The Cake Merchant

Macaron Basics: French vs. Italian Method

Above: Italian method macarons made at the bakery

Like most trends in life, I’m late to the game when it comes to macarons. Part of the reason is because I used to HATE them. There aren’t a lot of sugary treats I won’t eat but macarons used to be one of them, mostly because I thought they just tasted like dry crumbly sugar. That changed during the summer of 2015 when Aaron and I stayed at the Venetian in Las Vegas. They happened to have a Bouchon Bakery inside the hotel (danger!) and Aaron convinced me to get a salted caramel macaron. I won’t tell you how many of them we ate in the 3 days that we were there, but let’s just say a 2 year obsession began with baking (and eating) macarons.

I spent years making batches of macarons using both the French and Italian methods, getting cracked tops, lopsided feet, and lumpy shells, and pretty much every other kind of issue you can imagine. Fast forward to the summer of 2017 when I worked in a bakery. From pretty much the first week I was there, I was responsible for making large batches of macarons, and failure was not an option. I’ve learned a lot in the past 2 years, and hopefully these posts will help you enough so that you don’t have to waste as much almond flour as I did.

There are essentially 2 methods to making macarons.

The French method starts out with a French meringue (sometimes called common meringue), where egg whites that are whipped with sugar until they reach stiff peaks. The dry ingredients (almond flour and powdered sugar) are then folded into the meringue to form a batter. When learning to make macarons, most people start with this method. It doesn’t require any special equipment, and there’s no chance of burning yourself with boiling sugar syrup. However, the mixing/macaronage process can be tricky since the meringue is delicate and not very stable.

The Italian method uses an Italian meringue, where boiling sugar syrup is poured slowly into the egg whites, cooking them as they whip. This results in a more stable meringue, and many bakeries use this method for its consistent results. Although this process does require extra steps, the stable meringue makes the macaronage process less treacherous. I find that I get less air bubbles with this method as well.

Blue Chocolate Macarons

Macarons made with the Italian method

So which is better? There are pros and cons to each, and I’ll be posting recipes using both methods. I like the ease of the French method, and the fact that I can make it in small batches. Recently, I’ve grown more comfortable with the Italian method since that’s what I used at the bakery. I also prefer the chewy texture of the finished product.

In terms of appearance, Italian macarons tend to have a taller rise. You can see below that the interior of Italian macarons are very full and compact, while the interior of the French macaron shell is lighter and more airy. However, the texture of French macarons can vary a lot depending on the recipe. I have also noticed that the exterior of French macaron shells have a shinier appearance, while the Italian macaron shells have a duller finish.

For my French method recipe, click here.

For My Italian method recipe, click here.

Macarons

Above: Italian method  Below: French method

French Macarons

Have you tried either or both methods, and do you have a preference?

Comments

  1. Hi. I’m very thankful that I came across your website. For the past few days I’ve used at least 2kg of the almond flour but unfortunately most of it cracked and went to the garbage bin. I live in a humid country (90%) and making macarons has not been easy. I’m really interested in the way you fold the almond mixture into the egg whites and the kind of oven you use at home. Some say it’s better to use a fan oven while others say it’s better to bake using the heat source that comes from the top and bottom . I have a convection oven and have tried both modes but I haven’t had any success so far. 🙁 As for the temperature, is it better to bake at a higher temperature? Sorry for asking so many questions! I would love to nail the French method one day. Can’t wait for you to share your tips and recipes! Thank you.

    Reply

    • Usually if you are having trouble with cracking, it comes from not drying the macarons long enough before you put them in the oven, especially if you live in a humid environment. I would recommend drying them in front of a fan. When you touch the tops, your finger should not leave an indentation. I’ve made macarons in a regular and convection oven, and have had success with both although convection seems to work better since the temperature stays more consistent. What recipe are you currently using? This could also be an issue in how they are turning out.

      Reply

      • I used indulge with Mimi’ and bravetart’s recipe. I let the shells dry for at least 2 hours (sometimes 3 since the shells arent dry) before popping it into the oven and it still cracked. So I decided to dry the shells in my air-conditioned room for 30 minutes and it still cracked. I tried baking the shells at varying temperatures such as 130C for 23 minutes (wrinkly top and cracked) and 150C for 15 (half of it cracked) minutes but they weren’t cooked. Not sure if it has to do with the pans I’m using and/or baking paper. The only good thing is the shells weren’t hollow. I even bought oven thermometers just to make sure my oven temperature is accurate. Maybe I’m just not meant to make macarons but I won’t give up! I look forward to your next post and thanks for replying my comment!

        Reply

        • I have used Bravetart’s recipe as well but it can be a difficult one to make in a humid environment because of the ratio of egg whites to almond flour. I’ll be posting a recipe soon that has a higher amount of almond flour, so the macarons are less prone to cracking. I also live in a humid environment and dry my macarons in front of a fan for sometimes up to an hour. However, I do find the Italian method to be better for humid climates.

          Reply

          • Where I’m from, a lot of the bakers here use egg white powder as it seems to help the macaron dry and prevent cracking when baking in a humid environment. Your take on a higher ratio of almond flour is interesting. I can’t wait to try your recipe!

            Baked at 130 (fan-convection) for 25 minutes
            https://ibb.co/i2SiYw
            Baked at 150 (convection) for 15 minutes
            https://ibb.co/gcTe6G

  2. Such fun, and such gorgeous macarons. They never fail to make me smile. I was on a kick trying to learn how to make them a few years back. I had success with the French method but always had the issue of rather hallow shells. I finally tried the Italian method and the hallow shells were no more. It’s tricky but overall, I had to say I preferred the Italian method, which really surprised me. Definitely issues with both and I never know what’s going to happen when I make macarons – maybe why I haven’t made them in quite a while… : )

    Reply

  3. I took a class at LaCuisine in Paris earlier this month. My macarons did some cracking on the top but the chef said it was from not banging the pan on the counter prior to baking. He did not have his macarons rest that long and they came out beautiful.

    Reply

    • He probably had a convection oven, which can help with cracking. Also, macarons need to rest longer based on the recipe and the humidity in the environment.

      Reply

  4. Hello,

    I loved reading the blog, I have made the macaroons Italian way but my sugar syrup crystalizes while pouring in the already beating egg whites. It makes everything so hard. Can you please help and advice on why is it happening and what can I do to avoid it?

    Reply

    • Hi Aanchal, what temperature are you cooking the sugar syrup to? Also, make sure the pot that you boil the sugar syrup in is clean and there is no trace of sugar crystals on your candy thermometer. It also helps if you add the water to the pot before you add the sugar.

      Reply

      • The recipe said I have to cook the sugar syrup until 115F, start beating my egg whites and then the temp should reach 118F and that’s when I have to pour it in the egg whites. Yes when I put my candy thermometer in the sugar crystalizes on it as well. What’s going wrong?

        Reply

        • PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!!
          Today, I again tried making macarons the Italian way but my sugar syrup crystalized. My bowl was completely clean. I poured in water before adding sugar as you recommended. But no help.
          What should I do?

          Reply

          • If your sugar is not pure cane sugar then it will crystallize during the boiling phase. Beet sugar is no good despite what scientist say, you will find that any baked good you make with beet sugar will be inferior to cane sugar items.

          • I know this comment was a long time ago but I just wanted to leave a little did bit for crystalizing sugar. I always put a pinch of cream of tar tar in my sugar mixer before boiling. and like Natasha asked about stirring while it is boiling, you absolutely can not stir sugar while it’s boiling. That will make it crystalize. I hope you’ve had better results since 2018 !

  8. I’ve read a lot about drying the macarons before baking but haven’t found this in Italian macaron recipes. Do the Italian style require drying or is it only the French style?
    Merci!

    Reply

  9. I’ve tried both methods and FAILED big time. Overmixed, undermixed, flat, cracking and more. Really it came down to the OVEN. Hot, cold, and uneven. All messed them up. Test out your oven with small batches and find the best mix. For me it was 300F for 12min.. But here was the kicker. I left a spoon in the door! It made them rise without cracking.

    Reply

  10. I too am late to the game, but after having great success with some batches and complete flops with batches of the same recipe, I am perplexed. But I am determined and up to the challenge.
    I have been using the french method but want to switch to the Italian method. After using Dane’s technique and the recipe on cupcake Gemma’s channel to no success at all (my mistakes not theirs I’m certain) I wonder if you could share your Italian recipe with me.
    Also I live in Denver and am trying to use high altitude adjustments which sometimes hit or miss, ahhhh…… you fickle little macaron. Please help.

    Reply

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