After 2 years of testing, frustration and tears; I am finally ready to share the best macaron recipe for humid climates. If I can bake macarons in the middle of August in South Louisiana during a thunderstorm, you can make them any time you want. No more having to wait for the perfectly dry day to bake macaron treats.
Food bloggers all over the internet claim you can’t make macarons when it’s humid or raining, which is ludicrous. I don’t have time to wait around for the weather to cooperate but there are also terrible recipes out there claiming to be specifically for humid climates. A humid day in NYC has got nothing on South Louisiana. You want humid? I’ll give you humid.
Table of contents
Best Macaron Recipe for High Humidity
Here’s what you’ll need:
113g almond flour super fine
113g confectioners’ sugar
3 large egg whites (~99-105g)
1/8 tsp cream of tartar
125g granulated sugar
45g water
1 tsp gel food coloring optional
Start by placing cold egg whites in a fine mesh strainer over a bowl or cup.
Allow the watery whites to drain away for 2-3 minutes leaving the thicker whites behind.
Scrape thick egg whites into a clean stand mixer bowl. Lightly whisk in cream of tartar. Set aside to allow to come up to room temp.
Weigh watery whites & note the weight for reference later. Whisk until foamy then set aside, covered.
Whisk almond flour & confectioners’ sugar together in a medium sized bowl then sift to remove clumps & large grains. Set aside.
Combine granulated sugar & water in a small saucepan. Gently stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to quickly bring to a boil.
Once sugar syrup comes to a boil, whip egg whites at medium-low speed until frothy.
Increase speed to high until they form soft peaks.
Continue boiling syrup until it reaches 235°-245°F but not above 250°F. Stir in gel food coloring.
With the pan of hot syrup in one hand & the mixer on medium-high speed, carefully pour a steady stream of syrup into the whipped whites, aiming for the area between the bowl & whisk.
Continue beating until the meringue is smooth, glossy, & forms soft peaks.
Replace wire whisk with paddle attachment.
Add almond flour/confectioners’ sugar mix at low speed just until combined.
Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Add 75% of reserved egg whites and mix on low until incorporated.
Using a flexible dough scraper, pull batter thin up onto the walls of the mixing bowl, scrap off, then let batter fall back into the bowl.
Mix until the batter falls into the bowl like a semi-translucent sheet or flows through a #12 piping tip without effort.
Immediately fill & seal pastry bag fitted with a #10 or #12 tip.
Preheat oven to 300°F with large baking stone or heavy baking sheet set on the middle rack.
Pipe batter onto parchment paper sheets with macaron templates underneath.
Pop any large bubbles that may arise with a toothpick.
Let rest 30 mins – 2 hours or until matte looking & you can touch the tops without sticking.
*** Test a small sample of macarons for oven readiness by cutting one or two away from the parchment corner. ***
Left: Baked 30 mins after Right macaron
Using a cooling rack to transfer one sheet at a time from the counter, quickly slide macarons onto your preheated baking stone or sheet pan. Bake 9-13 mins, or until firm.
Remove from oven directly onto a cooling rack & let cool while the next batch bakes. Fully cool on countertop until they release easily from parchment.
Top Tips for Baking Perfect Macarons
Humidity + Dry Time
People love to exclaim “It’s so muggy! It’s 75% humidity.” Humidity is a misleading number when it comes to baking macarons as it does not accurately illustrate the amount moisture in the air. For example, since warm air can hold onto more moisture than cold air, 75% humidity at 90°F feels sticky while 75% humidity at 45°F is dry.
Instead, use dew point. The higher the dew point, the greater the amount of moisture in the air, the slower macarons will dry.
| Dew Point | Dry Time |
|---|---|
| Less than 55°F | Less than 10 minutes Macarons should be piped a sheet at a time as they will over dry waiting for other sheets to bake. |
| 55°- 65°F | 15-30 minutes |
| 65°F or more | 30 minutes or more |
Required Equipment
You must have a food scale, stand mixer, instant-read thermometer, oven thermometer, compostable parchment paper, paper templates, baking stone or large sheet pan, and Bob’s Red Mill Super Fine Almond Flour.
Parchment Paper
After much testing, the type of parchment paper used is very important. It must lay flat and it must be compostable. No, this is not about saving the environment. Parchment paper coated with silicone or quilon does not wick moisture away from macarons, which prevents proper drying in humid environments. Even if macarons skin over, the centers will still be too wet, resulting in domed and cracked tops.
Silicone mats are also a no go. They produce perfectly round macarons but they have a terrible habit of baking cracked or domed macarons along with refusing to release the macarons after baking.
Compostable parchment paper absorbs excess moisture and allows the paper templates underneath to further wick moisture away. Without compostable parchment and paper underneath the macarons, they can take hours to dry. I’ve had to wait 3 hours on a batch before. Baking at 3 am is not fun.
Oven thermometer
You’d be surprised just how off your oven temperature actually is vs what you set it to. Oven temp is a big deal with it comes to macarons. Too hot and the macarons brown before the insides cook. Too cold, they don’t develop feet or discolor from too much heat exposure.
Baking Stone/Sheet Pans
Macarons are baked at a very low 300°F. Even the best ovens have trouble keeping this low temp consistently much less when you are opening the door every 10 minutes. A full oven baking stone helps keep the oven hot and the dead flat surface is perfect for baking uniform macarons.
If the bottom of your macs are browning a bit too much on the baking stone, put the baking stone on the bottom rack then put an extra large sheet pan on the middle rack.
If your macs are discoloring in the oven, make a three-sided heat shield with parchment paper folded into heavy duty foil and set it toward the back of the sheet pan during baking. This is the one I made.
Almond Flour
I’ve tried every almond flour on the market. Bob’s Red Mill Super Fine Almond Flour is the only consistent brand on the market. All others are either ground too coarsely or there are coarse bits mixed in with the super fine bits. With that said, you must sift your almond flour for the most smooth looking macarons.
Many recipes, even the professional ones, require almond flour and powdered sugar to be blitzed in a food processor in an attempt to further grind the almond flour to a more fine texture. I am here to tell you that’s a bunch of BS. Pulsing almond flour in a food processor actually creates more problems than it solves and does not grind the flour down any finer. Skip this ludicrous step.
Always bake a test batch
Instead of ruining an entire sheet of macarons, cut off one or two macs from a sheet and test bake. If they come out perfectly, you can start baking your macarons one sheet at a time. If they crack or fail to develop feet, let them sit for 15 more minutes then retest. You’d be amazing what a difference 15 minutes can make.
It’s you, not the recipe
Macarons require precision. Ingredients can not be substituted and steps can not be skipped. I have a made this recipe every month for 2 years so I know it backwards & forwards. I’ve failed in every way possible and it was always because I got impatient or lazy.
If you have questions, please feel free to comment below. I alway enjoy troubleshooting with fellow bakers
High Humidity Macarons
Ingredients
- 113 g almond flour, super fine
- 113 g confectioners’ sugar
- 3 large egg whites (~99-105g)
- 1/8 tsp cream of tartar
- 125 g granulated sugar
- 45 g water
- 1 tsp gel food coloring, optional
Instructions
- Place cold egg whites in a fine mesh strainer over a bowl or cup. Allow the watery whites to drain away for 2-3 minutes leaving the thicker whites behind.
- Scrape thick egg whites into a clean stand mixer bowl. Lightly whisk in cream of tartar. Set aside to allow to come up to room temp. Weigh the watery whites & note the weight for reference later. Whisk until foamy then set aside, covered.
- Whisk almond flour & confectioners' sugar together in a medium sized bowl then sift to remove clumps & large grains. Set aside.
- Combine granulated sugar & water in a small saucepan. Gently stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to quickly bring to a boil.
- Once sugar syrup comes to a boil, whip egg whites at medium-low speed until frothy then increase speed to high until they form soft peaks.
- Continue boiling syrup until it reaches 235°-245°F but not above 250°F. Stir in gel food coloring.
- With the pan of hot syrup in one hand & the mixer on medium-high speed, carefully pour a steady stream of syrup into the whipped whites, aiming for the area between the bowl & whisk. Continue beating until the meringue is smooth, glossy, & forms soft peaks.
- Replace wire whisk with paddle attachment. Add almond flour/confectioners' sugar mix at low speed just until combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Add 75% of reserved egg whites and mix on low until incorporated.
- Using a flexible dough scraper, pull batter thin up onto the walls of the mixing bowl, scrap off, then let batter fall back into the bowl.
- Mix until the batter falls into the bowl like a semi-translucent sheet or flows through a #12 piping tip without effort. Immediately fill & close pastry bag fitted with a #10 or #12 tip.
- Preheat oven to 300°F with large baking stone or heavy baking sheet set on the middle rack.
- Pipe batter onto parchment paper sheets with macaron templates underneath. Pop any large bubbles that may arise with a toothpick. Let rest 30 mins-2 hours or until matte looking & you can touch the tops without sticking.
- Using a cooling rack to transfer one sheet at a time from the counter, quickly slide macarons onto your preheated baking stone or sheet pan. Bake 9-13 mins, or until firm. *** Test a small sample of macarons for oven readiness by cutting one or two away from the parchment corner. ***
- Remove from oven directly onto a cooling rack & let cool while the next batch bakes. Fully cool on countertop until they release easily from parchment.
- Spread half the cookies with jam, curds, frostings, etc then top with the remaining cookies. Can be stored unfilled in airtight containers in the refrigerator for a week or freezer for several months.
Stephanie says
Can you use store bought egg whites already separated out?
Genevieve says
Absolutely! I’ve used Walmart brand egg whites with success. I’ve read Trader Joe’s has been successful for other bakers as well.
Marigene says
Thanks. I’ve wasted eggs because the yolks broke
Maneshka says
Hi I live in Sri Lanka and we have high humidity all year long (perks of living in a tropical country) and it takes so long for my macarons to dry (5-6hrs). Is there a way I can dry them faster?
Genevieve says
Yes! I use several methods that can sometimes work too well.
1. Do not use silicone or reusable baking mats. They trap too much moisture. Use white compostable parchment paper instead. It wicks moisture from the macarons, thus helping them dry.
2. Keep the paper templates under the parchment paper. The paper also helps with wicking the moisture away.
3. Use a clean fan on low pointed across your macarons. You want to use the steady breeze to drive the moisture away from the area. Pointing the fan at the macs forces the moisture down without any place for it to go.
On days where it’s super humid here & I have a lot of macarons to make, I also run a dehumidifier pointed towards my kitchen.
4. Use the least amount of egg whites as you can get away with. By not having a lot of moisture in the first place, the less moisture that needs to evaporate.
Now, this can backfire on you by over-drying your macarons. If the tops come out all sideways & wonky during the bake, they are too dry & sticking to your parchment. You’ll just need to experiment with your kitchen environment to find the right timing. Start by piping one sheet at a time & letting the batter rest in the piping bag. I’ve kept batter on the counter for several hours before while testing new parchment paper & had many successful bakes.
Let me know how it goes!
Maneshka says
Thanks so much for the tips. I’ll keep you posted! ☺️
Ana says
How many sandwiches does a batch make?
Genevieve says
It will depend on the size of the macarons you pipe. I can get 50 1″ macs or 25 1.5″ macs per batch.
Summer B says
So happy to find someone from home with a macaron recipe. I’m in Lake Charles and after only one attempt at making macarons I wasn’t sure if I could do it. I can’t wait to try your method. I love macarons!
Genevieve says
Let me know how it goes! I have another recipe I’ve been testing that uses a different method that I’d be happy to share.
Cristina says
Just to clarify, you need to preheat the oven while the macs are drying? Can i do the preheat when the macs have already dried up? Thanks in advance for the advice.
Genevieve says
Preheat the oven as soon as you’re done piping them out. They take about 30 mins to dry, giving your oven enough time to stabilize at the correct temperature.
Marigene Posadas says
Hi, I’m happy to found your site. I’m confused with humidity. I live in Orlando, humidity here is 59. Is that good to make macarons? Thanks.
Genevieve says
It’s best to think of humidity in terms of dew point. If the dew point is about 65°, it feels muggy because there’s a lot of moisture available in the air. So right now it’s 78° with a 75° dew point. Muuuuuuggy. Tomorrow we will hit 70° but the dew point will be 45°. Super dry.
So macs I make today will take 30 minutes to dry but tomorrow they will probably take 10 minutes.
I hope that helps!
Ishi says
You mentioned baking stone or baking sheet to maintain consistent temperature. Can you explain how can I maintain with baking sheet. Right now I bake in a medium rack and if I set my oven to 270 then left thermometer inside oven reads around 284 to 300 and right around 275 to 280. I am using vegan Swiss method to bake my macarons. Thank you.😊
Genevieve says
I leave an extra large sheet pan in my oven on top of the baking stone so it’s nice and hot as soon as I transfer my sheet of macarons. A baking stone is best for keeping your oven temperature consistent between batches but even throwing a few cast iron skillets on the bottom rack will help in a pinch. You need your interior temp to rebound to 300F as quickly as possible and for your macarons to rise instantly, which is why having a hot sheet pan ready to go is a good idea.
Nate Benton says
Great article!
What do you use to measure dew point? I’ve got an analogue hygrometer that servers to estimate that but am just wondering how you do it. I’m considering getting a de-humidifier but not sure yet if that’s really necessary. Thanks for any insight in advance!
Genevieve says
I have a weather app that gives me the current dew point plus hourly forecasts. If I see the dew point will be rising, I like to get my macs done sooner than later.
Elaine says
How can you use freeze dried bananas/strawberries to flavor macarons
Genevieve says
You can’t. You can flavor the filling but trying to flavor the shell is futile.
Christina says
Hi!
Thank you for the tips on dew point. 🙂
Could I put compostable parchment paper over the silicone mat? Will that wick away more moisture than baking just on the silicone mat?
Genevieve says
I’ve never used a silicone mat under my parchment but experiment with it and report back. I’m curious.
Christina says
It worked. Dew point was 52 degrees. No cracking. But the circles came out lopsided because the parchment paper wasn’t completely flat. I’m going to flatten them out between two baking trays next time. I also ordered Teflon sheets to see if that would help absorb moisture too. We shall see!
Genevieve says
It does! So I have tried this. It gives you the best of both worlds if you pipe onto the teflon sheets and have parchment underneath. The parchment absorbs the moisture but they stay perfectly round.