Right so I mentioned in Monday’s post about the Italian meringue method for macarons that I had been having issue with my French meringue macarons recently. Oh they look fine. They look gorgeous even – shiny smooth tops and delicate feet. Like these that I brought to my students at Le Dolci a few weeks ago:
Ahem. Yes. “Banana” macarons filled with banana buttercream and chocolate ganache. A play on the banana split, if you like…
I was SO pleased with how these came out…. So happy….
I even made mini banana splits with them:
Sad l’il hollow mac
Sadly, they were a hollow. Underneath the domed top the what-should-be-fluffy interior of chewy goodness had fallen to the bottom. So what you were eating was basically a puff of air.
I’d noticed this over the past couple of classes I had taught too. Then students from my classes started to email me with the same issues – pretty macs but hollow. I can only imagine that it must have something to do with the weather since it’s only been since January, with me not changing a single thing of my recipe or technique.
It started driving me mad. I needed to find a fix, both for my own peace of mind and so that I could pass it on to my students. Stuff like that just drives me crazy. Why, why why? After nearly a year of beautiful macarons with no hollow shells does this start to happen?
I figured I would make a couple of small changes to see if they make a difference. Firstly, I tried resting the macarons before I baked them. Though it is something many French meringue macaron recipes call for, it’s not something I have ever had the need to do. My macs have never suffered. I figured that if my batter was correct, they wouldn’t be going anywhere anyway (i.e. spreading). I also cut down the time I whip the egg whites, since it appeared the problem was too much air, I wouldn’t whip as much into them.
Result?
no shell left behind – all perfect!
Those were enjoyed by my students at Le Dolci last weekend 
Oh yeah. Not only were these perfectly formed and not hollow but EVERY SINGLE macaron shell came out beautifully. Normally I count on a certain area of each tray of macaron shells being cracked due to the oven hotspots. Not this time. Woot!
So, was it the resting that “calmed down” the air pockets? Was it the less beating of the egg white? In retrospect, I should have just done one of the two “fixes” because now I have no way of knowing which was the fix.
I decided to experiment again with a(nother) batch. Ahem. I am having a little bit of macaron fatigue to tell you the truth but once I am on a mission, I cannot be stopped. I am, after all, a Taurus.
So I made another batch of of raspberry macarons last weekend. Same deal – less egg white beating and resting them for 30 minutes before they are baked. Result?
Uh yeah. Pretty proud of these ones. Even more proud that I had saved one of the chocolate ones to do a “cross section” comparison of both (they look a little heavy but it’s because you can only really cut a macaron properly when it’s been in the fridge:
Look mum – no hollows!!!!
Here, for those of you who would like it, it my macaron recipe, adapted from my macaron cheerleader, Stella (aka Brave Tart) without whom my macarons would still be dire. Over the past nearly year, I have refined this recipe and method (teaching other people helps me see the recipe in different eyes too!)
- 115g ground almonds (store bought or home ground in a spice/coffee grinder and sifted before you weigh)
- 230g icing sugar
- 15g cocoa powder for chocolate macarons or 15g freeze-dried raspberries, ground in a spice grinder
- 144g egg whites, separated, covered in plastic wrap and left at room temperature for a few hours. You can separate them up to 3 days before you use them – just keep them covered in the fridge and bring them to room temperature for a few hours before you use them
- 72g granulated or caster sugar
- (food colouring powder – about 2 teaspoons for this amount of macarons)
- Line two baking trays with parchment paper.
- Prepare a 14” piping bag with a plain tip (I use Ateco 803), twist the bag at the tip end and place inside a tall glass to facilitate filling the bag.
- Combine almond flour, powdered sugar and either the cocoa powder or freeze dried fruit powder in a food processor, pulsing about 10 times for a few seconds, until all ingredients thoroughly incorporated.
- Sift dry ingredients twice using a fine sieve and pressing the mixture through with your hands and set aside.
- Using a stand mixer, beat the egg whites and sugar at a low speed (Kitchen Aid speed four) for 2 minutes, medium speed (Kitchen Aid six) for 2 minutes and a high speed (Kitchen Aid eight) for 2 minutes. The egg whites will be very stiff at this point.
- Add the colouring powder and mix for one minute at the highest speed (Kitchen Aid ten).
- Add the dry ingredients to the egg whites.
- Fold the mixture, pressing it against the sides of the bowl to deflate the mixture. Fold about 40 times (counting single strokes), stopping every couple of strokes after 25 to check the consistency. It should be lava-like, flowing in ribbons off the spatula.
- Transfer half the mixture to the piping bag, sealing the open end with a twist and holding firmly with the hand that will not be actively piping.
- Pipe four tiny dots of mixture under the corners of the parchment paper to make sure it stays put.
- Pipe your macarons, holding the piping tip at an angle to the baking sheet, about 3cm in diameter (they will spread during cooking), and quickly removing the tip when you have finished piping, making a shape like a comma.
- Rap the tray 3-4 times on a hard surface. You’ll see air bubbles coming to the surface of the unbaked shells.
- Fill the bag with the rest of the mixture and pipe and rap the second tray.
- REST the trays of macaron shells for 30 minutes before baking. At this point you should heat the oven to 300˚F.
- Place one tray of macarons on an empty baking tray and bake on the middle rack of the oven for 16 minutes at 300˚F, turning the tray from back to front halfway through.
- Remove from oven and let the tray sit for a few minutes.
- Remove the parchment from the tray and allow to sit on a cool surface for at least 30 minutes, then remove macaron shells to a cooling rack.
- Store in an airtight container overnight.
- Pair up like shells to facilitate the filling process.
- Once completely cool, fill with ganache or cream filling of your choice.
- Best enjoyed 24 hours after filling (sorry!)
In any case, I am not taking this for granted and it will be, as anything requiring practice, a work in progress. But this is what is working for me right now. If you’re in Toronto and would like to come to a class, check out my class schedule - I’ll get you on your way to making macarons like this
For VIDEO TUTORIALS for the three key stages of macaron making, check out this post.
For more information of troubleshooting hollows, check out Stella’s fab post over on The Brave Tart.
*** I’m also submitting these to Mactweets this month – their theme is Jour du Macaron celebration. Yup, it’s the Jour du Macaron on March 20th and for the first time, Toronto patisseries will be participating – I cannot wait!!!
Thanks for these excellent tips, Mardi!! I have a feeling I’d love your hollow macarons, too
That’s the beauty of macarons – they taste pretty good even if they are hollow!
Very lovely. I haven’t yet worked up the courage to attack macarons again, but in the mean time I am reading up as much as I can on them. When I finally get brave again, I want to go into the battle fully armed
You know where to ask if you need help, right?
Yay for you Mardi. I’m going to follow these tips too. Mine are hollow at times. Thanks for this fab tutorial. I love Brave Tarts blog, and you’ve really for the macaron fever going! Happy Macaron Day!! Thanks for bringing these to MacTweets.
Love baking with you ladies!
Absolutely stunning! Thanks for the tips! Mine have always been hollow, but I eat them anyway.
Oh my colleagues and friends all eat them hollow or not too!
They all look so pretty!!!
I haven’t experimented much with them but this makes me want to.
Well I still need to experiment more!
Glad that the resting and the less egg white beating is working. I love all the colours of your macs shown here.
Happy that your classes are going to well at Le Dolci too!
I hope this is a fix that will keep on working!
So many things to love about this post! How creative that you shaped your mac like a banana. Whimsical, yet appropriate. Totally awesome. Glad you fixed your problem. My macs sometimes come out hollow. Now I can take care to not over-beat egg whites, and allow more rest. Thank you for sharing your wonderful ideas!
Thanks for your kind words, glad you enjoyed the post!
WOW! I love all those flavors of macs, absolutely gorgeous!
Thank you so much!
I tried the recipe this morning Mardi. I know how fiddly macarons can be, and how temperamental small changes can make them. I added some blood range flakes to mine, and while they rose beautifully with frills and all, after about 10 minutes they kind of began cracking. I have a feeling I under mixed the macronage, and will try the recipe again. They are cooling as I write and I hope I can salvage a few! Thanks for all your research…
Definitely undermixing can result in cracked tops. Or a hot spot in the oven?
Looking good. You are l lucky you get to enjoy Macaron day in Toronto next week!
Yes, pretty excited about that!
Ola again, I’m back and have to say that even though my macs don’t look good as the shells aren’t smooth, they are the best tasting ones I’ve ever made. Will keep trying. Thank you once again!!.
Hurrah Deeba! Go girl!
That cross section picture is mouth watering. Such beautiful macs. The raspberry ones especially. I too have suffered the dreaded hollow shell effect from time to time. I shall have to try your recipe soon.
Yes though I don’t think it’s a permanent fix sadly. Anyway, with macarons it’s all about “what’s working for me now”!
Mardi, I’m so happy for this Mactweets post! Thank you for sharing this lovely trio of flavors with us! What a treat
! I’m learning to use color this year, all exciting!
I’m having fun playing with colours too
Yay for figuring out why your shells were hollow! Those new macarons look absolutely beautiful
Thanks I just made a batch with freeze dried pineaple and the were a lil crispy and hollow too. Think the higher sugar content makes them crisp up a little.
Love the banana shaped macs. You are a dedicated mac maker and we admire your tenacity.
Tenacious. Now that’s one way of putting it
Your macarons look beautiful! I still haven’t worked up the courage to try, but am collecting tips and recipes for the big day.
I have a question though – everywhere I look, it says they are best eaten the next day, but what’s the best way to store them before eating? I’ve heard varying opinions on cardboard box/plastic box/counter/fridge…
I keep them in an airtight container in the fridge.
Those banana ones look fantastic! Thanks for the informative post!
You are welcome!
You have my full respect and admiration, macarons are definitely the other side of the great divide where cooking meets science and therefore becomes terrifying! But the little banana split ones are so cute.
Macarons are ALWAYS terrifying for me you know – I still hesitate to look in the oven when they are baking for fear of no feet!
Thank you!!! I too have been using the BraveTart recipe and getting beautiful, delicious macarons – with hollows!
Yesterday I tried your chocolate macaron recipe, reducing the time for beating the egg whites, and letting them rest. For the first time ever – no hollows! Jumping for joy over here!!! Chewy goodness!
By the way, do you use food coloring to get your chocolate macs so dark? I added Cocoa powder but they were light brown (looked pretty good with the dark ganache though!).
Thank again!
That is wonderful! Congrats! I used “chocolate” coloured powder this time but in the past have made a complex mix of colours to avoid the “grey” that cocoa will make them bake!
Hi,
may i know is hollow macarons same with air pocket ?
thanks
Indeed it is.
I too am learning, I keep experimenting, trying to keep mine from either inflating deflating or not cooking enough, or browning. I have made a few batches lately and oddly the best batch I made while it was raining out. They were a smidge more brown than I’d like, but I need to experiment more with temperature. I also made raspberry macs
I love all of your photos, they make me soooo hungry!
I can’t tell you how happy I am that you wrote this post! I have made hundreds of macarons using Bravetart’s recipe and had the same problem as you (although I have always had to rest them to get feet) Even though they look and taste wonderful, I too have had problems with hollow macarons and was suspecting the overbeating of the egg whites. I will follow your technique with the next batch and hopefully will be able to report that the hollow problem has been solved! Thank you!
When working the meringue in the mixer let it cool to 50 degrees c, that’s optimum working temperature. To get a good skin on th before they go in the oven trying sitting them beside, on top or even under your oven or by a window in direct sunlight. I make them for a business in a commercial kitchen and if it isn’t warm enough, say 25-30 degrees c, the skin will take close to an hour to form. To avoid browning in the oven cook them at 140-150 degrees c takes up to 30 min to cook but there should be any color.
Thanks but the above recipe is actually for French meringue.
I made these macarons tonight – my first time for French macs as I’ve only ever made Italian meringue. Macs are beautiful and sadly hollow. I will try again this weekend. I do like the recipe. It is much easier than cooking syrup! Thanks for your wonderful troubleshooting!
I’ve also been having trouble with hollows and lately, Stella has been recommending to pulse 1 tablespoon of neutral flavored oil (safflower,peanut or almond) in with the almond flour and icing sugar mixture. She says that helps to stabilize the macs. Haven’t tried this yet but just thought you might like to know!
I have a feeling that it might be the method of mixing the meringue with the dry ingredients-
I did not know that you had to mix them against the walls of the bowl to deflate the mixture-
I have always been just folding them towards the center, and my macarons are always hollow….
Nor did I tap the sheets to release the air bubbles!
~ happy bakingg!
I think I may have found a macaron saving sentence for a lot of us in mac rule #9!!
http://bravetart.com/blog/TheTenCommandments
“…Underbaking will result in dramatically hollow macarons. The meringue inside an underbaked macaron hasn’t fully set, so when it’s removed from the oven prematurely, the meringue collapses as it cools, leaving a hollow shell behind….”
Thanks for this. Stella’s method is actually the method I use, adapted to my oven.
If I wanna make non-chocolate shells can I just replace the 15g cocoa powder with almond flour?
No you just don’t add the cocoa powder.
I love the banana split macarons! Great idea. Wish you could send one via my computer for me to taste right now.
Hi Mardi.. I’ve always wanted to make macarons.. They are soooooo beautiful, even though I’ve just try them once, years ago (forgot the taste exactly, since its hard to find them here in my city. I live in a very small city in Indonesia).
I want to try them next week, the question is can I reduce the sugar from 230gm to at least 190gm (which mixed with almond). Thanks a lot, hope you reply soon.
Unless you are going to adjust all the ingredients, I would not play with the quantities as significantly. Baking is a science – very precise!
I finally attempted my first batch of Macarons today! I have been intimidated by everything I have read. I would love to have a beautiful tray for the shower I am giving for my first grandchild. Unfortunately, I had trouble with cracking and hollows. I will attempt to make them again per your new recipe. I do have a question though, do you think that altitude could, In any way, affect the results of my Macarons? I live at 5700 feet and have found that it is necessary to make some adjustments when baking. I love your site and would very much appreciate any input. I hope that I am making such gorgeous Macarons as yours someday SOON! Thank you!
Hi there (no need to post comments twice – your first one simple went into the “moderation” panel.
Altitude can for sure have an effect on baking especially something as temperamental as macarons. I personally don’t have any experience baking at altitude but there are some tips here:
http://www.lespetitsmacarons.com/HighAltitude.html
Good luck!
Thank you so much! It is defintitely a challenge baking here sometimes….but I will give this a try!
I love this recipe and adore your creative macarons but despite a couple of attempts all of mine have had hollow shells. I’m not disheartened though as they still taste amazing. I’ve thought of a few things I could do differently after reading some of your other posts so if I have a successful batch I’ll be sure to share my success!
Thanks Mardi
Hi there Mardi,
I did tremendous research before attempting macarons, and even consulted with Stella a bit sending her pics of my gorgeous, hollow macs using your recipe and technique. There isn’t a lot anyone can tell me to adjust. The only thing I am not positive about is the way my meringue looks just prior to adding the dry ingredients. I feel based on many photos that my meringue seems drier than others – it’s surely stiff enough but it also is so dry that it breaks in chunks as though it were cut and reminds me a bit of the texture of the inside of a marshmallow. Despite following the timing to the second, could I be overmixing the meringue and still getting the macaronage stage correct = nice domes & feet but then go hollow inside? I’m so defeated…please help. I took pictures this time if there is a place I can send them to you.
I’d love to see your pictures and have more details:
mardi at eatlivetravelwrite.com
Why do my macaroons not dry? I see tiny bubbles in the batter, some bubbles are on the top of the shell. I have tried not over folding and using day old egg whites. Any suggestions would be helpful.
It’s hard to know what’s gone wrong without a picture but it sound like you have underfolded the mix…
Hello Mardi
Compared to most other recipes I’ve seen, this recipe seems to have a very low proportion of almond to icing sugar, and a very high volume of egg whites to both. I notice also that you don’t use any stabiliser in the whites such as bicarbonate of soda.
It takes a bit of a leap of faith to give this one a try, but after a year of hit and miss – i.e. when they are good, they are very very good, but when they are bad, they are tragic…. Here goes!
I use gel colouring rather than powder, to achieve the desired shade intensity- what do you think is better? Does too much gel affect the consistency? I actually prefer them paler, but they always brown a little and deep colours hide this better. And what is the best method of ensuring white macarons? The ground almonds always tint the batter a natural beige/ yellow. Some people advise a tiny touch of blue, some have said try icing whitener. Any advice appreciated.
Happy baking,
Ellie
Hi Ellie,
I have never used gel colouring with this method (I have with the Italian method) – owder seems to work for me and they never go brown… For white macs, I use – white food colouring powder
Good luck!
Hi (:
Will changing the proportions of the recipe make a difference to the timing of beating the egg whites or folding the mixture?
Thanks !
Sorry to add on, for example halving the entire recipe.
Halving the entire recipe will not make a difference to the beating times etc.. I would not recommend playing with the proportions though.
I may have missed it, but what brand of powder food color do you use? I have only paste and want to get some powder to try.
Hi Betty, I use Crystal Colors brand that I get from Golda’s Kitchen (www.goldaskitchen.com) but I think Wilton does powdered colours too…
Mardi, I am newly obsessed with macarons and finally tried your recipe after first trying The Brave Tart’s and another, and yours is the only one that gave me near-perfect (in my opinion, anyway) macarons. I can die happy now. Thank you thank you thank you. I’m so happy I stumbled on your blog.
Lisa
So happy to hear this!!
Tried making macarons for the first time today – hollow shells abounded! Having found this post, will try again soon… Love the idea of blitzing the freeze dried fruit to use in the shells too, though it’s ridiculously hard to find over here in the UK!
Hello Mardi thank you for this amazing recipe! I am from the US and am having trouble with converting the ingredients to cups, tablespoons, teaspoons, etc. can you by chance convert them?
Hi Lindsey, I do not recommend using volume measurements when baking, especially macarons. A digital scale is your best friend here!
I’ve never made Marcarons but now I have to give a go!
I love your tutorials and recipes. Question for you. Have you ever experimented with more natural sweeteners, such as honey or maple syrup. I’m trying to get away from refined sugars (such as the powdered sugar).
Thanks!
Hi Renee, I checked with Stella (bravetart.com) and unfortunately, invert sugars like honey and maple syrup don’t have the structure needed to form an egg foam. Sugar substitutes don’t either. Sugar crystals are the only way. You might have to limit yourself to one every now and then!
Hi. Thank you for this amazing post! I have quite a silly question for you. The recipe says it makes 40 macarons. Is that 40 sandwiched macarons or 40 seperate unfilled macarons. Thank you!!
It makes 80 shells (approximately) so 40 filled macarons.
Thank you so much for the reply! That’s awesome. I was planning to make a double batch but I guess I won’t have to. Thank you! Happy holidays!
Hi Mardi – thank you SO much for your post i’m so excited to try it out! I’ve been struggling a lot trying to crack macarons and whenever I try they come out too much like a meringue, chewy underneath but no shine or flatness on top
I will try your method this week and hope it works for me too! Thanks again for sharing!
Hi! I found out macarons only last year when I was in Paris. Than I decided to make some at home. But I did not know, how hard it will be. I tried the method with sugar syrup at first, but I did not have the thermometer, so it went wrong. Than I have found another receipt and I tried it 3x. First macarons were nice, they have feet, but also big hollows. Second batch was bad, the shells were cracked, but I think it was my mistake, because the mixture was not liquid enough. The third batch was the best, because macaroons were soft and tasteful inside, but there were still those hollows. So I knew, that there is something wrong and I need to find out what. I have found your post and receipt and since you were so successful with it, I decide to give it a try. Today was the day
I made only 1/3 amount, because of my previous bad experiences. I made everything you made, I watched your videos too so I knew how everything should look like. I think everything was ok, the mixture seemed lava like, shells looked nice on the baking tin, but then they just did not develope the feet and were dry after 16 minutes in oven. I decided to bake the second batch only for 12 minutes, but they were unbaked. Can you please please please help me?. Is there something else I can do? I will have nightmares until I make nice macarons 
Could my problem be not well heating oven? Or what? Thank you soo much for any help. And please forgive me my english 
M.
It’s hard for me to answer this without seeing pictures – next time send me a couple of pics, ok? Not sure what “dry” in the oven means? Sounds like your oven is either running too hot or that you have overmixed the batter?
Hi Mardi,
Your macs looks great! How much less did you beat the egg whites exactly? I’ve been having trouble with air pockets and hollows and have been inspired by your and Brave Tart’s methods.
Thanks,
Rebecca
Hi Mardi, I found the video tutorials which answered my question. Great videos!
Hi Mardi,
I had exactly the same problem with my macs. Everything was managed: ingredient proportions, , consistency, oven temperature but all rarely macs were not hollow. I’ve never skipped resting, it goes up to 2h sometimes so I figured out that stiff & dry meringue was the issue. Whipping egg whited to just the condition of “bird’s beak” solves the problem. Now they are as beautiful and right as these gorgeous little things supposed to
Interesting since I find many people don’t understand the “bec d’oiseau” and underbeat the meringue which leaves them overbeating the batter so they don’t get feet and the macs crack. Glad you’ve found a method that works for you – with macarons, it’s practice and patience and figuring out what works for you and your oven and your equipment.
Hi Mardi,
I myself have adapted the recipe from Stella and tweaked it here and there. The measurements and recipe is the same, I use the scale to weight everything,whipped the egg whites to dry, and like you I leave the pipped shells to rest but only for 10-15 minute ( I tried putting them in the oven straight away and that didn’t work) But I don’t pip all the batter at once since I didn’t want the other trays to dry for too long. I usually get 2 and a half tray from one recipe… the first couple of trays almost always turn out, sometimes I would get an entire tray of perfect macarons with the exceptions of sometimes cracks found in a few ( the ones that cracked are usually the ones in the center… does that mean that the middle ones didn’t get to dry enough?) but when it came time to bake the third tray, they always puff up and cracks like a turtle shell with no feet at all….
I thought it could be from the gel coloring I use but I’ve had success with and without the gel color, but it’s always the last tray that don’t turn out! I thought it had to do the the oven temperature so I even got a over thermometer….
What do you like cause it? Should I have rest them for a longer period of time? Please advise. Thank you in advance!
I believe you should leave the shells for longer than 10-15 minutes. 30 minutes is ideal, however I have had them resting for longer than that and they just get better (I mean, don’t rest them for 2 hours or anything but they will be ok for much longer than 15 minutes). I’d say your cracked ones in the centre are probably where there is a hot spot in the oven and by the 3rd tray the oven is running too hot (it will have been on for a while, so maybe let it cool down a bit before you bake). I see you have a bakery – are you using a professional oven? I have used a Blodgett oven before and had to adjust the temperature by as much as 25˚F because it ran way hotter than my home oven. Good luck!
Hafa Adai!
Thanks for sharing your knowledge!!! My first attempt was yesterday…not too bad for a beginner. I didn’t weight my stuff (lazy)…so mine came out pretty, but hollow and the feet were too long (high). I had to make them again cuz it was bothering me. Thus, I measured everything, but accidentally started my kitchenaid at the “stir” instead of the “2.” My oven temp was running about 5/6 degrees F. too high (used an oven thermometer). All in all, I am super pleased with the result. Mine came out a bit hollow, but not as bad as yesterday. Everything else was perfect! Next time I will keep my oven at 285 F….seems to be closer to 300F.
MY QUESTION: at the very top of this recipe it says bake for 12 minutes. HOWEVER, withing the instructions you advise to cook for 16 minutes……WHICH IS CORRECT? I cooked mine for 16 minutes so perhaps that’s the reason mine came out with a tiny bit of hollowness??
THANKS SO MUCH FOR RESPONDING!!!!
paulaq
1. You should definitely weigh your ingredients.
2. Yes you are right. It should say 16 minutes up there. Fixed. Longer and on a lower heat seems better for avoiding hollows.
OH, what’s the best way you have tried to store your macs?? I’ve read we can fill them then freeze them? Can I just freeze the unfilled macs…then should I thaw before filling and keep in fridge till ready to eat?
I’d like to freeze the filled macs then ship them…what do you think? Thanks a bunch!!
Apparently you can freeze the unfilled shells but I have never tried that. I am not sure about freezing the filled ones but I have heard of bakeries doing that. I normally fill mine the day after I make them and keep them in the fridge, bringing them to room temperature when I want to eat them.
You can freeze filled or unfilled shells with no ill effects. Honestly, most bakeries freeze them. I used to buy them in Seattle at a French bakery, and I got a few that were still a little solid in the middle. The only thing about freezing the shells unfilled, make sure they have plenty of room and nothing can smash them. Even in a large reach-in freezer on full size sheet pans, there are always a few casualties. Freezing them filled is safer.
Hi Mardi,
I finally decided to try your recipe today, you make it look so simple! I followed all your instructions but the egg whites never formed peaks! This is after the 2-2-2 and 1 minute process. I have a hand mixer and I might have been beating for atleast 20-30 minutes, but the egg whites still didnt stiffen. I decided to go ahead and use the mixture anyway to see what happens and the macarons are resting before baking at the moment.
It would be great if you can give me some tips,
Thanks,
Dhwani
It sounds to me like your egg whites might have been contaminated (residue of something oily in the bowl or some yolk)? I have never had a problem with pure egg whites not whipping up in that amount of time.
Thanks for that! I’ll keep that in mind for next time. These didn’t rise as much but the shell looked smooth and they even had feet!..I think I may need to bake them for longer though. I think I just need to get a hang of all my equipment and see what works for me. Thanks so much!
Hi Mardi,
I had another question, I realised after I finished baking that I had forgotten to add the granulated sugar to the recipe! Despite this, the macarons turned out quite sweet. Is there a way to not make them so sweet or does the amount of sugar play a significant role in the making of the macaron?
thank you again,
Dhwani
Dhwani, Re: the sugar, yes, they are SWEET. Which is why I make them small!
The sugar (in the egg white) helps the whites whip into meringue which is perhaps why yours did not whip up as much as they should – but it still sounds like you had a contaminated mix if they didn’t whip up at all.
Mardi, I just have to tell you that I followed your recipe to the letter and made perfect macarons! I think all your hard work has paid off. I’ve made them before a few times but I’ve never had every tray come out with no cracks/hollows. I think I might have taken a teeny shortcut or two, but not this time. Thank you ever so much for this recipe. They’re divine.
That’s fantastic Lisa
My macarons recently have been really hollow and sticking to the silicone baking mat I use. It’s so bad that the top shell just comes right off, even when I let them cool completely. Any suggestions?
Should I stop using the silicone baking mat?
It sounds like they are not cooked enough (lower the temp and cool for longer perhaps) or that you need to let them sit on the trays until they are completely cool before you remove them.
Mardi,
Thanks for your revised recipe posted March 14. I made the chocolate ones with a salted caramel buttercream filling and they are awesome. However, I want to make some that are as dark chocolate colored as the ones in this post. In a previous post (Lunch Duty Macarons) you listed 25g of cocoa powder in your shell recipe. Do you recommend increasing the 15g in this version to 25 to get the darker color? Or did you add coloring to your batter to get the dark chocolate color?
Also, if I increase the cocoa powder amount, do I need to decrease the almond flour amount? (tant por tant?)
Thanks!
Hi Susan, I used a much darker colour (Very Dark Chocolate is the name of the powdered colour) for these ones, that’s all which is why the colour is darker with less of the cocoa powder. The recipe linked in the “lunch duty macarons” post is actually a completely different recipe.
Mardi,
I have now tried the Raspberry version of the macarons and am having an issue with wet insides. Do you find that the ground up freeze-dried berries add moisture to the recipe?
I’ve tried twice now and get beautiful macs that are wet inside. Baking at a lower temp (280 and 290 degrees F) and for longer time just makes the tops brown; still wet inside. I have tried lowering the tray in the oven and also baking on a single sheet (no stacked baking sheets). They all have beautiful thin shells and feet, but their “guts” come out when I try to peel them off the parchment, even after cooling.
When I check the macs in the oven after 18 minutes, I can feel the undersides through the parchment are still wet. This last batch I lowered oven temp, pulled the baking tray out from under and went another four minutes directly on the rack! Still wet.
I think I would eventually get to inside-doneness but the tops brown too much first.
Do you ever add egg white powder to the dry ingredients to counteract added moisture. Or should I bake at a higher temp, not lower?
Thanks for any help. I’m eating all my homework!
Susan, I didn’t realise you were experimenting with the freeze dried fruit powder as well as the cocoa – it does not add moisture but it does add sugar which makes them stickier.
How about you try with NO additional flavours (that’s how I practised for months) and bake them at 320F for 14-16 minutes? That way you can figure out the oven before you add other factors into the mix.
Hi Mardi,
I followed the recipe exactly this time and they turned out great! Some of them were hollow but most of them looked good. Thanks again!
Hurrah! Practice really does make perfect. And following the recipe helps too!
Hi! I’ve never made macarons but I’m very interested in making some by following your recipe, thank you for sharing it with us. I have 3 questions and I hope to get answers from you:
-Is the recipe above your tweaked version already?
-If we’re not making chocolate macarons or raspberry flavor, what will be the substitute for cocoa or for the freeze dried raspberries?
-What do we do if we want other flavors, do we just omit the cocoa and just get the flavor from the filling?
Thank you. I hope to have sucess in my first attempt in making macarons.
1. Yes.
2. Nothing.
3. Omit the cocoa and the flavour mostly comes from the filling.
Good luck.
Hi Mardi, I keep coming back to your blog just admiring your macaron photos and re-reading your comments and tips. I’ll try making them soon. May I know if we have to add salt to the meringue like Stella of Brave Tart does? Do we have to double the pan before putting it in the oven? Do we put it in the lowest rack in the oven? Thank you.
I hope someone can help. I am trying to ship my macarons. When I make them, they come out perfect. But when they arrive after shipping, they have dark spots on them and seem to be falling apart. I have tried new packaging, but that didn’t seem to work. Any ideas?
Not sure I can be of any help here – I don’t ship my macarons. What method are you using (French/ Italian)? What are you packing them in? How long before you fill them? Maybe they need to sit for a day or so before you fill them so they are a little bit more stable when they ship? When you say “dark spots” what do you mean? And how are they falling apart?
Using french method. Using a form of blister packaging so each individual macaron is by itself. The dark spots on the shell almost look like the shell got wet, if that makes any sense. They come out perfect and when they get shipped that’s when the dark spots occur. The outside of the shell starts to crumble and they just don’t hold together. Could the filling be soaking through the shell?
I found your blog via Brave Tart’s site. My macarons are currently resting but for the first time since I tried baking these things over a year ago, they look normal! I’ve tried so many times and they never look right! I can’t wait to see how they turn out
I do have one question, can I use pasteurized eggs from a carton for this recipe? Thanks.
Hi. I stumbled across your wonderful page and am so lucky. Amazing
I have attempted these tricky little buggers with failed attempts. But as my brother and future sister-n-law want them for their wedding reception, I have to conquer my fears. My question to you is I have to travel to their wedding and would like most if not all of my deserts to be completed beforehand as I will not have a place to bake once there. I am traveling the morning before the wedding as my daughter has to be there for rehearsal. Only a 3 hour drive. What is the best way to handle the macarons? Can I bake the shells at least before I leave, and fill there the day before? Of completely assemble before I leave? I’m in a bit of a panic. TIA
Hi there, I am so glad you were able to have success making macarons
Regarding your question, I would make the shells and travel with them in an airtight container, then fill them when you get there, refrigerate overnight and bring them out to room temperature on the day. Does that work?
Thanks Mardi ☺that’s what I thought would be best. Do you know exactly how many days before I can make the shells and have them still be good to serve? I’d be traveling In a Fri morning and the meddling is on that Sat afternoon. Thanks again.
Thanks Mardi…that’s what I thought would be best. Do you know exactly how many days before I can make the shells and have them still be good to serve? I’d be traveling In a Fri morning and the meddling is on that Sat afternoon. Thanks again.
Thanks Mardi…that’s what I thought would be best. Do you know exactly how many days before I can make the shells and have them still be good to serve? I’d be traveling In a Fri morning and the meddling is on that Sat afternoon. Thanks again.
Hi Mardi,
Thank you so much for this post. Thanks to you I’ve made my first successful batch of macaroons. Your step by step instructions were very much appreciated, and I’m sure, the key to my first successful batch!
Jennifer, I just saw your post and am so glad Stella and my instructions/ recipes were able to help you out making successful macarons! Practice really DOES make perfect!