YES YOU CAN! :)

I know this for a fact because I have done it!
The picture proof is here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?id=123899134306768&aid=54444

I used the recipe from the book I <3 Macarons

I would just veer away from packing your almond flour and powdered sugar heavily in your measuring cups, keep it light so the weight is more exact.

So far as a scale, I have been debating getting one myself-- if you are going to bother buying one at all I recommend investing in a good one! The OXO brands seem to get great reviews. When I buy one I will get this: http://www.amazon.com/1130800-Grips-Scale-Pull-Out-Display/dp/B000WJMTNA
The zero/tare function is important for easily measuring out ingredients in their mixing bowls.

I use my scale all the time, and it was not an expensive buy. You can be more confident in your baking results if you use a scale.

I have failed at making macarons 5 times, and succeeded twice (the last two). But it did require (1) a scale and (2) a candy thermometer.

Baking macarons is very much a science. They are finicky little buggers.

I get emails all the time from people who want the volume conversions for some recipe or other on my blog. I always say the same thing: buy a scale! You will NEVER regret and it, a whole new world of recipes will be open to you and pretty soon you won't be able to remember how you lived without it.

I would also say get a scale - especially since you can find them for $10! But if that is positively out of the question, I'd second The Culinary Librarian by saying don't pack the flours and sugars.

It's always baffled me, but dipping your measuring cup into the flour to fill it up and lightly filling the measuring cup with a spoon will usually not equal the same quantity. If you go without the scale, I would do the latter and carefully fill and level your measuring cups. :)

Echoing comments above: Buy a scale. Use it often. They're just way too useful, easy to store, and affordable.

Now that I'm used to the consistent results that come with weighed ingredients, I'm constantly annoyed by recipes for baked items that only include volume measures. I'm hopeful that as the use of kitchen scales expands, recipes with weights will become the norm rather than the exception.

Thanks for all of your comments!

Yes, I didn't want to buy one if I didn't have to, especially because my kitchen doesn't have a lot of storage space.

But it sounds like I'll be investing in a scale soon. I'll follow up with my macaron experiments - hope it comes out good! :)

having a scale is great...you can take a recipe you make all the time and measure out the ingredients, write the measurements on the recipe and never dirty another measuring cup.
just zero out the scale between ingredients. it'll change your life.
it also doubles quite nicely as a postage scale.
I love mine. If I had it when my twins came home from the hospital I would have used it for pre and post feeding weights to see what they were taking in when they were new at nursing.

A digital scale is a great investment, particularly for macarons where it's all about the technique. Weighing ingredients takes care of at least one variable. My advice: do a complete mise en place before you get started. Good luck!

http://bottomofthecrisper.blogspot.com/2010/12/promenades-gourmandes-macaron-class-or.html

I broke down and bought a scale specifically for macarons, too, and honestly, that's all I thought I'd use it for. Since then, I weigh out spaghetti so I don't make too much; I can experiment with more recipes because I don't have to worry about conversions; I buy family packs of meat and weigh it when I'm putting it into freezer bags so I know exactly how much I've got for recipes... It's proven to be so helpful, I'm using it for everything BUT macarons! I wish I'd have bought one sooner.

first scale I bought myself was a little 10 buck digital scale from Walmart and it worked like a charm til I got a nicer one. They're small to so its not that bad. Just get the scale. Your baking will thank you.

They sell them pretty cheap at IKEA.

Esther, I read the Kitchn everyday but have never been tempted to comment before. I wanted to let you know that I had lots of success making macarons this past weekend - for the first time and without using a scale. I used Martha Stewart's recipe (find it here: http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/french-macaroons) and made chocolate, raspberry and pistachio. They turned out beautifully and were a huge hit...

I've made macarons without the scale. First time they came out GREAT! so I thought they were super easy... then they next two times they failed... I'll be getting a kitchen scale as well very soon.

Get a scale. They are cheap and make for much better baking.

Macarons are very tempermental cookies. Don't waste your time if you don't have the tools to do it right.

Thanks for all of your comments!

Making French Macarons with a scale definitely hepls, but you don't need it. You can certainly do it without it.

C,
sweetsarahshop.com