http://foodnouveau.com/recipes/desserts/macarons/macaron-troubleshooting-guide/
http://www.syrupandtang.com/200712/la-macaronicite-1-an-introduction-to-the-macaron/
https://www.mercotte.fr/recettes/macarons/
http://bakeitoff.blogspot.gr/2009/10/macarons-tips-tricks-and-how-to.html
http://loveandmacarons.blogspot.gr/search/label/advice
https://www.eatlivetravelwrite.com/macarons/
https://www.eatlivetravelwrite.com/category/macarons/
You don’t want to under mix your macaron batter and you definitely don’t want to over mix it. Under mixing it will leave little peaks on the shells, but over mixing can cause the shells to spread and get really flat and crispy. I still count how many times I fold the batter once I’ve added the almond flour/sugar mixture. With the recipe I use, I never fold more than 70 times. It’s even less if I use a lot of food coloring.
Under beating the egg whites can cause flat macarons and hollow macarons. If you’re sure you’re not over mixing the batter and you’re still getting flat, spread out macarons, it could be because you’re under beating the egg whites. Make sure you beat them until they are really stiff. When you take the whisk attachment out of the meringue, it should form a big clump in the whisk.
https://michellesmacarons.com/macaron-troubleshooting/
Macarons Did Not Develop Feet:
– Macaron shell is too “wet” due to humidity or ingredients themselves had too much moisture FIX: turn on range-hood fan while letting macarons dry, turn on dehumidifier, use “aged” egg whites, avoid use of liquid colouring.
– A skin did not develop before shells were put into the oven FIX: wait at least 30 minutes AND until a “skin” has developed before placing macarons in the oven. It should have a dull matte finish.
– Baking Temperature Too Low FIX: Increase temperature to allow shell to develop properly.
– Poorly Beaten or Broken Meringue FIX: Use some cream of tartar or salt to stabilize meringue while beating. Use a clean oil-free bowl and ensure egg whites are free of any yolks. Make sure you achieve stiff peaks but stop beating egg whites once it reaches that stage.
Macaron Feet Develops Quickly and Outwards Past Its Shape
– Baking Temperature Too High FIX: Turn down oven temperature, increase bake time.
– Flat Pancake like Shells from Over-mixed Batter FIX: learn when to stop folding during macaronage
Macaron Feet Rises Quickly and Upwards, Feet is Way Taller than its Rise:
– Baking Temperature Too High FIX: Turn down oven temperature, increase bake time.
– Over Whipped Egg WhitesFIX: Stop whipping egg whites once it reaches stiff peaks in the French method. Stop whipping egg whites once it returns to returns to room temperature in the Italian method
– Improper Macaronage Techniques FIX: Deflate some of the air in the batter by using proper folding techniques, should flow like molten lava, do the “Figure 8” test to test consistency
Macarons have Hollow Shells:
– Under Whipping of Egg whites FIX: Make sure you beat the egg whites until stiff peaks before stopping. This will “dry up” the meringue. It should clump into a ball inside the whisk. You want as little moisture as possible.
– Broken Meringue Due to Over Whipping of Egg whites FIX: Stop mixing egg whites once the white cling onto the bowl and a small clump of meringue is stiff. Stop beating whites as soon as whites have returned to room temperature for Italian method. It should look very thick, glossy and flow off the whisk like a bird’s beak.
– Under Baked Shell FIX: increase oven temperature to allow the body to rise fully, French method macarons bake well at degrees of at least 300F+, break open a sacrificial shell to check if it has fully set before pulling out the whole tray, bake until fully set
– Improper Macaronage Techniques FIX: Deflate some of the air in the batter by using proper folding techniques. Should flow like slow molten lava. Do the “Figure 8” test to check consistency.
Macaron Shells are Lopsided
– Improper Piping Techniques FIX: Make sure you are piping the batter straight down onto the paper or mat while holding the bag perfectly vertically. Dab a little bit of batter on the bottom of all four corners of the parchment paper so it will act as a “glue” to keep the paper in place while you pipe.
– Using Too Strong of a Fan FIX: Avoid using strong fans. Turn on fan in range hood as the air direction will be vertical and more uniformed. Dab a little bit of batter on the bottom of all four corners of the parchment paper so it will act as a “glue” to keep the paper in place.
– Oven’s Convection Fan is Too Strong FIX: Avoid using convection fan. You may need to increase time and decrease temperature since your oven may not be as hot without the convection fan. Dab a little bit of batter on the bottom of all four corners of the parchment paper so it will act as a “glue” to keep the paper in place.
– Warped Baking Pan FIX: Use a good quality pan that won’t buckle in high temperatures. Throw out old warped pans
– Shells Rested for Too Long FIX: Place shells in oven once it has developed a “skin”
– Baking Temperature Too High FIX: Decrease temperature, increase bake time.
– Improper Macaronage Techniques FIX: Make sure you are folding the batter properly and the wet/dry ingredients are homogenous before piping. Deflate some of the air in the batter by using proper folding techniques, should flow like molten lava, do the “Figure 8” test to test consistency
Macaron Shells have “Nipples”
– Batter is Under-Mixed FIX: Add a few more folds next time. Learn to judge when to stop folding macaron batter. Rap the tray of piped macarons on the counter a few times, this will smooth out nipples from a properly mixed batter.
Macaron Shells are Lumpy and Bumpy
– Batter Not Mixed Properly FIX: Make sure you are folding the batter properly and the wet/dry ingredients are homogenous before piping.
– Almond Flour and Powdered Sugar Not Sifted FIX: Throw both ingredients into the food processor, sift and discard bits that cannot be sifted.
Macaron Shells are Not Round
– Improper Piping Techniques FIX: Make sure you are using the proper piping techniques. Hold the bag vertically while piping, squeeze an equal amount on all sides.
– Clogged Pipe Tip FIX: Clean out tip of debris
– Batter is not incorporated properly FIX: Use proper folding techniques to create a homogenous batter. Non homogenous batter creates “bumps” while piping.
– Use of and/or low quality parchment paper FIX: Use high quality parchment that won’t curl easily when it comes into contact with the batter. Dab a little bit of batter on the bottom of all four corners of the parchment paper so it will act as a “glue” to keep the paper in place. Use a silpat mat instead, it will create beautiful round macarons every time.
– Over-mixed batter FIX: Learn to judge when to stop folding macaron batter. Immediately, as soon as the batter looks homogenous, pick some up with the spatula, drop it back into the bowl and observe how it falls back into itself. It should not look like a “PLOP”. Rather, it should look like slow moving molten lava. It should fold into itself a few times like a ribbon but not like runny pancake batter.
Macaron Shells are Concave like a “Contact Lens”, Bottom does not Stick to Mat
– Over-mixed Batter PLUS use of Silat Mat- Batter is too runny PLUS use of Silpat MatFIX: This is one of the least discussed troubleshoots out there. If the batter is too runny, the shells will not develop properly. When piped onto a silpat mat, this problem is exacerbated by the fact that it will not stick onto the mat at all once baked. The feets will not stick to the silpat and breaks away. The body also rises to the top without touching the mat so it never full cooks on the bottom. If you find that your batter is already over mixed and unsalvageable, pipe them onto parchment paper instead. It will develop on the parchment paper but it will be runny and therefore, not round. A little more heat during baking helps fix this already broken batter. Preemptive measures include ensuring that you’re using aged egg whites and whipping it to stiff peaks. This makes a big difference!
Macaron Shells are as Flat as Pancakes/They Spread Quickly Once Piped
– Over-mixed Batter FIX: There is no way to salvage batter that is over-mixed. Once you deflate all the air in the meringue, the shells will not develop properly once placed in the oven. Start again. If you do want to bake them anyway, make sure you do not use a silpat mat as they will not stick to the mat and you will end up with concave shells that cannot be filled.
– Wet Batter FIX: Ensure your egg whites are aged and you are have reached stiff peaks before folding. Do not overfold as mentioned above.
Macaron Shell has Cracked
– Did not rap the tray against the counter after piping FIX: rap the tray firmly against the counter after piping. Flip the tray around and do it again in case you missed certain spots.
– Hot spots in the oven FIX: make sure you are getting good circulation in your oven by only baking one tray at a time.
– Meringue not stiff enough FIX: beat until stiff peaks form.
Macaron is Hard and Dry:
-Over baked shells FIX: this is an easy fix! Fill the macaron with the filling and allow it to “mature” for 24-48 hours. It will soften up. You can always brush the bottom of the shell with milk or a syrup in the same flavor as your filling to help soften the shell.- Turn down temperature or decrease baking time on your next try
Macaron is Wet and Sticks to Pan after Baking:
– Under baked macarons FIX: Increase temperature or bake time
– Macaron shell is too “wet” due to humidity or ingredients themselves had too much moisture FIX: turn on range-hood fan while letting macarons dry, turn on dehumidifier, use “aged” egg whites, avoid use of liquid colouring, ensure meringue reaches stiff peaks before folding.
– Improper Macaronage Techniques FIX: Deflate some of the air in the batter by using proper folding techniques, should flow like molten lava, do the “Figure 8” test to test consistency. Do not overfold.
Macaron has Inconsistent Results within the Same Batch:
– Poor Circulation in Oven FIX: Use convection setting, only bake one tray at a time.
– Poor Macaronage Technique FIX: Make sure batter is fully incorporated and you use the right folding techniques to deflate some of the air in the meringue
– Inadequate Resting Time FIX: Make sure shells have developed a “skin” and looks dull and matte before placing in the oven.
– Under Beaten Egg Whites FIX: Make sure meringue reaches stiff peaks in the French method
Macaron are wrinkly and/or blotchy:
– Temperature too low FIX: try increasing your temperature by 25-50 degrees
– Overbeaten meringue FIX: Stop beating once the egg whites have clumped in the whisk and reached stiff peaks
– Overmixed Batter FIX: Fold only until the Figure 8 stage. Add colour in the meringue stage and not the folding stage as it’s easy to overmix batter
– Incorrect ratios of ingredients FIX: if adding other ingredients to the shells such as cocoa powder or matcha powder, ensure that you’re adding an amount that won’t compromise the integrity of the make up.
– “Oily” ingredients FIX: over-processed almonds or addition of other ingredients that comprimise integrity of the shells. Always grind almonds with icing sugar. Check that your gel colours have not become runny. Check the expiry date and composition of dry ingredients added to shells (cocoa powder, match etc.)
https://www.indulgewithmimi.com/macaron-troubleshooting-guide/
https://www.indulgewithmimi.com/what-causes-hollow-macaron-shells/
All of the scenarios below are in reference to the average baking time, temperature and rack position of the two methods below:
♥ FRENCH Method: 320 F for 12-14 minutes on the middle rack ♥
♥ ITALIAN Method: 260 F for 20-22 minutes on the middle rack ♥
Bake Time and Temperature
Macarons can be over baked/under baked and feet development can be overdeveloped/underdeveloped if the baking time or temperature is not well aligned. For over baked shells or over developed feet, the temperature is probably too high causing it to bake too quickly. You will also find that feet which develop quickly and outwards are also victims of over folding and overly hot oven temperatures. The high heat forces the feet to develop much too quickly and it has nowhere to go except up and out. On the other hand, under baked shells and under developed feet (not a lack of feet due to wrong folding techniques, just underdeveloped), cannot fully reach their full potential when the oven temperature is not high enough.
Learn to adjust the temperatures in your oven. To compensate for adjusted temperatures, you will also need to readjust the baking time and vice versa. For temperature increases, baking time should be decreased. For temperature decreases, baking time should be increased. However, baking at lower temperatures may sometimes result in an undercooked shell and baking at higher temperatures may cause shells to brown. If that is the case, try adjusting the rack position as outlined in the next section.
Convection vs. True Convection
A regular convection oven features a fan which helps to distributes the air around the oven. A “true convection” (a.k.a European convection or third-element convection) utilizes an additional heating element behind the fan to blow heated air to your dish. This method produces more even heat distribution and better baking results.
Using the convection fan:
I have become a recent convert to the convection fan since I have found that the temperature remains consistent throughout the baking process with only a 5 degree variance. The fan helps to distribute heat more evenly throughout the oven cavity so you may even be able to bake several trays at once. The heat reaching your macarons may be increased and you may need to decrease the temperature or baking time.
On the flip side, some bakers may find that their convection fan is a little too strong and causes the macaron shells to become lopsided. You can consider turning on convection cooking during the latter part of the baking period since your shells will already be stronger at that point than when they were wet. If that doesn’t help, you may need to skip using the fan altogether.
Hot-Preheat Method
If you’re still having trouble using a slow and consistent temperature method, try the hot-preheat method. Increase the oven temperature 50 degrees more than the usual baking temperature during the preheat. Once it has reached that temperature and you’re ready to bake, turn it down to the regular baking temperature once you place your trays inside. You will need to compensate for this increase in temperature by baking it a shorter amount of time.
This method allows your shells to develop feet from the exposure to the initial high heat but lets them finish off at a lower temperature to avoid browning and over baking. You’ll need to be careful of this though as home ovens can cycle hot and cold before it ever reaches your desired temperature so adjusting the temperature mid-way in the baking process may not really change the temperature as you’d hope it would.
Reduce Oven Moisture
In Pierre Herme’s Macarons book, he advises to open the oven door near the end of the baking time after the feet have developed to let out the steam. If this is an area of concern for you, you can keep the oven door ajar for the whole or a duration of the baking time by propping a wooden spoon in between the door. You will need to compensate for the loss in heat by increasing the oven temperature.
Always Pre-Heat Oven and Use an Oven Thermometer
Always Pre-heat your oven to the correct temperature before placing your trays inside. Place an oven thermometer inside the oven to ensure that the temperature is correct. Many bakers assume that their ovens are at the correct temperature when in fact, it has increased or decreased during the baking process without their knowledge. Did you know that the temperature during the initial period of pre-heating is the most unstable?
Bake One Batch at a Time:
I do not recommend baking several trays at once until you have already found the optimal conditions in your oven to bake a perfect batch. Until then, it would be difficult for you to determine why your macarons did not bake successfully. When you bake several batches at once in a small home oven, sometimes heat cannot be evenly distributed to all the shells at the same time. Also, if you are baking on different racks, you would be forcing your macarons to be closer to or further away from a heat source than you’d like.Although not advised for new macaron bakers, if baking several batches at once, try to: alternate the trays midway into the baking time or bake 2 trays on the same rack instead of on different racks. If you have a true convection oven, baking several trays may be easier with the convection setting.
Avoid Hollows
Same batter but 2 different results! If your folding technique is correct and your meringue is strong, you can still end up with hollows if your temperature is not high enough or your cooking time is not long enough. The fully set shell was baked with oven cyclying between 300-325 F for 14 min. The hollow one didn’t reach its full potential as the temp. hovered between 275-300 for the same amount of time. Readers often ask what temperature to use for macarons, I’d say start with 320 and adjust from there according to what works for you.
https://www.indulgewithmimi.com/correctly-using-your-home-oven-for-baking-macarons/
As I’ve mentioned, macarons are simple meringue cookies, not unlike the little meringues that many of us grew up with. You know, those little blobs of sweetened egg white foam, often studded with chocolate chips. They’re great. What makes macarons different is that they contain a high amount of ground nuts, which introduce a good deal of oil into the egg white foam and in the process create a very different texture: a shiny, eggshell-thin crust which yields to a soft and slightly gooey interior.
As I’ve discussed exhaustively in the past, foam and fat are natural enemies. Put a little oil or fat into a bowl with unbeaten egg whites and you’ll have a job whipping the mix up into a stable foam. The reason in a nutshell: because fat molecules compete with protein molecules on the surfaces of air bubbles, undermining the fairly stable “films” that egg proteins create, and which hold the foam up. However there’s nothing that says you can’t add fat after you’ve whipped an egg white foam up, for once the protein meshes have formed, they do a pretty good job of crowding out the fat molecules, keeping the bubbles from popping. This is the science behind soufflées, buttercreams…and macarons.
Macarons (at least in the French version of the recipe) begin with an egg white foam to which sugar is added, both to sweeten and stabilize it. Once this basic meringue is created, a mixture of ground nuts (classically almonds) or nut flour are added, along with more sugar. The mixture is then folded together until the right consistency — not too stiff, not too runny — is arrived at.
https://joepastry.com/2009/what_s_so_hard_about_macarons/
https://joepastry.com/2009/troubleshooting_macarons/
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.
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.
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.
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
http://nobyleong.com/2017/06/07/macarons-3-common-mistakes/
The first step is to make 4oz (115g) of ground, blanched almonds (or any nut, really). You can either buy ground almonds, blanched almonds, or plain almonds. If you choose to buy plain almonds, you need to blanch them. Do this by pouring boiling water over the almonds and letting them sit for a minute. Then, pour cold water over the almonds. You should be able to then peel the skins off with your fingers.
At this point, whether you use ground almonds or blanched almonds, you need to grind them in a food processor or “chopper” with 8oz (230g) of powdered/icing sugar. Even if your almonds are already ground/powdered, this will ensure the almonds are evenly dispersed in the powdered sugar. To get the best results possible, I suggest layering the powdered sugar and almonds before grinding.
The next step is to sift everything. Macarons are very delicate so when there are clumps of almonds and powdered sugar in them they have a weird texture. Also, when you have clumps, it promotes cracking in the shells.
After you sift everything, they’ll be some larger pieces left. Grind those for about a minute and then sift them in. You’ll still have about two tablespoons left of larger pieces. Throw them out. Don’t risk the shells cracking by putting them in.
The next step is to combine 5oz (144g) of egg whites, 2 1/2oz (72g) of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon (2g) of salt, and the seeds of one vanilla bean. First off, it doesn’t matter what temperature or how old the egg whites are. I just grab the eggs out of the fridge and use them. Seriously. It doesn’t matter. Also, you may find it strange that you’re adding in all the sugar at once, but also, it doesn’t matter. If you don’t have a vanilla bean, you can use vanilla extract (2 teaspoons). If you choose to use vanilla extract, don’t add it in just yet.
You’ll want to beat this mixture until the egg whites are frothy, about three minutes on speed four on a Kitchenaid stand mixer.
Then, turn up the speed to seven and whip for another three minutes. This will get you to soft peaks.
Turn up the speed to eight and beat for another three minutes. This will get you to stiff, dry peaks. This is different from a lot of recipes but it works. It really works. In fact, the results are more consistent if you do this. So do it. Trust me.
At this point add in any colouring and flavouring. If you’re using vanilla extract, add it in now. For food colouring, I highly suggest using powdered food colouring. If you don’t have any, then use some good gel food colouring. Avoid using liquid food colouring as it will ruin the texture of your macarons. The colour that you use will fade in the oven (especially Wilton gels). I didn’t add a lot of colour to mine because I prefer pastel-shades, but by all means add more colour if you so desire. Beat on the highest speed (ten) for one minute to incorporate all the colouring and flavouring. Here, I added some red gel food colouring and 1 1/2 teaspoons of rose water to make rose-flavoured macarons.
When you take your whisk-head-attachment-thing out there should be a big clump of egg whites stuck inside. If there isn’t, keep on beating until there is.
At this point, hit the whisk against the side of the bowl so that the egg whites fall out. Take all your almond mixture and put in. All of it. At once. Don’t add a little bit at a time. It’s so much more effort and doesn’t do anything. At this point we’re starting “macaronage” which is a French word meaning the process of incorporating the dry ingredients with the egg whites to make macarons.
Alright, here’s where it gets tricky. You need to deflate the egg whites to a certain point. Using both a folding motion to incorporate the dry ingredients, and a pressing motion against the side of the bowl, you’re trying to get the batter to the right consistency. But what is the right consistency? Some recommend getting the batter to look like magma, but that doesn’t really help me. You should keep on folding and deflating until the point when you can take a teaspoon of the batter and drop it on a plate and the peak that was formed flattens in ten seconds. I find that doing that test gives me the most accurate results. Be careful not to over mix. Test your batter every few strokes. Be sure to use a spatula for this process – a whisk will not work.
Take a piping bag fitted with really any single-opening tip and fill it up halfway. On a baking pan lined with parchment paper (which I find works better than a Silpat baking mat) pipe the macarons by holding your bag at a 45-degree angle to the paper. Press down on the bag for about 2-5 seconds (depending on the size of your tip and how hard you press) until a circle forms. Pick up the bag, and keep on going.
Once you finish piping, pick up the baking sheet and hit it against the table a few times to dislodge any trapped air bubbles.
The piped macarons need to dry out until the tops of shells aren’t sticky. This might take as long as 1 1/2 hours. When you touch the top of the shell, no batter should stick to your finger.
I know some recipes say not to dry out the shells but it really helps. Successfully baked macarons have “feet”. Feet are a layer of bubble-like things at the bottom of a macaron shell. They form when the air that is in the batter is forced down. If the shell is not dry, the air will leave through the top and cracks will form. If the shell is dry, the air will have trouble escaping from the top and push down, creating feet. While the shells are drying, preheat your oven to 300°F. I recommend using the convection bake setting if you have it. I highly recommend stacking your baking sheets. Once the shells finish drying, bake for about ten-twenty minutes or until the shells come off the parchment paper without their centres sticking.
Let the shells cool on the pan and then remove them. Pipe buttercream, ganache, jam, or whatever you’d like (as long as it’s not too liquidy like honey) on half the shells and then sandwich the shells together. For these, I used coconut rum buttercream that I made by adding coconut rum, which I boiled down, to Swiss meringue buttercream. Let the macarons age in the fridge for twenty-four hours before eating. Let the “cookies” come to room temperature before digging in.
http://www.ironwhisk.com/2012/05/french-macarons/
Macarons were judged along multiple dimensions: what I call “the elements of the perfect French macaron”. The exterior needed to be smooth, shiny & perfectly circular. When bitten into, the shell had to only crack slightly rather than fall apart completely. Second, the interior had to not be hollow and, instead, slightly chewy. A ruffly set of “feet” at the bottom of each shell were a must. The macaron shell also had to not be too sweet to allow for a wide variety of fillings.
Antonio Bachour’s Macarons
Bachour’s recipe is the closest to what I would describe as the “standard” macaron recipe. Bachour first separates the egg whites from the egg yolks a week ahead of time and lets them sit in a container in the fridge, covered with plastic wrap that holes are punched into. Letting the egg whites age weakens the proteins that compose them. He then brings the egg whites to room temperature, whips them to medium peaks, folds in sifted almond flour and icing sugar, pipes the macarons, hits the pan against the counter a couple of times to dislodge bubbles, lets the piped batter rest at room temperature to let the shells dry out a bit, and then bakes them.
Sadaharu Aoki’s Macarons
Aoki adds in dried egg white powder and cream of tartar to make a more stable meringue, but generally follows the same process as Bachour. (Except, as noted previously, he replaces some of the granulated sugar with icing sugar.) Aoki doesn’t comment on aging the egg whites, so I did not age the egg whites when preparing his recipe. He does say, however, that bringing the egg whites to room temperature before whipping is important to ensure that the fats in the almond flour do not harden upon contact with the cold egg whites. Aoki taps the pans against the counter after piping, but does not let the shells dry out before baking.
Pierre Hermé’s Macarons
Hermé uses an entirely different technique called the Italian meringue method (previous recipes use the French meringue method). Rather than beating aged egg whites with granulated sugar, Hermé boils the sugar with water and drizzles it slowly in a stream into the aged egg whites while beating them to soft peaks. Hermé also does not beat half of the egg whites in his recipe, instead opting to pour them directly over the ground almonds and icing sugar before folding the mixture in.
Bachour vs. Hermé
Taste-tester consensus was that Bachour and Hermé had the best, yet entirely different, recipes. I preferred the texture of the Hermé macarons, but some others I spoke to liked the Bachour ones more. On the sweetness level, Hermé’s were the clear winner.
Bachour’s French meringue-method macarons are quite sweet. They have tall feet and shells that crack nicely when bitten into. They also pipe into circles quite easily.
Meanwhile, Hermé’s Italian meringue-method macarons are noticeably less sweet (even though the sugar content is similar, the Italian meringue method leaves some of the melted sugar on the bowl rather than in the batter). The macarons have feet, but they are shorter. The macarons are chewier and are a bit more difficult to pipe into perfect circles.
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After sifting together the almond flour and icing sugar, whip the room temperature egg whites on medium speed until foamy. Using medium speed on a stand mixer, this takes me about 1 minute and 30 seconds. Then, I add in the sugar slowly, two tablespoons at a time, and mix for about 30-45 seconds between each addition. I keep on whipping until I end up with medium peaks, about 8 minutes and 30 seconds total with a stand mixer. Medium peaks are when, upon removing the whisk attachment from the bowl, the egg whites follow the whisk up but the very top of them curl down. (This is between soft peaks, where the egg whites completely flop over, and stiff peaks, where there is no curl at the top and they stand straight up.)
MACARONAGE TIPS & TRICKS
The next part is the trickiest: macaronage. Macarons are so finnicky that this especially difficult part of making them, where the sifted almond flour and icing sugar is added to the egg whites, has its own name. I used to struggle with macaronage. I found instructions that called for folding the batter “until it flowed like magma” particularly useless.
Three things helped me get better. First, I realized the goal was to deflate the egg whites. Usually, with folding, the objective is to be as delicate as possible. That is not the case here.
Second, I became comfortable with what the batter needed to look like at the end of macaronage. Ideally, it just begins to flow from the spatula (any more and you’ve overmixed). Everything is well combined and the batter is shiny.
Third, watching Aoki’s video (in Japanese) really helped me get the movement right (this one is good too). The trick is to hold the spatula in the bowl but never actually flip it (this is not a regular folding motion). Instead, rotate it in a vertical, perpendicular-from-the-bowl circle going from the center of the bowl to its edge. Push against the edge of the bowl to deflate the egg whites and turn the bowl as you go. Scrape the sides down as needed. This motion works wonders.
Add in half of the sifted almond flour and icing sugar and fold until a good chunk is absorbed into the egg whites.
Eventually you will get to a smooth, shiny batter that flows in a ribbon from the spatula. Perfect! Don’t go any further or your macarons will spread significantly after piping.
I have recently changed my method for piping macarons. Before, I used a small round tip. Now, I use a massive 1/2-inch in diameter one (Wilton #1A). A larger round tip makes piping perfectly round macarons so much easier. I highly recommend picking one up. Also, try to get a large pastry bag so you can just fill it up with the batter once, rather than filling it up with the sticky batter again and again.
Next you’ll pipe the batter onto sheet trays coated with parchment paper (tracing out in pencil 1-inch circles, spaced 1-1/2 inches apart, and then flipping the parchment over is helpful). You can attach the parchment paper to the sheet tray with a dab of the macaron batter at each corner if you find the paper slides around too much. While piping, I hold the bag almost perpendicularly to the baking sheet and quickly lift it up from one macaron to the next to minimize peaks.
Pick up the baking sheet and hit it against the counter multiple times to flatten the mounds and pop any large air bubbles. This helps ensure smooth shells and feet. Then, rest the shells for 30 minutes at room temperature. Drying out the tops of the shells means that, in the oven, the egg whites will be forced to expand downward and form feet. While they rest, you can sprinkle some toppings on. Roughly chopped nuts are a popular choice, but once I’ve used cocoa powder. Freeze-dried fruit works nicely as well.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 275°F (135°C) using the convection setting. Airflow helps ensure even baking. I like to stack two sheet pans together (literally touching each other), with the bottom one empty and the top one with the macarons. I do this because my oven is quite hot on the bottom and macarons need heat primarily from the top to rise properly. An extra piece of metal between the macarons and the bottom heating element helps diffuse intense heat. You might not need to do this for your oven if it heats evenly, but I do.
Bake the macarons for 15-20 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. The macarons are ready when, if you lightly push the side of a shell in the oven, it doesn’t wobble. If it wobbles, keep on baking. Another good indicator of the shells being done is their bottoms become very slightly brown.
After the shells cool completely on the baking tray, they can be filled with buttercream, ganache, or jam. Then they must rest in the fridge for 24 hours. This is necessary so the moisture from the filling hydrates the shell. At the same time, the flavour of the filling will enter the shell.
Before eating, bring the macarons to room temperature (about 30 minutes).
Macarons: Italian Meringue Method
Hermé’s Italian meringue method for making macarons naturally has some similarities with Bachour’s French meringue method, so I won’t go into a lot of detail for all of the steps again.
Begin by aging the egg whites for a week in the fridge and then bringing them to room temperature prior to using, just like before.
This time, we’re splitting the egg whites in half. Stir the food colouring and the inside of a vanilla bean (or a teaspoon of vanilla extract) into the first half. Pour this mixture over the ground together and sifted almond flour and icing sugar, but do not stir.
Then, combine sugar and water in a medium sized pot and bring to a boil. When the sugar reaches 239°F (115°C), begin whisking the second portion of liquefied egg whites to soft peaks. (Hermé calls the aged egg whites “liquefied”.) When the sugar reaches 244°F (118°C), which will be seconds later, remove the pot from the heat and pour slowly, in a steady stream, into the egg whites while continuing to whip. Pour slowly or else you’ll cook the egg whites.
Let the meringue cool to at least 122°F (50°C), and then dump in all the almond flour, icing sugar, egg white, food colouring, and vanilla mixture in.
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Meanwhile, preheat the oven on the convection setting to 355°F (180°C). Stack your pans (as described earlier) and bake for about 12 minutes, quickly opening and shutting the oven door twice during baking.
For French meringue-method macarons:
100g egg whites
125g almond flour
150g icing sugar
100g granulated sugar
1 scraped vanilla bean (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)
Food colouring
For Italian meringue-method macarons:
50g + 50g egg whites
135g almond flour
135g icing sugar
1 scraped vanilla bean (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)
Food colouring
135g granulated sugar
35g water
http://www.ironwhisk.com/2017/09/macaron-mania-the-recipes-of-the-worlds-top-pastry-chefs
Recipes
https://www.meilleurduchef.com/en/recipe/macaron-raspberry-chocolate.html
http://www.ironwhisk.com/2013/08/matcha-green-tea-macarons/
https://www.indulgewithmimi.com/the-best-macaron-recipe/
https://joepastry.com/2009/how_to_make_macarons/
https://ilovemacaron.wordpress.com/2012/03/03/green-tea-macaron/
https://www.mercotte.fr/recettes/macarons/
http://www.mowielicious.com/home/2009/12/blackberry-raspberry-macarons-with-ginger-lime-buttercream.html
http://bakeitoff.blogspot.gr/2015/07/chocolate-macarons-using-spanish-method.html
http://www.littlemomentsofhappiness.com/2016/05/08/how-to-make-macarons/
https://www.davidlebovitz.com/french-chocolat/
Egg whites are necessary in order to create a meringue, into which the almond flour and powdered sugar are folded into to create the batter. The lower the egg white content, the less moisture in the macaron batter. Macarons with a very low egg white content can sometimes turn out dry and crumbly, while macarons with a high egg white content can be too soft and soggy. Macarons with a high egg white content also take much longer to dry and can lead to cracked shells when baking. The way that the egg whites are whipped also has an effect on the finished product, but I’ll talk more about that later.
Almond flour is what gives macarons their unique texture and flavor. The amount of almond flour in recipes that use the French method also varies quite a bit, and affects the amount of moisture in the batter. I found that the ratio of egg whites to almond flour in macaron recipes was anywhere from 1:0.8 all the way up to 1:1.5.
There are two types of sugar in macarons, and each one has a different effect on the macaron. The majority of macarons had a ratio of egg whites to sugar that was anywhere between 1:2 and 1:2.5. While the total amount of sugar seemed to be pretty standard, the ratio of granulated to powdered sugar varied quite a bit. Before testing the effects of the different sugars, I decided to take out the variables and settled on a ratio of egg whites:almond flour:sugar that was 1:1.25:2.3. These ratios are close to the middle range of many recipes I tried. Then, I started varying the amounts of powdered sugar:granulated sugar within that 2.3 range.
Because the granulated sugar is added to the meringue, I found that higher amounts of this in a recipe made the meringue more stable. It was harder to overbeat the meringue, and made the macaronage process a little bit easier. In the finished product, the recipes with more granulated sugar tended to have smaller feet than those with more powdered sugar. They also had a chewier texture, kind of like macarons made with the Italian method, but the finished product was a little too hard for my taste. Macarons made with more powdered sugar had larger feet that sometimes splayed out (possibly due to my over mixing), a more delicate texture, and seemed to be less prone to air pockets.
Making the meringue is a really important step in the macaron making process. Some recipes call for soft peaks while others want stiff peaks. My recipe calls for stiff peaks. However, when I make the meringue, I never turn my stand mixer up past 6. One thing that I learned while working at the bakery is that when you make macarons, you want the meringue to have smaller, more stable air bubbles. I achieve this by starting the mixer on 4 and mixing for about 3 minutes. After the liquid in the egg whites has disappeared, I add the sugar and turn the mixer up to 6 and leave it running until stiff peaks form. This can take a while, but I find that it is much harder to over beat the egg whites. The smaller air bubbles also help to prevent hollow shells. (I tend to get more air pockets when I turn the mixer up to 8). I also add a pinch of cream of tartar along with the sugar, which helps with stability. However, it is not a necessity so you can leave it out if you don’t have it.
Many recipes call for aging the egg whites so that some of the water can evaporate, reducing the moisture in the batter. I’ve made macarons with egg whites right out of the fridge and egg whites that were aged for a week, and haven’t noticed a huge difference. If I think about it in advance, I age the egg whites. If not, I don’t worry about it.
The Macaronage or process of mixing the macarons is where things can go wrong. Undermixed macarons can cause lumpy shells that don’t develop feet. Overmixed macarons won’t hold their shape. Once the batter gets to this point where it’s too runny, it’s impossible to fix. Most recipes that use the french method call for the dry ingredients to be incorporated into the meringue. If you are new to making macarons, I would recommend doing it this way. Indulge with Mimi has a good video on how to do this. I have actually had more success mixing the opposite way, by incorporating the meringue into the dry ingredients. It’s a little bit trickier and more prone to getting over mixed, but I never get hollows when I do it this way.
So how do you know when it’s ready? Many recipes will tell you that it should look like molten lava, but I never really found that helpful. You can tell when the batter is getting close because it will start to look a little bit glossy. I test the batter by lifting the spatula out of the batter and seeing how it flows. It should come off the spatula in slow, thick ribbons. If it doesn’t fall off the spatula at all, keep mixing. If it does, wait 20 seconds and see if the ribbons start to incorporate back into the batter. If so, you’re done! This process takes a bit of practice, so don’t get frustrated if you don’t get this part right the first (or second, or tenth) time.
After I pipe my macarons, I always dry them in front of a fan until the tops become tacky. This usually takes about 15-20 minutes (maybe a little longer if it’s humid). Some people don’t dry their macarons and they turn out ok, but if you don’t have a convection oven I recommend drying them first to prevent the tops from cracking. There are also recipes that recommend drying your macarons in the oven at around 200 degrees fahrenheit for 5 minutes and then turning up the temperature to bake them. I used to try this shortcut but my oven is too unpredictable so this didn’t work for me.
Speaking of ovens, biggest obstacle for me in macaron making has been oven temperature. If you don’t have an oven thermometer, I highly recommend getting one, since oven temperatures can fluctuate drastically. I’ve had the best luck baking these macarons at 325 degrees fahrenheit. However, I have realized that when I preheat my oven to 325, it sometimes dips below 300 and the shells don’t set up properly or the interiors collapse. I now preheat my oven to 350 and then turn it down 325 once I put the pan in the oven. This hot oven preheat helps the shells set up properly even if the oven temperature fluctuates. Baking one tray at a time also helps keep the oven temperature consistent. If you are still having trouble with hollows or the interiors of the shells collapsing, err on the side of over baking your macarons. Once you fill them, put them in the fridge for at least 24 hours to mature and they will soften up.
Once your macaron shells are baked, stick them in the freezer. They come off the silicone mats more easily, and they are much easier to fill without the shells getting crushed. My favorite fillings are ganache and Swiss or Italian buttercream. Bravetart’s faux French buttercream is a great way to use leftover egg yolks.
http://cakemerchant.com/2017/11/05/macaron-basics-part-2-french-method/