Tips to Store & Transport Macarons To Make Them Last Longer

Transporting and Storing Macarons

Now because of how delicate the texture of Macaron’s cookie shells and crust are, it is important to know how to properly store them after baking. And how to protect them while transporting so that they can maintain their flavor and texture.

Storing and transporting Macarons is very simple and easy to do, the main things that you need to do; is to keep your Macarons either in the refrigerator or freezer and packed securely in airtight containers before transporting them.

You can also maintain the Macaron’s shape and filling by utilizing ice packs, coolers and portable refrigerators to keep them cool while transporting the Macarons to another location.

Now you can keep on reading for a more detailed step by step guide on how to either refrigerate or freeze Macarons. Plus I have some great tips and tricks to make your Macarons last longer and protect them whilst traveling.

What are Macarons?

Macarons are thin, flavorful meringue cookies that are sandwiched together with some kind of filling. These cookies have a delicate egg shell-like crust with a meringue interior texture. They can be filled using ganache, buttercream, or fruit jam.

Ingredients Used to Make Macarons

The key ingredients in the macaron shells are almond flour, egg whites, sugar, and food coloring. They are usually 140-160 calories making them the perfect bite-size dessert.

How to Transport Macarons

  • First, make the Macarons as you usually do.
  • Allow them to cool.
  • Next, put them in an airtight container.
  • Finally, place the Macrons in a refrigerator to mature overnight. (This helps to develop the flavors in the filling and fuse the filling with the Macaron shells.)
  • Now if you are transporting Macarons over a long journey the key is freezing them in an airtight, instead of refrigeration.

I would not recommend transporting Macarons for a period longer than a day without the use of some type of portable refrigerator. This is because after one day at room temperature Macarons get soggy and loses the crispness of their shells.

Refrigeration prior to traveling for a short journey is key to helping your Macaron maintain it’s temperature. I would consider a short journey to be 30 minutes or less.

How to Pack Macarons for Transportation

What you pack or store your Macarons into for transportation will depend on the number of Macarons you are transporting. There are two options when choosing a container to store Macarons in for transportation.

  1. Macaron boxes
  2. Airtight containers

1- Use Macaron Boxes

Macarons boxes are specially designed containers made for storing Macarons. These are great because they have separate compartments to store each Macaron so they will not touch. You can also bubble wrap these boxes as a additional security for the Macarons to prevent them from breaking during transportation.

2- Airtight Containers

Good airtight containers can also be used to transport Macarons this is because they keep air and moisture from coming in contact with the Macarons. You can also wrap each individual Macaron with paper towels as a way of cushioning any bumps that may crack the shells or place them in individual sachets so the flavors won’t mix with each other in the airtight container.

Easy Bonus Tips When Transporting Macrons

1- When you are ready to transport the frozen Macarons place the Macarons in a cooler bag surrounded by frozen ice packs to keep the Macarons cool so it will slowly come up to room temperature.

2- For a large number of Macarons, a chest freezer or portable refrigerator will also keep the Macarons cold.

3- Place non-skid mats under the cooler bag/ portable cooler/ refrigerator to avoid the macarons from sliding while driving and cracking

4- Let the AC unit in the vehicle pick up and circulate the cool air before taking the Macarons into the vehicle. This is important for hot days when your Macarons might melt.

How to Store Macarons after Baking or Buying them

Macarons can only last for a short time at room temperature. After baking or buying Macarons you have two options to choose from when storing them if you want them to last longer than a day. You can choose from these two options depending on the period of time you plan on consuming the Macarons. They are

  • Refrigeration
  • Freezing

Storing Macarons in the Refrigerator

Macarons can be tricky to bake so many home bakers find it easier to bake them ahead of time and refrigerate or freeze them to save time and anxiety without compromising the freshness or quality of the macarons.

Macarons can be stored in the refrigerator in two different ways:

  1. By refrigerating the Macaron shells alone or
  2. Refrigerating the fully assembled Macarons

1- Refrigerating Macarons Shells

Macaron shells usually stay fresh 4-6 days after it’s made and stored in the refrigerator. You can decorate, assemble, and serve before this date is up. After filling, it can stay fresh for a further 2-4 days depending on the filling in the refrigerator. keep track of how many days they have already been in the refrigerator before filling.

How to Refrigerate Macaron Shells

  1. Line up or layer the macarons shells in the container. Place the macarons into the container side-by-side in a single layer. They can be touching, but not overlapping.
  2. If you have more macarons shells to store and the container is deep you can place a piece of parchment paper or plastic wrap at the top of the macarons to separate them from and continue stacking them on the top of one another.
  3. Place in the Refrigerator and avoid putting anything with weight on top of the container so as to compromise the shells’ shape.
  4. Position the container in the middle of the fridge, where the temperature remains consistent.

2- Refrigerating Filled Assembled Macarons

Fully assembled Macarons usually stay fresh 2-4 days after it’s made depending on the amount of moisture in the filling. You must Decorate and serve the Macarons before this date is up. 

How to Refrigerate Filled Macarons

  1. Place the Macarons in an airtight container and stack them side by side. I recommend using a glass or plastic container for this purpose.
  2. The container should be clean and dry. Moisture is your enemy try to avoid this at all costs.
  3. Place parchment paper in between the macarons. Don’t use wax paper because the macarons will stick to it.
  4. Now if your container is too large and you can’t fill them up with macarons (leaving a lot of space for them to move around) you can lay them flat so they won’t roll around.
  5. Also, you can add paper towels at the bottom of the container to keep them from sliding around.
  6. If the filling of your macarons is a bit gummy or sticky avoid stacking them on top of one another, if this happens it is best to use shallow BPA- free containers to store them.
  7. These Shallow BPA – free containers are usually made for storing pasta sheets or sandwiches. They are also perfect for refrigerating macarons because they are airtight and leave the macaron design intact.
  8. Place the container in the middle of the fridge where the temperature is consistent.
  9. Allow your Macarons to mature in the refrigerator for 24 hours, this helps the flavors of the filling to develop into the Macaron Shells.

Freezing Macarons

Freezing macarons is a good method to make them last longer. Frozen macarons will be good to consume for 3-6 months but I would recommend you consume frozen Macarons within 1 month for the best quality, taste and texture.

1- How to Freeze Macaron Shells

Freezing Macaron Shells is a great way to prepare for an event that requires lots of Macarons to be baked.

It is also good to freeze the shells for macarons with fillings that don’t freeze well. You can simply freeze the shells alone and fill them the day before you need them.

Guide to Freezing Macaron Shells

  1. After baking first allow the shells to cool completely.
  2. Next, place the Macarons in an air-tight container stacked side by side.
  3. Then place in the freezer.
  4. When you are ready to fill the Macarons leave them at room temperature for 15-30 minutes depending on your room temperature.
  5. Once filled you can place them back into the refrigerator to mature for a day before you need them for an event.

How to Freeze Assembled Macarons

Freezing Macarons that are filled are a great way to prepare for an event or make store-bought Macarons last longer.

  1. Bake the shells as normal and let it cool, and then fill the shells with the filling.
  2. Place in an airtight container stacked side by side and place in the freezer for 3-4 weeks for the best quality.
  3. When defrosting take them out of the freezer a couple of days before you need to use them and place them in the refrigerator. This helps them to slowly raise the temperature of the Macarons and avoid condensation on them.
  4. Take them out of the refrigerator 15-30 minutes before you need them to come up to room temperature.

Chocolate Ganache and buttercream are the best fillings to use when freezing Macarons whilst jelly, jams, and curds should be frozen with caution.

Jelly and jams tend to release moisture back into the shells when thawed while curds might start to separate so avoid these at all costs

Storing Macarons at Room temperature

Macarons that are freshly baked or bought can be stored at room temperature for only 24 hours. After that time period, the macarons lose their crispiness and become soggy.

Steps to Storing Macarons at Room temperature

  1. Place the Macarons in a container with an airtight lid. A plastic or glass container is best for this. Make sure it’s clean and dry.  
  2. Place the macarons into the container side-by-side in a single layer. They can be touching, but not overlapping.
  3. If the container is filled with the macarons but you still have more macarons to store, place a piece of parchment paper on top of the macarons creating a bottom and top layer. Line up the next layer on top of the parchment paper until you run out of Macarons.
  4. If you plan on eating them within a day, place the container in the pantry or on the counter. Keep the cookies out of direct sunlight.

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