Making Macarons

Rebekah Marsh '24, Journalist

French Macarons are a delicate dessert that takes patience and effort. A light, airy treat that melts on the tongue can be enjoyed by many people, as the pastries are naturally gluten-free. If done right, even a homemade macaron can look professional.
The best practice requires you to first gather your ingredients— that way, you know that you have all of the required components. For typical vanilla macarons, a general list of ingredients includes egg whites, almond flour, powdered sugar, granulated sugar, and cream of tartar. After grabbing your stand (or hand) mixer, put in the egg whites at medium speed and wait until bubbles form at the top before putting in the cream of tartar. When soft peaks form, beat in the granulated sugar at medium-high speed and wait for stiff peaks. While waiting for the peaks to become stiff, sift the almond flour and powdered sugar together and set aside. After the egg whites have formed stiff peaks, combine the flour mixture with the whites and fold. Make sure when folding, that you fold in a circular motion and be careful to not overmix. Next, put the batter into a piping bag with an open circle tip and pipe circular cookies on your baking sheet (tip: line your baking sheet with parchment paper so you have fewer dishes to clean). Before you bake your cookies, let the batter sit so that a coat forms over the cookies and you can tell it formed when the cookies look matte. While waiting for the coat to form, preheat the oven. After baking, let the cookies cool down before piping the icing on the bottom of one of the cookies. Then combine two cookies to make the classic macaron sandwich cookies.
Congratulations! You just made a simple macaron that looks as if it was made in a professional bakery!