What are common mistakes made by firs timers attempting to make macarons?
I am planning to make some macarons but know that they can be quite difficult to bake. Any tips for a first timer?
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Answers ( 1 )
1. MEASURE INGREDIENTS
Always measure all your ingredients and follow the recipe exactly. Macarons are very sensitive to changes in the recipe. Little extra egg whites do matter.
2. SIFT DRY INGREDIENTS
Always sift the dry ingredients together even if you see no lumps. If needed do it more than once but ensure your dry ingredients are well mixed.
3. GREASE FREE
Whenever you need to beat egg whites to a stiff peak it is very important that your mixer is grease-free. Any traces of grease will not let your eggs whites whip to stiff peaks.
4. MEASURE EGG WHITES
Always measure your egg whites. Why? The amount of liquid in the egg whites affects the dry or wetness of your batter. Which means if you have large egg whites you have a more liquid batter and vice versa.
5. ELECTRIC MIXER VS. MANUAL MIXING
Use an electric mixer. The meringue is a very important part of your recipe, which makes having a mixer almost a necessity. You can use any hand mixer, K-Mix, or Kitchen-Aid whichever works for you.
In fact, If you are making an Italian meringue macaron version then it's definitely a must as you have to ensure you pour hot sugar syrup while beating the egg whites constantly.
6. NO EGG YOLKS
Break your egg whites properly. It is very very important that your egg whites have no trace of egg yolk or they will not get to stiff peaks.
7. AGING EGG WHITES?
It is not necessary to age your egg whites. Most often I choose to make macarons on an impulse. Having said that, all eggs start the aging process as soon as they are out of the chicken. Honestly, when you bring them home from the market they are already in the process of aging. So don't worry about it too much unless you are collecting them right from the chicken.
8. STIFF PEAKS
Beat egg whites until they are stiff peaks but not dry. Your egg whites must hold their shape but still have a glossy sheen. If they are dry it will result in cracked shells.
9. WHIP EGGS ON LOW TO MED SPEED
When beating egg whites do not rush them at high speed. Instead, start at medium for the first three minutes. And, always add the sugar in the first two minutes not too slowly. Then beat on medium-high for the remaining time needed.
10. COLOR AND FLAVOR
Add color and flavor to your egg whites at the last minute or two of beating the egg whites. But definitely, before you add your dry ingredients. That way you won't need to over mix your batter or have a streaky batter. Use gel food color or powder colors as liquid colors will affect the consistency of the batter.
11. FOLDING / MIXING
The dry ingredients should be folded in, not mixed, and definitely not over mixed. A macaron batter is not too thick and not too runny. It's more like a thick but pourable cake batter. If you hold it up in your spatula and drop a blob down it should smooth slowly but thickly, not too easy.
That sounds weird but understanding this takes time. So don't be too hard on yourself if you don't get it right the first few times.
12. TEMPLATE
When piping macarons use a circle guide so you get them nice and evenly spaced.
13. PARCHMENT VS. SILICON MAT
Use of parchment paper or silicone mats - I have used my silicon mats and they do release easily when cooled. However, there are people who believe that the silicon mat gets the macarons to stick. I have also used parchment paper
14. TAP THE PAN
And don't forget to tap your macarons after you pipe them. Tapping the baking sheet at least a few times helps remove the trapped air pockets. If these air pockets stay in they tend to break in the oven and cause holes or lumpy macarons.
15. RESTING TIME / BAKING RIGHT WAY
Always read the recipe properly. Some recipes call for baking the shells immediately but If your recipe calls for a drying time then let your macarons dry before you bake them. Do not preheat your oven too early. Ideally, it may take 15 to 30 minutes for the skin to form. In humid places, it takes up to 45 minutes. With my recipes a 15 to 20 minutes mark is ideal.
16. BAKING TIME
Never over bake your macarons. Follow the recipe guide. Usually, the Italian meringue version says to bake between 10 to 12 minutes while the other method calls for baking for 13 to 15 minutes or even 18 mins. My recipe in my oven takes about 16 minutes. You want the macaron to set on the outside but still have the soft chewy texture on the inside.
17. BAKED SHELLS
Do not peel the macarons from the parchment immediately once they are out of the oven. Let them cool completely and they will release easily.
18. OVEN TEMPERATURE
Monitor your oven temperature. Most macarons are baked usually between 150 C /300 F to 170 C / 340 F depending on the oven type. Your macarons must not change color when you place them in the oven. If they do change color it means your oven is too hot. A very hot oven is often the cause of cracked macarons.
19. ALMOND MEAL
You can buy these commercially or make them home yourself as long as you can grind them into a dry, not oily powder. One way to ensure that is to add the powdered sugar from your recipe a little at a time when pulsing the nuts.
20. EATING / STORING
Macarons are best eaten a day or two after they are baked when they ripen. And they are best stored in the fridge. Be careful when handling the shells. It's best to store them on their side not flat. Since the shell cracks very easily. Having said that - We always eat them as soon as they are assembled.
do not open the oven door for the first 10 minutes of baking. When you shake the pan they must look set. Remember they continue to bake with the residue heat on the baking tray.
Let the macarons rest in a cool dry place for about 15 to 20 minutes so the tops will get lightly crusted.
Cool on the baking tray for at least 10 minutes before you remove and transfer them to a cooling rack.
Tip - trying to remove the macarons from the hot tray can cause the tops to separate from the bottom feet. Once you let them cool they will come off easily. So, be patient.
Here are a few pointers to help with the tips above
Hollow shells - dry meringue or batter over-mixed.
Deflated shells - opening the oven door too early or taken out of the oven before the baking time is up.
Soft-shells - undercooked - or oven temperature is too low.
Bumpy shells - undermixed batter or dry ingredients not sifted well.
Macarons have no feet - the egg whites were not beaten to stiff peaks or the batter was mixed not folded in.
Uneven or weird feet - mostly oven temperature was too high.
Cracked shells - could be a couple of reasons.Very hot oven temperature.
Too much liquid in the batter - large egg whites (hence measure egg whites).
Batter over mixed or not mixed enough leaving dry pockets.
Sticky Bottom - Under-cooked macarons - cook longer and check oven temperature.