French Chocolate Macaron Recipe - David Lebovitz (2024)

FAQs

What are the biggest mistakes when making macarons? ›

A macaron is a sandwich-like cookie that's filled with jam, ganache, or buttercream. A macaroon is a drop cookie made using shredded coconut. The preparation for each of these cookies is incredibly different, even though they start out with many of the same ingredients.

If your macarons don't develop feet, it could be because your batter is too wet, your batter was over-mixed or you didn't let your macarons rest for long enough.

Macarons offer a unique combination of textures and flavors, are visually stunning, and are associated with luxury and elegance. Their unique preparation process makes macarons a truly special dessert, which explains why some people consider them the best dessert.

The key to a good macaron is a good meringue, with smooth, shiny, stiff peaks. You can tell it's done when you can flip the bowl upside down and nothing comes out. The peak will be stiff yet still droop slightly. Start with aged or fresh egg whites and whip them on medium for a few minutes until bubbles form.

EGG WHITES: The bulk of French macaron batter is meringue made from properly beaten egg whites. For best and most consistent results, I strongly recommend using fresh egg whites instead of liquid egg whites from a carton. It's imperative that NO egg yolks make it into the recipe.

Macarons are typically more expensive than other baked goods due to their labor-intensive preparation, high-quality ingredients, and delicate nature.

There is also a claim by another Parisian baker, Claude Gerbet that he invented them as apparently the cookie was commonly referred to as a Gerbet back in the day. Maison Ladurée still exists to this day serving all manner of delicious macarons all over the world.

There are basically three methods you can use to make macarons: French, Italian, and Swiss.

Meanwhile preheat your oven to 325 degree F (160 degree C) with the oven racks in the top and bottom third of the oven. Bake the cookies (two sheets at a time) for about 14 - 16 minutes, rotating the pans top to bottom, front to back, about halfway through baking.

What is the best almond flour for macarons? ›

Blanched almond flour is usually preferred over unblanched flour because the skin has been removed and so it does not have the the speckles in the color. It creates a smoother batter texture and a brighter color for the macarons.

Macaron Ingredients Are Expensive

Unlike most bakery treats, macarons are not made with all-purpose wheat flour, which even a home cook can pick up at the supermarket for less than 50 cents a pound. Instead, they're made with almond flour, which costs more than nine times as much—and that's at Costco.

While generally considered the least healthy part of the macaron, many of the fillings are derived from natural fruits or can be made with sugar-free and keto recipes. Even with the tasty fillings, macarons are still healthier desserts when compared to other sweets, such as cupcakes.

In my quest to find the best macaron delivery in the US, I ordered from each online bakery. In average, a macaron is sold at $2.10 per piece. Yes, it is expensive. But it is worth it to make a great impression for a gift, or for a party.

Hollow shells: One of the most frustrating problems is when the macaron shells turn out hollow. This is usually caused by overmixing the batter, which can cause too much air to be incorporated into the mixture. To avoid this, be sure to fold the batter gently and stop as soon as it reaches the desired consistency.