How To Find The Best Oven Temperature For Macarons

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Learn how to find the best oven temperature to bake macarons in your home oven. This complete guide will walk you through baking times, temperatures, and troubleshooting steps.

How does oven temperature affect macarons?

In a journey to learn how oven temperature affects macaron shells, I conducted an experiment. I baked six batches of French-style macarons at different temperatures in my home conventional oven. I wanted to see how baking times and temperatures played a role in the final macaron shell.

Macarons Baked at 295°F:

From this test, we can see signs of an oven that's set too low in temperature. Since the batter remains wet for too long, steam can cause cracks in the shell.

Macarons Baked at 295°F:

Some of the cues you can look for in a macaron that tells you the oven temperature is too low includes: – A wrinkled macaron shell. – When you bite into the macaron it's too chewy, which means the egg proteins cooked for too long. – Wide macaron feet or a macaron shell that looks like it slid off the feet.

Macarons Baked at 300°F:

If you look closely at the macaron shell you'll notice some slight wrinkles or indentations on the top of the shell. This indicates that the oven temperature is still set a little too low.

Macarons Baked at 300°F:

Many recipes recommend 300°F, and that's because generally, it's a temperature that will get you decent (but not perfect) shells, so you can adjust your oven accordingly.

Macarons Baked at 305°F:

For my oven, this was a really good temperature. The baking time is always going to vary depending on the temperature you bake the macarons at.

Macarons Baked at 305°F:

Here are some cues that told me the macarons baked well: – I could see slightly raised (but not too tall) macaron feet. – The outside shell was smooth and free of wrinkles or cracks. – Once the macarons were cooled and I opened the shell, the interior was full and slightly chewy.

Macarons Baked at 310°F:

This is another temperature for my home oven that worked well. In fact, I think 310°F (154°C) got me slightly fuller shells than 305°F (152°C).

Macarons Baked at 310°F:

Conventional home ovens are going to fluctuate in temperature throughout the baking process. Since I had success with the macarons baking at both 305°F (152°C) and 310°F (154°C), I can confidently set my oven to that temperature knowing that it will fluctuate by a few degrees during the cooking process.

Macarons Baked at 315°F:

The first thing I noticed from this batch of macarons was the browned bottom. Unlike the last set of macarons baked at 310°F (154°C) that were only slightly browned, these macarons were fully browned all around the bottom of the macaron shell.

Macarons Baked at 315°F:

If your oven is just slightly too hot like mine was at 315°F (157°C), here are some things you can do to mitigate this: – Bake the macarons on two baking sheets. The air in between the two baking sheets can help with browning on the bottom shell.

Macarons Baked at 315°F:

– Prop the oven door open with a wooden spoon to allow some of the hot air to escape. – Rotate the baking sheets between the top and bottom racks. – Finally, if you've tried these tricks and are still getting overcooked macarons, try baking on the next lowest heat setting for additional time.

Macarons Baked at 320°F:

This temperature was way too hot for the macarons. Not only was the shell excessively browned, but the inside was also raw and sticky because of the quick cooking time.

Macarons Baked at 320°F:

There are a few visual signs to watch out for to know your oven is too hot: – Excessive browning on the shell. – An air pocket under the shell (hollow macarons). – Coloring on the shell has faded and appears dull.

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