Sometimes less IS more. That is certainly the case with these simple yet delicious French Vanilla Bean Macarons. Vanilla is a classic flavor for a reason and this recipe celebrates that!
Before starting, gather and measure all of your ingredients for the macaron shells. I recommend using an aluminum baking sheet to bake your macaron shells on. If you’re using a baking sheet made out of a different material, your time and temperature may differ from what I have provided.
Special Equipment Needed:
- Silicone Baking Mat
- Handheld Mixer or Stand Mixer
- 1/2 Sheet Pan – Aluminum
- 2 Piping Bags
- Kitchen Scale
- Sifter
Tips & Tricks
Making the Meringue – To make the meringue, you will start off with egg whites in a large bowl. Whisk the egg whites until they start to foam (this takes like 3 seconds) then you’ll add in the cream of tartar and continue whisking. Immediately start adding in granulated sugar gradually. Continue whisking on high speed until you have medium peaks. This is when you’ll add in the vanilla extract. If you are wanting to add food coloring to the shells, I would add it during this time. Resume whisking until you have stiff peaks. Then voila, you have your meringue.
Macaronage – Macaronage is the term that describes incorporating the dry ingredients into the meringue and achieving the perfect consistency. You’ll sift half of your (already sifted) almond flour and powdered sugar into the meringue. Then gently fold to combine. Once it is mostly incorporated, sift the remaining almond flour and powdered sugar and continue folding to combine. The batter will seem thick at first but as you keep folding it will loosen.
The Right Consistency – This is the part of making macarons that I feel like is the spot that can make or break them! You don’t want to under mix but, you also don’t want to over mix. Check often for these two indicators; being able to make a figure 8 without the batter breaking and having the batter flow off the spoon juuussssssttt right. You’re looking for the batter to be loose enough that it comes off as a “V” from the spoon. But not too loose where the “V” is skinny.
Piping Shells – Typically when people pipe shells (and how I have it written in the recipe card) they use a round piping tip to ensure perfect circles. But to be frank, I don’t mind if a shell or two turns out ~slightly~ oval. SO I just cut a straight line across the bag 1.25 inch from the tip. When piping your shells hold the bag perpendicular to your silicone mat and do NOT lift as you are piping. Once all of the shells are piped, you’ll want to lift up the baking sheet and plop it back down on the counter a few times to pop any air bubbles.
Maturing – After assembling your macarons it can be tempting to eat them but, WAIT! An extremely important step to making macarons is letting them mature overnight in the fridge. Maturing your macarons allows the filling’s flavor to infuse into the shells. The shells will also soften up and achieve the texture you want when you bite into your macaron. After maturing, enjoy your Vanilla Bean Macarons. 🙂
Check out more macaron recipes here!
Vanilla Bean Macaron Recipe
Macaron Shells
Vanilla Bean Buttercream
Instructions
Macaron Shells
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Sift the almond flour and powdered sugar into a bowl and set it aside. Measure your sugar in a small bowl and also set that aside.
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Then add egg whites into a large bowl. Start whisking the egg whites and add the cream of tartar when they start to foam. Then gradually add in the granulated sugar. Continue to whisk on high speed until you have medium peaks then add in the vanilla extract. Resume whisking at high speed until you have stiff peaks. This is the meringue.
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Then sift half of the already sifted almond flour and powdered sugar into the meringue and gently fold it in with a rubber spatula until mostly incorporated. Sift in the remaining dry mixture and fold in until the batter has the consistency of "flowing lava."
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Prepare the baking sheet by flipping it upside down and lining it with a silicone mat. Fit a piping bag with a round tip. Then fill the bag with the macaron shell batter.
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Pipe 1 inch shells. Pipe the shells by holding the bag perpendicular to the pan and do not lift the bag while piping. Once all of the shells are piped, pick up the baking sheet and drop it on the counter 3-4 times to pop any air bubbles that may be in the batter.
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Let the shells rest for 45 minutes. Preheat your oven when their is 15 minutes left on the timer. Bake @315 degrees Fahrenheit for around 15 minutes. Every oven is different, so the time may vary.
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Once the shells have been baked and cooled down to room temperature, remove them from the silicone baking mat. Then pair up the shells with their "twin."
Vanilla Bean Buttercream
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Beat the butter until creamy - about 1 minute. Then add in the powdered sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla bean paste. Beat for 2 minutes. Fill a piping bag with the buttercream.
Assembly
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Pipe the buttercream onto the bottom shell. Then take the top macaron shell and "squish" it on the buttercream topped bottom shell. Fill the rest of the macaron shells. Refrigerate covered over night to "mature." Do not skip this step! This is when the magic happens. Take the assembled macarons out of the fridge at least 10 minutes before serving so the buttercream can soften. Enjoy!
