Not to be confused with the sweet coconut-based Macaroons, French Macarons (pronounced mah-kah-ROHN) are light, airy and delicate meringue sandwich cookies baked in an infinite array of flavors and fillings. The basic ingredients for the macaron shells are simple: Egg whites, powdered sugar, sugar, and almond flour.

But, as beautiful as they are to look at, French Macarons can be a little tricky to master.  Their airy, delicate texture comes with a bit of baking finesse and you need to achieve “macaronage” for the perfect cookie shell. “Macaronage” is a baking term referring to the folding of the macaron’s dry ingredients with the stiffly whipped egg whites.  You’ve achieved the perfect texture when the macarons bake with shiny domed tops and a crinkled bottom ruffle known as a “foot”.  Cookies that bake flat or with cracks indicate the macaron batter was either over or under mixed.

If you want to become an expert macaron baker, watch this video and learn the best tricks and tips of the trade!

FOOLPROOF FRENCH MACARONS

Servings: 24 completed sandwich cookies
Note: Try weighing your baking ingredients like a true pastry chef to achieve optimal results.

INGREDIENTS
3 Egg Whites
¼ cup white sugar (50 g)
2 cups confectioners sugar (200 g)
1 cup almond flour (120 g)
pinch of salt
¼ tsp cream of tartar (2 ml)

RASPBERRY BUTTERCREAM (filling)
1/4 cup salted butter (120 g)
3/4 cup powdered sugar (75 g)
1 cup (150 g) fresh raspberries, worked through a sieve to extract 3 tbsp of juice

Click through for the full recipe and instructions!