Macaron Piping Tips

A tray of just-piped Lemon Mini Macarons.

Once you get the hang of it, you'll be filling trays fast and efficiently.

Don't get pulled into buying special kits, piping guides or indented silicon mats for making macarons. There are many "macaron cheats" on the market today but forget it, you don't any of those to make macarons and in the end, believe me, you don't want them.

To pipe macarons, all you need is your batter, disposable piping bags and four parchment lined sheetpans. It just takes a little practice and soon you'll be able to make beautiful macarons in any size you desire. Plus, piping macarons the old-fashioned way means there are no mats to wash and store!

A mat from Williams Sonoma that retails for $19.95 and an indented red silicon mat that retails at World Market for $7.99. You need four lined sheet pans for one recipe of macarons. Do you really want to buy four of these and have wash and store them them after each use? I don’t. Parchment paper works just fine and gives you the freedom to pipe the macarons any size you like.

This is just part of a single recipe of Cherry Mini Macarons that I recently made, sorted into pairs and ready for filling. I got 80 completed macarons!

Completed Blackberry and Cherry Mini Macarons

Here are a few helpful piping tips to get you started:

Tip #1: Start Small

Begin by making small quarter-sized macarons. Smaller macarons are easier to pipe and you'll get approximatley 80 out of one batch so you'll get a lot of piping practice when you make them. Take your time and just go for it.

Tip #2: Give The Tip A Straight Clip

When you cut the tip of your disposable pastry bag, clip straight across.  A diagonally cut makes wacky shaped macarons.

Tip #3: Take Your Time

Cut your pastry bag just about 1/3 of an inch from the bottom, creating a small hole for the batter to flow through. The batter won't come out fast but you'll have more control of the batter and can take your time to concentrate and pipe the best even-sized macarons that you can.

Tip #4: Tie The Bag

Don't forget to tie the top of your pastry bag with a rubber band or clip. This keeps the batter from spilling out the top of the bag as you pipe which trust me, is very frustrating.

Tip #5: Be Ready To Go

Before you even begin piping, have four sheetpans lined with parchment paper and be ready to go. Once you start piping, you want to stick with it until the end without having to set your bag down to get another pan ready.

Tip #6: Cut Yourself Some Slack

Practice makes perfect so don't expect to be a pro the first time you pipe macarons. Give yourself time to practice and improve and remember that a misshapen macaron tastes just as good as a perfectly round one.

Mother's Day Macaron Tips

A smooth liftoff!

Macarons are one finicky little cookie to make. Good thing they are cute and delicious or seriously, no one would make them.

Hearing from you, one of the most prevalent macaron frustrations is pulling the cookies cleanly off the parchment after baking. Here are a few tips that I know will help.

1. Bake the macarons long enough.

A macaron should be very firm to the touch and not wobble one bit after baking. And, depending on the humidity, baking time varies so don't count on every batch needing the same amount of baking time. Check each batch carefully before pulling them out of the oven. If the macarons are underbaked, they will be gooey and not release cleanly from the parchment.

2. Use good quality parchment paper.

Not all parchment papers are created equally. I love a bargain but parchment paper from the dollar store isn't worth it. I buy my unbleached parchment in bulk for a good price at a restaurant supply store. You can also find good quality parchment at specialty cooking stores. One readily available brand that I've used and like is Beyond Gourmet Unbleached Parchment.

3. Let the macarons cool completely.

Be sure to let the cookies cool completely before trying to lift them off the parchment. If you try to remove them when they are warm, they'll tear and you'll be frustrated.

4. Use a thin icing spreader to help.

The thin blade of an icing spreader is perfect for sliding under fussy macarons.

If the cookies are still tough to release, slide a thin icing spreader under the cooled cookies before lifting them off. Because of the ground almonds, macarons are not cheap to make so if they are giving you grief, don't try to force them off the parchment without a little help. An icing spreader will do the trick.

Cherry Macarons

Your Valentine would love these bright Cherry Macarons.

The filling is made with both Morello and Maraschino cherries because the tartness of the former balances out the sweetness of the latter. Also in the filling is cream cheese, unsalted butter, a small amount of sugar and just 1/4 of a teaspoon of almond extract.

Almond flavoring is very similar to cherry and just a bit does wonders.

The result is a very cherry filling that's lightly sweet and the perfect partner for the crisp and chewy macaron shells.

Cherry Macarons
180g ground almonds, sifted
270g powdered sugar, sifted
150g egg whites, aged 2 to 4 days in the fridge and then brought to room temperature
100g granulated sugar
 Red food coloring

Line four heavy baking sheets with good quality parchment paper and set aside. Also, set aside two pastry bags for the piping of the macarons.

Sift together your ground almonds with the powdered sugar and set aside.

Whisk the egg whites (at room temperature) to glossy firm peaks adding the granulated sugar gradually in four parts. Add the coloring.

Incorporate the dry ingredients into the beaten egg whites using a large rubber scraper.  Mix well. 
Fold the mixture with the rubber scraper by pulling down the sides and flipping the mixture over. Do this until you have a smooth mixture that falls like a “ribbon” off the scraper.

Transfer the mixture into the two piping bags. Use rubber bands to close the piping bags. Clip the tip of the bags, one at a time, and pipe small quarter sized rounds, leaving 1-inch of space between each because they spread as they set.

Leave to set for about 30 minutes or until the top has formed a crust and is not sticky to the touch.
While they are setting, preheat the oven to 325 degrees. A convection oven is preferable.  Bake one sheet at a time in the center of the oven for about 12 minutes or until the cookie is firm, matte and doesn't wobble when touched.
Leave on the baking tray until cool then lift them all off the parchment carefully. You may need to use a thin knife to help lift them off.

Sort into pairs and fill with Cherry Filling.


Cherry Filling
1/3 cup Morello cherries, chopped, plus 2 tablespoons of the juice
*Note: I buy my Morello cherries at Trader Joe's
1/3 cup Maraschino cherries, chopped, plus 2 tablespoons of the juice
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup powdered sugar

In a saucepan, heat the cherries and juice over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes until most of the juice has evaporated.

Cook the cherries until most of the juice has evaporated.

Remove the mixture from the heat and let cool. Then, transfer to a food processor and add the almond extract. Process until the cherries form a thick paste.

The cherry mixture after being put through a food processor.

Whip the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and whip again. Finally, add the cherry paste and whip until well combined.

Transfer the mixture to a pastry bag to fill the macarons.