Thank you for sharing!

I love making macarons, but I do find all the weighing of ingredients and all that to be tedious. None of that is necessary with this fun 2-ingredient macarons recipe.

Yeah, you read that right. This recipe seriously only calls for two ingredients – and one of them is water. So, if you want to make easy and fast macarons that don’t make a huge wreck of your kitchen, this is the recipe you need.

And if you’re wondering if these macarons taste just as fantastic as traditional macarons, you have to bet they do. I love macarons and am very discriminating. Literally the only difference between this simple macaron recipe and the recipe I normally make is the lack of effort.

This recipe is the perfect shortcut for making macarons.

So, Are Macarons Worth the Effort?

Yes, absolutely. They’re not easy for everyone, but they’re a unique experience and they can be really fun. Get creative with the flavors, the fillings and the colors. It’s a blast!

But, even though I feel like they’re absolutely worth the effort, I am always looking for shortcuts. Because it’s awesome to have your cake and time to enjoy it, too.

Pro Tips for This 2-Ingredient Macarons Recipe

Although this post is all about this particular 2-ingredient macaron recipe, there is a lot of information about macarons here that is applicable to traditional macarons. If you just want the 2-ingredient macaron recipe without all the other information, just scroll all the way down.

Best Beginner Macaron Recipe 

This particular recipe is for 2-ingredient macarons, so just keep scrolling if that’s what you’re wanting. And I truly truly TRULY believe that the 2-ingredient macarons are the BEST beginner macaron recipe you’ll ever find. 

If, however, you want to make traditional macaron cookies, this is the kind of recipe you’re looking at needing:

What Are the Ingredients to Make Traditional Beginner Macarons?

Cookies

• 4  oz.  confectioners sugar
• 2  oz.  almond flour (not the same as almond meal, so look for fine almond flour) – I recommend Bob’s Red Mill (paid link)
• 1  oz  granulated sugar
• 1/4  tsp  salt
• 2  oz.  egg whites roughly two eggs at room temperature
• 1  tsp  vanilla extract, optional or you can use your favorite extract
• 1/4  tsp  salt

Buttercream

• 1  stick butter at room temperature
• 1 1/2  cups  confectioners sugar

You can also use chocolate ganache, but I prefer buttercream.

How Do You Make a Beginner French Macaron Recipe?

Cookies

1. First, weigh out all of your ingredients then sift together your almond flour and powdered sugar in a large bowl and set aside.
2. Add your egg whites to the bowl of your mixer and start mixing on a medium speed with a whisk attachment until they get frothy. Add in the salt. Then gradually add in your sugar to the egg whites and mix on a medium speed until you get a soft peak consistency (like stiff peaks, but where they bend over on themselves a bit – not dropping off the paddle, but not standing tall either). After the egg whites are the right consistency, add about 1/3 of the dry ingredients to the egg whites and fold in until there are no dry spots left.
3. Add in the remaining dry mixture to the meringue and fold in until there are no dry spots. Add gel food coloring if you are coloring your shells. Begin to check for the “ribbon” stage, where the batter falls off in ribbons and you can make a figure 8 without it breaking off. Once you get to this consistency stop folding.
4. Prepare your piping bag with a small round tip. Place your bag in a large cup to make it easier to add your batter. Slowly add in your batter. 
5. Place a silicon mat on a baking sheet. Hold your piping bag completely vertical when piping and lift straight up. After you have piped all the batter, bang the baking sheet on the counter 10-20 times (seriously) to remove all air bubbles. Use a toothpick or something sharp to pop them.
6. Now it is time to let them dry. Leave them sitting on the counter for 30-60 minutes until you can touch them and you can feel a “shell” form over them. No batter should come off on your finger.
7. Preheat your oven to 300 degrees F. and bake your macarons for 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned. When you touch the top of the macaron it should not wiggle around on the “feet”.
8. Allow them to cool COMPLETELY before taking them off the baking sheet. Do not transfer them to a rack, just leave them on the baking sheet.

Buttercream

1. Place the butter in the bowl of your stand mixer with a paddle attachment and cream until light and fluffy. Add in the confectioners sugar and mix until combined.
2. Place in a pipping bag with a star tip and set aside
3. Pipe a circle of buttercream on half of the macaron shells.
4. Sandwich them with the remaining macaron shells.

Frequently Asked Questions About Macarons

Are Macarons from France?

Yes. They’re called French Macarons because they come from France. I am not from France, but I still make them. So you can too. 

What is a French Macaron Cookie?

A little sandwich cookie that has two little shells with cute little feet on them and a bit of buttercream in the middle. It’s like a cake, but inside-out and delicious.

What is the Difference Between a Macaroon and a Macaron?

Macarons are a little sandwich cookie with a yummy filling, made with almond flour (so they’re gluten-free) with the cutest little feet. To add a fun twist, you can fill them with a million different tasty jellies or whatever. I have a whole list below of some filling ideas and flavoring ideas for macarons. 

Macaroons on the other hand are a coconut and cocoa powder cookie that’s chewy and just the one layer. It’s a completely different cookie – different ingredients and all. Although they are equally tasty. I’m a non-discriminate cookie-lover.

Can you make Macarons on Parchment Paper?

I don’t recommend it. I think you can (although I have never tried), but there’s something about having the macarons on the silicone that really helps a home-cook (home chef?) produce those awesome macaron feet like a professional. So, I recommend a silicone cooking sheet every time.

What is the Correct Texture of Macarons?

Crisp outside, soft inside – chewy experience as you go. Plus, you get a little squish of the filling. It’s like the cherry on top of the whipped cream, that yummy icing experience inside the cookie. The texture is unlike any other. 

How Do You Dry The Shells of Macarons?

You just leave them sitting out on the counter. Do not put them in the oven (you aren’t baking them yet). Don’t put them in the fridge (the humidity is too high in there). Just leave them sitting on the counter, where they won’t be messed with. And do not cover them.

Do You Need Cream of Tartar to Make Macarons?

Not for this particular 2-ingredient macaron recipe. And also not for my beginner macaron recipe I detailed above. There are lots of recipes out there, though, so if you decide to use one that calls for cream of tartar, do use it – that stuff is important sometimes. Just not in my particular recipe here.

What is Macaronage?

Macaronage is the point at which, while preparing your macaron shells, that the batter is worked (mixed) until it’s smooth, shiny and flowing. But, rather than try to explain that, I go with the “ribbon” stage explanation because it’s a bit more scientific to describe. 

When Do You Stop Whipping the Batter?

You should be able to hold up your spatula away from the majority of the batter and have a solid ribbon run off – no chunks or lumps, but a ribbon. You should be able to draw a figure 8 with this ribbon and it stay on the surface of the batter a few seconds. Check your batter often while mixing, and make sure to stop when you reach this point. Go no further.

How to Fill a Pastry Bag with Macaron Batter

Place your bag in a large cup to make it easier to add your batter. Work the sides of the bag down the outside of the cup at first to keep them out of the way. Then slowly add in your batter with a spoon. It’s too thick to pour, really. 

Can You Use a Rubber Spatula to Make Macarons? Or Do You Have to Use a Mixer?

Yes, you can use a rubber spatula, but I recommend at least planning to use a hand mixer. Particularly if you are making traditional macarons, using a rubber spatula is going to wear you out.

Macaron Troubleshooting – No-Fail Macaron Tips:

If you are making traditional macaron cookies, I highly suggest having a look at these 12 Tips for Perfect Macarons. There is so much more to learn there that’ll help you. But for the 2-ingredient macaron recipe, I’m excited to say, the tips I have to share are different, SO MUCH EASIER, and more fun.

• Sift your mix when you take it out of the box and get rid of any of the big clumps. Alternatively, you can run the mix through the food processor, but I prefer to just sift it – so much easier. No sifter? That’s fine, I couldn’t find mine when I was making this pretty blue macarons. So, just use a fine-mesh sieve.
• Don’t over-mix (or under mix). I know that the box says to mix for a certain number of minutes, but that’s just crazy-talk. Macarons don’t care how LONG we mix, just that we mix until the batter is perfect. When is the batter ready when making macarons? Here’s the trick: When you’re mixing it, only mix until it reaches the ribbon stage. Do not go past that stage. If you don’t quite get to the ribbon stage, you have to keep going, but if you have reached ribbon-satisfaction, STOP! If you don’t know what the ribbon stage is, it’s when the batter can be made into a figure-8 shape without breaking in the bowl. Watch the video, you can see me actually draw a figure 8 with the batter. It’s epic.
• Let your little shells dry for a while…Again, I know the box says 15 minutes. But this is very much largely based on your kitchen being low humidity. Rather than waiting a certain number of minutes, like with the mixing, I recommend that you wait and let them dry until you can touch the tops, rubbing your finger across, and not pick up any batter. The longer the better (up to 30 minutes) – the bigger the feet will be. 

Step by Step Instructions to Make Macarons  – 2-Ingredient Recipe

Ingredients You Need to Make 2-Ingredient Macarons

• Angel Bakes Macaron Mix
• Water

No joke, that’s it and seriously makes the easiest macaron cookies you’ll ever find.

Optionally, you can add gel food coloring and other fillings, even sprinkles. But let’s just start with our 2 ingredients.

Tools You Need to Make Macarons with This 2-Ingredient Recipe

You’ll need something like this macaron template. That way you’ll know about how much batter to pipe out on your silicone mat–and thus how big your french macaron cookies will be. Print 2 for a large baking sheet – the fit nicely sideways.

You’ll also need a food thermometer to read the temperature of the water. Macarons can be temperamental, so this is important. I have done this with both a candy thermometer and with a forehead touch-free thermometer. You just need to make sure the water is warm but not too warm, so anything should do.

And of course you’ll need a piping bag with a medium-size open hole tip. You can also use a zip top bag making a cut on one corner. Don’t panic if you don’t have a piping bag – just a zip-top bag makes it work just fine. The piping bag is just nice because you can reuse for the filling.

Instructions to Make Macarons with 2 Ingredients

Generally, we’ll follow the directions on the box, but I do have a few different thoughts, so let’s go through the instructions really quickly:

1. Sift the cookie shell mix with a sifter or a fine metal mesh sieve.
2. Measure out the water and check the temperature. You do not want the water too hot or too cold. 
3. Combine the water and the cookie shell mix in the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl.
4. Mix until the batter reaches the ribbon stage. As it’s getting there, you can add your flavoring oil or food coloring. Don’t wait until you reach the ribbon stage to add those as it will force you to keep mixing and overworking the batter is just as bad as underworking it when it comes to macarons.
5. Place your batter into your piping bag and pipe them out onto your baking tray with a silicone sheet.
6. Bang the cookies on the counter 15-20 times (no jokes) to get the bubbles out.
7. Allow the shells to rest on the counter for 45 minutes (I know the box says 15, but 45 minutes is better).
8. Preheat the oven and bake per the box directions.
9. Remove and allow them to cool completely.
10. Mix up the buttercream frosting mix and place it in a piping bag.
11. Pipe a dollop of buttercream onto half of the cookie shells and place a clean cookie shell on top of each. They’re ready to eat, but are even better after maturing in the fridge for 24 hours.

The Best Macaron Flavor and Filling Ideas

You can fill macarons and flavor them with so many different ideas. Some of my favorites are vanilla bean, any of them filled with jam, and, well, anything. But here are some of my favorites:

• Fresh raspberries
• Blueberries
• Caramel
• Jelly beans
• Ganache
• Strawberry jelly
• Banana
• Blackberries
• Nuts (like pecans, pistachio, and peanuts)

As far as flavoring macarons, there are just as many flavoring ideas out there as there are for filling ideas for macarons. Frankly, for the best ideas, check out these awesome macaron recipes.

Thank you for sharing!