Quick Macaron Recipe – Swiss Method + Oven Drying

May 25, 2021Van
Blog post

Prep time: 25 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Serves: 20 Macarons

This is a life-changing macaron recipe (at least for me it is!🥰)  I’ve been baking macarons for 13+ years and I’m still learning new techniques.  I’ve come up with a recipe & method that takes under hour to make a batch of macarons, this includes the time it takes to prep, mix, dry & bake.  If you’ve made macarons before, you know that just drying the macarons before baking usually takes 30+ minutes, so to get everything done under an hour is mind blowing 🤯  I’ve tested this method with ≈30 batches to make sure it was consistent, because the technique is very unconventional.  I use the Swiss meringue method, which creates a more stable meringue compare to the French method, but it’s much quicker and easier to do compared to the Italian meringue method.  I also use the stand mixer to partially mix the macaron batter + use the oven to dry the macarons before baking.  Yes, it sound’s crazy, but it works – it only takes 3 minutes 30 seconds to dry the macarons!  I’ll share the few tips & tricks I’ve learned along the way, hopefully it helps you out – with macarons, you just have to be persistent and figure out the techniques that work for you – and perfect macarons will just come with experience.

Tips & Tricks:

🌸 Using a kitchen scale (purchase here) is a must to measure out all the correct proportions

🌸 If you’ve made buttercream or anything with oil/fat in your mixing bowl recently, wipe down your bowl and whisk with a paper towel that has a little bit of vodka or vinegar on it to remove any residue – any type of fat may inhibit the egg whites from forming stiff peaks.  Make sure the egg whites you are using have absolutely no yolks in them.

🌸 If the weather anything above 50% humidity, you may have issues making macarons, the meringue may not form stiff peaks or the shells won’t dry which will result in cracked macarons.  You can monitor the humidity inside your house using a Digital Hygrometer

🌸 If you’re new to baking macarons, it’s a good idea to watch this short clip of what stiff meringue  should look like.  Indulge with Mimi also has a good video on what the batter should look like (macaronage)

🌸 An oven thermometer (purchase here) is also important to have, so you can make sure you oven temperature is accurate or if it’s inaccurate you can adjust the temp to compensate.

🌸 Baking times will vary slightly depending on your oven, the baking pan you use and if you use parchment vs silicone mat vs teflon sheet.

🌸 Only use Gel Food Coloring or Powdered Coloring for macarons, liquid food coloring will add water and  has a negative effect on the batter 

With this recipe, you want to mix until stiff peaks form.  The meringue should be stiff enough that it clumps up inside the whisk  and it has long stiff peaks.  If the peak is drooping, it’s under mixed, if the peaks are short and pointy, it’s over mixed.
Quick Macaron Recipe - Swiss Method + Oven Drying

When the batter is ready, it should flow off the spatula in a single ribbon & start to blend back into rest of the batter within 10 seconds.  If it’s under-mixed, you usually end up with points or lumps on top the macacrons and very hollow shells.  When they are over mixed the macarons will turn out too flat and have little or spread out feet.  Indulge with Mimi also has a good video on what the batter should look like (macaronage)macaronage

I use a Wilton #12 Tip 5/16 in with a pastry bag to pipe the macarons. It may seem like a small detail, but using the proper size tip will help with the success of your macarons.  Watch this short video clip from Mimi on how to pipe macarons, it also shows you what the batter should look like once it’s pipedQuick Macaron Recipe - Swiss Method + Oven Drying

With a silicon mat / silpat you get the most perfect circular macarons and the interiors usually turn out fuller and softer. I usually avoid using parchment paper, because the macarons turn out uneven. If you only have parchment, flatten it out as much as possible.Quick Macaron Recipe - Swiss Method + Oven Drying

This batch was baked on a Teflon Sheet, I typically get slightly higher feet compared to a silicone mat, but they seem to come out more crisp compared to ones baked on a silicone mat (they also cook a little faster on a teflon sheet). Here is a 1.5 inch macaron template you can use under parchment or a Teflon sheet.   Print out 2 copies and tape them together, the template has 40 circles and is designed for a standard baking sheet. 
Quick Macaron Recipe - Swiss Method + Oven Drying

Quick Macaron Recipe - Swiss Method + Oven Drying

Quick Macaron Recipe - Swiss Method + Oven Drying

Quick Macaron Recipe - Swiss Method + Oven Drying

While the macarons rest in the fridge for 24 hours, the interior of the shells will slightly soften and the flavor of the filling will meld with the shells.
Quick Macaron Recipe - Swiss Method + Oven Drying

Print Recipe

Quick Macaron Recipe - Swiss Method + Oven Drying

  • Prep time: 25 minutes
  • Cook time: 15 minutes
  • Serves: 20 Macarons

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Ingredients

FILLING IDEAS

Method

  • 1)

    Pre-heat oven to 275°F. Make sure the mixing bowl and whisk is clean of any oils / fats, since fats will prevent your meringue from forming stiff peaks. Place 65g Almond Flour and 65g Powdered Sugar into a mesh strainer, sift the mixture and set aside.

  • 2)

    Place 65g Egg Whites into a stand mixer bowl. In a separate bowl add, 65 g Granulated Sugar, ⅛ Teaspoon Cream of Tartar, ½ Teaspoon Dried Egg White, stir to combine, then add to the bowl of Egg Whites. Place about 1 inch of water into a sauce pan and bring to a boil, then turn to med-low heat so it’s simmering. Place the bowl on top of the pan (like a double-boiler), the bowl should not be touching the water and stir constantly with a whisk until the sugar is dissolved and the egg whites look foamy, usually takes about 1-2 minutes. Don’t let the eggs get “cooked” the temp should be around 125 °F

  • 3)

    Attach the mixing bowl to your stand mixer, use the whisk attachment and mix on medium speed (#6 on KitchenAid) until stiff peaks form, this can take anywhere from 10-20 minutes, depending on humidity and egg whites (see stiff peaks photo above for reference). Add Gel Food Coloring and mix for another 10 seconds. Remove the bowl from the mixer and remove the whisk attachment, knock off any meringue that’s on the whisk into the bowl.

  • 4)

    Add half of the Almond Flour mixture into mixing bowl with meringue. Fold until it’s absorbed, sift the rest of the Almond Flour mixture into the bowl. Continue folding until the batter is like molten lava and if you scoop up some of the batter and drop it back down, it should fall like ribbons & start to blend back into rest of the batter within 10 seconds. Watch this short clip from Indulge with Mimi to see what the macaron batter should look like. Another way to test is, take a spoonful of batter and put it onto a plate, if the little peak blends into the rest of the batter within 10 seconds, the batter is ready – if there’s still little peak then continue to mix. 


  • 5)

    Place the batter into a pastry bag that’s fitted with a round piping tip (Wilton #12 Tip 5/16 in). Place a silpat, teflon sheet or parchment paper onto a baking sheet. There is enough batter for about 40 1.5 inch macaron shells which will fit on one standard baking sheet, (template here). *I pipe my shells 1.25 inches in diameter and after tapping the tray they spread to around 1.5 inches

  • 6)

    Lift up your baking sheet about an inch off the table and gently tap it down onto the table 2-3 times to help pop air bubbles. Use a toothpick or icing needle to pop large air pockets. Place the baking sheet onto the middle rack in your oven that’s been preheated to 275°F. Use oven mitts or a large wooden spoon to keep the oven door cracked open about 2 inches for exactly 3 minutes 30 seconds. Close the oven door and increase the oven temperature to 315°F and bake for 12-15 minutes. *Time will depend on how accurate you oven temp is, how big you piped the macarons, the type of pan that you used and if you used parchment vs silpat vs teflon sheet. The feet should be set when they are done, if you gently touch them and it feels sticky, they need a little more baking time, but they should not be browned

  • 7)

    Let them cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before moving them to a rack to cool completely. Pipe a dab of filling into the middle of a macaron shell and top it with another shell. Place them into an airtight container and refrigerate them for at least 24 hours or up to 4 days. Let them sit out at room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

↓ Supplies to make this recipe ↓

 










8 Comments

  • Elise

    October 26, 2021 at 9:05 am

    Hi Van,
    Thank you for your post. May I ask if you’re using the convection or convention setting?

    1. Van

      October 26, 2021 at 2:57 pm

      Hello, I’m not using convection.

      1. Hoa

        May 3, 2022 at 9:45 pm

        Is your oven temp accurate with temperature provided? I know some oven varies and if yours is accurate I should adjust accordingly to mine

        1. Van

          May 5, 2022 at 10:41 am

          Hi Hoa, yes it is, I used an oven thermometer to check that the temp is correct.

          1. Proudmama

            May 8, 2022 at 9:08 pm

            Hi, after drying in the oven and increasing temperature to bake, do you start the timer right away or you wait until your oven thermometer reaches 315 and then start the timer ? Thank you

          2. Van

            May 8, 2022 at 9:55 pm

            Hello, you start the timer right away. Good luck!

  • Sheena

    November 18, 2021 at 7:56 pm

    Hi
    Thoroughly useful.. this is all a beginner needs like this website is the only place to look..!

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