Our lovely Newsette Network and team had the pleasure of taking a Macaron-making class with @cheatday.ny founder Serena Moroukian, who is known for making beautiful desserts in NYC. Serena started her cooking business after being inspired by her mother, and began by baking her sweets in her New York apartment (which is much harder than it sounds, given the size of the typical Manhattan kitchen). The first lesson we learned in our private class with Serena is that if you pronounce macarons like mac-a-roons, you’re saying it wrong (oops). They’re pronounced mac-a-rons (French accent, beret, and all). If you have some experience baking–or have ever watched those dreaded Master Chef elimination challenges–you probably know that making light, delicious macarons is no easy feat. So we stole Serena away from her business to teach us how to craft our own. If you couldn’t make it to our Newsette Network event, no worries–we’ve shared Serena’s guide to perfect macarons below, for you to try at home tonight. Happy baking!

Ingredients for Shells (60 macarons)

  • 275 g. (2 3/4 cups + 1 tbsp) almond flour
  • 250 g. (2 cups + 1 tbsp) confectioners sugar
  • 215 g. (approx 6 and 1/2 egg whites) egg whites
  • 210 g. (1 cup + 1 tbsp) granulated sugar
  • Gel food coloring of your choice

Instructions for shells

  1. In a food processor, process almond flour and confectioner sugar together until it forms a fine powder. Sift into a bowl to remove any lumps or large pieces. Set aside.
  2. In a clean bowl, whisk 6 egg whites into a foam. Once frothy, add a third of the granulated sugar. Continue to whisk until egg whites turn opaque, for about 1 minute. Add half of the remaining granulated sugar and continue to whip until soft peaks form, for about 1 more minute. Add the rest of the granulated sugar and whisk for one more minute. During this minute you’ll add the food coloring. You’ll know the meringue is done when you can turn the bowl upside down and nothing drips.
  3. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the almond flour mixture into the egg whites until no large clumps of almond flour remain.
  4. In a separate bowl, whisk the 1/2 egg white until barely frothy, then add to the rest of the batter. Fold in gently and continue to fold until batter falls in a thick steady stream when you lift up the spatula.
  5. Pour batter into a piping bag fitted with a plain round piping tip. On a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat, pipe small circles about 1 to 2 inches apart. Gently tap the baking sheet on the counter to get rid of any air bubbles.
  6. Let the baking sheet sit out on the counter for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 300 degrees. When macarons are no longer tacky to the touch, place them in the oven and bake for 12 minutes.
  7. When macarons have been removed from the oven, let them sit on the counter for about 2 minutes. Once removed from parchment, let cool on a rack. Fill with any filling of your choice.

Ingredients for white chocolate ganache filling

  • 175g. white chocolate (use good quality chocolate)
  • ¼ c. whipping cream
  • 2-3 T. extract (rose, pistachio, vanilla)
  • Food coloring based on flavor

Instructions for ganache

  1. Heat heavy cream in a small sauce pan over medium heat until the cream becomes hot, but not boiling.
  2. Place the white chocolate chips in a bowl and pour the hot cream over them. Let it sit for a minute, making sure the chips are completely submerged under the cream.
  3. Stir the chocolate and cream with a whisk.
  4. Add the extract of your choice and food coloring. Mix until it becomes a smooth consistency.
  5. Place ganache in the fridge for 30 min, remove and whisk on high speed until ganache thickens.
  6. Transfer to a pastry bag and pipe directly onto the macaron.
  7. Cover the ganache with the top macaron shell

Top tips for perfect macarons

  1. Weigh your ingredients.
  2. Sifting the dry ingredients = smoothest possible macaron.
  3. Use “aged” eggs.
  4. Add sugar in stages when whipping up the meringue
  5. Don’t over-whip the eggs
  6. Don’t under-mix the batter
  7. Let the macarons “rest” for 10-30 min
  8. Overcooking is FINE! (but don’t let it brown)… the filling will soften the shell right up.

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