Desserts · France

Basic French Macarons

Name: Basic French Macarons
Total time: 57 min
Cuisine: France
Ingredients: 125 g icing sugar; 125 g almond flour; 125 g white superfine sugar; 90 g (3 ea.) egg whites; Food coloring (concentrated variety); Filling as desired (see notes)

French macarons are variety of sandwich cookie based on almond meringue and a sweet filling.

Published October 16, 2026

EST. TOTAL TIME57 min

DIFFICULTYMedium

SERVESSee recipe

Time and difficulty are editorial estimates; allow extra time for your equipment and experience.

Jump to recipe ↓

What you’ll need

Tap an ingredient as you get it ready.

Let’s make it

Step 1
Combine the almond flour and icing sugar. Sift to remove lumps, and set aside.
Step 2
Add the superfine sugar to the egg whites, and whip them to stiff peaks.
Step 3
Add the food coloring to the egg whites and continue beating until incorporated.
Step 4
Use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to fold the almond flour mixture into the meringue in 3 batches. Mix until you get a lava-like batter (see notes).
Step 5
Transfer the batter to a pastry bag fitted with an 8 mm round nozzle. Pipe 3 cm rounds on a baking sheet lined with baking paper.
Step 6
Tap the sheet lightly on your work surface to even and flatten the mixture. Leave to air-dry for 30 minutes until a film forms on the surface of the cookies.
Step 7
Bake for 12 minutes at 150°C with convection.
Step 8
Remove from the oven and let cool completely. It's a good idea to move the parchment onto a cooling rack to avoid carryover cooking.
Step 9
Peel the shells from the parchment, and sort them into pairs of equally sized shells.
Step 10
Sandwich the cookies together with your desired filling.

Basic French Macarons

What you’ll need

Let’s make it

More to savor

Crêpes I

Reindling (Austrian Yeasted Easter Cake)

Macarons: The Delicate Bite Behind the Colorful Display

Arepas: The Corn-Based Bread Made for Filling and Sharing