Annie Wu
ENGL1180C: Writing with Food
Food Science, V.2
pg 1
Optimizing sugar ratios for macaron taste and structure
Abstract:
Macaron recipes are numerous and varied in their recommendations for amounts of almond flour,
sugars, and egg whites. Particularly, recipes vary in their ratios of confectioners’ sugar to granulated
sugar. Sugar is a key component in macaron shells as it contributes both to flavor and structure of the
finished product. While it is commonly assumed that granulated sugar functions to strengthen the
meringue while confectioners’ sugar contributes to lightness of texture and formation of the macaron
“foot,” little empirical evidence is available to support these claims. In this study, various sugar ratios
will be tested to determine effects on macaron structure and taste; macaron shells will be qualitatively
evaluated based on commonly acknowledged structural features: symmetry and height of the foot, shell
surface, interior structure, texture, and smoothness of bottom. In addition, shells will be assessed based
on taste and functionality when assembled using a simple ganache–based filling. The goal is to
determine the ideal sugar ratio that will yield macarons with an optimal structure and flavor profile.
Introduction:
The French macaron has garnered much popularity in recent years. A sweet, meringue–based confection,
the classic French macaron recipe consists of almond flour, granulated sugar, egg whites, and
confectioners’ sugar. Macarons are commonly filled with jams, ganaches, or buttercreams; the finished
macaron consists of a sandwich of two shells stacked with tops facing outward and the filling acting as
an edible “glue” in between, much like an Oreo. As the macaron has grown in popularity, there have
been increasing efforts among baking enthusiasts and macaron–lovers to elucidate the recipe “secrets”
that will produce macaron-perfection.
Anatomy of a Macaron
Annie Wu
ENGL1180C: Writing with Food
Food Science, V.2
pg 2
Figure 1. Anatomy of a macaron.
A macaron is essentially a meringue–based cookie. It contains no baking soda or baking powder, and
achieves rise upon baking due to steam released from the whipped egg whites. A properly formed
macaron features a flat base, a frilly edge around the base referred to as the “foot,” and a smooth,
glossy top (Fig 1). The texture of the shell should be light and airy with a slight chew, but not tough. A
cross–section should yield an even, spongy structure with no obvious air pocket between the surface and
the rest of the shell. The standard size for a macaron shell is roughly 3.00–5.00 centimeters in diameter
and 0.75–1.00 centimeters in height.
Variation in recipes
While only four ingredients make up the basic macaron recipe, variations range impressively across
blogs, books, and magazines. A fundamental distinction among recipes is that of the French vs. Italian
Meringue. The Italian Meringue consists of a sugar syrup that is created through bringing sugar to a boil
with water to create a hot syrup, which is drizzled into the egg whites as they beat into a meringue,
producing a glossier, more stable foam. The French Meringue, on the other hand, does not require
heating of the sugar; egg whites are beaten until foamy and granulated sugar is slowly incorporated as
the whites continue to get beaten until it forms a stable meringue. While both recipes yield decent
products, restaurants tend to prefer the Italian Meringue method for its consistency. For the purposes
Annie Wu
ENGL1180C: Writing with Food
Food Science, V.2
pg 3
of this study, variations on the French Meringue recipe will be tested, as it is the method more
commonly used among bakers at home.
Table 1 summarizes some of the most commonly cited variables in macaron recipes. Variations
range from those involving ingredients – i.e. consistency of almond flour – to those involving equipment
– i.e. double vs. single baking sheet – to those involving technique – i.e. measuring ingredients by
volume or by weight.
Table 1. Variation in macaron recipe recommendations.
Technical considerations take center stage in the majority of articles on macaron recipe
optimization. By contrast, much of the literature has little to offer on the extensive variation found
across recipes with regard to ingredient ratios. A sampling of macaron recipes was taken from well–
frequented blogs and websites, and ingredients were normalized to reflect relative mass per gram of
egg white (Table 2). While proportions of almond flour per gram of egg white remained similar across
recipes (range 0.76–1.30, average 1.10, std. dev. 0.17), proportions of confectioners’ sugar and
granulated sugar exhibited greater inter–recipe variation (range 1.30–2.25, std. dev. 0.30; range 0.25–
1.20, std. dev. 0.29). When recipes were plotted according to the ratio of total sugar mass to almond
flour mass, however, many of the ratios fell within the same range (Fig 2).
Annie Wu
ENGL1180C: Writing with Food
Food Science, V.2
pg 4
Table 2. Variation in macaron recipe ingredient ratios. Recipes were normalized per 1 gram of egg white.
