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victoriahart
December 29, 2020
Would you be willing to share your favorite products to use when making macarons?
Patricia M.
February 21, 2020
Well I have baked literally a thousand of these things and I am still hollows. I have tried aged whites and fresh room temp whites. I don't think I am under or over beating the whites-- I have stiff peaks, glossy. My macronage is perfected-- looks just like every video I have ever seen. I have tried every possible oven temp/time combination, convection vs no convection, silicone mats vs parchment paper. If the oven is too low they slide or "baseball cap" off the base; oven temp too high they brown too quickly and are raw in the centers. I've tried powdered colors instead of gel (thinking it was impacting the meringue stability), I've tried freeze dried fruit powders. Still hollows. Baked a little less time thinking I had collapsed them with too much heat and still hollows. They look amazing-- smooth, great frilly feet, uniform color-- but hollows. What's going on?
Marc
February 21, 2020
Patricia, if there’s one thing that would kill the macarons is high humidity. Do you live in a dry climate or a humid environment. When I lived in California I would not make Macarons on cloudy days due to the humidity. Maybe this would help.
spatulajedi
May 22, 2020
Italian meringue method, Macs piped at exactly 3.5 cm, baked @ 350°F for 12-13 minutes finally worked for me. Just pushing browning on tops. I had suffered from hollows for years and this finally worked. Opened the door at 8 minutes and 10 minutes for 10 seconds to let out any excess steam. Next, I will try exactly the same and bake one rack lower in my oven to prevent browning. Best of luck to you! It's hard. One day it just happens like magic, I'm convinced.
NicoleRN10
August 19, 2019
My first ones turned out looking great actually but didn’t taste great. What sort of flavor do you use for the cookie itself? Extract? How much when do I add?
Thanks in advance!
Thanks in advance!
Jacquie
April 14, 2019
I live at a high altitude, nineteen 3 and 4 thousand and in wondering if I should change anything to the recipe because of this? Please let me know, also do you age your egg whites? I didnt see anything about it. Thank you
Carol
April 15, 2019
Hi, sorry, I have no tips about high altitude baking of macarons , except to call the toll free Sur la Table number or the King Arthur Flour company number for their advise. They are both excellent,and give good advice, on the spot, when you need the answer now. About the egg whites, yes, I do age them a day or so. Whenever I use just yolks, I save the whites in the fridge a day or more, until the urge for baking comes.Otherwise, I save them in the freezer, adding to them until I have enough for one or more batches in the container, Label it so that you know what it is. Defrost in the refrigerator the day before.Happy baking!
GrammaSusie
May 14, 2019
Jacquie I live at 6200 feet and I've made no changes to my macaroons, I also do not age my eggs, but that's an individual choice.
Peg
February 12, 2019
Hi, mine almost always lean...sometimes the ones in the middle lean, sometimes the ones on the side lean. But always some good ones and some bad ones in one pan. I bake one sheet at a time. The temperature is accurate but not consistent throughout the cycle, as mine is not a convection oven. Wonder if it’s only because of the oven temperature of some other things that is affecting it?
Otherwise they are ok, they don’r have hollow shells, they have feet, I use a silicone mat so they don’t brown on the bottom...but the leaning is really driving me crazy. Any help?
Thanks so much!!
Otherwise they are ok, they don’r have hollow shells, they have feet, I use a silicone mat so they don’t brown on the bottom...but the leaning is really driving me crazy. Any help?
Thanks so much!!
Bea
March 25, 2019
Hi Peg, there can be a couple of reasons. First do you hold your piping bag straight up? You need to. Are you using a fan in oven? That also can cause them to lean. Try those two things first. Let me know.
jonajim
January 17, 2019
The Bouchon Bakery Recipe is my go to recipe for Macarons also! For the past few years I’ve used it and it’s the best. The baking is the tough part, I have a tendency of wanting to remove them sooner than later.
jonajim
January 17, 2019
Also, for my electric stove the syrup does take a while to get up to temp so I usually start the syrup and start beating the egg whites when they reach 215F. Otherwise the whites are over whipped .
Marji
May 16, 2018
I have a Wolf oven and it has settings for either convection or just regular. I do keep a thermometer in the oven to monitor temperature, but do you know if the fan blowing causes them to brown more? Mine seem to always have some browning.
Carol
April 25, 2018
Hi,Clarita,hope this answer helps you.I use Wilton concentrated gel icing colors.I bought a box of 8 half ounce jars.It is perfect for deep colors.I use a toothpick to take some color out of the jar.Mix it in and if you want more,use the clean ,other end of the toothpick to add more color.NEVER put a used toothpick into a jar, it will contaminate the jars and germs will incubate forever.This gel is perfect because it is not a liquid so it will not water down your meringues or icings either.I bought mine at Sur la Table’ when I took my class,but you can get it at Michael’s Craft stores or at Joanne’s.Spring hued macarons sound perfect!
Clarita
April 25, 2018
My colors appears to be pale, How can I make it so vibrant like these?? Pls Help! Thank You!
Carol
March 18, 2018
Oh,my, that is surely something I do not know anything about.Maybe a call to a Sur la Table’ ,might give you some answers.They are really good and that is where I took their macaron class.Also,the King Arthur Flour Company has all the answers. They readily give answers to cooking and baking questions.Actually, it is their almond flour that I use., and that is the brand that Sur la Table ‘ uses also. It is a very fine grind.Bob’s Red Mill is a bit coarser. when you call them, it sounds like Sir la Tab.Just saying..
Kathy
March 18, 2018
I live at 5000 altitude. They never come out right. Do I need to adjust for altitude?
Lesley H.
February 26, 2018
My biggest problem is that I always get hollow shells. I've played around with mixing more, whipping the egg whites less, and I still seem to have only half the shell filled. They come off the mat nicely, so I don't believe they are underbaked. I've even tried several different oven temperatures. Any advice?
Carol
February 7, 2018
We really slapped the pans on the counter after the macarons were piped. Any trapped air bubbles would also contribute to hollows too.
Heatherashby712
February 6, 2018
Definitely going to try this technique on the meringue. I have attempted macaroons a few times now and almost every time they have hollows. Thanks for posting easy to follow directions!
Carol
February 3, 2018
Oh,the class I took was metal pans and parchment paper,those in the class who used the silicone in the past, at home, were unsuccessful,so they took the class.I do recommend the classes at Sur la Table.They are fun,full of the “whys” of the processes, located around the country,a fun place to go with friends,many topics,and you eat what you make. I don’t know the sugar stage answer.
Marc
February 2, 2018
Is softballing the sugar best done in the stainless steel pan as opposed to a non-stick? I always wondered if there was a difference of the finished product between the two.
Carol
February 2, 2018
Sorry... yes, after it is finished baking.let it cool on the pan a bit and then dribble the water Under the parchment. The warm pan warms the water...a dribble ,I lift both sides of the parchment a tiny bit and sprinkle the water.The class I took was at Sur la Table in Boston.
Carol
February 2, 2018
Trick learned in a macaron class,dribble a very small amount of water UNDER the parchment paper for a minute of two and the macaroons can be removed carefully with a spatula.
Lena
February 2, 2018
Do you dribble drops of water under the parchment paper after your macaroons done baking?
Jessica W.
January 25, 2018
My biggest problem with macarons is a hollow shell -- they look great coming out of the oven, but peeling them off the pan leaves half the cookie behind. I usually use a silicon mold (specifically for macarons) but maybe parchment paper would work better?
PieceOfLayerCake
January 28, 2018
Beyond the hollow shell (which may be slight undermixing) cookies that stick to a silicon mat are probably underbaked. Parchment paper would make it worse. If you press gently on the shell, they shouldn’t move at all. That ensures they’re completely baked.
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