Let’s talk seriously - I’ve never made macarons before, and I’m no professional baker or chef. This is just me documenting my first and second attempts at making them. They’re still not perfect, but the second attempt was miles ahead of the first. And macarons are a lot more complicated than you might assume, despite their tiny list of ingredients. I can’t stress this enough - I would much rather cook a meal than bake, but I’ve always wanted to try making these and I took the month of December off, so I might as well learn something, right? 

Here are some lessons I learned:

1. Be precise. As fuck. The first batch was measured in measuring cups, American style. They came out OK, but not great, and definitely not the glossy, smooth, pretty macarons that we’re all familiar with. I measured the second batch with a digital scale, i.e. METRIC BAKING. And the second batch is delicious. And smooth. Honestly, the only things I messed up with the second ones are sizing and spacing. I also might bake them at 275 instead of 300 in my oven because the convection makes things brown and cook just a little faster than normal. 
2. Sift your sugars and nut flours. And then sift them again. And when you’re putting them into your egg whites, SIFT THEM AGAIN. It makes all the difference. 
3. Sizing. It’s hard to make them consistent - I think next time I might try printing a guide to put underneath my parchment or baking mat, because sandwiching various sized cookies together can be a challenge. The second batch had a great batter, but inconsistent sizing, so a few ran together and have flat sides. #sadface 
4. There is a such thing as over-drying. After they’re on the cookie sheet, they need to hang out for a bit before they go into the oven. For the first batch, I also happened to be making dinner, so ended up drying them too long, and so there was too much crunch and not enough chew. (They still taste amazing, but the texture is off)
5. Be patient when you’re folding the nuts into the egg whites. This process takes a little time and you don’t need to rush it. The first time, I was scared of going too far, so I piped them too early and they didn’t settle and gloss over like they’re supposed to. Again, they taste great, but they're not pretty. 

Anyways, I’m hoping that documenting my fuckups here can help others avoid them and nail macarons on their first try. I've added captions to the photos in this post, so you can see clear differences between the first and second batches (click and hover over the photos to see the captions).

I think my third attempt will be exactly what I’m looking for (I recently saw that Bon Appétit posted a s'mores macaron story on their Instagram, and I want to try something similar). PS - these are gluten free. (RIGHT?!)

Ingredients:

Outside shells - 

4 egg whites (140-150ish grams) 
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 cup granulated sugar (100 grams)
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar (200 grams)
1 1/3 cups almond flour (120 grams)
2/3 cup pistachio flour (80 grams)
Green food coloring (like....5-6 drops? Color them how you like.)

Filling (pistachio buttercream) - 

2 sticks room temperature unsalted butter
4 teaspoons pistachio paste (you can make this at home)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
2-3 cups powdered sugar

Kitchen tools absolutely necessary - 

Digital scale
Several prep bowls
Piping bags
Stand mixer
Sifter

Save yourself some money and make these ingredients at home: 

Pistachio flour. I just poured a whole bunch of shelled pistachios into my food processor, and pureed them into dust. Don’t go too far with this as you can stimulate the oil inside them and they’ll start to clump, so we’re looking for a dry, almost sand-like quality. Then sifted the finer particles into a jar. BOOM. 

Pistachio paste. Take some of the larger particles from the flour mixture, and add it to a coffee grinder. Now, I have two coffee grinders in my house: one is for coffee, one is for “other” like spices, nuts, etc. Grind until it starts to clump, and then add a little water, say 1/4 teaspoon at a time. Grind until pasty. ALSO BOOM. 

If you want, you can buy both of these items, but I’m trying to save you money here. 

Directions:

Prepare your baking sheets by lining with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. I think silicone will work better because it lays completely flat, but I used parchment today. 

Make the shells:

1. Sift the powdered sugar, almond flour, and pistachio powder at least twice into a bowl, and set aside. 
2. Add the egg whites to a stand mixer and beat on medium until the eggs are frothy. I like to start merengues manually with a whisk, because eggs can be temperamental and I like to control the froth more at the beginning. 
3. Add the cream of tartar and whip on medium/medium-high speed until it starts to form merengue. 
4. Add the granulated sugar a little at a time (I did it in four parts) and, with the last batch of sugar, add the food coloring. Whip until it’s super glossy and forms stiff peaks (I notice that it almost turns metallic when the light shines on it). 
5. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and sift the sugar/nut flour mixture into the merengue (you’ve now sifted this like 3-4 times, and I promise it’s worth it). 
6. Fold the ingredients together gently by scooping underneath the merengue and then scraping around the side. It’s going to feel kind of thick for a bit, and then it’ll start to loosen - this is totally normal. I thought I completely fucked up the merengue the first time, but it’s supposed to do this. You want to fold until it passes the ribbon test: scoop the mixture out and let it flow into the bowl like a ribbon. If the sides of the ribbon are completely absorbed and disappear within ten seconds, it’s ready. There’s a great video of what the consistency should look like from @karlsmacarons on Instagram if you want to take a look (his are chocolate). 
7. Scoop the batter into a piping bag fitted with a round attachment (not the tiny one, the larger round) and pipe 1 1/2 inch circles about an inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. You should have something like 70ish circles - enough for about 3 dozen sandwiches (but depending on size and consistency, etc., it could be less). 
8. Tap the baking sheet a couple of times on the counter to get the air out and then let them dry on your counter for at least 15 minutes and up to an hour. Seriously - leave them the fuck alone. This is the part that makes that amazing chewy part of the cookie, and you don’t want to screw it up. Drying time, however, varies depending on where you live, what the weather is - I live in Seattle and it’s raining today (shocker), so mine took about 45 minute to dry. You’ll know they’re done when you can touch them with a dry finger and they don’t stick. 
9. Bake in a 300 degree oven for 20-25 minutes until you can easily slide them off the parchment and the undersides are totally flat/not sticking. Ideally, they shouldn’t brown at all, if possible, but ovens vary, so it’s hard to know if they’re going to. My first batch did a little - the second not as much. Like I mentioned earlier, I'm going to try them again at 275, because of the convection in my oven. 
10. Remove the shells from the cookie sheets and let them cool on a rack while you make the buttercream. 

Making the buttercream:

1. Add the butter to a stand mixer with half the powdered sugar, and mix together on medium speed until completely incorporated. Increase the speed and let this whip together for a minute or two. 
2. Add the pistachio paste and vanilla and almond extracts. 
3. Mix on medium, and slowly add the rest of the powdered sugar. For me, I don’t personally like a super stiff buttercream, so I like to taste it as I add the sugar. When it gets to the desired sweetness, add green food coloring, and whip it on high for a minute or two to make it extra fluffy.

Pipe or spoon buttercream onto half the shells, and sandwich together with the other half. Place all the sandwiches into the fridge to let them set up, and we’re done! 

If you’re like me, and can’t wait, then go ahead and try one. Or five. But ideally, you should let the macarons hang out overnight to achieve their ideal texture. They’ll stay good in a cool place or the fridge for about 3-4 days, or you can freeze them in an airtight container up to a month. 

Good luck! Let me know how it goes in the comments - would love to hear about it.