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Tartelette, these are for you!

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Remember last month when I went to a macaron making class given by Helen of Tartelette? Well, we had never met before the class, but I have been drooling over her blog for a while now. It is a complete work of art. So, when I found out she needed a ride to the class, I was all over it.

One… I didn’t want her to have to pay to take a taxi to get there and two… that meant I had her all to myself for the car ride. I tried to pace my questions, so I didn’t seem like a freak. But, I was so intrigued by her. First, she’s french which is cool. She’s also a pastry artist, a fab food photographer, wedding photographer, food stylist, she’s going gluten free and I even think she teaches pilates. Plus, I like the way she says dude with her french accent. I mean, there are so many things I could ask her questions about. I should have just taken her on the scenic route so she would have been trapped in my car longer.

Anyway, during the car ride we exchanged compliments. Ha. I couldn’t believe she was complimenting me. I was in awe of her. But she said something that really made me smile. She said she wanted me to make some pops out of her macarons. I was like, heck yeah… if I can learn how to make them, I’ll put those cute little cookies on a stick. Just try and stop me.

So here is the fun part. Helen emails me the other day and says she’s making macaron pops. What she didn’t know is I had already made some. So I sent her a picture of mine right away so she would know I wasn’t being a slacker. We decided to post our pops on the same day. I’m kinda scared to see hers. I know they are going to be beautiful. But if you want to take a look, here’s a link to Tartelette’s Macaron Pops!

And here’s how I made mine…

After the class, I realized I was missing a very important tool. I needed to acquire a kitchen scale and quick. Helen’s recipe for macarons is in grams. Huh. I better not try and improvise. So I bought a scale.

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To make macarons, you…

……………………………
I interrupt this post with a very important message… I am absolutely no authority on making these. I still need to keep trying because while I think mine look pretty nice, the insides did not bake quite right. They were too hollow… but they look good enough to give you a play by play. The finicky little creatures. I’ll give you Helen’s exact recipe at the end if you want to give them a go… I will try again. And again until I get them just right.
……………………………

Okay, to make macarons, you only need four ingredients. Just four. I know I went over this before from the class post. But it’s worth repeating.

110 grams of ground almonds.

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200 grams of confectioners’ sugar.

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90 grams of egg whites that have been aging on the counter for 24 hours.

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And 25-50 grams of regular sugar.

P.S. I looooove the scale.

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Place the confectioners’ sugar and the ground almonds in a large bowl.

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Stir it together with a wire whisk until it is all blended and set aside.

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Then beat your egg whites on high using a mixer with the whisk attachment.

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Beat until the egg whites get foamy and gradually add 25-50 grams of sugar.

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Continue beating until stiff peaks for and then stop.

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Then add your beaten egg whites to the almond mixture. Begin to fold it all together. About halfway through folding, add powdered food color if you like and continue to fold until blended. You’ll know when to stop if you test the the mixture. Run a knife through. If the line disappears after ten seconds, stop folding.

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Throw the mixture in a large disposable decorator bag fitted with an Ateco #807 or #809 tip and pipe away on a silpat covered baking sheet. The shapes should be small – about an inch and a half – when the mixture stops spreading. Let the macarons sit for 30 minutes to an hour before baking. This will form a shell that raises when baked and leaves the “feet” visible at the bottom.

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Bake the cookies for about 18-20 minutes. Remove and cool completely.

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You can fill the cookies with chocolate ganache or any filling that you want to try.

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But, the ganache works great to turn these into pops. It dries pretty stiff, holding the stick in place. Just spoon a little chocolate on the back of one of the macaron cookies.

Create a support by using some of the extra lollipop sticks and twist ties.

Press the lollipop stick about halfway into the ganache. This is a little more than halfway. So do less than the photo illustrates.

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Then sandwich that stick right in there.

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And repeat.

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Let them dry completely and tie a cute little ribbon on.

You know something about this reminds me of an old-time baby rattle. Especially if it had white filling. Yay? Nay? Anyone?

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Regardless, they are pretty darn cute in blue.

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And pink, too.

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I even brought my edible ink pens to the party. They like macarons. Smooth writing.

Here’s the recipe if you want to make them.

Tartelette's Macarons

Tartelette's Macarons

Ingredients

Macaron shells

  • 90 gr egg whites (roughly 3 egg whites)
  • 25 gr to 50 gr (2 Tb to 1/4 cup) granulated sugar
  • 200 gr ( 1.5 cups + 2Tb) powdered sugar
  • 110 gr almonds ( 3/4 cup) (slivered, blanched, sliced, whatever you like)
  • powdered food coloring, optional

Ganache

  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 8 oz semi-sweet chocolate morsels.

Instructions

  1. Prep the eggs: 48 hrs in advance, separate the whites from the yolks and place the whites in a super clean bowl. Leave at room temp, uncovered or loosely covered with a towel at least 24 hrs. Refrigerate after that if desired. You can use eggs that have been "aging" for up to 5 days.
  2. Prepare the macarons: Place the powdered sugar and almonds in a food processor and give them a good pulse until the nuts are finely ground. Sift a couple of time to remove bits and pieces. Regrind if necessary. You can also use a coffee grinder for the nuts. Once your nuts and powdered sugar are mixed together, rub them in between your fingertips to break the bigger pieces.
  3. In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites to a foam, (think bubble bath foam) gradually add the sugar until you obtain a glossy meringue (think shaving cream). Do not overbeat your meringue or it will be too dry.
  4. Add the nuts and powdered sugar to the meringue, give it a quick fold to break some of the air and then fold the mass carefully until you obtain a batter that falls back on itself after counting to 10. Give quick strokes at first to break the mass and slow down. The whole process should not take more than 50 strokes. NOTE: About halfway through folding, add powdered food color if you like and continue to fold until blended. Test a small amount on a plate: if the tops flattens on its own you are good to go. If there is a small beak, give the batter a couple of turns.
  5. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a plain tip (Ateco #807 or #809) with the batter and pipe small rounds (1.5 inches in diameter) onto parchment paper or silicone mats lined baking sheets. Let the macarons sit out for 30 minutes to an hour to harden their shells a bit.
  6. If using convection: preheat the oven to 280F. If using regular electric or gas, preheat the oven to 300F. When ready, bake for 18 to 20 minutes, depending on their size. Let cool.
  7. Prepare the ganache: Heat the cream in a small pot until just before boiling.
    Place morsels in a medium bowl and pour cream over. Let sit for a few seconds and then stir until smooth.
  8. Let cool slightly and spoon a small amount on the bottom of a macaron and then sandwich with another cookie.
  9. If you want to make macaron pops, place a lollipop stick on top of the ganache about halfway to the center of the cookie before you sandwich together. Let dry completely laying down and with the lollipop sticks propped up for support.
Also, here’s a tutorial Tartelette put together for making macarons that should help.

Enjoy!

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294 comments on “Tartelette, these are for you!”

  1. Elegant!

    Thank you

  2. those are very cute!

  3. What a brilliant idea. The pops won’t last long.

  4. Sres. Barkerella,
    Desearia se me envie en idioma ESPAÑOLl las recetass que ustedes muy gentilmente comparten con millones de personas que siguen sus consejos y recetas,
    Saludos y muchos exitos……
    Xavier

  5. Absolutely beautiful! What a special treat! Would love to make these for a baby shower – how much in advance can they be made?

  6. I was wondering, where can you buy powdered colouring (generally)? I’ve always tried with liquid food colouring and it seems to make the cookies end up in a mess.

  7. How many macarons does this recipe make?? Please reply asap

  8. Can I use the carton liquid egg whites for the macarons?

  9. THESE LOOK SOOOOOOO DELICIOUS gotta try these:)

  10. Just tried this recipe and it turned out great! I used nutella for the filling. One thing, the edges of the macarons widened very much, so I had to cut them off when they were cooled. Why do they do that? Greetings from Turkey, love your website!

  11. Hi Bakerella! These look so adorable! I’m wondering, do you take all the photos yourself? They are really something!

  12. Good God!
    Those looks just divine! Ah, I cannot wait to try them out.

    YUM!

  13. Love these! The blue is absolutely amazing.

    Val
    http://MacaronRecipe.org

  14. sooooo cute!

  15. Thanks a lot ! Wonderful !

    Et en plus, je vais travailler mon anglais, thanks too !

    Bye, Gwénola

  16. Love them!! YUMM-O! What Bijou said is OUTRAGEOUS!

  17. wow , it didn’t work -______-

  18. Bakerella, thank you for your amazing recipe.
    I was having a nightmare thinking about how to make macaroons! and apparently still do :(

    I just can’t seem to make them work !
    in your post you mentioned that the almond ingredient is 110 gr & with the photos it says grounded almond ..
    which one to go with ??
    110 grounded or slivered??

    please help .. I’ll try to make them again :(
    crossing fingers they will work ..

  19. I’ve recently been trying macarons as well and a friend of mine gave me a hint. After piping the macarons, rap the baking sheet on the counter a few times (like when you bake a cake) and that will get those air bubbles out. No more hollow shells!

  20. Hi Bakerella,
    I am amazed by the idea of Macarons Pops! It’s so beautiful to look at ^_^.
    For me macarons are not so hard to do but maybe because the recipe Iuse works fine with me (crispy outside and melting inside) and perhaps it’s because I’m French (haha joking)
    I use the same quantities (roughly) but the difference in my recipe is to use 3 trays (1 tray on which you put the macaron to wait and then bake + 2 trays below): the macaron will be crispy and tender inside.
    To H.Tea, if your macarons collapsed maybe you broke the whites? Or you opened the door of the oven before the end?

    Anyway, I will keep an eye on your website from now!
    PS: do you have any good recipes and tricks for sponge cakes?

  21. I gave this recipe a try today (my first ever macaron attempt!)! I had to bake these in two batches because I couldn’t fit them all into the oven at the same time. The first batch turned out really well! The shells had feet and they rose really nicely but I encountered the same problem with the hollow-ness :( The second batch looked beautiful while in the oven but collapsed as soon as I opened the oven door. Do you know why they collapsed? At first I thought it was because of the sudden temperature drop (from oven to room temperature from opening the oven door) but this didn’t happen with the first batch. Could it be that I overmixed the mixture? Because I mixed the second batch a bit more than the first :\

    Please post more macaron recipes! I love all of your recipes!

  22. the macaron pops are so so so cuteeeeeee!

  23. Hi (Shhhh… this is her daughter Sarah)!!!! I am allergic to any kind of nut and almonds plus cashews! BOOO. Is there any kind of way i can subsitute almonds with something else? I REALLY WANT TO TRY THIS!!! Plus I LOOOOVE YOU SOOO MUCH! Please help me! I also got your Cake Pops recipe book. :) Please reply back!

  24. Un Chef me dijo que son difíciles pero gracias a ti ya no me da tanto miedo intentarlo.. :)

  25. Hi Bakerella! I was wondering, if I don’t have the big piping tips, can I just use the really small circle ones for frosting and squeeze out a lot at a time? Or should I just use a plastic bag with a hole cut into it, no tips?

    Thank you so much!

  26. I bet Nutella would be good on the inside….

  27. These are absolutely divine, cannot wait to try them. I wish I was as talented as you. Thank you for sharing your talent.

  28. hi i like your cooking:)

  29. they look so good!!! Good job! age 9

  30. This is about using these macaroons in a totally different recipe that I have had for years. Haven’t made it for a long time because we couldn’t find any almond macaroons, but now …….I may be able to use my recipe again. Recipe calls for a 1/2 gal of vanilla custard softened ice cream, crumbled macaroons added and all is put back into ice cream carton. Then, an apricot sauce is cooked until thickened. To serve, the ice cream is cut into rectangular servings, covered with the apricot sauce and then sprinkled with chopped cashews, if desired. Very pretty and delicious dessert. I have always heard it called Cabinet Pudding but have no idea what else it might be know as. Have you ever heard of it???

  31. Just a tip: A way to find out if you’ve beaten the eggs enough is to take the bowl and turn upside down. If the eggs stay in the bowl, its done.

  32. WOW!! i have fallen in love with ur baking and ur website!! :D

  33. I love this recipe but I have a couple of question I hope you can help..

    I try to make this macaron and I follow the exact recipe w/ my scale but for some reason it come out flat the macaron did develop the *feet* part but it come out too sweet and flat can use less powder sugar ? instead of 200gr can i use 80gr??

    thank so much !!

  34. they look amazing!

  35. when the recipe says to let the egg whites age for 24hrs. is it meaning while they are still in the shell or crack them and then let them age?

  36. loved them!! how many macarons does the recipe make??
    I love your blog!!!!

  37. Ah! These are so incredible cute! Such wonderful photos too!

  38. i looooove them, mine so didnt turn out like this at all

  39. How long does this stay good for? Got a party on Saturday and was thinking about making this on Thursday. I wonder if it would still be good for Saturday?

  40. how many degrees should be baked macaroons?

  41. So pretty–I want these for my baby shower! Do you know if macaroons can be baked in shaped molds? I’m in NO WAY skilled at piping!

  42. Do you have to add powdered food coloring?

  43. hi! may i know what substitudes can i use for heavy cream, and do i still let me egg whites sit on the counter if i’m staying at a country with a tropical climate? thanks alot! (:

  44. my macaons have cracks in the middle when i baked them,. waht can i do to prevent it?pls reply.tnx

  45. i want to learn how to make the pistacho macarons! i ate some at the bake shop that are so so good but i sure they will not give the recipe and they were two dollars each.
    that to much… but i guess thats bussiness.
    the bakery shop is called La Provence Patisserie and Cave
    Parisian Macaroons….so good but so expensive.
    thanks
    8950 W. Olympic blvd 110, Beverly Hills, CA 90211
    also Brentwood Gardens 11677 San Vicente Blvd 317., Los Angeles, CA 90049
    this shop competed in the cup cake show on t.v.
    let me know what you think wow so good

  46. I am due to have a baby in August and would love these for my shower. However with my 2 and 3 year old step sons I’ll never find the time!! I’ll just have to pretend :) Thanks for sharing.

  47. Would anyone be able to tell me if liquid food colouring would work as well, opposed to the powdered form? Thanks so much in advanced, cannot wait to try these babies out!

  48. Bakerella, YOU-HAVE-TOTALLY-INSPIRED-ME! Thank you (hats off to you :-)

  49. Wow… how do you get the color to work with the recipe..I have tried dozens of times in different recipes and every time I add food coloring, my recipe doesn’t work…is there a trick to it?
    Thanks Dawn x

  50. I made your fabulous macarons. My blue ones ran too much. Did I over mix, although I didn’t mix much. What would cause my batter to spread to thin. I followed the recipe exactly.
    Thanks!

  51. I forgot write my direction:

    http://www.lasgalletitasdetita.wordpress.com.

    Thank you agaim!!!

  52. Bakerella, we like to be like you!!!!!
    We will really apreciate your visit in our web site

    Thank you!!!.

    Mónica

  53. Thank you for making this process so easy. i want to make red and green ones for a “cookie bake” exchange. How long do these stay fresh? what is the best way to store them?
    Thanks!

  54. AAAAGGGHHHH! Too cute! I love that you come up with all these ideas and do all my hard work for me! LOL!

  55. bakerella
    these look awesome
    i tried a batch today i cant seem to get the egg whites to stifen and my batter was too water :(((
    help what am i doing wrong. i reeeeeeeeeeeally wanna master macarons!!

  56. Thanks Bakerella!!!

    After 9 times traying , your recipe worked for me!
    mmmmmm they are so good!!

    thanks!!

  57. hi those look so cute i want to do it for my wedding can you let me know if i can do 2 weeks prior to the wedding? thnx alot for sharing

  58. The teal color looks amazing in these macarons. I knew I should have picked up that color today at the store! I made some ube and pistachio macarons with vanilla buttercream. They were yummy! Please check it out :)

    http://www.simplydolicious.com/2010/08/ube-and-pistachio-macarons/

  59. What a great idea for a baby shower or favors for a wedding shower just by changing / leaving the color white! Thank you fro the sweet inspiration!

  60. I am addicted to this website.I have been planning a babyshower,for my daughter.These will be great,since it is a Boy.Where can I buy the sticks,and plastic bags?Thank you for being so talented.

  61. These look great! anyways I was wondering is there a sub for dry food coloring?

  62. I’m just now reading these and thinking they would be perfect for a wedding party I’m catering. I was already planning on making macarons, but this is even better! I was wondering, do they freeze well, or should I make them the day before? I have made macarons before, but they never last long enough for me to worry about how to store them :)

  63. I just baked them. Dunno if they are supposed to taste like mine did, but they weren’t any good. Great pictures and explanation anyway.

  64. Thank you so much for this post! My first attempt at macarons was from Tartelette’s tutorial, they looked great but a bit underdone and ever so slightly browned. Not sure what went wrong. Since then I’ve been reading everything macaron till my eyes crossed! I was determined to prove Dorie Greenspan wrong, “not to bother to try making them at home due to their difficulty”. Your post was so helpful, the photos, the language, “like bubble bath”, “like shaving cream”. My attempt was a success! Thanks again.

  65. OMG! You do macarons too! I love them and the only place I can find them near me is at least 30 minutes away. I can’t wait to try your recipe.

  66. First… I adore your blog. I read it for a while now and man do I love you =) hihi.

    Anyways, since I life in Germany and its not really possible to get powdered food coloring here I wanted to ask, is it possible to use liquid food coloring or maybe even gel foodcoloring?

    Thanks for your fantastic blog. You made me realize how much I love this

  67. macarrons

  68. I have the same scale that you do. My husband just bought it for me and I kept the blue wrap on it too. : )

  69. What is the shelf like of the macaroons? I would love to make these ahead of time before going on a road trip to deliver them. Thanks!

  70. yum yum yum i love them.

  71. Oh I wanna try it!! Kisses from Italy!

  72. Does anyone know how many pops are made from this recipe?

  73. Fell in love with these and tried them for my niece’s baby shower (boy and girl twins). To my surprise, I did it!! They turned out awesome. My niece’s husband, who manages a Starbucks, said they are way better than what they sell in their store. I thought there was a link to a template for piping, but I’m guessing that wasn’t on your site?? I’d love to find it again.

  74. Bakerella, these are adorable! My friend is having her junior recital on Friday, and the reception is going to have a French theme because she’ll be studying abroad next year, and these look perfect for a reception treat! I’m going to be faking my way along with the cup measurements, so I have a QUESTION… Is the 3/4 cup almonds before or after grinding?

  75. Hi Bakerella,
    Your macarons are perfect!

    But I have a question: In the step by step pictures you say to add the meringue to the almond/powdered sugar mixture, and in the recipe it says the opposite, to add the almond/sugar mixture to the meringue. I’m not sure it matters, but I want my macarons to look like yours! What do you recommend doing?

    Adriana

  76. Can I just say that the utter cuteness of these little guys makes me want to melt into cooing, salivating goo? Now I really want to go ahead and make myself some macarons. (By the way, why do you need to let the egg whites age for twenty-four hours at room temperature?)

  77. Just love your work! Thanks for being inspirational!

  78. I come Thanks to manu (from la popotte de manue)
    Your work is amaaaaaazing!
    I will buy the material and try to do your macarons!
    thank you for the inspiration
    Nadia

  79. Lord help me……..I’m trying these this weekend. My eggs are aging on the countertop right now. I mean my egg whites. Deep breath……I’m goin’ in….If they turn out fairly decently, I’ll blog on them next week. Wish me luck!

    http://www.simplysweeter.blogspot.com

  80. AHHHH! Amazing!! I added a link to this post on my blog. I had posted about macarons last October, but there nothing like your babies! Gorgeous!!http://housefinally.blogspot.com/2009/10/love-affair-with-french-macarons.html

  81. I can’t wait to try these! Thank you, Thank You for sharing and inspiring others to try! Now, I need to buy a kitchen scale!

  82. This just maybe the cutest thing i’ve ever seen!

  83. I made these with my friend, and it was a lot of fun, though it was mostly a failure. :/ We didn’t get the little “feet,” but they were still delicious! Thanks for the recipe! :)

  84. i am soooo impressed, your lolli/macarons are great!
    i’ll have to make some one day!
    your blog is neat..i am checking more recipes…
    i wish i could blog in english too, but it s too much for me :)

  85. Hi I know this isnt related to the macaroons but I wanted to know if I can make the cupcake pops with a regular frosting instead of the cream cheese frosting??

  86. These are STUNNING! I am planning to try to make my first macarons asap! I just LOVE the colours you choose as well – and drawing on them is adorable :)

  87. I love your website, and I want to be you. The only thing you are missing? The cute little icon by the website name in the address bar. Most websites have it. You should add one! XoXo.

  88. ooohhh, I’m obssessed with macarons! they’re just so feminine, pretty … and delicious! ;) I eat and try new ones whenever I can. Just went to this great Pâtissier in Sydney who does amazing macarons… yum! I’m gonna blog about them soon, too.

  89. awesome! I’ve always wondered how these cute little desserts are made!

  90. Hi, Curious, why 25 – 50 grams of sugar? Why not one or the other? I tried to make macaroons last weekend, they looked beautiful but then they were completely hollow with a wet bottom. Does that mean I didnt bake it long enough, I did bake it longer then instructed… I will keep trying.

  91. I doubt you read every single comment, but I have to tell you, I was watching Marie Antoinette with Kirsten Dunst, and in this movie I swear they served these cookies, (sans delicious ganache and adorable sticks!) I looked over at my husband and said “I have that recipe…” How Fun! THANKS!

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