Been thinking about venturing into making macarons? Know a baker that would love to give it a go? Here’s a list of the tools to make macarons like a pro. The good news is that most of these items are very multipurpose in your kitchen.
Thinking about learning to cake decorate like a pro as well? I’ve got a list for that as well.
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1. Preparing the Batter
Kitchenaid mixer– A mixer is a big investment but definitely necessary when making macarons. The meringue needs to be whipped for a long time to get sturdy enough to make your shells.
Bowls– you’ll need bowls to measure ingredients into. I like these because they work for other baking needs as well.
Kitchen scale– these are an absolute can not go without item when making macarons. Ingredients have to be measured very precisely to the gram.
Sifter– sifting macaron ingredients is important to ensure smooth shells. These days I don’t always sift but for chocolate shells this step can not be skipped under any circumstance.
Blue Diamond Almond flour– Where I live the only store I’m able to find this flour is at Sam’s club, and it’s not very convenient to get to so I’ve been known to order it from Amazon. Others swear by the Kirkland brand almond flour but I don’t have access to that.
Egg White powder– This is the special sauce to my recipe and many others. I never made a successful batch of macarons until I used egg white powder. The very first time I used it, I had a successful batch. This is not the same thing as meringue powder, though this can be used in royal icing. This bag will last a long time because the recipe only calls for small amounts.
Macaron silicone mats– These are my preferred mats, though I’ve used others and personally haven’t noticed a difference. Some bakers swear by these ones.
Firm silicone spatulas– These are the exact spatulas that I use during my macaronage. Some spatulas are flimsy at the edges and don’t work well for the purpose of macaronage.
Wilton piping tip 12– This is the most commonly used piping tip to pipe the macaron shells. It is helpful to have multiple because sometimes you need to put your batter in multiple bags.
Piping bags– you’ll need bags to put your batter into. These are also useful for when piping buttercream into your shells.
2. Baking
Oven thermometer– this may seem redundant to some but 5-10 degrees difference can make or break your macarons. You need to know what temperature your oven is truly at. It’s wild how off some ovens are. For example- mine has been known to be 20 degrees off.
Aluminum baking trays– I prefer to bake my macarons on these aluminum baking trays. I also use these for other baking and roasting.
Cooling Racks– These are necessary when removing your baking trays and for then letting the cookies rest to cool completely.
Air tight containers– Macarons need to be stored in the fridge or freezer in airtight containers, these hold a good amount.
3. Packaging
Packaging– When it comes to packaging you have a few options. I typically like to do 10-12 per box. Here are some ideas.
Colorful wax papers– I love to line my boxes with these, it looks cute and keeps the cookies off the packaging material.
I do hope this list is helpful for those looking to get started making macarons. It took me a long time before I invested in the tools needed to make cakes like this. Once I made my first batch of failed macaron shells I was hooked and kept going and eventually made my own recipe.
Looking for a macron shell recipe? Here is my Regular Shell recipe and here is my Chocolate Shell recipe.
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