There’s a real skill when it comes to making macarons, something I didnt quite appreciate when embarking on this baking challenge. I was feeling rather cocky, perhaps high on my last French-baking success. I decided that I didn’t want to make just regular macarons, I wanted animal macarons! I wanted bears, rabbits, unicorns and more!
But alas, I was rather foolish, and what follows is a what not-to-do guide when making macarons.
The Ideal Macaron
Let’s for a moment think about macarons in terms of their shells. The perfect macaron shell must satisfy two requirements: cosmetic and textural. Cosmetically, the macarons must have a spherical, domed shape, the top of which is shiny, smooth and void of cracks. The shell must also contain “feet”, a chewy base to the shell that has a rough, sandy look.
Texturally, the outer macaron shell should be crunchy, while the inside should be marshmallowy and chewy. This crunchy-chewy textural dichotomy makes macarons moorish.
The impossibly high cosmetic and textural standards of a macaron make them a bit of a nightmare to bake, especially when considering the simple-looking recipe. Most macarons are made by mixing almond meal, icing sugar and egg whites to form a paste. A meringue is then incorporated into the almond paste to form a batter, which is then piped and baked to form macaron shells.
At a distance, this recipe seems rather fool-proof, but I assure you, that many things can go wrong! From beating to piping, creating the perfect macaron shell requires a great deal of skill. Thankfully, science is here to help us iron out the most common mistakes.
Below, I identify three types of ill-formed macarons, that I call mistakarons, and simple remedies to success.
Mistakaron 1: Pubescent Shells
When you’ve spent several hours baking, it can be disheartening to find your macarons resembling your former pubescent self: skin crackled, pimpled and blistered. But it happens. Shells can come out of the oven with cracks, a bumpy surface and most insidiously, a small alfafa-esque peak.
The good thing is, beauty is only skin deep, and these macarons (that you’re really only interested in because of their personality) still taste crunchy and chewy. But if you do want to superficially spruce your shells, I have one word for you: macaronage.
Macaronage is the term used when combining the meringue with the almond paste. If the macaronage process isn’t done quite right, it can lead to either very dense or very flat macarons. The former is the reason for your pubescent mistakarons.
During the macaronage process, you need to let go of every instinct that you have as a baker. Intuition tells us that when incorporating a light and airy meringue into a gooey paste, we need to retain as much air as possible. So as bakers, we carefully fold-in the meringue, until it is just incorporated. I URGE YOU THOUGH, LET IT GO!
The macaronage process actually requires you to BEAT OUT some of the air in the meringue. This will feel like the most criminal moment in your entire baking life, but trust me, it’s what the macarons want, no, NEED! An airy macaron batter is actually quite thick and will hold it’s shape a little too well. When you go to pipe this thick batter, a small peak will be left behind which will not collapse. Therefore, the shell will come out like a spinning top.
To avoid this, the meringue should be mixed with some force. As you fold the meringue into the almond paste (using a spatula), press the mixture down on the sides of the bowl. This will deflate some of the air. Keep doing this until you batter is smoother. Some people say to achieve a batter that resembles ‘magma’, but the last time I checked, most of us aren’t living next to active volcanoes with a safe, yet generous supply of lava. So I’ll share some practical advice with you instead that only involves a teaspoon.
Take a teaspoon of the batter and put it on a plate. Initially, you will get a heap of batter with a tiny peak at the top. If this peak collapses within about 10 seconds, the macaronage process is complete and the batter is ready. If the peak is still present, then keep working the batter.
Mistakaron 2: Footless shells
When Kevin Bacon told us to get “Footloose”, this is not what he had in mind. Macaron shells that are flat, cracked and have no feet are an unfortunate sight and don’t even have the redemption of tasting delicious. They’re ugly inside and outside. However, assuming that you have made the batter correctly, it is easy to fix.
Feet form due to expansion of air during baking. When the macaron batter is placed in the oven, the mixture heats and the air inside expands. As the air expands, the macaron rises, and feet begin to form. This process is interrupted if the air escapes, which occurs if the macarons have not been properly rested.
Resting allows the external surface of the macaron to dry out, forming a “skin”. This skin traps the air during baking, allowing your macaron to rise. Flat and cracked mistakarons occur as the skin has not formed. During baking, the air escapes from the top, cracking the surface, resulting in flat pancakerons.
Once your macarons have been piped, a resting time of 1 – 1.5 hours is usually adequate for skin formation. To check that your macarons have formed a skin, gently place your finger on the batter. If no batter sticks to your finger, it is ready.
Mistakaron 3: Mis-baked shells
Baking time is incredibly important. You need to give enough time for your macarons to rise and form feet. You also need to allow time for those feet to set, without burning your macarons.
Somehow, in my infinite prowess as a cook, I managed to achieved both flat AND burnt macarons. To achieve this miracle, I put rested shells in the oven and excitedly watched as feet started to form, but as I took them out, the feet began to collapse almost immediately. So I popped them back in. However, instead of reformed feet, I was left with a burnt shell.
This little misadventure demonstrates the importances of baking time. The recipe I used called for 12 minutes at 150°C. However, my feet didn’t quite set in this time frame. So 1 or 2 minutes longer would’ve been better. Any longer, and the macaron will start to burn.
I recommend doing a practise run in your oven. Test a small batch first and check how long it may take. Remember, every oven is different and temperatures can vary drastically between models.
If all else fails: blitz!
Despite my tips on avoiding mistakarons, you may still be left with turmoil on a plate. Alas, making macarons takes a lot of skill. But even if your shells are cracked or flat, you can still use them in inventive, if not slightly scandalous, ways.
With your cracked or flat macaron shells, place them in a food processor and blitz into a fine or coarse powder. This sounds sacrilegious but this macaron dust makes an excellent addition to a range of desserts. If you are going down this way, bake your macaron shells for a little longer in the oven, so they’re not too gooey.
The macaron dust adds great crunch to a dessert. Here’s some ideas:
- sprinkle on top of iced cupcakes, donuts, eclairs, etc
- stir through fruit and custard
- incorporate within ice cream
- crumb chocolate-dipped strawberries
It’s quite impressive when you tell your friends that you have used macaron dust in a dessert. It makes your mistakaron feel 1000% more luxurious. So whether you’ve made macarons or mistakarons, you will be a winner!
Happy baking! If you have any other macaron tips or stories, share them in the comments. And if you have any other ways to use macaron dust, I’d love to hear it too! I leave you now with some chocolate macarons that I made.
I’m on my sixth batch and still can’t seem to get it right! My batter seems almost fluffy once I pipe them, so my final guess is that I’m not getting enough air out during macronage. Thanks for your tips, I can’t wait to try again!
Hey Rebecca. Thanks for the comment!
It does sound like perhaps the batter is still a little too thick. If you’re unsure if you have the correct consistency of the batter, do a few teaspoon tests before you put it in the piping bag. Good luck in your next baking adventure!
Hi.can you please help.
Fir me my macaron form the skin.
Due to high humidity i tried to dry it with hairdryer. And the skin was formed.
I put in oven.. and it just rise a bit. After 15 mins it was still uncooked. No feet was formed.
Hey. If you’re using a hairdryer and the hairdryer was set to high-heat, you may have cooked your macarons before putting them in the oven.
Perhaps you could try using a macaron recipe that uses a french meringue, rather than an italian meringue. French meringue batters tend to dry quicker than italian meringue recipes.
Good luck!
Hi! I need help very badly. I’ve done many batches of macarons and they mostly cracked. Sometimes half a tray will look perfect. I think I got the consistency correct, they form ribbons and the first shell flattens after piping a few more, and they definitely form skins after 30mins as I gently swipe a finger on the shells. I whip the whites until just stiff (upside down test). I’m using a silicon mat which I’m wondering is too sticky and the macarons have no strength to push down so it cracks upwards…? Within 4 min or so a crack appears across the shells and then they puff up through the crack. I tried 290F to 325F with oven therm, same thing. Ideas? 33g whites 33g sugar 34g icing sugar 34g almond powder. Desperately clueless now. Lol thanks!
Just did my 6th test batch of macarons today and i thought i was gonna get it right this time, but ended up with hollow shells again ans cracked top. Ive watched lots of videos on macronage and it’s really confusing what’s the real true way of doing it. Some dont press the batter on the side of the bowl, some do it like flattening the batter really hard taking the air out. What should it be really? It’s really frustrating. I managed to make one before but without feet but at least they’re not hollow. I forgot what i did though.. i need help!
Im sorry to hear that Jackie! If your shells have cracked, it usually means that the batter wasn’t dry enough before you put it in the oven. Make sure that the piped batter has formed a dry ‘skin’ before placing it in the oven. This ‘skin’ acts as a barrier, preventing air from escaping as the macaron bakes, hence preventing cracks. (I once had to wait 2 hours before a dry skin formed!)
In terms of macronage technique, either way is fine. The consistency of the batter is the main thing to focus on. As you are macronaging and you think you are getting close to the correct batter consistency, get out a teaspoon of batter and place it on a plate. If this batter settles into a sphere/oval shape within about 10 seconds and there’s no residual ‘peak’, then its good to go. If not, keep macronaging, testing regularly to make sure you dont over work your batter. Only after the batter passes the teaspoon test should it be placed in a piping bag. (If you overwork your batter, there wont be an air left, and so your macarons won’t rise and won’t form feet)
Good luck! I hope you’ll try this again. Its incredibly satisfying when it does work!
I have done 3 batches so far and be doing another tomorrow. I have been doing a lot of research on every aspect of the macaron making process. I also saw where a good way to test your batter was to do a figure 8 test. If you can make a figure 8 with the batter pouring off your spatula without breaking then it’s ready.
Dear Noby Leong,
Thank you for your help. I am a very passionate home cook for 4 children…I believe making my first macarons has been so far the biggest failure… I let my badge sit for an hour…weather is cold in Portugal and no crust was formed on top.. I still placed them in the oven and the came out flat and chewie … not sure what to do with my delicious cream cheese frosting and coconut condensed milk frostings….. help..they were soft as marshmallows … and flat..
Hey Carolina. Sorry to hear about your experience, they can be tricky! If the weather is a problem, try using a low-speed electric fan to help dry the macarons. I have not tried this myself, but I’ve seen this technique used to in other recipes to help quicken the drying process. Good luck!
Hi …. i did Macarons few times and it turn up well and sometimes it fails. I have problem in drying the Macarons. My country is quite hot and humid. How long do i have to wait for to form skin ??
Hey Niz. Humidity can be a huge problem! You could try using a low-speed electric fan to help dry the macarons. I have not tried this myself, but I’ve seen this technique used to in other recipes to help quicken the drying process. Good luck!
Finally, a macaron-trouble-shooting forum that is still active (because the blogger is not yet so exhausted from all the questions they have stopped reading and replying). And the teaspoon test is a real gem.
I have several Qs but will try to keep this novella short … all measurements were done using a scale, egg whites were 5-day aged and brought to room temp., already “super fine” almond meal & powdered sugar were combined and pulsed in food processor and then sifted twice, piped on macaron templates, skin most definitely formed on the mac “disks,” oven temps corresponded to oven-temp testers, trays banged … you name the tip and I’m pretty sure I did it. BUT … first off (and I used the Italian method, dripping 118C sugar syrup into semi-whipped egg whites), my almond/confection mixture, into which stiff meringue peaks were folded, resembled liquid cement imminently about to harden (even after folding and folding and folding and folding) — so I added a little extra aged egg white I had left over. Maybe that did me in? Second, the recipe (from Jemma Cupcake, I believe) advised to add gel food coloring to the almond/egg white mixture, not to the whipped meringue, which instruction I dutifully followed. Combining gel coloring into ready-mix cement was no easy feat. After all the folding and egg-white augmentation, I did get the “ribbon” consistency in the batter. Third, my ready-mix cement, after coloring, looked like mint chocolate chip/pistachio ice cream. For the duration of the ordeal, the macron batter maintained this pistachio/mint chocolate appearance.
Results: Delighted to report I nailed the food coloring — the colors of the batter and butter-cream filling turned out beautifully, and I now have a green thumb (hopefully glue-gone will remedy the thumb).
As for the macarons, after 3 trays (each baked separately), I put the remaining batter, of which there was MUCH, in pastry bags (inside air-tight mason jars), shoved them into the fridge, and then fell prostrate on the kitchen floor. The “macarons” came out “domed” (as in the top half of a broken egg shell), they cracked like old asphalt, and many of them stuck to my silpats. The domed, half-an-egg shell appeared within 5 minutes of being in the oven; the cracks came shortly thereafter. Feet? Forget it. Not even one big toe.
Any ideas where I went wrong, other than at every turn? For every problem I encountered, some chef bloggers have answered older queries from other readers with: the almond mixture was over-mixed or under-mixed, or the egg whites were over-beaten or under-beaten, blah blah blah. Consistent solutions for asphalt-cracked, domed egg-heads (which never collapsed) continue to elude me.
Would that I could, but I cannot blame my stand-mixer — a new Breville, which — and I’d be selfish not to share this with everyone — is like having a Bentley in the kitchen. I have two things on my bucket list I’m determined to accomplish: mastering smoked brisket and macarons. Thank you kindly in advance for any suggestions you are willing to give.
Hey Know Dough. Making macarons can definitely be vexing but can I confess, I have never used aged egg whites and never sift my almond meal or icing sugar! While these things can help to create a superior macaron, its not essential. So we can exclude those variables as the main cause of your cracking problem.
Almost all of the time, cracked macarons are a result of the skin not forming. The piped macaron discs need to be exceptionally dry before placing them in the oven. Even a little moisture is enough to cause a crack. I once waited 2 hours for my discs to dry, mainly because it was so humid in my house at the time.
The other time Ive experienced cracked macarons is when I piped the discs too close together, but again, this affects the drying. Give your macarons ample space between them. This will allow them to dry evenly and bake evenly.
Some people say that cracking is due to the batter being an incorrect consistency but I have generally found this not to be the case. Even a thick batter, if properly dried, can form feet in the oven. And a very thin batter has virtually no air in the mixture, so doesnt have enough air to even form a crack in the first place.
I hope those thoughts help, good luck!
I’ve got the same problem and used the same steps! 😱
I use the Italian meringue and at first it was with an other mixer (my mom’s very old one which uses a ruffled disc to beat egg whites), those were fine. My boyfriend gave me a stand mixer for Christmas and since then, I’m trying to make ‘perfect’ macarons, but haven’t succeeded. The only thing I can think off is that maybe the meringue doesn’t have to be beaten to stiff peaks in the Italian way? I tried with very dry skin or just a thin skin (still a bit glossy but okay to touch), I tried very stiff peaks, I tried to macaronage it ’till I could do a figure’ 8′, but that seems to make my batter too thin, I tried with a little thicker batter and they all came out domeshaped and cracked, and with some of them, batter came out of it on top, like I made little vulcanocookies. Gonna try again tomorrow with a slightly less stiffer meringue and hoping that will work (with the old mixer, I couldn’t even see if there were stiff peaks because it was a small, round bowl with a lid on and no actual beater) …
Curious if you used cream of tartar and vanilla in your recipe. I do use both as well as salt. Added once eggs get foamy. The tartar works as a stabilizer.
Hey Carlye. I personally don’t add cream of tartar to my meringue for no other reason than I simply never have it in my cupboard. As for vanilla, I almost always add a little bit, even if I’m making chocolate macarons.
Thank you for your quickly response. I mentioned sifting because the almond meal was markedly visible in the batter and remained so. As far as the skin goes, I waited well over an hour (in very low humidity kitchen), busying myself with making the filling. The skin was quite dry — I was almost afraid I’d waited too long to put them in the oven. Maybe spacing was my problem — I didn’t offset the rows. Thanks for your suggestions. I’m going to try again, using the French method vs. the sugar syrup/Italian one. My meringue peaks were extremely stiff — peaks didn’t flop at all.
Hii! So I’ve made 4 batches with each of their own slight issues but for the most part tasty and good macarons. My last batch I thought I had found the perfect recipe with the ratios and the stiff peaks when Macaronaging and the figure 8 test, etc. and when I piped them, everything seemed to go well and I let them dry for an 1.5hr to be safe. when they baked, they didnt move but when I took them out the top shells looked spotted like uncooked, so i put them back in for another 4 minutes. Both trays came out the same way, too chewy and cookie like and no air-crunchy top like my other macarons. I tried a red velvet recipe and my first time using cocoa powder. Have you experienced too chewy-cookie like vs crunch-chewy macaron? Any advice? I used 1 cup almond flour- 3/4 cup icing sugar-1tbsp cocoa powder-1tsp vanilla-1/2 tsp food coloring
Thanks!! 🙂
Hey Kate. Sorry to hear of your experience. If theyre too cookie-like, they may be over-baked. Play around with your oven times and you should find a texture that you like. In terms of chewiness, thats probably to do with the texture of the batter. Work the batter more, and that should reduce the chewiness.
In terms of recipes, almost all basic macaron recipes are the same, containing the same ingredients in the same ratios. I think that its always good to start with a basic vanilla, so you can nail the shell before adding things like food colouring or other flavours. Good luck!
Hello. I just made my first batch and seemed to have great success…until biting into them.
I achieved smooth shells with a beautiful foot but the cookie was hallow. It that normal? The foot was soft and chewy but there was an air pocket created internally so when taking a bite the shell broke away from the foot. Those that put the whole thing in there mouth didn’t notice. Haha
Anyhoo. I haven’t seen this specific issue listed nor a way to fix it. Any ideas?
Overall I’d say my first attempt was quite successful but still needs a little tweaking.
-marooned by the macaroons-
Hello. I just made my first batch and seemed to have great success…until biting into them.
I achieved smooth shells with a beautiful foot but the cookie was hallow. It that normal? The foot was soft and chewy but there was an air pocket created internally so when taking a bite the shell broke away from the foot. Those that put the whole thing in there mouth didn’t notice. Haha
Anyhoo. I haven’t seen this specific issue listed nor a way to fix it. Any ideas?
Overall I’d say my first attempt was quite successful but still needs a little tweaking.
-marooned by the macaroons-
Hey Jessica. Great to hear! I have had this giant air hole happen to me a few times. I’m not 100% why but its probably due to a large residual air bubble in the batter, that expands too much when baked. Most recipes say that these bubbles can be burst by tapping the baking tray onto the table, before baking. Maybe that will work? Cheers!
Hi Noby
I have been making macarons since last year July And my recipe never fails me! Lately, the TOP of my shells will start to sink in the last 3-4 mins of my bake, resulting in a uneven TOP shell (no longer round and inflated!). I have re-done it so many times and still couldn’t find the root cause. Have you ever experienced this? Where could I have gone wrong in the process??? Ps. I’m using Italian meringue method and Pierre Hermé recipe.
Cheers,
Going-crazy-Over-macarons @bakerbabesg
Hey Cecilia
That sounds heart breaking! I’ve had it happen a few times and its always devastating. I think it could be a few reasons.
Firstly, it could be that the piped macaron hasn’t set firmly enough before putting it in the oven. If the top isn’t dry, then the air will escape when baked and the shell will collapse.
It could also be steam escaping from the oven – ensure that the oven door doesn’t open during baking
Finally, perhaps its a large air bubble in the piped macaron. To deflate this air bubble, bang the tray on the counter firmly.
That’s all I can think of. Hope that helps! Cheers!
Hi there! Your tips are very helpful. I’ve made about 4 batches of macarons, and the last one was almost successful (right taste and texting) just didn’t form the feet.
I was wondering one thing, can we also make macarons in microwave? I haven’t tried it but I’m curious.
Hey Jenny
Interesting questions! I would be surprised if you could make macarons in the microwave. I think the mixture would burn a little, and I think the batter might deflate. But, there’s only one way to find out!
Cheers!
Hi! I found your explanations super detailed and truly appreciate your great work helping us out! I bought a new oven, it’s a small professional convection oven, but I am struggling with macarons. Batch after batch, macarons have no feet and are super wrinkly. I do wait untill the skin is formed, but I am wondering about the right use of this type of oven where the fan is so potent, where should I place the macarons, lower middle or top shelf? Also I’ve tried 150C, 140C, 130C, middle and top, still no luck. Despairing here. Any advice? Thanks so much in advance!
Hi Ana
Thanks for your message! I’m so glad you’ve found it helpful.
As to your macaron issues, there could be a few things going on and it might not have anything to do with the oven itself.
-Firstly, it could be the consistency of the batter. If the batter is too runny, that means there’s no more air left, so the macarons won’t expand upon cooking and won’t form feet.
-It could be the piping. When piping the macarons, make sure there is a gap between each one. If the macarons are piped too close to each other, there won’t be any heat circulation around them and therefore, they won’t bake properly.
-Finally, it could be the oven. The best thing I could suggest is do a test run of macarons in a friend’s oven. If they turn out okay, then your oven could be the problem (BUT at least you know your technique is good!) If the oven is the problem, the best thing to do is do a few test runs in your oven, placing small batches of macarons at different heights and at different temps. Basically, get to know your oven! If you want, you can also invest in a proper oven thermometer – these can give you an accurate temperature reading as sometimes the oven dials are misleading.
Hope that helps – good luck!
My macarons won’t cook in the middle. Help!!
Hi Georgia
Are the macarons still a bit gooey and chewy in the middle? If so, that’s a good thing! They should have a slight marshmallow consistency.
If you still fear they aren’t cooking in the middle, leave them in the oven a little longer, perhaps at a lower temperature
Good luck!
Hi Noby,
I’ve made macarons six times now and with the exception of the first batch they have all been moderately successful. I’m looking to go from a B/B+ into at least an A- grade range. One issue I have been having is that my feet seem to expand too much on some. I’ve played around with oven temperature and I don’t think that’s the issue (although I also get lopsided feet with some batches and think there is a hot spot). Do you think this is an undermixing issue? I am so afraid to over mix that I think it could be the problem. I will definitely be trying your teaspoon tip for the next batch. Thank you for the guidance! I really appreciate your blog.
Hey Britt
So great to hear that you’re having macaron success! If you’re at the stage where you want to finesse details, the best way to do is to experiment in your own kitchen. For example, if you think your feet are expanding too much and the cause its batter consistency, you could do a mixing test. So you could mix your batter and then pipe a few macarons at various intervals. Don’t be afraid to ‘overmix’ as the point of the experiment is to try and gauge the optimum consistency. Bake your macarons and then assess the results.
And if you’re getting lopsided feet, that could be a piping problem. I used to make macarons with quite a thick batter, and when I piped them on an angle (rather than from the top), the feet were always lopsided. So perhaps that could be the problem?
Good luck!
Hi there! I’m having problems with the feet. While baking, the feet starts to develop and rise. But later the feet starts to shrink. And when it’s time to take the tray out. There’s barely any feet left. Please help. Thank you!
Hi Dee
A little bit of shrinkage will always happen, but you should still have some feet after the bake. I don’t know why they’re shrinking completely, but it may have something to do with the oven temperature.
As the macaron is baking, the air inside expands, allowing the feet to form. But if the macaron doesn’t bake completely enough after the rise, perhaps the feet won’t set in place. Therefore, a slightly higher cooking temperature could be better. This is a complete guess but could work!
Good luck!
My macarons always have too much air, whe i baked the in the oven, the air pop out, and my macarons surface have 100 of small hole..
Hi Nuoi
If the air is popping out, then the surface of the macaron hasn’t dried out enough. Once you’ve piped your macarons, wait until the surface has dried before putting them in the oven.
Cheers!
Hi,
Could you please share your basic recipe?
Many thanks
Hey Sarah
I use the macaron recipe found in the book Patisserie by Melanie Dupuis. Here is the chocolate version: https://www.completefrance.com/language-culture/food-and-drink/chocolate-macarons-recipe-1-5344853
Cheers!
Noby
Hello. I’ve tried Macarons 6 times and only got one batch (the fourth) right. Seems to be a different problem each time. My latest batch were too dense. Any tips on why? Thank you.
Hi there!
I am getting a bit desperate with my macarons. 🙁 The last two times I made them, I achieved a batter that dried out perfectly within an hour (it’s pretty humid where I live) so I was pretty chuffed! Alas that did not last! Last weekend, the batter was still hollow in places and hard and when I tried lowering the oven’s temperature (I use an oven thermometer to have a real read) it did not really help, just took ages to cook.
I wondered if this had something to do with my sugar syrup. Did I go higher than 118c without realising? Did the sugar go higher in the space that it takes to pour it down the size of my bowl? Did this have any impact?
Yesterday, my macarons were not hollow (hooray!) but there were not very soft either in the middle. I can put that down to the cooking time I hope but I noticed that once out of the oven, they harden super fast and become hard like biscuits. I wonder if that is normal or just another sign that they are wrong? I know that the filling helps soften the shells but I am surprised that they should harden so much in only a couple of minutes. 🤔
Sorry for the long message, how frustrating they can be!!
Hi Christelle
Sounds very frustrating indeed! I doubt that the temperature of the sugar syrup would be the issue. It sounds like you’re quite diligent with temperatures, so a slight increase over 118C will not ruin your mixture.
Perhaps you could try a recipe using the french meringue technique instead? This technique requires a better knowledge of the right macaron batter texture, but given that you’ve tried so many times, this might be a good option for you. They also dry out a lot quicker, perfect for humid conditions.
I’ve had recent success with french meringue macarons and I now find them to be the preferred method. Good luck!
Hello! I made macarons for the first time tonight and my shells are perfect, they have feet as well, but the inside of the cookies are sooo chewy. I’m not sure what I did wrong or how to fix it. Idk how to get the wispy type of cookie.
Hey Roxie.
Great to hear about your shell success! As for the chewiness, that is probably the recipe. Using an Italian meringue tends to give a chewier texture, which I personally enjoy. If you want something a little lighter, try making macarons with a french meringue.
Good luck!
We just gave our first attempt. FAIL!! We had shells that cracked and spread out a lot. I thought it rested enough before baking, but probably not. Our biggest issue was that we couldn’t remove most of them from the parchment paper. Stuck like glue! I didn’t even know that was something to think about! We will read through all these tips again and give it another shot. But not today!
Hi Katie
If the macarons are sticking to the baking sheet, they probably need a few more minutes in the oven to help the centre cook through. I hope you give it another go – good luck!
hello! so my macarons wouldn’t form skin even after waiting around 2 hours, and i dont have an electric fan but other than humidity problems, what other possible reason causes this? hope youre still active on this forum.
Its hard to figure out why as I’m not sure what recipe you used, but perhaps the mixture was too wet? I’ve had a similar situation where I was too vigorous with the macaronage. I popped all the bubbles in the batter and was left with quite a wet mixture (pancake batter consistency). It didn’t really form a skin, and so it cracked in the oven and didn’t form feet.
Perhaps this is what happened with yours?
You can rectify this by taking care during the macaronage. While you mix the batter, test it frequently to make sure that its the right consistency
I have attempted Macarons a lot of times now. Every time I end up with wrinkled shells. Amazing feet they rise perfectly. But the shell wrinkles ? Can u tell me where am I going wrong
Hi. I’m Charles. So I’ve been making macarons for almost 20 batches and I still get failures. I tried all the recipes on the internet and none of them works. The worst part is, I only made success once. Also, the hardest stage for me is the drying stage. It is really humid in here (Philippines) and my macarons never get dry even I waited for up to 4 hours.
Hey Charles. Sorry to hear you’re having so many macaron troubles. I know how stressful that can be!
If you are having trouble with the drying stage, I suggest you use a macaron recipe with a French meringue, rather than an Italian meringue. French meringues dry much quicker than Italian ones.
Also remember that even if your macarons don’t turn out perfectly, they probably still taste delicious. So don’t despair too much!
Hi! I need an advice, for three days mi macaronage stage, even though I make it during long time de batter is very dense, like in the picture of the yellow with peaks but worse, I don’t know what to do
Hi, i need help, I already have made macaroons and they were perfect. However these last three days I am have a problem in the macaronage stage, the batter is very dense (worse than the yellow macaroons on the picture) and even though I mix the batter por a long time it become more dense than liquid. Helpppp. I don’t know what is the problem
Hey there. The macaronage process isn’t so much about ‘mixing’, more about folding and flattening. Use a sturdy spatula or wooden spoon to flatten the mixture against the side of the bowl. This will help to remove some of the air, and give you a runnier consistency. I hope that gives you a better result. Good luck!
Hello!! It’s fantastic to find a forum which is finally providing some clear guidance!! I’m on my 5th batch of macarons this weekend and every time I have the same issue.. the macaronage process. I have followed every video I can find and have tried numerous recipes now… when I fold in my dry ingredients (I have tried thirds and all al once). My macaron batter is airy and thick, and as I slowly fold it more to get a runnier mixture, it turns into a paste and cement like. It’s driving me crazy. If anyone has any tips on what’s going wrong I would appreciate it so so much!!! Thank you!
Hey Jade. The macaronage process gets harder before it gets easier. Initially, as you fold, it will be incredibly thick and cement-like. I have broken two spatulas during this process. But make sure that you’re folding AND flattening. Use a spatula or wooden spoon to press the mixture against the side of the bowl. This will help to deflate some of the air and eventually, loosen the batter until its runnier. It definitely requires a bit of elbow grease. I hope that helps!