15 Tips for Making & Troubleshooting Macarons

If you're frustrated with making macarons and having them turn out ruined, this guide for baking and troubleshooting macarons is for you.

With a step-by-step video tutorial for beginners, you'll be able to pinpoint the exact step you're messing up. From hollow macaron shells to cracked tops, you'll quickly be able to resolve your macaron problems.

If you've ever tried making macarons at home, you know they can be tricky and sometimes really frustrating.

We'll talk all about tips for making macarons, from troubleshooting steps like 'why are my macarons wrinkled' to tips for making sure you get the perfect batch of macarons.

Macarons are not for the weary of heart. They take time, patience, and practice. So, if you don't see the answer you need in this post, feel free to leave a comment so I can try to help you out!

If you are looking for some more specialized help with troubleshooting your macaron problems, sign up for my free macaron troubleshooting guide sent straight to your email.

There are some qualities that well-made macarons have. You'll want to try to achieve these within your own macarons:

• Crispy (not too soft) top. You don't want the top to crack when you touch it.
• Small feet with a slight vertical rise. You don't want lopsided or ruffled feet that are spread out on the sides.
• Full, slightly chewy interior. You don't want a large hollow gap between the top and bottom although this is one of the hardest things to get correct and can take some practice!
• Equal-sized top & bottom shells. You don't want small and large shells paired together to make one full macaron.

Macarons are already finicky, let alone you trying to make changes to the recipes because you don't have the correct macaron ingredients or don't have the patience to wait. Trust me, you need to follow the recipe exactly as it is written.

Some recipes are not written as well as others, so make sure you are using a high-quality recipe that's been tested many, many times. Both my Italian-style macarons and French meringue macarons are great examples of highly tested recipes.

High quality recipes are ones that walk you through the specific steps with lots of indicators of what to look for along the way.

A common question I hear is can I substitute almond flour when making macarons? No.

Similar to other baking products, you cannot simply substitute for another type of flour. Each type of flour has a specific texture, protein percentage, and purpose. You need almond flour for this recipe.

If you're interested in learning more about the science behind each ingredient, check out this article about the ingredients used for macarons.

Measuring the ingredients by weight is an absolute necessity for making macarons. You cannot get a consistent batch of macarons by measuring with volume (with measuring cups).

Measuring by weight is really the only way to get the same amount of each ingredient every single time. Kitchen scales are a very cheap investment and will definitely be necessary if you're going to continue baking macarons.

Oven temperature plays a huge role in your macarons. Even adjusting your oven temperature by 5°F (3°C) can make the difference between ruined macarons and perfect macarons.

If your oven is too hot, the macarons will crack, become brown, or develop large ruffled feet. While an oven that's too cool will result in wrinkled or indented macarons.

There's really no way to know exactly how hot your oven is getting without a thermometer. Oftentimes, the digital reader on the oven is not 100% accurate.

In addition, it takes a while when preheating the oven for it to reach the proper temperature. An oven thermometer will help you dial in the oven to the exact temperature you need.

If you're struggling with the proper oven temperature to bake your macarons, check out my oven temperature experiment to help you find the best temperature for your home oven.

Unfortunately, due to the capabilities of home conventional ovens, you have to test the temperature to get your macaron shells perfect.

Most recipes suggest baking macarons anywhere from 275°F (135°C) – 325°F (163°F). I'd suggest starting out at 300°F (149°C) and adjusting from there.

You can always test out baking a few macarons, so you don't ruin a whole batch. Remember to always use an oven thermometer to ensure the oven is heating properly.

I should also mention, fine-tuning your oven temperature is one of the best ways to prevent hollow macarons. You can see more about how I experimented to find the best oven temperature for macarons.

Did you know that any fat residue or oil on your bowls or beaters will ruin the meringue? Fats interfere with the aeration of the egg whites.

Since meringue is such an integral part of macarons, you have to get this step right to make a successful macaron shell.

Plastic bowls tend to hold oil. So instead, opt instead for a glass or metal bowl.

Just to be sure there's no oil, wipe everything down with white vinegar before you begin using it. Acids are not bad for meringue. In fact, they actually help stabilize the egg whites.

You can learn more about the various types of meringue and the science behind making meringue.

The key to smooth macarons is sifting the almond flour and confectioners' sugar. Without this, you'll get lumpy macarons with raised dots on top instead of a nice, smooth shell.

Some people like to sift the mixture two to three times to ensure a smooth finished product. You'll need a fine mesh stainer for this process.

If you need help pushing the almond flour and confectioners' sugar through the mesh strainer, you can use a silicone spatula to help push it through.

Just don't force big lumps through the mesh strainer. Those are the pieces we are trying to weed out during this process. Any large pieces should go in the trash.

In order to make a successful meringue, make sure to start out with room-temperature eggs.

Egg whites foam best at room temperature (around 70°F - 80°F). Be sure to take the egg whites out of the refrigerator, and allow them to come to room temperature before making meringue.

Also, make sure you add cream of tartar to the egg whites before you begin beating the mixture.

Cream of tartar helps stabilize the egg whites. You'll need 2 teaspoons (10 grams) of cream of tartar for every 1 pound (480 grams) of egg whites.

You'll notice many problems with macarons that come from under-whipped meringue (cracks, soft shells, hollows) as well as from over-whipped meringue (ruffled feet, hollows). That's why it's so important to achieve stiff peaks when making meringue.

If you're a visual learner, you can check out this video for an example of French meringue stiff peaks. There are also some indicators that you can look for to know you've reached stiff peaks:

• You'll notice the meringue starts to ball up inside the whisk while it's mixing.
• Pull the whisk out of the mixer. A stiff peak should stand straight up (no curl at the tip).
• You can see pointy off-shoots of egg whites on the whisk when you pull it out of the mixer.
• You can fully flip the bowl over and nothing moves or falls out.
• The meringue feels sturdy (not flimsy). You can use your whisk attachment to stir the meringue and see how sturdy it feels.
• The egg whites hold the indentation that the whisk makes as it's whipping.

No matter what type of meringue you make (French, Italian, or Swiss), you're always looking for stiff peaks.

Macaronage is a term that refers to folding the dry macaron ingredients (almond flour and confectioners' sugar) into the meringue. This process smooths the mixture and helps the macarons bake with proper structure.

During this stage, we're looking for a lava-like consistency.

You can test this by lifting your spatula and seeing if the batter drops almost like lava. Once it drops off the spatula, the batter that was dripped should fade back into the batter within 10 - 15 seconds (not immediately).

There's really not a set time for how long you need to macaronage. It all depends on the recipe, your specific ingredients and environment, and even the amount of batter you are baking. It's all about the feel of the batter.

When in doubt, it's better to under macaronage by a little since the batter will continue to be worked in the piping bag.

You can take a look at these French macarons for a visual example of perfectly macaronaged batter versus under or over macaronaged batter.

In order to color or dye your macarons, you'll want to use gel food coloring or powdered coloring. The liquid-based food coloring will not work as it will add too much liquid and cause your batter to be the incorrect consistency.

When you're adding gel food color to your macaron mix, be sure to do so slowly. Too much food coloring can cause your macaron batter to have problems later.

Only add a few drops of coloring at a time until the desired color is reached.

Air bubbles can form in the macaron shells simply from the mixing and piping process. It's completely normal.

However, the air bubbles can also cause the macaron shells to crack during the baking process.

To prevent this, firmly bang the sheet pans on the counter to remove any air bubbles. Don't worry, you won't damage the macarons by doing this!

Slamming the pans on the counter allows the excess air to rise to the top of the macarons. With a toothpick, pop any air bubbles that have risen to the top of the macarons.

It's important to allow your macarons to rest on the counter until they've formed a skin.

Typically, you'll need to allow the shells to rest for about 45 - 60+ minutes on the counter until a skin has formed on top. If you live in a humid climate, this may take up to 90+ minutes.

To test that the macarons are ready to bake, you can feel the shells and visually inspect the macarons. Here's what to look for:

• The shells appear matte in color (not shiny like when you first piped them).
• They are dry to the touch. You should be able to run your finger along the top of the shell without making an indent.
• When you gently and lightly push down on the macaron shell, you can feel some resistance and no mark is left.

If you live in a humid climate, it's very likely you're not resting the macaron shells long enough. Try running the air conditioning or a dehumidifier in your kitchen to take some of the moisture out of the air.

If you're having trouble with this, check out my tips for how to fix macarons that aren't drying.

Both of these tools help to ensure even heat distribution. Play around to see which one you prefer.

You will get different results with each of the products, so test them out and see what gets you the most consistent results with your oven.

Personally, I've found that parchment paper gets me the most consistent results in my personal home oven.

If you use parchment paper, you'll also want a macaron template to help you make the perfect-sized macarons every time! You can grab my free printable macaron template.

If your recent batch of macarons turned out incorrectly and had small feet, cracked tops, or even hollow shells, check out this troubleshooting guide or check out the questions below to help you remedy the specific problem you're having.