My love for macarons often forces me to buy more than I can eat. I am sure many of you face the same problem.
Making matters worse, the leftover macarons start to lose their taste within a day or two leaving us to wonder, how to store macarons at home for later without them losing their taste or freshness.
This is a “not so sweet” problem. You know your macarons are not edible when you open the container to find traces of moisture and a musty odor.
If you find stale macarons with moisture inside the container, immediately seal the macarons in a bag and throw them away.
If you don’t want to give up on your macrons and learn how to store them at home for later and longer, read the tips below and thank us later.
How to Store Macarons at Home for later use
The tips below will help you store your macarons at home to eat a later stage, without them losing their taste or freshness. *Obviously, like any other food this will not last forever, but it is a way to get some extra time out of them and keep them longer.
Method #1 Airtight Food Container
The container must be airtight. As discussed below, moisture is a sworn enemy to the freshness of macarons. If you get an airtight container, you can store the macarons for longer. Easy as that.
Use parchment paper at the bottom of the container to cover the sides. Place the macarons carefully, and don’t let them touch each other as it may lead to them sticking together. That can become inconvenient.
Air is not welcome inside the container at any cost, as it will turn the luscious cookie sandwiches into good-for-nothing soggy biscuits. Seal the container with the lid, and you have successfully stored the macarons for at least 24 hours at ambient room temperature.
This technique will keep your macarons fresh for at least 24 hours. After 24 hours, they will start losing their texture. Exposure to the sun can shorten the life of macarons even inside the airtight container.
Method #2 Macaron Boxes
Designed for the very purpose of keeping macarons healthy, macaron boxes are ideal for transporting macarons without losing their delightfulness. Macaron boxes are suitable for gift boxes for a birthday party or a family get-together.
They serve the same purpose as airtight containers but are aesthetically more pleasing to look at. Also, they come in different sizes, fitting a range of 2-12 macarons in a single box.
I recommend these over an airtight box if you know that the macarons will be eaten within a few hours. You can get them at any bakery that sells macarons or look for macaron boxes here.
Method #3 Fridge
You guessed it, didn’t you? However, it’s not so simple. To be clear, I am talking about the fridge, not the FREEZER. You can place the macarons in an airtight box inside the refrigerator. The best place to store macarons inside a fridge is the middle chamber.
There are continuous temperature fluctuations in the top and bottom parts of the fridges, so I recommend the middle chamber of the refrigerator. The fridge will help to keep air and moisture outside.
You can easily store macarons in your fridge for three days without trying anything fancy. If you want to eat them within three days, consume them at room temperature to get the best taste.
Method #4 Freezing the Macarons
Freezing is a pioneer in food preservation and storage. It works in the case of macarons too! Extra effort is required to retain the blissful flavor of macarons for 12-16 weeks or 3-4 months.
You have to treat the macarons like a bird treats its eggs inside the nest. Place the macarons in an airtight container. Make sure there are at least two parchment paper layers under the macarons.
I recommend adding more than two layers of parchment paper above and below the macarons. I also recommend using different foil (aluminum) to ensure that the macarons are comfy inside without any disturbance.
Too low temperature may cause freezer burns that can be avoided by using more layers of parchment paper but not too many. You can go for more than one box.
However, if you need to take out a few macarons, make sure that you pack them properly again before placing the remaining ones in the freezer. Allow the macarons that you take out to defrost entirely before eating.
Comparison of Time and Freshness of the Macarons
It is tough to resist eating macarons if available. However, if there are some leftover macarons, you can use this table to estimate their freshness.
Time | Freshness level (1-10) |
1 day at room temperature | 10/10, perfect texture, taste, and crunchiness. Ideal to consume. |
2 days at room temperature | 7/10, the texture and taste are almost perfect. A slight crunchiness may be gone. |
3 days at room temperature | 5/10, make sure to consume them only after checking them. Better to get new macarons that are better in taste. |
3+ days at room temperature | Say your goodbyes and seal the macarons in a plastic bag to throw them away! |
If exposed to the sun for a long time, macarons may go bad in a day or two as the sun can distract the integrity of the fillings inside and the overall texture.
Identify Macarons as Edible or Inedible
You can quickly tell if the macarons are edible or not by doing the following:
Moisture or Water Content
If the storage box contains traces of water content, your macarons are probably done! Moisture is the #1 enemy when it comes to macarons.
Musty Smell
If your macarons have gone bad, they’d have a pungent musty smell. They won’t smell fresh like they just came from the bakery.
Rancid Taste
The taste of your cookie will become rancid and sour. The sweetness will be buried under the rancid and sour taste.
Stale
The universal problem for many bakery items is going stale. Staling will cause the macrons to lose their sweetness and become tough and dry.
Bonus Tips – Don’t Make These Mistakes when storing your macarons
Here are some bonus tips explaining the common mistakes while storing macarons.
Placing Macarons in the Fridge Without an Airtight Container
Many of us, including me, will put the macarons on a plate and shove them into the fridge to eat later. This is a mistake. Never refrigerate the macarons for even 5 minutes without an airtight container. They start losing their texture immediately.
Using Wax Paper
Parchment paper is often replaced by wax paper when storing macarons. This is also a big mistake as the macarons stick to the wax, losing their sweet integrity.
Plastic Bags
Plastic bags are suitable for hundreds of reasons but not for storing macarons. Plastic retains moisture and makes macarons soggy, musty, and not-so-fun to eat. Replace plastic bags with glass containers.
Conclusion
Macarons are a gift of the French cuisine—sweet and delectable but not so long-lasting. They are all about their sweet and savory taste with fantastic texture. They are not so sweet when soggy or stale.
I have discussed how to store macarons from 24 hours to several weeks. After reading this post, I hope you don’t have to see a soggy macaron on your table.
Frequently Asked Questions about storing macarons at home
Depending on your location, a nearby bakery that bakes macarons is the best place to buy macarons.
You can freeze macarons in an airtight container covered in parchment paper.
Macarons usually last for 24 hours at room temperature. They can last up to 3 days in the fridge and for several weeks in the freezer.
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