Vanilla Macarons

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Not just a posh treat, these vanilla macarons aren’t actually too difficult to make if you follow a few simple tips and give them some practice.

Vanilla Macarons

DF: Dairy Free

GF: Gluten Free

Recipe Tips

Macarons are delicate, meringue-based cookies that originate from France, known for their smooth, crisp shells and soft, chewy interiors. Made primarily from almond flour, powdered sugar, and egg whites, these cookies are piped into small rounds and baked to perfection before being sandwiched together with a variety of fillings, such as buttercream, ganache, or fruit preserves. Their vibrant colors and diverse flavours, ranging from classic vanilla and chocolate to more adventurous options like lavender and matcha, make macarons a popular and elegant treat for any occasion.

Vanilla macarons are naturally gluten free

Macarons aren’t the easiest, and I definitely went though many trials before I developed this recipe that I was happy with, and  learnt a lot of lessons along the way, little tips and tricks and steps you absolutely cant skip. Hopefully you will find this recipe helpful too! 

1) The first step is to preheat the oven to 140°C fan. Now some ovens will vary but I find this temperature works best for me.

Whipping the Egg Whites

2) Weigh out the icing sugar, ground almonds and cornflour (see not on ingredients list) and blend until a fine consistency is formed in an electric food processor – don’t skip this step as the macarons will be lumpy and uneven. This is one of the lessons I learnt and I have found you absolutely can’t skip this step. 

3) Crack the eggs and discard the yolks. Set a stand whisk or hand whisk to high and whisk the egg whites until they are stiff, and the peaks don’t drop down at all, but still have a smooth consistency, they shouldn’t look dry and lumpy an this will mean they are over beaten and will effect the final macaron.

4) Weigh out the granulated sugar and add into the egg white a spoon at a time while whisking until fully incorporated and the meringue forms stiff peaks, again don’t over whisk but the peaks need to be stiff enough to not droop at all.

5) At this point add the salt and any food colouring you want and mix in until just combined.

Making the Batter

6) Sift half the dry ingredients into the meringue and mix with a spatula. Mix using the figure of eight method. Once combined add the remaining dry ingredients. Don’t be tempted to under mix, mix until the batter starts to run off the spatula rather than dollop as lumps, and so that it can form a figure of 8 in the bowl before diapering, and stop there.

Piping the Vanilla Macarons

7) Spoon into a piping bag with a round piping nozzle. Pipe onto baking paper or a silicone baking mat in small rounds roughly 4cm in diameter, they should spread a little.

8) Now use a glass with cold water to dip your finger in the water and then use your finger to gently dab down the raised peaks on your macarons from the piping.

9) Pick the baking tray up and drop it on the counter top from about 15cm 4-5 times, it is really important to get rid of any air bubbles that could make your macarons uneven or crack.

10) Let the macaron batter set for an hour, be patient with this step as it is important to form a skin on the macarons that will give them that shiny top!

Baking the Vanilla Macarons

11) Bake for 16-22 minutes in the middle of the oven – this you will have to see with your own oven, but when fully cooked they should easily peel away from the tray. Check on them every 45-60 seconds after 18 minutes. To help prevent the macarons browning, place an empty baking tray on the top shelf above the macarons. If the tops are browning before the macarons are cooked then turn your oven down 5-10 degrees.

12) Allow to completely cool before filling.

13) Allow the macarons to mature in the fridge overnight, this tip was new to me but this maturation step can help soften the macarons, fill any gaps and develop the flavour.

Try the Vanilla Macarons

This recipe is adaptable for dairy free and gluten free dietary requirements but it’s also great with an option for normal diets too. These delicious sweet mouthfuls are the perfect show stopper to impress all of your friends!

Rebecca K.

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