Are Italian macarons easier than French macarons?
The Italian method is a lot less simple, going for a melted sugar syrup which cooks the egg whites as they're being whisked but the result is a more stable treat that's less likely to come out wrong.
French macarons are notoriously difficult to make, yet once mastered it's easy to look back and understand the reasons why they didn't work. With this in mind we've put together a list of five common problems when making French macarons and solutions to ensure success the next time round.
French method
The most popular method, and also the simplest one, because it requires less steps. The French method consists of whipping the egg whites with some form of stabilizer such as cream of tartar, until foamy, and then adding the granulated sugar and continuing to whip until the meringue achieves stiff peaks.
The macaron is traditionally held to have been introduced in France by the Italian chef of queen Catherine de Medici during the Renaissance. Since the 19th century, a typical Parisian-style macaron is presented with a ganache, buttercream or jam filling sandwiched between two such cookies, akin to a sandwich cookie.
Macarons can become lopsided from improper piping techniques, use of an overly strong fan to dry the macarons, oven's convection fan is too strong, use of a warped baking pan, shells were rested for too long, baking temperature too high or improper macaronage techniques.
Macaron Texture
In any case, a macaron should be light, crunchy on the outside, and soft in the center. People love jam fillings, buttercream fillings, and ganache fillings, which add to the softness. On the same note, when you eat a macaron, you should be able to eat a few without feeling heavy.
Mixing the Batter
Macarons aren't a bake for beginners – you'll need to make an Italian Meringue and then add precise amounts of ground almonds, icing sugar, egg white and food-colouring. Beat this combination for too long or too short a time and you will wind up with cracked shells.
When baking macarons, you need to line your baking tray with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Both provide a heat-resistant and nonstick surface which helps the macarons retain their shape, not spread out too much, and not stick to the tray.
Their bite-sized nature, bright colors, and tempting textures make them hard to resist. Made with meringue, sugar, and almond flour, these cookies have a crunchy exterior and a soft filling, typically made of a ganache, buttercream, or jam. These cookies are available in a variety of flavors.
What is this? There are actually 2 main methods of making macarons - the Italian method and the French method (the third method is the Swiss which is not as popular). Both methods yield essentially the same yummy and gorgeous looking concoction that most people will recognize as a macaron.
Do macarons need to be refrigerated?
Macarons last for 7 days at ambient temperature and for up to 7 weeks in the fridge, so they do have quite a good shelf life. However, when storing them at ambient temperature, it is probably best to keep them in an airtight plastic container, to keep as much air out as possible so that they don't dry out.
Macarons, as we currently know them (with a smooth ganache filling sandwiched between two meringue based shells, were invented in France. Parisian confectioners created the 'Macaron Parisien' during the 1830s.
Macarons are notoriously finicky. Beat your egg whites too little or too much and you're left with flat macarons. Fold in your powdered sugar and almond flour a few too many times and the tops crack. Even a rainy day (something completely out of your control) can ruin them.
- Substituting almond flour with another flour. ...
- Forgetting to sift the ingredients together. ...
- Picking the wrong meringue to add to your batter. ...
- Using egg whites from a carton. ...
- Using liquid food coloring. ...
- Over-mixing the macaron batter.
Refrigerate: Macaron shells can be made up to 3 days in advance. Store in an airtight container and separate the shells with layers of parchment paper. Keep refrigerated until ready to use. Once filled, store the macarons in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
"Why Should I Rest My Macarons?" Letting the macaron shell dry out allows the outer surface to harden up so that when it is baked, the air in the batter will escape from the bottom edge (thereby, creating feet) instead of from the top of the macaron which can cause cracks and/or leave you with no feet at all.
Sift the Almond Flour & Confectioners' Sugar
The key to smooth macarons is sifting the almond flour and confectioners' sugar. Without this, you'll get lumpy macarons with raised dots on top instead of a nice, smooth shell. Some people like to sift the mixture up to three times even to ensure a smooth finished product.
Drying or resting the macarons shells means to leave them uncovered, piped on the baking sheets, for 20 to 40 minutes, in a cool, dry place. This step will allow the batter to form a thin skin. The batter will look duller and it shouldn't stick to your finger if you carefully touch it.
Macarons last for 14 days at room temperature, 4 weeks when refrigerated, and up to 6 months when frozen. Remember, macarons are best at room temperature, to get the perfect texture. Too cold, they might be harder to bite in. You can bring them out whenever you need them.
Cracked macaron shells. Cracked macaron troubleshooting: Not resting long enough. If you aren't resting the shells long enough, it won't give them enough time to dry, and the moisture will cause them to crack.
What is the difference between a macaron and a French macaron?
Difference Between Macaron and Macaroon
A macaron is a meringue-based sandwich cookie that is tinted with food coloring. A macaroon is a drop cookie made with shredded coconut. The preparation for these two cookies is also very different.
Macarons should have a slight crunch with an overall chewy texture as one bites through the dessert. That texture is what truly makes a macaron marvelous.
Generally, a folded macaron batter can comfortably sit for at least 30 min. to one hour while you go about preparing the other colors. There are 2 issues which will cause the batter to degrade at this point: deflation and drying out.
Macarons sticking to the paper indicates that your macarons are not fully baked. The process of baking your macarons is really more like "drying out" the cookie, so if they are still sticking and not slipping off your tray, your cookies need more baking time in the oven, probably another 5-7 mins.
These mats work great, clean up easily, and don't allow anything to stick. I highly recommend them. These are great! I'm new to making macarons and these are amazing!
Don't be confused by other papers and foils, they are not suitable for your recipe. Wax paper is not the same as parchment paper and will ignite in your oven while macaron shells will wind up sticking to aluminium foil sheets.
Pipe 1 1/2" circles on prepared baking sheet and firmly tap the bottom of the tray so the batter flattens out. Sprinkle sprinkles on top of each macaron. Repeat with remaining batter. Let them rest for 30-45 minutes until they form a skin.
Paris, France
Perhaps the most revered macaron of them all hails from Paris institution, La Dureé. Though it started as a small bakery in 1862 on 16 rue Royale, the high-end confectionary is now a chain with shops from New York City to Japan.
The “cookie” portion is made of meringue and sugar, while the gooey middle usually consists of ganache or jam. Because they're made mostly of egg whites, macarons are a tad bit healthier than other desserts.
The flavor combination of raspberry and rose with the chewy almond and meringue macaron shells has easily become one of my favorites over the years. Often referred to as “ispahan” (Pierre Hermé Ladurée), the taste is nothing short of heavenly with light floral rose essence and tart berry flavor!
What flavor is purple macaron?
These elegant French-style purple macarons with mild almond flavor are crisp and decadent.
The American Macaroon
The macaroon (pronounced mack-a-roon) gets its name from the Italian word ammaccare, which means “to crush,” but this creation is as American as can be. Shredded coconut cookies are served plain, packed with extra ingredients (think lemon or chocolate candies) or dipped in chocolate.
I decided to put a fun spin on my French chocolate macaron and give them a spooky yet gorgeous look for Fall! With the help of some black cocoa powder and a decadent dark chocolate filling these black macarons are perfect for just about any occasion.
Besides the visual differences, Italian method macarons tend to be more crumbly/powdery while the French method macarons are less sweet, chewier and tastes more like almonds due to the lower ratio of sugar to almonds.
Swiss meringue is smoother, silkier, and somewhat denser than French meringue and is often used as a base for buttercream frostings. Italian meringue (shown below) is made by drizzling 240-degree Fahrenheit sugar syrup into whites that have already been whipped to hold firm peaks.
The most common cause of a macaron turning out too chewy is that it's been overbaked. Essentially, you might have kept them in the oven just a bit too long if they are turning out much chewier than they should be. Normally, macarons are going to be just a bit chewy, but they shouldn't be incredibly chewy.
Macarons are often said to be hard to make because they are very delicate and require a lot of precision. They are made with a meringue-based batter, which is whipped into a stiff peak and then folded into a finely ground almond flour mixture.
Italian meringue is the most stable type of meringue as the melted sugar cooks the egg whites, resulting in a soft, glossy finish that doesn't need to be baked in the oven. It is most often used for piping on top of pastries and desserts such as baked Alaska because it holds its shape so well.
Italian meringue is generally considered to be the most stable of the meringues (which makes it suitable for making frosting too), but also, the most difficult to make of the three meringue types. You'll also need a kitchen thermometer as your mixture has to reach a temperature of 115°C (very hot!).
Italian meringue is a bit trickier to make than French or Swiss meringues, but Italian meringue is very stable. Since it is made with sugar syrup that has been taken to the soft ball stage, it won't weep and deflate upon sitting like other meringues, which makes it Perfect for topping a pie.
Why do macarons taste better the next day?
Fact of the day: macarons taste better after few days. Because the shells need to absorb the humidity of the filling and the fridge, more time helps to get the characteristic chewy consistency.
Storing your macarons in the fridge is the best way to keep them fresh. You can store your macarons in the fridge for up to 7 weeks and they will still taste fresh and none of the ingredients will have gone off or taste different.
