Claire’s Homemade Macarons Are Better Than Anything You Can Buy | Try This at Home | NYT Cooking

It’s time for a new installment of “Try This at Home,” a series that guides you through different baking projects and techniques.
This time, Claire is showing us how to make a classic French confection: macarons! Watch on to learn her tips and tricks.
Get the recipes -
Chocolate Macarons: nyti.ms/3OPM3mL
Pistachio Macarons: nyti.ms/3QUAVaI
Raspberry Macarons: nyti.ms/3OU0yG2
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[@DuyNguyen-yx2vd]

Macarons are fascinating because it feels like the kind of thing that was created through a series of mistakes that turned into something iconically delicious. Deflate a meringue by mixing instead of folding. Dropped the baking sheet. Left the cookies sitting out so that the batter dried out. The cookie developed an uneven ruffle at the bottom instead of staying perfectly flat. Refridgerated them and they got soft. None of these things sound like normal things for baking a cookie.

[@saganpatel7485]

That’s what my parents said about me !!

[@petebradford4027]

@@saganpatel7485 😂

[@SchreiRulesYouKnow]

I believe the first time they got to the result, they had to continuously repeat it adding whatever step they did they think it worked for the first time😂

[@NotChanelleLize]

That makes it sound like macarons were invented by someone with ADHD 😂

[@naiknaik8812]

@Linda_Potato now thats iconic

[@RileyRosa_]

I've watched literally so many macaron tutorials before and this is by far the best one. Claire is just so good at making complicated things make sense

[@amberwright2493]

Yes this was so much more helpful my only question is if she ages the egg whites

[@AmJo2023]

Me too. I texted well forwarded the video to my phone so I can make some tomro with some edible shimmer dust etc. Just go all out for once. It's my dream to hv a pastry bougie pastry coffee n cake brick n mortar. But I'm trying to get a business degree in marketing and sales. That's what the recruiter said would be necessary. I think u just need talent and experience, no? Oh n mad money for all the tools and cake pans etc etc. I'm on EBT bc of CHF but I'm still going bougie once a month and tomro it's cotton candy cake w macarons on the sides and top.

[@jazeolo]

Claire is such a professional. Not just as a chef, but as a presenter and at giving clear instructions. She also gives a lot of really useful practical advice. Always a pleasure to watch. She has her own channel, by the way!

[@chuckychuck8318]

Oh I love it when Nyt treat us with some claire content

[@imtheluckiest]

Clairetent? Contaire? …we’ll workshop it

[@mominetti]

@@imtheluckiestClairetent...

[@kezif]

​@@imtheluckiestClaire - the mistress of desserts

[@onemightymill]

saammmmeeee

[@swankyangelo]

More Claire, please.

[@alisonchun]

Yes please 👍👍

[@Gotchalaboom]

Please

[@savannamm]

She has her own channel, she posts every Thursday

[@benicia9408]

Agreed

[@wandererinthenight]

This is a case when you realize that teaching is not an easy task and requires a very highly skilled professional. By far the best tutorial out there.

[@anngoo8670]

Love Claire content! She is such a well spoken, wonderful teacher and is so relatable at the same time!

[@matthewshaw3747]

She has her own channel too if you want more.

[@sandraengstrand2784]

I absolutely loooove how Claire can explain the exact texture and consistency that’s needed. Super-helpful and also entertaining!!! 👩🏻‍🍳⏲️💕👍🏻

[@ernestwinata7908]

The intermittent soft jazz in the background suggests that this is a relaxing activity. Which it is definitely not.

[@jcthompson7666]

I tried making macarons twice, years ago, and they were a disaster despite all the reading I did ahead of time from great chefs. Claire’s such a great teacher that maybe, not committing, I may give it one more try because they are great “cookies” that I’d like to master. And she begins with the classic/best flavor combos.

[@aliciaf1055]

I like the "maybe, not committing" 😸 - Good luck if you do!

[@user-bg3vs6yi3g]

my boyfriend and i just made a batch of the chocolate ones following this recipe, we messed up a couple things (inconsistent oven temp, poor piping skills, using 3.5oz of 70% chocolate and like a tiny piece of 90% in the ganache to try and make up for the missing bit because we forgot to adjust the amount of milk we used) and even despite all that, they turned out AMAZING!!! we got 17 instead of 23 and they were a bit wrinkly and their sizes varied a lot more than claire's, but they were definitely recognizable as macarons and had the foot, and tasted SO good. i shared them with my roommates :)

[@UrBigSisKey]

that’s amazing hahaha

[@bibelev]

I love the troubleshooting part at the end, as well as the possible things that may go wrong that she pinpoints throughout the entire process. She makes it so less of an overwhelming thought of attempting to make them at home.

[@Andyt11]

Pistachio verdict: mmm Chocolate verdict: mmm Raspberry verdict: mmm

[@danbev8542]

I love, love, love these Claire videos of classic advanced foods! She breaks things down to look much less intimidating. Such a great teacher! Thanks NYT and Claire!

[@AmarEnergy]

Claire is such a wealth of knowledge! I love how she can take an otherwise quite complicated technique and break it down to the fundamentals.She has been a huge influence on me upping my baking game to more complicated recipes and methods. I have learned so much about baking from this woman!

[@lespantalonsfancie2434]

I made the chocolate macarons this weekend as my 5th attempt at making macarons (using a few different KZbin recipes). These were, I'm pleased to say, the closest I've come so far to getting the shells right. Granted, some of the shells cracked and I accidentally piped them a bit big (note to self: use a smaller piping tip to help control the flow of the batter next time) BUT I did have mostly smooth tops and ruffled feet!! Also that dark choc ganash with the espresso coffee - 👌 hmm, crazy delicious next to the sweetness of the macaron shells. Now I'm keen to try the other two flavours!

[@scpatl4now]

If you ever make them again...try adding a couple of dashes of mint extract to the batter or the filling. Chocolate - Mint macarons are really good

[@chrisface24]

Claire Saffitz is truly a baker of this generation. She has a way of distilling the recipes to a point where they seem approachable, and her vocabulary is descriptive enough to bring the viewer along for the ride.

[@jeepjen34]

The best macaron tutorial! I feel confident after watching Claire explain all the ins and out of the process.

[@JimSlaughterOC]

The quality of this video is amazing! Congrats to Claire and her hard-working video editors! Thanks!

[@MsDowntonabbey]

I tried a French macaron for the first time when I was in college and thought they were one of the best things I had tasted. I was so excited to make them and chose a recipe for lavender macarons which I spent hours making with my little sister and failed spectacularly 😂 I had never made any kind of meringue before, definitely didn't use a mixer, didn't know I had to let them form a skin, and improvised a filling because the one in my recipe seemed too complicated. These instructions are so helpful and much more detailed -- I'm inspired to give macarons another try!

[@cptntwinkletoes]

They are definitely fickle, haha. But that's such. Sweet story, if you try not to take it too seriously it's a fun experience even if they don't turn out perfect.

[@jq8974]

Love the lavender idea! 🌿💜

[@groovybee7]

Thanks a lot Claire and NYT for this step by step Macarons!!!

[@Hannahbeckett894]

More Claire content always! She makes the most intimidating things feel so accessible. Love it!

[@dianamiles-hannah1286]

Another excellent tutorial! Thank you for all the tips and tricks. I am encouraged to try at home as my kids love macarons. Great choice of sample flavors, too. Thank you, Claire!!

[@Mandeemoo007]

Claire always makes everything look soo easy, thanks for the endless tips!

[@beam9008]

Everytime Claire does something, she makes it look so easy and nothing to fear about baking, but macarons are something else when baking...😅😁

[@k1amc3]

Here's a tip for anyone not wanting to wait for the shells to form a dry skin on top, and for anyone in really humid areas where this would take forever if you preheat your oven to 120C, and put the trays in with the door cracked open for like, 3-5 minutes, that does the same thing but much faster all you do once the skin is formed is close the door and lift the temp to whatever your recipe says

[@oneiromancing]

thank you so much for this! i have a feeling i'll definitely need to use this tip

[@rewdymeyer]

Claire is the best. More Caire pls! Lol. Love her.

[@macaoron]

I've been waiting for Claire to tackle macarons forever, so thank you NYT Cooking for making my dream come true! 💖💖

[@ctgoedyXD]

I always really appreciate Claire's attention to detail

[@hpgla]

Claire! I've always wanted to see you doing macarons! You are so good at explaining!

[@gailegormley5744]

My 14 year old granddaughter makes macrons and does a great job!! She has been doing this for at least two years and has even sold them for a raising money for her hockey team.

[@kirstiet1998]

The best video! She explained it all so amazingly

[@crazycenta3]

Absolutely love this video. Really appreciate the troubleshooting as well! Super insightful

[@arshbehal6312]

I do not have words to express how incredible Claire is. She is beautiful and absolutely perfect. Love her!

[@user-ds5km3mt6j]

Claire! Such a great teacher!. Thank you NYT , as a subscriber, for bring us Claire.

[@SalokinQuagsire]

Wow, Claire is a fantastic teacher! I never had an urge to make Macarons at home because I knew they were difficult to make, but now I feel like I have the info to make these and even try making different fillings/flavors. Very cool!!!

[@sachabkitty]

This is the best explanation of macarons I ever watched! Thank you so much!

[@L0rkisha]

I wished someone put together a video like this when I was learning how to make macarons! I had to learn all these tips and tricks by doing tons of research and watching multiple bakers! It was definitely a challenge but so satisfying when I finally got it to work! Practice really does make perfect! 🥰

[@jackfahey4610]

Thank you NYT , as a subscriber, for bring us Claire

[@susanharrell2629]

Very helpful! Excited to try making these.

[@amypeckham]

Claire! Such a great teacher!

[@Dionnnnz]

Interesting! I never knew that during the process of macronage you actually do want to deflate the egg whites, I've seen so many videos that mention how the dry mixture should be incorporated as gently as possible to prevent deflating the egg whites

[@moyetlicious]

For recipes where the air is used as leavening (such as in a Genoese sponge) this is indeed the case and you have to work as carefully as possibly so as not to deflate your batter, but too much air is the enemy of a well baked macaron.

[@macaoron]

There's definitely still a danger of overmixing during the macaronage, which is the tendency for most home bakers, so a lot of recipes tend to err on the side of telling people to undermix it. But yes, the whole point of macaronage is to actually controllably deflate the mixture!

[@lindamcneil711]

Claire just does recipes well. The science, the technique, and the flavor.

[@user-tc8nv9xg7p]

This was a great tutorial. I’m going to try and make some Myself. Thanks Claire!

[@iliatimpanaro9605]

This woman is amazing! I could listen to her explaining baking for hours

[@ItsMe-fs4df]

Great entertaining and informative video. You learn so much more from failed experiments 😂 So I really appreciate the troubleshooting section (with examples) Thanks Claire 🥰

[@sarapeflores]

I love that Claire doesn’t make desserts overly sweet. ❤❤❤

[@crystalallen7786]

Thank you so much for sharing this! This is the very first time that I accomplished macarons! I followed your your instructions, and I am so glad I did.

[@mia9238]

Great video!! You explain everything so well! 😊

[@AndreaThornton-co9ic]

Thank you so much for sharing your special gifts with us. ❤

[@donnawolff5956]

I've gained a better understanding of the process to success here than in an all day, expensive class I took and you've once again made the mysterious approachable. Thank you.

[@Neilpoe]

I adore Claire and I adore macarons! Thank you.

[@auntiedough2488]

Great watch and worth the half hour. I learned so much and can’t wait to try some chocolate and raspberry ones this weekend thanks for the In-depth tutorial

[@arlenesolis024]

❤OMG, this is a great recipe. One of my favorite things to do is to bake with my niece. It is our favorite time together and we can not wait to make this recipe. THANK YO CLAIRE❤👩‍🍳

[@anix2457]

Wonderful tutorial Claire Thank you 😃

[@juliannedevincentis6118]

Omg Claire thank you for this. Making them tonight because apparently I knew nothing about macarons and now I must try again!

[@d.c.104]

Macarons 101! This is the best tutorial on macarons ever. So detailed.

[@tishcondado483]

She is such perfectionist . I love you Clair 😂

[@rachelbrand]

oooh, i love it when i'm early at a Claire video! best baking teacher on the internet.

[@homayounazarnoush5699]

Perfect explanation, thanks 🌸

[@user-mw6ek4ig6g]

Thank for you all making long form food content

[@stesanie82]

Great video, thanks for all the tips!

[@karagordo1991]

Omg this made my mouth water 🤤 these are my favourite desserts

[@karinahemsani6014]

Claire is the best teacher!

[@victoriar.4561]

I have been making macarons for a while now and have been struggling with consistency. Thank you for the tips how to test batter. It helped a lot.

[@user-nc8lj7rk6e]

I've tried to make macaron a few times and it never felt like I did it correctly😅 and I've been waiting for Claire to do her version for sooo long. I'm positive that when I try her recipe it will work🤩

[@annanamoose9943]

a failed macaron shell is still a damn good cookie, this I've learn through experience 😁

[@sukayahramli4343]

Amazing as usual! ❤😮

[@truthtell4life]

I worked at a bakery that sold macarons for almost $3 per cookie years ago before inflation and since I loved them I thought I can make these at home and save tons of money and so now I do. It's definitely a labor of love and takes time and precision but definitely worth it when you can get them perfect 😍🤤 a kitchen scale is crucial for macarons too. Measuring cups are different even though they aren't supposed to be. I learned to fold not stir and mine come out great. You just have to be very very precise with the recipe. Baking is a science.

[@Michelleiscul]

Yay! So good to see Claire still working on things here on KZbin!!

[@violetviolet888]

She has her own channel.

[@maryakhan88]

Claire!!! You're amazing! thank you for such a detailed recipe. have been meaning to attempt macarons but just couldn't because all the recipes i've watched felt like weren't complete. This is so comprehensive

[@YoursM979]

Finally, a way to have these and not have to pay $3 a cookie :) Claire Saffitz is the best love all her stuff :)

[@Romi_Zii]

Making french buttercream filling with the leftover yolks is definitely the full insanity of making macarons! 😂 🩷❤️🧡💛💚🩵💙💜🖤🤍🤎

[@EverettWilson]

I'm so glad I got into cooking during this era of chef educators.

[@BuildingHP]

This was delightful 🙏

[@user-kx5lb3br3x]

I am LIVING for this gal!

[@fastcoffee9878]

I am not a big fan of fussy baking. But Claire puts such an air of panache into this recipe that I will have to tackle these, and then pair them with my best pu ehr tea. Thanks NYT and Claire❤

[@Rosa7388]

Thank you for explaining macronage so well😭!!!!!!! I feel like everyone else was omitting important details. Seeing the texture and having it explained how Claire did makes so much more sense. I feel like I can try macarons again. I've only had luck with 2 batches after many attempts and one of those was my very first attempt. Now I feel more secure in navigating the process.

[@cptntwinkletoes]

I thought the same thing, I've seen a bunch of recipes saying a specific number of folds, etc, but I feel like this way of explaining exactly how and what to look out for makes it much more approachable and probably more consistent

[@cassandrafine6373]

I have silicone sheets with the rounds already built in, so that'll make the sizing easier to determine for same size macaroons. Looking forward to following the recipe for success!!

[@timmygeeez3694]

Its 2am, and i dont know why i’m watching claire❤ lol soooo good as always 🥰

[@laurenhathaway496]

I’ve been waiting for you to show us macarons for so long!

[@kathyyoung7743]

I really enjoyed your video, explaining the possible faults as well as taking us throughout the whole process. I can't wait to give them a try! thank you!

[@kathyyoung7743]

BTW - where can I view the recipes?

[@TamaraKane]

I'm glad you said macarons and not macaroons because macaroons are a completely different cookie made with coconut and they require much more chewing. I love both, but macarons are more delicate. I loved the show on Hulu called "The Great," a funny soap opera version of Catherine the Great; but, they kept calling French macarons "macaroons." So, if anyone else has been saying it wrong, you're not alone! And I don't have a major problem with it or anything like that, but for the sake of everyone's cookie enjoyment, I hope you'll all get to try both kinds of cookies in your lifetime so you can see what they have in common, and how they're very different. 😊

[@gywong]

Wow, those look amazing. Expertly instructed in every minute detail by Professor Saffitz. Bravo.

[@jessholdorff4953]

This is the best educational baking video ever

[@Deneph]

Love Claire sm!!!

[@elizabethclaiborne6461]

There is nothing so good as watching artists make their art!

[@ryph3]

her way of explaining things is so impressive

[@NadoCrowFriend]

I feel like I hit the Mother Lode stumbling onto your video today! Thank you for sharing this cherished cookie recipe and demonstration!

[@jamesktucker979]

Claire is wonderful instructor.

[@TheLittleThingsAroundUs]

THESE VIDEOS MAKE ME SO HAPPPY

[@pallaviullal9782]

Made the mistake of trying two other recipes for my first attempts at macrons which failed spectacularly. I tried Claire's for my third and they came out wonderfully and were so delicious. Claire has yet to disappoint, and I won't be making that mistake again! Thanks Claire and NYT!

[@FRANCENEKELLY]

Best cooking teacher on the planet. Love your beautiful pronunciation of French words. Appreciate the respect it shows to the country of origin. Love you and what you do, Claire!

[@ChaliFerdinandis]

I love how we all just adore Claire

[@siljekarlsen6343]

CLAIRE!! Im crying. I've missed her so much, omg

[@mominetti]

Mmmm, they all look so beautiful and delicious!🤤😋 The one thing I would do differently to raspberry macarons is that I would use “ruby chocolate” for the ganache filling. I would try it with ruby chocolate because, it already has that berry flavour and by adding raspberry purée it would intensify the raspberry flavour, I think. Yum!

[@Babushka_Kat]

NYT - more Claire please!!!

[@ghiaromero6517]

Claire safitz is so great, I started watching her on bon appetite and she was a joy to learn n watch from, anything she makes looks delicious 😋 😋

[@scpatl4now]

I make mint macarons for a party a friend was having and people loved them. These are definitely special occasion baking. You might need to try making them a couple of times, but seriously once you get the technique down, the sky really is the limit with flavors

[@andreasnyder2135]

I've had a bag of almond flour leftover since making Claire's fruit cakes for the last holiday season, this will be such a fun way to use it up! I made 2 batches this week, the first seemed like it failed but still tasted pretty good, and my second batch was much improved and I even impressed myself. I probably won't ever make perfect macarons but they taste good enough to keep trying!

[@lespantalonsfancie2434]

That's one thing I love most about macarons. Even the ugly "failed" ones taste delicious!

[@scpatl4now]

Make sure you get really finely milled almond flour. The first couple of times I tried it the almond flour wasn't fine enough and they didn't come out right. Once I fixed that they came out perfect.