# French Macarons- Driving me insane!! Please help!



## lynnthebaker (Jan 3, 2014)

Hi,

I recently started making macarons from scratch and I've tested multiple recipes using the French method.  I finally found a recipe that is not too sweet, since all the other macaron recipes are too sweet for my taste.  I am using the Laduree Recipe:

275g  ground almonds
250g confectioners (icing) sugar
210g egg whites
210g granulated sugar
 

My macarons look perfect- the shel is smooth and I have small feet.  BUT they are so hollow! the shell on top is crispy with a huge air pocket underneath.  The inside of the macarons sink to the bottom and it looks like it is uncooked when I break them oven.  If I bake for longer time, they brown.

I am using a commercial convection oven that has 4 racks. I am baking at around 255*-270*.  The reason why I am baking so low is because I don't want it to brown.  The top rack of my oven is the hottest and I am baking the macarons in the middle of the oven with an empty pan on top.

I've tried everything- parchment vs silpat, undermix vs overmix, mixing the egg whites less, etc.  They are hollow!  I am guessing its my oven temperature.  I read around different blogs and 300* sees like the best temp?  I've read that the oven may be too hot that is why the inside is not cooking fast enough for the shell to rise.  So does that mean I need to decrease my oven temp?  I am already cooking at a low temp.  I bought an oven thermometer to see how accurate my oven temp is.

I am making 1.5 inch macarons and 3 inch macarons (for ice cream sandwiches) and they are all hollow.  I am unsure of the correct temp and baking times.

Please help!  I may have to try the Italian method, but boiling sugar syrup seems like it is more work than French method.

These little cookies are driving me nuts!

Thanks in advance


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## rlyv (Oct 28, 2005)

Yeah, they can be a nightmare.  I've made them for years, and I still have days they won't work.  

I'm not sure about that recipe, I have the book, but haven't tried it.  But, most of the ones I've used have more sugar than almond meal.  I know you are shooting for less sweet, but it could effect it.  I use the French method because to me it's less sweet than the Italian.  And, I feel the Italian makes a harder shell.  

You could try double panning, starting the oven temp higher for the first 5 mins, then lower it.  I used to do that in one oven I used.  And we would prop the door open slightly too when we lowered the temp.  This was all a big process the pastry chef I worked with then came up with so they would work.  And for the most part it did.

This is a recipe I've used recently:

130 g almond flour

160 g confectioner's sugar

80 g granulated sugar

100 g egg whites, room temp (you can "age" them if you want, I usually have egg whites hanging around at work that are old, so I don't worry about it)

pinch of salt

Color

Grind almond flour and conf. sugar in a cuisinart for about 3 mins.  Sift to remove any larger bits of almonds.  If you sift out too much almond flour, grind again and sift.  

Whip whites and salt until foamy, gradually add sugar and whip to stiff peaks. Add color if using.

Fold in almond mixture.  

Pipe on silpat and let dry 10-20 mins.  Double pan and bake at 350 for 5 mins.  Prop oven door open slightly and bake until done.

The oven I use now at work doesn't give me any trouble when I make them.  I bake everything at 300 because it runs really hot.  But, I just throw a double pan in, and let them go until they are done.  

It takes a lot of trial and error with these stupid things, along with a lot of wasted almond flour (which is the worst part!)  Maybe some of what I've mentioned will help.


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## lynnthebaker (Jan 3, 2014)

Hi,

Thanks for your reply.  Is that recipe from the Lauree book?  It is so hard for me to find a recipe that is not super sweet.  Thanks for your advice


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## rlyv (Oct 28, 2005)

No it's not.  I haven't tried Laduree's recipe.


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## nicko (Oct 5, 2001)

Posting only to call in the one person I consider an expert on the subject. @bonbini Hopefully she will respond.


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## flipflopgirl (Jun 27, 2012)

I drove myself crazy until I found this blog.

Was kinda liberating....

Go here http://bravetart.com/ and search macaron.

It still took me a few more times but then something clicked.

I am not by any means a master macaron baker but more often than not I am a pretty alright macaron baker.

mimi


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## bonbini (Feb 18, 2007)

In my experience:

- For commercial convection oven, I get better result when I bake them around 285-300 degrees, definitely not under 285 degrees.

- Too much air will cause hollow shells. Making sure to deflate all the air in the batter when folding in the meringue.

- The thiner the mat, the higher the foot. This means parchment paper will give a higher foot, compare to silicone mat.

- For 1.5" macarons, I normally bake them at 300 degrees for 10-13 minutes. For bigger macarons, I stay with the same oven temperature but bake them longer. If they're 3", I'd say bake for 13-15 minutes.

Hope this helps.


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## kellybelly (Dec 6, 2012)

Ground almonds and almond flour are two very different things. Could this be the problem?


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## rlyv (Oct 28, 2005)

KellyBelly said:


> Ground almonds and almond flour are two very different things. Could this be the problem?


I always use almond flour, and grind it anyway. The only thing I see is that if it's not fine enough, they are bumpy. But, I don't think it would cause a problem with the gap.


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## flipflopgirl (Jun 27, 2012)

Lynne you did not say if you reduced the amt of sugar in your recipe.
However...if you did reduce in order to decrease the sweetness this could be the problem.
The amt of each ingredient is there to give structure.
Yes the shells rise but having reduced the structure, as it cools the interior will collapse...causing a void space.

mimi

Try adding more salt as this will mask some of the sweetness.
I also add a tiny amt of a vanilla/butter flavoring emulsion.
My macs taste sweet and buttery.

m.


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## papaulopexz (Feb 20, 2014)

Hi, i know that macarons is hard to do, but you can check my blog for a macaron recipe, in my blog, i did share the technique on french macarons. Feel free to comment if you have done the macarons in success. thanks. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif PM for a link to my blog


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## someday (Aug 15, 2003)

You could also be overbeating your egg whites.


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## macaron (Feb 14, 2013)

hi

I would love to see your blog please

thanksssss


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## helloitslucas (Apr 8, 2013)

I really, really think people overthink Macarons. They are my favourite thing to make just because of the process. Very soothing! First thing I learned is take your almond meal/flour (regardless of how fine you think it looks, it isn't fine enough) and grind it to hell in your food processor. They come out perfectly every time since I've started doing that. Here are my latest batch:





  








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Here is a great link for beginners:


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## lynnthebaker (Jan 3, 2014)

Thanks everyone for your responses. I recently tried making macarons using the Italian method and they look great and aren't hollow BUT the bottom of the macaron lifted off the Silpat and cracked. See photos

Is it weird that when I use my large kitchen aid mixing bowl, the egg whites don't mix properly when I make a smaller batch?when I poured the sugar syrup and whipped the egg whites for tens mins, I didn't get soft peaks- it was like a marshmallow creme that was a bit thin. I piped 3 inch size and baked at 275 for 19 mins. In the oven I saw the feet lift up from Silpat




  








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## flipflopgirl (Jun 27, 2012)

lynne maybe the wisk cannot get all the way into the small amt of whites at the bottom.

Mine gets out of wack sometimes...just means that I have been hard at work lol.

Get your manual out and see how to lift it.

Not too high tho 'cuz then you may get some greying (caused by friction).

Your blue macs look ok to me...IMO the problems were caused by the large size.

Try baking longer (for better release).

I always make a few extra to sacrifice to testing.

If the shell sticks a bit I give them a few more min and recheck.

mimi

I agree with Lucas.

It is just a cookie confection that has been placed on the altar of the pastry gods.

Sooo much competition and bickering over how to achieve perfection.

I for one will be happy when everyone gets bored and moves on to the NEXT BIG THING.

m.


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## flipflopgirl (Jun 27, 2012)

flipflopgirl said:


> lynne maybe the wisk cannot get all the way into the small amt of whites at the bottom.
> 
> Mine gets out of wack sometimes...just means that I have been hard at work lol.
> 
> ...


OOPSIE.

The first few sentences were about your stand mixer lol.

Seem to have a bit of vaca brain melt.

mimi


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## lynnthebaker (Jan 3, 2014)

Thanks for the reply and advice. Before I switched to the Italian method, I used the French method and never had this issue of cracked bottoms.

It is the weirdest thing- the top and edges looks perfect! Not hollow and the texture is perfect when you bite into it. But half of it sticks to the silpat and cracks on the very bottom.

I rotate my pans in the oven so I don't think my oven has uneven heat distribution.


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## dessertation (Mar 6, 2014)

This was a very informative thread! I am new here and trying to master macarons  Thanks!


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## goldilocks (May 21, 2013)

I am glad I am not the only person who's struggled with this. I was damn sure I wasnt going to give in, and finally on my 7th attempt RESULT! For 2 weekends in a row I've cracked it! I followed Ottolenghi's basic recipe and then fudged my own orange version.

Lime & basil with lime & basil filling (very nice combo although I think I need to use a more punchy basil as you get more of the lime than the basil coming through)





  








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Orange with orange filling





  








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I am not at all keen on the heavy buttery fillings though. Does anyone know of a nice good alternative? The recipe I followed is basically almost all butter with a bit of icing sugar thrown in. it was gross, so i added tones more icing sugar and that helped a bit, but it ended up being more like a buttercream frosting.

Thanks very much /img/vbsmilies/smilies/biggrin.gif

Goldi


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## flipflopgirl (Jun 27, 2012)

Those Are So Cute!

Great job Goldi !

Macarons are all about the whole experience ( more than the individual components) as after a day or so each little "petit four" has melded into one main flavor with notes/accents that linger on the palate (which is the whole point anyway).

I mostly use a small dollop of buttercream or ganache or a smear of a really good berry jam

Not surprised (of your success) as IMO you Brits have the "original" (for you Frenchies, yes you too) pastry gene that has been shared with America's original immigrants and from there watered down to varying degrees as everyone else jumped into the "melting pot" we all came from.

I have a field trip for you Goldi...

The next time you need out of the city go visit the Squires (pastry and confection Mecca of my world lol) shop.

I am forever on the website http://www.squires-shop.com/uk checking out ingredients and studying pix.

Trying to replicate the new products and designs...check out the matte pastel royal icing for me.

We all want what is just out of our reach and to step over the Squires shop threshold is definitely out of my reach (in the near future anyway lol).

If you have not already been that is.

mimi

# Good grief...rambling again!


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## flipflopgirl (Jun 27, 2012)

Goldi....show me your icing recipe so I can (possibly) recommend another.

I see you used the macaron "mold".

Do you think it made the big difference in your success?

mimi


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## goldilocks (May 21, 2013)

Hi mimi,

I can't tell you how pleased I was to have cracked it. Past efforts were a bit of a disaster /img/vbsmilies/smilies/eek.gif :





  








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My first 2 attempts were on baking paper but I dont have photos of those, and they were all hollow shells. I then bought the silicone mats, and again as you can see failed. I'm not sure if it has made a difference or if I have just got better at the process. I have read somewhere that you get smaller feet using a mat than you would piping directly onto paper. I am going to give it a try on paper to compare the difference. I like the mats but they're a bum to look after and clean, literally everything sticks to them if you're not careful!

I really like your buttercream and jam combo. That sounds lovely. I've made choc ganache before and will use that for choc macarons, I also thought I'd try making some strawberry flavoured macarons and fill them with choc ganache. YUM! Lots of playing and experimentng to be done!

Thank you for the link to Squires, I've never come across that shop before. They're in Surrey so when I'm out on one of my long weekend exploring jaunts in the summer I shall make sure I track them down and will report back. They have some lovely things on their website, it looks like the kind of shop I could happily spend hours in. I have a store in my hometown which is like that, I can browse and want to buy everything in there (sadly they're quite expensive) http://www.trevormottram.co.uk/ - not much on there but looks like its in production.

Thanks for offering to look at the buttercream recipes for me. I dont have them with me, however when I'm at home tonight I'll post them. Thanks so much for your help /img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif

Goldi


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## paperno (Feb 19, 2014)

Hello Lynnthebaker,

It seems that you are doing all the right things. But allow me to make an inventory of methods that make my macarons work:

1. Temp: 140 C = 290 F

2. Oven: slightly open (1") to let the moisture out

3. Almond powder is made fine (blend+sift)

4. Egg whites are beaten until firm without sugar

5. Sugar is added to whipped whites little by little at the intervals 

6. Almond mix is folded in meringue carefully, only after the thorough mix is allowed

7. Tap the tray with piped macarons to let the air out (lift and drop motion)

I only use greaseproof paper. 

It is important to have your egg whites whipped well before adding sugar, and in order to keep them firm and stiff sugar has to be added small quant. at a time.

You can also let almond powder and sugar mature for 2-3 days to develop flavour. 

Hope it helps.


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## goldilocks (May 21, 2013)

flipflopgirl said:


> Goldi....show me your icing recipe so I can (possibly) recommend another.
> 
> I see you used the macaron "mold".
> 
> ...


Hi mimi

This is the buttercream recipe for the lime and basil.

100g unsalted butter, room temperature

45g icing sugar

zest of 1 lime, and juice

5 large basil leaves, finely chopped

Thanks for taking a look for me.

Goldi


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## flipflopgirl (Jun 27, 2012)

Toss that recipe in the circular file and toss a match in with it (although keep that flavor profile IMO sounded divine).
Really...Goldi!
If you have become proficient enough to work with meringue and folding techniques required for a mac shell, you can easily handle a Italian buttercream!
If I remember correctly Petals posted a source for Italian bc the other day.
It is in this thread....
[thread="79846"][/thread]
Hope that helped!

mimi


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## kaneohegirlinaz (Apr 24, 2011)

yupper mimi, that link that petals posted is _un~be~liev~a~ble!_

I'm so excited to try it!


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## dobzre (Mar 3, 2011)

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Hate macarons... but we must press on! The people demand them!


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## kaneohegirlinaz (Apr 24, 2011)

@Dobzre what? But why? I got my first taste of a macaron just a little while ago and I'm hooked.

Not that I have enough talent to make one, but, YUM!


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## lynnthebaker (Jan 3, 2014)

Using the italian method, I haven't been resting or tapping my macarons.  I pipe them onto the silicone mat and stick them straight in the oven.  Some of my macarons have small air bubbles and with the advice of Bonbini (thank you!) she advised that I tapped the pan prior to baking to release some of the air bubbles.  I will try it this weekend.  I am still unsure as to why the macarons stick to the and crack on the bottom.  I even tried lightly spraying the mat with spray oil, then I wiped it with paper towel.  It still did not do anything.


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## goldilocks (May 21, 2013)

flipflopgirl said:


> Toss that recipe in the circular file and toss a match in with it (although keep that flavor profile IMO sounded divine).
> Really...Goldi!
> If you have become proficient enough to work with meringue and folding techniques required for a mac shell, you can easily handle a Italian buttercream!
> If I remember correctly Petals posted a source for Italian bc the other day.
> ...


Thanks mimi, that was Ottolenghi's recipe, I've never made buttercream like that before. I really didn't like it!!

I'll check that out, thanks


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## flipflopgirl (Jun 27, 2012)

Enjoy!


The butter (and Crisco) plus 10X, plus flavoring concoction has been tagged American Buttercream.


Here in south Texas the ambient (spring, summer and most of fall) weather is hot and humid.


But EVERYONE wants to have their celebrations outside or in a barn, the beach houses with big fires on the sand...


Virtual nitemare for the more delicate cakes and icings.


I keep a recipe in my hip pocket that utilizes high ratio shortening.


In order to keep the bc from softening and sliding down the sides of an "outdoors" cake I use various amts of this product depending on the humidity level. Beaten together with a good butter and 10X and various oils and emulsions, this bc recipe will stay in place much longer and is also safe to consume.


Decent flavor and def a better mouthfeel.



mimi



OBTW....I am using that lime and basil profile for my Easter cake.


Do you ever work with culinary lavender?


Awesome infused into Meyer variety lemonades.



m.


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## cookie2545 (Mar 18, 2014)

Can macaroons bake on a whoopie pie pan? And must they always be piped?


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## jcakes (Feb 18, 2007)

Cookie2545 said:


> Can macaroons bake on a whoopie pie pan? And must they always be piped?


A whoopie pie pan might not be non-stick, a non stick surface is going to be a huge help in getting them off the pan after baking  Depending on the size of the pan indents, they might be too big for macaron - if you make a large shell, there's more of a chance for cracking. Piping helps to control the thickness/size of them whereas spooning them out might give you an unlevel shell; I've honestly never not piped macaron. I've used spoons to shape meringue (like a kiss shape or a pavlova shell) but that batter is much, much stiffer than macaron batter.


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## black dog (Mar 26, 2014)

Hi folks.

First of all, I apologize for the length of this post! 

To introduce myself, I am not a professional chef, just a TOC which stands for (Trouble obsessionnel culinaire!).

I am old school, passionate about very ancient recipes and following the great masters such as Escoffier, Careme, Savarin, Fernand Point etc etc, but also very much into the likes of the Roca brothers, Grant Achatz and Heston Blumenthal etc.

I am persuaded that if Escof and Careme had got their hands on modern techniques like Nitrogen Oxide for making ice creams etc, it would have blown their collective minds.

I have a long list of preparations that I am determined to master, and one particular "bete noire" has been the Holy Grail:

The Macaron.

Many of you seem to talk about French Macarons. I did not know that there was any other kind. Macaroons, or Amaretti are Italian.

My first Macaron attempts actually came out really well about 3 years ago, but since then, no matter how hard I tried, each and every attempt ended in failure, cracked shells, no feet, very bloody depressing!!!

Hours and hours spent drying out and sieving my almond powder, then re-sieving with the icing sugar etc etc etc

BUT, finally, I have had my Eureka moment!

I figured out that my meringues were pretty good, and what are macarons? they are just fancy meringues really.

I found a recipe by Pierre Herme, who, like Christophe Michalak, is one the world's greatest patissiers.

There are hundreds of recipes for macarons, cooked at various temperatures, but this one works for me. Every time!

I like to stick to the given percentages of the ingredients, thus it is easy to make as much, or as little, as you want.

You just divide the amounts by 10%, 20%, 50% depending on how many you want to make.

First of all.

*Macarons don't like damp atmospheres, so don't do ANY washing up, at all, when you are making your macarons.*

*A. *

*Tant pour Tant. *

Ingredients:

300g fine sieved Almond powder, 300g sieved Icing Sugar, = 600g Tant pour Tant
110g egg white Freshly separated and at room temperature. (This is about 18.5% by weight).

Method:

Measure out 300g of sieved almond powder, plus 300g sieved icing sugar, and wizz them together in the Magimix, then add the fresh egg whites and wizz again to a sticky paste.

Add your powder, or paste colouring, or coffee, melted chocolate, lemon zest, or some jam, whatever, wizz again, and it's ready for the meringue.

Note: You can chase your tail shopping around for expensive, ultra fine almond powder, but the wizzing in the Magimix with the icing sugar really does make a very fine powder, which definetly gets the job done.

*B.*

*The Meringue *

Note: You can, if you prefer, make a French meringue, by beating the egg whites to a mousse and gradually adding the castor sugar, but I like to make Italian meringue. It's easy and the mix is very stable because the egg whites are partially cooked by the hot syrup.

*Italian Meringue*

Syrup ingredients:

300g castor sugar.
75g water = 25%.

(This Syrup = about (68.5% by weight) of the Tant pour Tant paste.)

Method:

Put the sugar in the pan, add the water and let the sugar dissolve a bit.

Start heating and if there are any grains of sugar on the side of the pan, use a wet pastry brush to wipe them down.

This helps to stop any possibility of crystallization.

Heat the syrup to 118c.

(Important to take the syrup off the heat at about 116c as the temp rises v quickly, and you do need a decent sugar thermometer for this).

Egg white ingredients:

110g Aged egg white (which is about 29.5% by weight), of the syrup.

Drop of lemon juice

Grain of sea salt.

Note: The meringue egg whites should be at room temperature and preferably be Aged.

I separate the eggs about 4 days before and age them in a container in the fridge.

Egg whites are composed of 90% water and 10% protein. As the egg whites age the water in them evaporates and this makes for a very sticky egg white and exceedingly good meringue.

Some say aging it isn't necessary. Some, usually in the US, say it is dangerous.

I say, if that is what Pierre Herme and Christophe Michalak do, who am I to argue? These guys make world famous macarons.

Anyhow, if we listened to the US Food and Drug Administration we would not be able to eat anything, except Big Macs and Hot Dogs etc

Method:

You want your egg whites to be beaten to a soft mousse so that they are ready as soon as the sugar syrup has got to 118c, so,

while the syrup is heating, start gently beating your egg whites, with a drop or two of lemon juice, plus a grain of sea salt.

Slow the whisk down and pour the hot syrup on to the egg white mousse, where it meets the edge of your bowl, in one steady stream.

Continue to beat, increasing the speed, until the temp falls to 50c and the Italian meringue is shiny and has a good "bec d'oiseau". You can not over beat this and the meringue is very stable.

*C.*

*The Macaronage:*

Fold in the meringue gently, starting by adding one third, so as to soften up your sticky paste, and then the rest, turning the meringue over and over from the bottom, into the mix. It should be shiny and slightly runny, gently falling from your spatula.

Now into your piping bag and pipe out, holding the nozzle at 90 degrees, squeeze out a 3 cm circle. Release by making a little circular motion with the nozzle as you lift it away. Use good quality baking paper on the shiny side.

You've piped them out, now Tap the tray two or three times on the table top to release any bubbles which might be there. 

It is a good idea to pipe out one row, and then pipe the next row diagonally, then the next row like the first and so on. This gives them more room as they flatten and spread slightly on the baking paper and less risk of them touching each other.

Note: No need to bother with any special macaron mats with the printed raised circles. Waste of time and money.

You can make small 2 cm macarons, or big 5 cm macarons (if for example, you want a fancy macaron with a butter cream in the middle and fresh raspberries around the edge).

You can even make a large 20 cm base for a cake, or dessert, by simply piping the preparation out in a spiral, starting in the center and going round and round until you have the size of base you need.

In fact you can pipe out heart shapes, or tears or whatever. You are only limited by your imagination.

*D.*

*Resting, *or as the French say, forming a *Croute.*

*Le Croutage is Hyper important.*

Leave your macarons for between twenty or thirty minutes, more if necessary, to rest, forming a Croute.

Basically, this means that when you gently touch one with your finger, it should no longer be sticky.

This is what will form the crunchy shell and give those lovely feet as they bake.

Do not be tempted to put them in the oven before the croute has formed.

*E.*

*Baking.*

I put a metal baking tray in the oven to preheat it. Then I gently slide the baking paper and macarons on to the hot tray and quickly into the oven. This gives a thermal shock which also helps the cooking process.

Bake at 145c/150c in the middle of the oven for 12 to 15 minutes.

****** After 10 minutes the shells should have risen showing large feet.*
Using a wooden spoon, prop the oven door open a crack to let out any moisture so that the shells dry a little, keeping their feet.

Test.
Gently touch the shells to test them. They should not move, so they are ready to come out.

Slide the baking paper and macarons off your metal baking tray onto a rack to cool, completely, before removing them from the baking paper.

*F.*

*Filling*

Whatever, jelly, butter cream, or ganache you are using can and should, be made the day before and left over night in the refrigerator so that it has time to set.

Once the macarons are completely cold and gently removed from the baking paper, delicately pipe your cream on to the center of one shell, leaving a space around the edge. Now push the second shell onto the filling with a gentle twisting motion.

Keep them in the fridge, in an air tight container for 24/48hrs so they can deveop their flavours, before eating, for the very best results.........OK!.....You can have one!....If you must!

*For Chocolate Macarons*
185g Almond flour, 185g Icing sugar
70g egg white 18.92%
60g (Lindt 70%) chocolate 13.63%

Good chocolate is much much better than using good cocoa powder. The taste and mouthfeel is far superior, (I always think cocoa powder makes them taste like the hot chocolate drink).

Melt the chocolate and keep warm.
When the Italian meringue is ready, quickly pour the melted chocolate into the Tant pour Tant egg white paste and wizz in the Magimix thoroughly and immediately fold in the Italian meringue.

All of the above may seem like a lot to remember and a lot of work, BUT, once you do it a few times it all becomes second nature and very easy.

Finally, for those, passionate about their food like myself, there are very good magazines out there which provide examples and detailed recipes for all sorts dishes, prepared on a professional level.

Recently, I discovered "Fou de Patisserie", Crazy about Pastry, in which you will find recipes from top French chefs like Michalak, along with all the info you need about the techniques and tricky to find special ingredients.

If you look at the cakes, tarts and desserts these guys make and find yourself saying: " Bloody Hell, How did he do that!", then

Fou de Patiserie is the must have magazine.

Sorry, I don't know if they offer it in English, but Hey, you can practice your French at the same time as learning how to cook like a star!

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