How to Make Macarons Less Sweet

Have you tried and tried again to make these textbook macarons? We understand.

Making macarons is difficult because so many things can go wrong. Macarons should have a crisp outside and a chewy inside. Most people can do it, but the true problem is making them as sweet as you want.

Macarons are designed to be sweet, but that doesn’t necessarily appeal to everyone who tries them, including you, because you’re reading this piece.

We completed our research and discovered ways to make macarons less sweet, so stay tuned!

Making Macarons Less Sweet

Before we begin, it is important to note that this essay is about macarons, not macaroons. That additional O is not a mistake; it refers to a distinct sort of dessert.

Having said that, there are two basic ways for making macarons: the French approach and the Italian method.

The French approach is simpler to learn, but difficult to master. The French macarons are often not very sweet.

The Italian approach is more difficult to learn, but once you’ve mastered it, there’s not much more to learn. Italian macarons are much sweeter and more visually pleasing.

Simply said, the French approach is the key to making macarons less sugary. That strategy makes it much simpler to manage the quantity of sugar.

We’ll go through everything step by step before concluding with a short section on what may go wrong and how to solve it.

We won’t spend time writing the precise number of components since you probably already know them.

Making Macarons Using the French Method

The fundamental difference between the Italian and French procedures is in the preparation of the meringue. The Italian approach use sugar syrup, while the French method employs powdered sugar.

Aside than that, everything is much the same. So let’s get started by learning how to create the cookie itself.

Making the Cookie

1. To begin, separate the egg whites from three eggs and set them aside at room temperature for 30 minutes.
2. Bring 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of almond flour to your food processor. Then, add 1 tablespoon of salt, which will lessen the sweetness and enhance the meringue’s consistency.
3. Return to your egg whites. Add 1 tablespoon of salt to reduce the sweetness and boost the consistency. Beat the egg whites with a whisk until they are no longer transparent.
4. Bring a cup of sugar to a boil and gradually add it to the egg whites. Continue to mix until firm peaks form. You might also add a cup of sugar to reduce the sweetness even more.

Note: Lift the whisk from the bowl and you may observe some extensions clinging on to the whisk; if they fall immediately after losing touch with the whisk, you have weak peaks and you are not finished mixing.

5. Mix with a teaspoon of vanilla essence for 30 seconds. Then add your food coloring and continue to mix until you have a consistent tint.
6. Take a third of the almond mixture you created in step 2 and add it to your colored mixture.
7. You’ll want to macronage your mixture until it’s a homogeneous batter, then add the remainder of your almond mixture and macronage again until you have a figure 8 (see video!)
8. Fill a piping bag halfway with batter, then bring a tray lined with parchment paper and pump your cookies.
9. When you’re finished, elevate the tray an inch or two above the table and let it fall. This aids in the removal of air bubbles. After that, lay the tray aside for an hour to let the batter to solidify.
10. After an hour, bake your macarons for 15-17 minutes @ 300 F. If you open the oven to check on the cookies, they will deflate.
11. Allow the cookies to cool for 30 minutes after baking.

Preparing the Filling

There are several fillings that you might use to sandwich your macarons. You may prepare them yourself, such as buttercream and chocolate ganache, or buy them ready-made, such as jam.

It’s up to you at this stage to select what kind of filler you want. Keep in mind that the sweetness of the filling has a big impact on the final flavor of the macarons.

Here’s a simple instruction on how to make the traditional vanilla buttercream filling:

1. 2 medium-sized unsalted butter sticks are required. Put them in a mixing basin and whisk them for 3 minutes.
2. Sift 3 cups powdered sugar over your butter and well combine.
3. Add 1 tablespoon vanilla extract and 2-4 tablespoons heavy cream while mixing. Add the cream one spoon at a time, stopping when you achieve the (stiff peaks) consistency.
4. After that, just transfer the mixture to a piping bag and pipe it onto the cookies to form the macaron sandwich.

You may eat the macarons straight immediately at this time. However, if you leave them for 24 hours, they will gain much more taste.

What Could Go Wrong and How To Fix it

Now, let’s look at what may go wrong and how to prevent it from occurring.

The Macarons Are Still Too Sweet, What Do I Do?

Before combining the egg mixture and the meringue, add an additional half teaspoon of salt to each.

Change the vanilla buttercream filling to something less sweet, such chocolate ganache or lemon curd.

How to Stop the Cookies From Cracking?

Cracked cookies indicate that the meringue was under-mixed. Continue mixing until you reach figure 8.

The Macarons Exploded While Baking!

The temperature was much too high. Reduce the temperature by 20 degrees Fahrenheit.

How Do I Stop the Macarons From Sticking to the Parchment Paper?

Macarons that adhere to the paper haven’t been cooked long enough. Return them to the oven for another minute or two, and you’re done.

We Made Them Less Sweet!

This was our recipe for French macarons for those of you who don’t want too much sugar on your tongue.

The secret is to add salt or decrease the sugar in both the egg white and meringue stages.

Choosing a less sweet filling might also help to minimize the sweetness of your macarons.

Don’t get disappointed if you don’t succeed the first time; macarons are really difficult to make. However, once you’ve mastered them, they’ll become one of your favorites. Good luck in the kitchen!