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How to bake French macaron shells using a Japanese convection oven.

By on December 8, 2020

French macarons are one of the trickiest cookies to bake. Baking bloggers will tell you that despite  following tutorials carefully, some batches of your macaron shells could still end up cracked or without the cookie’s iconic feet. Having those feet is the sign of a macaron baked right.

However simple and easy the recipe appears to be, it isn’t. The macaron batter which is made by combining almond flour and icing sugar mix and folding it into meringue known as ‘macaronnage‘, requires careful attention. The batter is sensitive to humidity and its finicky behavior with the wrong oven temperature is very important in the baking process.

So today, I am going to teach you how to bake these lovely French cookies from a standard Japanese convection oven most families have at home. Don’t be disappointed if you fail because most beginners will tell you they rarely succeeded on the first attempt. Don’t worry, you can avoid macawrongs as you practice.

Here’s what you need as tools:

  • Hand or Stand Mixer
  • Silicon spatula
  • Piping tools (Pastry bag and tip)
  • Convection oven
  • Baking Tray
  • Parchment paper (aka oven or baking paper in Japan) or silicon baking mat
  • Macaron template (if you are using parchment paper)
  • Sieve or sifter
  • balloon whisk

Ingredients for Basic Macaron Shells

  • 140 grams almond flour
  • 125 grams icing sugar
  • 105 grams egg whites (chilled and brought to room temp 30 mins before baking time)
  • 105 grams granulated sugar
  • 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
  • pinch of salt
  • gel or powder food coloring (do not use liquid)

THE BATTER

  • Prepare your parchment paper or baking mat on your baking pan.
  • Sift the almond flour and icing sugar. Other recipes require refining it in a food processor but skip this process as almond flour in Japan is of good quality.
  • Whisk the egg whites in a stand mixer on low speed until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and adjust to medium speed until soft peaks form. Reduce the speed to medium low and add the granulated sugar little by little to allow time to blend well with the egg whites.  After mixing in the remaining granulated sugar, increase the speed to high. The goal is for the meringue to form  stiff peaks.
  • Once you have your stiff peaks, gradually add the dry mixture over to your meringue and you’re ready to fold. The key to making a successful macaron shell is to fold batter to lava-like consistency. You want to get some air out of the egg whites, but not all the air out. It should not “plop” down into the bowl but flow very slowly like thick molten lava. It should fold into itself just a few times like a ribbon but no more than that. Pick up the batter and let it flow down while making a ribbon.
  • Put the batter in a pastry bag with a ½ inch plain round tip
  • Pipe mixture onto prepared silicon baking sheets in 1.5 inch circles, 1 inch apart. Tap the sheets on a surface twice. Preheat your Japanese convection oven to 180C degrees.  Let the macarons sit at room temperature until dry to touch.
  • Bake 1 sheet at a time for 18 minutes at 150C if you are using a silicon baking mat. Shorten the baking time to 14-15 mins  if you are using a parchment paper, rotating tray halfway through
  • While macaron shells are cooling, start to make the filling.

Caramel Buttercream

  • 1/2 stick unsalted butter (room temperature)
  • 1/2 cup caramel
  • 1/2 tablespoon heavy cream
  • 1/16 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup powdered sugar

Make your Ganache filling

  • Whip the butter and cooled caramel together until it’s creamy
  • Add the heavy cream, salt, and powdered sugar
  • Whip until light and fluffy
  • Put into a piping bag and pipe around the edge onto the cooled macaron shells
  • Add a dollop of caramel in the middle

Best Storage

  • Once you’ve piped the filling, put macarons in the fridge overnight (24 hours is best) for maturation then bring to room temperature before eating them.

About Tracy Nakayama