Here is a basic recipe for macaron shells. It's very difficult (At this point, I had never mastered them, but my matcha shells were the one good attempt) as there are so many variables that can affect your shells. Meringue peak, fat, humidity and drying time, number of folds during final mixing, access to specific tools, oven temperature and fan (if any).

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You NEED a kitchen scale for consistently good macarons. Otherwise, each batch will be different. This recipe is THAT picky. And a sifter to prevent lumps in the surface of the shells. You also need parchment paper or clean grease-free silicone baking mats so the shells don't stick to the baking tray.

I would also recommend testing a few shells during the first bake to gauge your oven's power and how it bakes the macarons (instead of baking them all at once).

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Troubleshooting the macarons above: hollow shells can be a result of overwhipped meringue -- egg proteins are overbeaten and can't support the baking meringue, so the interior collapses. It can also be from a too-high oven temperatures -- a really high initial rise of the top will cause the rest of the undercooked interior to collapse.

​A lot of the ones pictured had ruffly feet that stuck outwards of the shell, though I couldn't discern why it happened. I know some macarons have feet aligned with the shell, and some have them sticking out a little. It's a style preference.

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Macaron Shells

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• 70 g egg whites, room temperature
  You can crack the egg whites into a bowl and loosely cover it in the fridge 2-3 days beforehand. Aged egg whites make a more stable meringue since some of the water evaporates out of the whites, lowering moisture content

• 70 g granulated sugar
  You MUST make sure these egg whites and sugar and the tools for the meringue don't have any traces of fat on them. It can prevent the meringue from whipping

• Pinch of salt

• 84 g powdered sugar

• 92 g superfine almond flour, sifted

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Instructions

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1. Sift together the almond flour, powdered sugar, and salt together in a bowl. If you have any powdered colorings or flavorings, add it in this step.

2. In a clean bowl with a clean whisk attachment, start beating the egg whites on medium speed until VERY foamy. As you continue to whip, slowly sprinkle the granulated sugar into the meringue. Once all the sugar is added, increase mixer speed to high and whip until stiff peaks are just formed. The meringue should be glossy, and the peaks should hold a Dairy Queen (JUST stiff) or pointed (slightly stiffer) peak. Don't overwhip the meringue or your shells can become hollow from the meringue collapsing in the oven

3. Sift 1/3 of the dry ingredients over the meringue and fold until streaky. Sift and fold in another 1/3 until just streaky. Sift and fold in the last third of the dry ingredients.

   • This is the macaronage step in which you will fold the batter to beat air out of the mixture. You're looking to achieve a specific consistency that will provide good feet and full interiors for the shells.

   • I fold by scraping the bowl around from 12 to 6 o'clock and folding it back over the middle with a rubber spatula.

4. Fold 50-60 strokes (depends on your folding method). Generally, you should focus left on the number of folds, but if you're really new at this, you can count the folds as guidance.

   • When the batter is ready, it should be thick but flowing, like magma. When you lift the spatula and drop some batter, it should form ribbons and settle in about 10-12 seconds. You can also try to form a figure-8 with the batter and a rubber spatula. If it doesn't break, then it's ready

5. Using a pastry bag with a large round tip, fill the bag with the batter.

6. Pipe macarons on a parchment- or Silpat-lined baking tray. The bag should be vertical to the tray, and you should lift the pastry bag as you pipe to create even, smooth domes

   • You can use printed templates under the parchment to help pipe equal-sized macarons. You can also count 1-2-3 (or 1-2 for minis) as you pipe if that works for you.

7. Bang trays against the counter 3 times. Rotate tray 180 degrees and repeat. This will pop any large air bubbles in the batter than can crack and ruin your shells

8. Let macarons sit at room temperature 30-60 minutes, depending on the humididty. It may take even longer. You want a "skin" to form on the top, so when the macarons rise, they rise upwards from the bottom (creating the feet). When you can lightly touch the surface of the macarons without it sticking to your (matte feeling), it's ready to bake.

9. For a normal home oven, bake 310°F. Bake macarons for 5 minutes, then without opening the oven, lower heat to 300°F. Continue baking for 10-15 minutes, or until shells no longer stick to the parchment when you try to lift them.

   • This is really really dependent on your individual oven. It may require a lot of testing with different time. and temperatures, but this is a baseline. You may be able to bake at 300°F the whole time, but I like the high bake at first to help the feet rise.

   • Too high temperature can cause browned shells or hollow shells with really tall feet

   • Too low temperature can prevent feet from forming, cracks, wrinkly tops. Possibilities for error are endless unfortunately.

10. Cool macaron shells completely, then fill with favorite filling. Pair up the shells in terms of matching size and shape. Pipe a dollop of filling on the bottom of one shell (without completely reaching the edges), then sandwich with the other. You can also pipe an outer ring of filling and fill the center with something else, including softer fillings that wouldn't hold shape on the outside.

    • Pastry cream, curds, caramels, jams, bean pastes, and other looser fillings are good for the centers of the macaron. Even mochi!

    • Buttercreams (American, Swiss, Italian, French, German) and thick ganache are good fillings for the outer ring. Dark chocolate ganache and German buttercreams (pastry-cream based) are especially suitable for macarons because they counteract the intense sweetness of the shell.

11. Put macarons in an airtight container and refrigerate 24 hours to allow the moisture from the filling move into the macaron shells. This creates a chewy interior.

12. Refrigerate for a few days or freeze for storage.​