Updated on April 9th, 2023
It doesn’t matter if you prepare your macarons the French way or the Italian way; the meringue-based snack will always require a significant amount of almond flour. The preparation of these delicious cookies may not be as arduous as you may think, but whether your macarons come out looking different from what you pictured, they will still taste good.
Yes, macarons may be a challenging dessert for beginners and amateur bakers. Still, one easy step to take in the right direction would be to make available all the ingredients you need beforehand.
Flour is the backbone for all macaron recipes, and the commonly used flour for this project is Almond flour. What if you do not have almond flour? Would you still be able to make picture-perfect macarons? Well, yes, and in this article, I will be telling you just how you can achieve those beautiful macarons without almond flour.
What is Almond Flour
You may be familiar with almond meal or ground almond, well just like almond meal, almond flour is made from ground sweet almonds; the only distinguishing factor between these products is that almond flour is made with blanched almonds (no skin), while almond meal can be made with both balanced and whole almonds.
Almond flour is made by soaking almonds in boiling water for about 10 minutes. Next, the almonds are cooled off, and the skins are removed. It doesn’t end there, the almonds are left to dry overnight completely, and then it is grounded to a consistency similar to cornmeal; this process is the most intricate part of the production of almond flour because if overdone, it will have a paste-like consistency.
Uses of Almond Flour in Recipes
Almond flour is an essential ingredient in macaron recipes; it pairs alongside sugar and salt as the dry ingredients in the recipe. Almond flour is also used in producing other pastries and confectioneries, in cake and pie filling such as Sachertorte, and it is an important ingredient in marzipan and almond paste.
Almond flour adds a moist texture and a nutty flavor to baked goods in general, and items baked with almond flour are usually calorie-dense. This flour is important for people on a ketogenic diet ( low-carb diet).
Below are some examples of recipes that call for almond flour.
- Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Almond Flour Keto Waffles
- Keto Blueberry Muffins
- Almond Crust Pizza
- Best Keto Bread
- Keto Tortilla Chips
- Keto Double Chocolate Muffins
- Keto pancakes
- Rosemary Keto Crackers
- Keto Sugar-Free Cheesecake
- Keto Chicken Parmesan
- Keto Chicken Potpie
- Everything Keto Bagels
- Bacon-Wrapped Keto Meatloaf
- Keto Cinnamon Rolls
Substitutes for Almond Flour in Macarons
Whenever you think of macarons, you think of almond flour, I mean, the two go hand in hand, and you would rarely see a macaron recipe without almond flour. But some of us may be allergic to nuts, or maybe we just ran out of almond flour. Well, if you find yourself in any of these positions, you don’t need to feel bad because you can still achieve delicious macarons with some other flours. In this article, I will be looking at how you can make macarons with pumpkin seeds, all-purpose flour, and oat flour, these flours may give you a different texture, but if you need a nut-free substitute or one which is keto-friendly, then you should try out one of these substitutes.
Pumpkin Seeds
You could either get store-bought pumpkin seed flours, or if you have some pumpkin seeds at home, you could throw them in a good processor to make your flour. Not many people are allergic to pumpkin seeds, so you don’t need to worry too much about using them in your macarons.
Pumpkin seeds are very low in carbohydrates, so they are suitable for people on a keto diet; they also contain zinc, magnesium, manganese, iron, copper, omega three fatty acids, and more.
As for flavor, it delivers excellent and delicious macarons that are also chewy and would melt in your mouth as almond flour would.
Swap in pumpkin seed flour for almond flour in your macarons using a 1 to 1 ratio.
All-Purpose Flour
All-purpose flour is a versatile culinary ingredient made from the endosperm of hard and soft wheat varieties. It is frequently implemented in baking recipes; it is even suitable for cooking, thickening sauces, and coating meats and veggies. Baking macrons with all-purpose flour is not uncustomary; yes, you could use this flour instead of almond flour if you are short on almond flour.
All-purpose flour may not be ideal for people on a ketogenic diet, but it is suitable for nut allergies.
Also, use this substitute in a one-to-one ratio.
Oat Flour
Oat flour may not give you that nutty flavor often associated with almond flour, but a chewy or moist dessert is what you would still get. Macarons made with oat flour are sometimes too chewy than those made with almond flour, but oat flour does not shy away from delivering delicious macarons, that’s for sure.
When baked, the macarons will still grow feet just as expected, but the downside of using oat flour is that you would not get a smooth top on your snack, rather it gets a slightly wrinkled appearance as it cools down; this is because of the moist nature of oat flour.
If you have a nut allergy or you ran out of almond flour, you can use oat flour as a direct replacement for almond flour.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How can I properly store almond flour?
The best-known way to store almond flour would be to place it inside a tightly covered container and store it in a cool, dry place. If stored correctly, it can last up to a year after opening.
Is almond flour healthy?
Almond flour is packed with nutrients. One ounce (28g) of almond flour contains 163 calories, 14.2g fat, 6.1g protein, 5.6g carbohydrates, 3g fiber, vitamin E, magnesium, manganese, copper, and phosphorus.
Are macaroons the same as macarons?
They are both sweet treats and are made similarly; the main difference is that macarons are made with almond flour while macaroons are made with sweetened coconut flakes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S07wrfggjzU
Conclusion
Macarons are delicious; they also don’t take too much time to prepare. One main ingredient in macarons is almond flour, so making this dessert without almond flour may be challenging. Still, luckily, there are some viable replacements for almond flour in macarons.
