Joe Pastry - Troubleshooting Macarons

Troubleshooting Macarons

12/04/09

Troubleshooting Macarons

Filed under: Blog, Macarons— by joe @ 09:37:07 am

Macarons wouldn't be macarons if they weren't fussy things. Though they are at their core very simple little cookies, a variety of things can go wrong during their preparation, preventing them from achieving the Platonic ideal. Me, I don't see why that's the end of the world. However I confess that if mine didn't come out as I expected, I'd want to know why. So here are a few common macaron problems and their solutions.

1. No feet. This is very often the result of not allowing macarons to rest long enough before baking. Note here that macarons made via the Italian method don't need to be rested. If your Italian macarons don't have feet, it could be that your oven temperature is too low. Another possibility, of course, is over-mixing. Too many bubbles popped and the macarons didn't have the lift they needed.

2. Cracks. Very often the result of under-mixing. In other words, too many bubbles — too much air — in the macaron. The meringue gets dried out in the oven and cracks appear. Steam escapes and little if any rise occurs.

3. Runny batter. A result of over-mixing. This isn't necessarily a catastrophe. It might simply mean a thin cap with feet underneath. That's well within the bounds of a successful macaron. Bake, cool, fill and declare victory.

4. Feet that protrude sideways. This occurs when your oven is too hot. The batter at the edges of the macaron heats and expands too quickly, then explodes outward. Put the net batch on a lower rack. Some folks like to prop the oven door open slightly with a wooden spoon. The result is more even heat than the typical hot-cold cycling that goes in inside a closed oven.

Those are the biggies. Should you experience any other problems not covered here, send me an email and I'll do my best to help.

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