Italian Meringue Macarons Recipe

You've likely seen and hopefully had the delightful opportunity to taste macarons. But did you know that there is more than one type of these delicate little cookie sandwiches? As recipe developer Eric Ngo explains, what sets the two versions of this sweet treat apart is the meringue used to make their shells. 

"In French meringue, the sugar is added to the fluffy egg whites, whereas Italian meringue involves cooking the sugar with water, thus making a type of sugar syrup," Ngo says. "In other words, sugar is added to egg whites in its crystal form in French meringue, and sugar is added as a hot sugar syrup in Italian meringue."

While crystal sugar versus sugar syrup might not sound like a major variation, Ngo notes that the shells of macarons made from Italian meringue are less likely to crack than the ones made from French meringue, making Italian macarons most bakeries' choice for this popular confection. And now, thanks to Ngo's recipe, you too can prepare Italian macarons whenever you'd like right in your own kitchen. With just 25 minutes of prep work and 14 minutes of baking, you will have 60 of these decadent cookies to share or enjoy all by yourself.

To make your Italian macarons, you'll need to round up almond powder, powdered sugar, white sugar, water, cacao powder, heavy whipping cream, and unsalted butter. In addition, you'll need the egg whites from five eggs, as well as dark chocolate that has been chopped up.

If you're wondering how bakers change the color of macarons, Ngo says you simply need to omit the cacao powder from this recipe and add food coloring to the meringue. "I recommend powdered food coloring for best results," Ngo notes. "Liquid food coloring also works, but be careful not to add too much to avoid cracks in the shells."

To make the filling for your macarons, you'll first put the chopped chocolate and unsalted butter together in a bowl. Next, heat the heavy whipping cream to a boil, then pour it into the bowl with the chocolate and butter. Mix together until smooth, and store for one hour in the refrigerator or until the ganache reaches a firm texture. 

Next, begin making your shells by combining the almond powder, powdered sugar, cacao powder, and 2 ½ egg whites in a large bowl. Mix with a stiff wooden spatula until you form an almond paste. Set aside, then using a stand mixer, add 2 ½ egg whites to a separate bowl, and mix on medium speed with a whisk attachment until the egg whites look fluffy and have doubled in volume.

Although you can purchase bottled egg whites, Ngo cautions that they will not work for this recipe. "Store-bought bottled egg white are too watery and will not get you a stiff meringue" he explains.

To create your Italian meringue's sugar syrup, heat the sugar and water in a saucepan on medium heat until it's 244 F. Once this temperature is reached, you're ready to add your sugar syrup to your egg whites. Leaving your stand mixer on medium speed, pour the syrup into the fluffy egg whites, then put the mixer on high speed for five minutes or until the stand mixer's bowl is no longer hot. Note: Ngo says a good indication that the Italian meringue is ready is that "the bowl should be a bit warm, but you should be able to touch it without getting burned." In addition, Ngo notes the meringue should have "a white glossy look" and its texture should allow you to form "stiff peaks" (as pictured above).

And in case you're wondering if you should throw in a dash of cream of tartar to firm up your meringue's texture, Ngo says, "I don't personally use cream of tartar. What I do recommend is whipping up room temperature egg whites, as they fluff up easier compared to cold egg whites."

According to Ngo, the most challenging step in this recipe is combining the meringue and almond paste. "Under-mixing results in cracks, and over-mixing results in flat watery macarons," he notes.

To avoid these errors, Ngo recommends dividing the meringue into three separate parts and adding it ⅓ at a time. Remember, you want to make sure that the first ⅓ of meringue is well incorporated into the almond paste before adding the second ⅓ of meringue. Finally, use a rubber spatula to fold the remaining ⅓ of meringue into the almond paste.

"To get the perfect texture, one must get the batter to drip off the rubber spatula like a uniform ribbon," Ngo explains. "The batter should be uniform in color (no white marks from the meringue) and glossy/shiny visually."

To make perfectly shaped macaron shells, you'll need to use a piping bag with a round rip. Fill your piping bag with macaron batter. Preheat your oven to 320 F, and pipe the macarons onto a silicone mat, making sure they are 1 inch apart. Note: Some silicone mats (like the one pictured above) have guides to help you space out your macaron shells. 

Once you've finished piping out all the shells, lightly tap the baking tray on the counter to get rid of any air bubbles. You can also sprinkle the tops of the shells with cacao powder using a small sifter, however, this is optional. As Ngo notes, mastering piping takes time and lots of practice. "We tend to have the natural reflex of picking things up, including our piping bags," he explains. "In order to get nice uniform circles for macarons, start and end at the same level once you start piping, and only at the end, swipe to the side to avoid getting peaks coming up."

Ngo also cautions that this batter is extremely unforgiving. "[It] should not be scrapped off and used again, for the risk of over-mixing is high."

Before you start baking, Ngo has an important piece of advice. "If you live in a humid environment, let your macarons rest at room temperature for 15 minutes before baking," he says. "Doing so will form a 'shield' around your macarons and will lower the risk of cracks."

Bake your macaron shells at 320 F for 12 to 15 minutes (depending on the size of the macarons). Pro tip: Ngo says that macarons that are completely baked shouldn't "jiggle" when you remove them from the oven. And once your macaron shells are fully baked, let them cool down for 10 minutes before scrapping them off the silicone mat.

And finally, it's time to turn those empty shells into cookie sandwiches. Pair up the shells, and fill them with ganache using a piping bag with a round tip. Store in the refrigerator for six hours minimum before eating.

"Freshly made macarons are often 'crunchy' and need time to soften up on the inside," Ngo says. "Once [the] macarons are filled with the ganache, allow them to rest in the refrigerator for 24 to 48 hours before eating. Doing so will give them a chewy center and crunchy exterior."

Including the resting time, you can store your macarons in the refrigerator for five to seven days or in the freezer for as long as two months. If you freeze them, you need to take them out the night before if you want to eat them the next day.