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Macarons!

Raise your hand if you have heard of Tartelette.

She’s an amazing food photographer, stylist, pastry artist, and person. And she’s french, too. Très cool! I met her for the first time last weekend when she came to Georgia to be a part of SugarComa and to also teach a class on making macarons. I follow her tweets and that’s how I found out she would be in town. I immediately contacted Tami who was setting the class up to get a spot and yay, I got one.

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These are some of Tartelette’s macarons. Spelled with one o and pronounced like macaroni… without the i sound. I’ve also seen people spell them macaroons. But they shouldn’t be confused with coconut macaroons. These have a smooth rounded outer shell and flat bottom with what’s called “feet.”

And they are just beautiful. The colors. The fillings… well the possibilities are endless.

I’ve been wanting to make macarons forever now, but just hadn’t gotten up the nerve after reading how finicky they are. But I couldn’t pass up a hands on class from Tartelette. Sweet Tartelette.

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The day started with lunch. Thank goodness, because I desperately needed some food after all of the sweets I ate the day before.

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Patti hosted us at her home with the help of Tami and Shameeka. I also met Paula, who I recognized from her Tasty Kitchen profile. She drove all the way from North Carolina to play.

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Tartelette gave us all a few things we would need during the class.

Spatula, #807 tip, large disposable piping bags, powdered food colors and recipe cards.

Macarons only need four ingredients. Just four.

Egg whites, ground almonds, powdered sugar and granulated sugar. That’s it.

And the fillings can be anything you like. Ganache, buttercream, fruit fillings, etc.

You can also add flavorings to the macaron mixture for more possibilities.

But first you have to age your egg whites.

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Appetizing, huh. They need to age at room temperature for at least 24 hours, loosely covered.

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Why? I can’t remember. I was too caught up trying to write and watch and photograph.
But, you need 90 grams of aged egg whites.

Now I have an excuse to buy a kitchen scale. I’d never used one before, but I loved it.

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Whip the egg whites until they are foamy. Gradually add 2 tablespoons granulated sugar until you have a glossy meringue. Don’t overbeat.

Like this…

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Place 110 grams of ground almonds and 200 grams powdered sugar in a large bowl.

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Add your whipped egg whites and fold. You don’t have to fold too gently, but you don’t want to over fold either.
If you want to color them, add the powdered food color about halfway through folding. We were all so engrossed in getting the technique right, that not one of us remembered to color our mixture until it was too late. That’s ok. Just another reason for me to make these again… sooner than later.

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It helps to get the expert approval.

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Especially since there were so many of us mixing and folding at one time.

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When the batter is ready, pour it into a large pastry bag with the #807 tip inserted. It will ooze out the end, so keep the bag folded or you can crimp the bottom until you are ready to pipe.

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Then make small piped circles on a baking sheet lined with a silicon mat or parchment paper.

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I think we were all glad Patti had a super big dining table. Big enough for twelve large baking sheets.

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Otherwise, I don’t think we would have all been smiling as much.

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Once your tray is filled, let it sit for about an hour to harden the outer shell before baking.

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Bake at 300F for 18-20 minutes in a regular oven or 280 F if you have a convection oven.

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These were Paula’s. They came out perfect.

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Let them cool.

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And you can whip up some ganache for the filling.

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Tartlelette was so cute and so much fun. I’m so happy I got to make macarons and some new friends.

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I can’t thank her enough for showing us the secrets to these delicate, delicious little cookies. Nope. I’m not afraid anymore. Once I get a kitchen scale … look out.

See more of Tartelette’s macarons.

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231 comments on “Macarons!”

  1. YES IS TRUE AND IM LOVE FOR TO YOU YOU ARE ESPECIAL CASE

  2. IS TRUE? OH MY GOT … IS REALLY I LOVE YOUR MOVIES AND YOUR PERSON IN JESSIE IS WONDERFULL I LOVE COME HIR PLEASE YOU COME PLEASEEEEE I LOVE YOU

  3. TO: BAKERELLA
    HELLO BAKERELLA IM SO HAPPY BECAUSE IM SEE YOUR PASTRIES AND ITS SO BEAUTIFUL PLEASE COME AGAIN FOR THIS SMALL CITY (NEW YORK) I LOVE AND SEE YOU TO MORROW BYE……AH.. GIRLS SEE MY NEW MOVIE DESCENDANTS.. LOVE
    FROM: CAMERON B.

  4. hi bakerella i love macarons its so beatiful……………is true

  5. BAKERELLA YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL

  6. Can you successfully use carton egg whites to make macarons? Can you use Americolour gel paste to colour the egg whites

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  8. Hello,

    Approximately how many macarons does 1 recipe make?

    Thank you so much.

    Angel

  9. Thank you so much for posting this i always wanted to make this thank you so much once again

  10. Oh, macarons! I attempted these once before and they were a haunting-epic-failure for me lol I tried this recipe and your tips (i.e. aging the egg whites) and they came out perfect! I couldn’t believe it. I made these for a Gossip Girl party (french wedding – yah!) along with la religieuse pastry, and it really wowed! Thanks for putting this recipe up :)

  11. the macaroons looked really good. i had a lot of fun seeing how to make them. my dream is to be a pastry cheif.

  12. Looking for a macaron recipe and this looks perfect! As I am from England it seems so weird that nobody owns kitchen scales! I couldn’t even make a fairy cake without scales, although since I bought a set of American cups I have been meaning to try ;)
    Going to get my egg whites out so they age now!

  13. I LOVE making macarons, especially as gifts. But they hardly ever come out right. I am taking the nearest macaron class at Sur La Table next week. Hopefully I can be at least tad successful compared to your beautiful treats! <3

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  16. Can anyone recommend a recipe for the ganache filling?

  17. I have a couple of questions.. 1) Can you use Almond meal/flour or do you grind the almonds yourself? 2) Where in Georgia are the classes? I’m in Ohio but visit my daughter in Atlanta a few times a year, and I am interested in taking some of the classes.

  18. I wanted to make those for so long! I wish i could get some and not make it for I am only 10 and want to taste a professional’s. They are just like Whoopie Pies except for it’s not cookies or cake.

  19. love the post! and finally decided to try the recipe….buttttt mine ended up quite sticky inside and very fragile…most cracked at the first touch. any idea what went wrong??

  20. To make great macarons, I always used xxx sugar WITHOUT cornstarch. I moved to the East Coast and have not found any one who sells pure xxx sugar without added cornstarch (usually 3%). Does anyone know where I can purchase the xxx sugar without cornstarch? Please let me know via refdrbob@gmail.com

  21. Help! I’ve made several attempts at trying to make macarons, but they’ve never come out right for one reason or another. Either they have a huge air pocket between the shell and the cookie or they don’t grow feet =( But consistently they don’t seem to cook … they sit in the oven for about 26 minutes before I can take them out, but they still seem sticky. I use aged eggs, let them sit after pipping, and have tried doubling the baking sheets. I cook them at 300 degrees. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong, but I’m guessing it’s the mixing process that’s ruining my macarons. Can you please help me or show me where to get help?? Thanks!!!

  22. I just recently found out their existence and name, before that I thought they were little hamburgers. :)
    Thank you for sharing, I’m so looking forward to making these in the near future!!

  23. I wanted to serve these at my wedding reception so badly, but they were so expensive to purchase at the bakery. This breaks the formula down nicely! thanks!

  24. Nobody mentioned that you have to put a little bit of water between the tray and the parchment paper to be able to remove the macarons from the paper.

  25. The set time after piping onto baking sheet reminds me of springerle, especailly a recipe for a ‘quick’ springerle. Those cookies also bake up a bit puffy with even tops and little feet, caused by the batter hardening up during that waiting period. Hard part is finding a cat-free place to let the cookie sheets sit.

    These look lovely and I can not wait to try them. Let’s hear it for pastel food!

  26. Absolutely love the design of your macarons. Pictures are fantastic. We’re running a competition here in Australia with the best chefs- http://melbournemacaron.com that’s how much we love them down under!

  27. Please visite our brand new website !

    We are a french patisserie specialized in macarons in Lille.

    Visite Website !

  28. I’ve known it on this site … http://www.u-shopping.it/macarons
    and went immediately to try it since I arrived in Milan … I recommend them … in one day down, you became more happy than when u eat a jar of Nutella!

  29. Cannot wait to try this recipe, so many variation possibilities!…Kevin

  30. I just made these for the 1st time and they were not easy! I think of myself as a pretty experienced baker too. Practice makes perfect!

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