Recipe Packet & Shopping List: Valentine's Day French Macarons

 

How To Make Macarons

Everyone knows that Paris is one of the most romantic cities in the world! Transport your date to the City of Love this Valentine’s Day when you learn how to make macarons three different ways. Explore our ingredients, instructions, and video guide to make the best Valentine’s Day macarons!

Ingredients

To learn how to make macarons, you’ll need a medium bowl, a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, a piping bag with a round tip, a baking sheet, parchment paper, and a wire rack.

Batter

• 1 ¾ Cups Powdered Sugar
• 1 Cup Finely Ground Almond Flour
• 1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
• 3 Egg Whites, Room Temperature (Reserve the Yolks for Fillings)
• 1/8 Teaspoon Cream of Tartar
• 2 Tablespoons Granulated Sugar
• 1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Bean Paste or One Vanilla Bean, Scraped

We have three delicious filling ideas for your Valentine’s Day macarons! Learn how to make each one for your macarons and let us know your favorites.

Passion Fruit Filling

• small saucepan
• small glass bowl
• medium bowl
• whisk
• 1/2 cup passion fruit purée, defrosted
• 3 egg yolks
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 6 tablespoons butter, cut to pieces

Chocolate Ganache Filling

• small saucepan
• medium bowl
• whisk
• 2 ounces heavy cream
• 2½ ounces chocolate
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

Strawberry Mascarpone Filling

• small bowl
• spoon
• 4 ounces mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
• 3 tablespoons high quality strawberry preserves

Learn how to make macarons of any flavor when you swap out the strawberry preserves for your favorite type of fruit.

Instructions

Follow these instructions carefully for how to make the cookie part of the macarons.

1. Add the powdered sugar, almond flour, and salt to a food processor. Pulse until the mixture is combined. Place in a separate bowl and set aside.
2. Add the egg whites and cream of tartar to the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment. Whisk on medium speed for five minutes, until the egg whites form soft peaks.
3. With the mixer on low, add the sugar a little at a time. Increase the speed to medium and continue to beat until stiff peaks have formed. You should be able to turn your bowl upside down without any egg whites falling out.
4. Add the vanilla bean paste and let the mixer run until just combined.
5. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and begin to incorporate the flour mixture.
6. Gently fold in 1/3 of the dry ingredients into the egg whites until just combined. Continue adding a 1/3 at a time until all the flour has been incorporated. The batter will look like wet sand. Try not to overmix, as the egg whites may deflate.
7. Transfer the batter to a piping bag fitted with a medium round tip.
8. Prepare the baking shit by tracing 1.5 inch round circles onto your parchment paper about 2 inches apart. Dot a dime-sized amount of batter onto each corner of the baking sheet and place the parchment paper, traced side down on top of it.
9. Pipe the batter into the middle of the circles by placing the tip close to the paper and gently squeezing the bag while pulling up. Repeat until all the circles are filled and the batter is gone.
10. Once your macarons are piped, give the baking sheet a few hard taps on the counter to remove extra air pockets.
11. Leave the baking sheets uncovered on the counter to dry for 15-30 minutes, or until the macarons form a hard skin.
12. Preheat the oven to 300℉.
13. Bake the macarons for 15-17 minutes or until they have developed “feet” that are a very light golden brown along the edges.
14. Place the individual macarons on a wire rack to cool before filling.
15. Pipe a quarter-sized amount of your preferred filling into each macaron and top with a second piece to create a sandwich.

Passion Fruit Filling

1. Prepare a double boiler by adding an inch of water to the bottom of the saucepan and bringing it to a simmer over low heat.
2. Place a small glass bowl over the simmering water and add the passion fruit purée.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sugar, salt, and cornstarch until it turns pale.
4. When the passion fruit mixture is hot, slowly whisk in a 1/4 cup of the fruit purée into the eggs to temper them. Repeat this process until all the purée is mixed in.
5. Pour the mixture back into the double boiler and cook, stirring until the curd has thickened. About 5 minutes.
6. Remove it from the heat and place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the curd.
7. Place in the refrigerator to cool completely before filling the macarons.

You can store the passion fruit curd in an airtight container for up to five days in the fridge to save for other Valentine’s Day macarons.

Chocolate Ganache

1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, heat the heavy whipping cream until just before boiling.
2. Add the chocolate to a medium bowl and pour the hot cream over the top. Let the chocolate sit in the cream for several minutes so it’s completely covered.
3. When the chocolate is soft enough, whisk it until it’s fully combined with the heavy cream.
4. Stir in the vanilla extract and the salt.
5. Cover and place the mixture in the refrigerator.
6. After about 15 minutes, remove and stir until thickened. Place it back in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.

You can store the chocolate ganache in the fridge for up to three days. If the chocolate is too hard to spread onto your Valentine’s Day macarons, let it sit on the counter until it softens.

Strawberry Mascarpone

1. Stir the mascarpone and fruit preserves in a small bowl until fully combined.
2. Set aside until ready to use.

You can refrigerate this mixture for up to three days until you know how to make the cookie part of the macaron.

If you want a more guided approach to teach you how to make macarons, check out the video below: