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homemade vanilla macarons recipe

Homemade French Vanilla Macarons

Servings 12 macarons
Author Stefanie Fauquet

Ingredients

French Vanilla Macarons

  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 cup almond flour or almond meal
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • 3 large egg whites room temperature
  • Pinch cream of tartar
  • 3 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Vanilla Buttercream Filling

  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large egg whites
  • ½ cup unsalted butter at room temperature, cut into 4 to 6 pieces
  • ¼ teaspoon vanilla
  • Pinch of sea salt

Instructions

Vanilla Macarons

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
  3. Put powdered sugar, almond flour, and salt in a food processor pulsing several times. Continue for about 30 seconds or pulse until the ingredients are fine and well combined.
  4. Using a flour sifter, sift the combined powdered sugar/almond flour/salt mixture into a large bowl. This may take awhile.
  5. Place 3 egg whites in a clean bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat on medium speed until opaque and foamy, about 30 seconds.
  6. Now add a pinch of cream of tartar, increase the speed to medium-high, and continue to beat until the egg whites are white in color and hold the line of the whisk, about 1 minute.
  7. Continue to beat—slowly adding the granulated sugar and vanilla extract until the sugar is combined, the peaks are stiff, and the whites are shiny, about 1 minute more. Do not over whip. Transfer the meringue to a large bowl.
  8. Take a rubber spatula, and now gently fold the dry mixture into the egg whites in four different scoops until the dry ingredients are just combined.
  9. Spoon batter into pastry bag fitted with ½-inch plain round tip. Pipe batter onto each prepared sheet in 12 walnut-size mounds, spacing mounds apart because cookies will spread slightly.
  10. Bake cookies, 1 sheet at a time, until firm to touch in the center and dry and cracked on top, about 7 minutes .... pull the pan out and then rotate and bake for another 7 minutes.
    IMPORTANT: Slide parchment with cookies onto work surface; cool cookies completely. Repeat with remaining batter, cooling sheets fully and lining with clean parchment for each batch.

Vanilla Buttercream Filling

  1. In a double boiler, brings 2 cups of water to a simmer over medium-high heat. Whisk sugar and egg whites occasionally for 4-6 minutes.
  2. Remove the top half of the double boiler from the heat, scraping the ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer (use whisk attachment).
  3. Whip on medium-high speed until it is light, white, and cool to touch (4-6 minutes).
  4. Reduce speed to low while adding one chunk of butter at a time.
  5. Increase the mixer speed to medium, beating until the buttercream is smooth (4-5 minutes). Add salt and vanilla extract. Mix well.
  6. Using a pastry bag with a #5 tip, add a small amount of buttercream on the flat side of the cookie.
  7. Place another cookie on top of the buttercream, flat sides facing flat sides. Gently press the top cookie to fit evenly with the bottom one.