/dessert/sparkly-vanilla-bean-macarons-with-three-christmas-inspired-frostings.html). Hope this helps! :)
gorgeous photos
I can’t tell you how hard I have been looking for a step-by-step post like this!! I have tried (and failed) to make french macarons soo many times, and just reading your experience I can see where I went wrong. Definitely going to try to tackle them again this weekend. Thank you!!
Thank you for these fabulous tips!! You have given me the courage to give these a try!! I gorged myself on them in Biarritz! They are worth at least giving it a try! Thank you!
My, what patience you have! These are absolutely scrumptious looking (and tasting, I’m sure!)
waw waw waw waw waw waw ……….
Faith,
Your macarons look perfect! Congratulations on your beautiful blog. Love the photography and your writing skills are excellent. Thank you for linking to my blog.
Hi,
I love your recipes. I’m Armenian from Iran and have wonderful neighbours who are a Syrian family. We share a lot in common in terms of food and culture.
These pistachio-rose macarons are like a dream-come-true for me and you’ve obviously got the technique down right!
I tried my hand @ making macarons a while ago and realized I’m just not that talented. So I’ll leave it to the pros. But your instructions are so great, I may brave another batch.
I know what you mean about not trying to make your own nut meal. But look at these instructions:
http://www.indiacurry.com/nuts/makingnutmeal.htm
There may be hope!
Cheers,
Colette
Colette, Thank you so much for your kind words, they really made my day! I hope you give this recipe a try and if you do so, let me know how it goes. And thanks for the link I’ll definitely check it out!
Inspiring. Your macarons are beautiful. I made my first attempt at them last night. I have been craving them for months and of course there is nowhere to buy them in Fairbanks, Alaska. I under mixed them and over baked them. Even thought they weren’t exactly pretty, they still tasted great, and I had feet!! Woo Hoo!
I think someone should make a bumper sticker that says Got Feet?
Macaroons are one of my favourite things too! And I love your step-by-steps here. There’s no way I’d ever be able to even begin trying to make these with just the recipe in front of me. They look so gorgeous and perfect! And I bet also extra delicious ;)
Wow, good for you for being persistent and finally getting it! It looks like you did an awesome job. :)
Congratulations on mastering your masterpiece macarons…
They do look amazing :)
Great post and tips too :)
Faith…if I EVER decide to try making these treats that everyone seems obsessed about…I’ll surely have to come back and re-read your post. You certainly put most of what I usually think when I’ve read so many posts on the subject. Many were very good, however, there always seemed something missing.
I love your adventurous side in the kitchen. You’ve done a fabulous creation…BRAVA!!!
Flavourful wishes,
Claudia
Well, this batch was definitely a success! These are just gorgeous and love the original flavor combo – mmmm, pistachio! Alas, I am not a baker and would never attempt these ;)
Eid mubarak! I saw your macarons on tastespotting and was immediately attracted to how… how PERFECT they look =] Excellent job
These are so delightful just to look at! I love that you conquered the macarons–good for you! Persistence paid off! I still have never tried them…I always look at them and think they just don’t look like they’d taste all that great. And I’m scared I’d have to also work on them over the period of a year before I got them right. Some day, some day.
congrats on your macaron success. They are absoutely gorgeous and the falvors sound delicious.
Mimi
YOU ARE AMAZING!! These macarons are beautiful! You are a very talented baker as well as all around recipe developer. I do remember when you made that ice cream last year. This flavor combo & colors is divine :)
Macarons are all over town here in NYC. Yours look 10X better than once I see in bakeries. Bravo!
i’ve not yet hopped aboard the macaron train, but i always appreciate their unique flavors and beauty. well done!
These are great photos. I will have to give these a try since my wife loves pistachios. You should post these over at http://www.dishfolio.com they would be a great addition.
Yay, Faith! Such a pretty colour combination too! I totally know that feeling of “I’ve finally done it!” Congrats!
It seems that this delicacy is absolutely sweet.
I so love the color of your macarons!
I am really grateful for your tenacity, Faith. Fantastic–and congrats for besting your “nemesis.”
Beautiful macarons, and tutorial. I can’t wait to try these for the holidays. Love the pistachio-rosewater combination, too.
These macaroons look wonderful, Faith!
perfect looking macaron!! and i really love the green and pink color combo..it’s so pretty.
These are just gorgeous. I love the pink & green color combination too (I think they would be lovely for a little girls birthday party). I am yet to attempt macaroons…they, like souffles…scare me a bit. Thanks for all the fabulous tips
Looking at your macaroons I would have never guessed you had trouble making them. They look perfect Faith! I want to make a batch of my own cute roons.
A very happy Holiday to you! They came out perfectly beautiful! Delicious flavors, and so pretty!
Those are just adorable! Great job! Love the colors :-)
Eid Mubarak Faith!
Just a few lines to say that your Macarons look amazing!
Everyone here at home in Cairo LOVED the Baklava! I think what makes it different is your version contains honey as well as the rosewater. It was very crisp and fresh even after letting it stand to absorb every drop of the syrup. Served it with wonderfully rich, cardamom -scented “Turkish” coffee in little cups. Our friends asked for the recipe!
Fiona, Eid Mubarak! I’m so glad the baklava was a hit! Thank you so much for letting me know, it always brings a smile to my face. Sounds lovely with the Turkish coffee…in fact, I would love a cup of Turkish coffee right now! :)
Yes….. Macarons are also a nemesis of mine I hope to defeat sometime in the near future.
Your Macarons look fabulous! You have done well to master this ‘annoying’ little sweet :P
Eid mubarkad daaaaaahling! Hope your day is filled with treats galore and many blessings :D
The macs for me have ended up as the tragic love story. I just never made any macs that were good enough, They looked good, but inside they were always wrong. I just couldn’t get it right. After about 20 attempts (seriously!) and some tears (yep!) I gave up. Maybe one day i’ll try again, but it just became too frustrating for me. Thank goodness I have access to Laduree and Pierre Herme in London LOL.
*kisses*
I understand. I finally mastered my quest to conquer the elusive French Macaron just this fall… or at the end of the summer, after my lesson in Paris at Lenotre… coupled with my other lessons!
And, now, I need to make them more often!
:)
Yours are beautiful.
Valerie
Eid Mubarak Faith!!
I had no idea that macaroons were made of almond flour…now I can’t eat those either. :(
Lovely read, Faith. The Macrons look gorgeous and tempting.
Perfect, perfect, perfect. Well done for keeping on keeping on Faith. The colours are just (at the risk of being repetitious)…. perfect.
Those are so beautiful- I love your flavor combination, and the colors are perfect. Maybe one day when I grow up I’ll be brave enough to try macarons!
Your macarons are things of beauty! Thank you for all the tips. I haven’t tried making them yet but really want to – I hope mine turn out half as good as yours!
Happy Eid al-Adha Faith and Mike! :D And well done on your macarons. I think they\’re such mysterious creatures aren\’t they-so fickle! But yours turned out beautifully. the tops of them are so smooth and I like how generously you\’ve filled them! :)
Your macs are perfect. Definitely a masterpiece. Love the contrasting colors.
All your hard work sure paid off because these are beautiful macarons. The color is so eye-catching, too.
Eid mubarak to you and your hubby!
Oh macaron!! I have lots of egg whites leftover from the tiramisu I made for Eid. Time to use it?
Wow!
Way to persevere!
I am impressed.
They look perfect! So pretty!!
Faith
Your persistence paid off and these macarons are as good as those of Ladurée; my friend who trained in Paris under the best pastry chefs tells me that macarons are tricky to master.
Awesome clicks and fabulous macarons..Looks perfect & yummy!!
you have pepared it really well..Bookmarked!
I enjoyed your story and tips about these yummy looking macarons! I’ve never had one of those before but they look so good I might have to try making them!
Faith, your macs look absolutely gorgeous, love the flavor and the color…since I am SO scare of making mac, will take a note of your tips when try to make them…hopefully in the near future ;-)
Congratulations on your persistence- definitely paid off! I love the flavors and colors of your macarons, they look beautiful. I worked in a hotel/restaurant in France where for months out of the year chocolate macarons were made by the hundreds for the guests, I can’t tell you how many I stuffed in my face everyday and never got tired of them:) I also never get tired of seeing pictures of them, especially as beautiful the ones you’ve made!
Congratulations on such a baking success! I am still so intimidated by the thought of making macarons, but your hints were so helpful, and I’m saving this page as a reference. What a wonderful and beautiful rendition of the classic macaron. Thank you for sharing. I hope you have a wonderful evening!
I get really frustrated when a recipe is not working for me either. But from what I see you ended up with little masterpieces. They look amazingly perfect.
Well you almost make me want to try them again. I too ha failed and after 2 tries stopped. You shared experience is awesome. Thank you. And love the flavors.
I’m not talented enough to make those!
Well, you are braver – far braver – than I. I still am not at a point where I can speak confidently about macarons, but one thing I can say is that those look somewhere in the territory of perfect!
How gorgeous! These look absolutely delicious. You did a wonderful job. I hope you have a wonderful day. Blessings…Mary
Kudos on conquering the macaron! And for sticking with it. I don’t think I would of made so many attempts. They look perfect!
~ingrid
Hooray you finally mastered macarons! I’m so happy for you :) I made them once with awesome results and have not done it sense. I like to quit while I’m ahead…haha. I love the idea of pistachio flavored cookies. I will have to look for pistachio extract. I’m sure I can find it somewhere :)
i just love pistachios … a very under-utilized nut, in my opinion. aren’t they the lowest fat nut out there?
Congrats on mastering these macarons! I’ve never attempted them myself, but like you they reall seem like an epic challange to finally attempt. Thank you for sharing all your great tips. I really love the green and pink colors of these, they seem so inviting, and they match my blog a little, haha.
Great work. You should be proud. Anyone eating these would appreciate your hard work. Congrats on a success.
Plan B
Faith,
Congrats on your hard determined work. There is no better feeling in the kitchen than when you finally master the illusive technique. The macarons look perfect.
As a big fan of the Syrian ice cream, which was a big hit at my dinner party a few weeks ago, I was happy to see you work some of those flavors here.
A flawless creation
Faith,
Macaroons are gorgeous. I love them. But afraid of making them. I will try with your recipe.
Look like I typed your name in the name box. Sorry
Faith,
Macaroons are gorgeous. I love them. But afraid of making them. I will try with your recipe.
Faith!!! These are gorgeous, positively gorgeous! They rival those I’ve seen at Sucre. So glad you didn’t give up – you did an awesome job!
Your macarons could easily compete with those in French bakeries. No kidding!
Angie
Wow, your macarons are splendid and so perfect!
Cheers,
Rosa
Perfect macarons! Wonderful!
OMG! I’m so glad you didn’t give up…your macaroons are exquiste and the colors…swoon! I think you’re giving Laduree’s a run for their money! Fantastic job…wish I could reach through my screen and grab one…I wouldn’t eat it though…they’re way too pretty!
xoxo
Karyn