What exactly is a macaron? Not to be confused with a macaroon made with coconut, a macaron is a delicate mouth-watering cookie that is made with meringue, almond flour, and a variety of fillings including buttercream and jams. The recipe, invented in Italy, was brought to France in the 1500s where it then became a highly sought-after treat.
Making macarons is a craft, and with any craft practice makes perfect. To get you started, here is a list of common issues that new macaron bakers may face with tips and tricks on how you can make macarons like the pros.
Make Macarons Tip #1: Sift Dry Ingredients Thoroughly
Sifting your almond flour and confectioners’ sugar mixture before adding it to the meringue is especially important to ensure that you do not have lumps in your batter. It is also recommended that you use a fine-mesh sieve and sift more than one time to get rid of those tiny clumps.
Make Macarons Tip #2: Under Mixing and Over Mixing
Mixing the perfect batter can be kind of tricky but it an essential skill that can make or break your fragile cookies. Macaronage is the method of folding macaron batter into a consistency that pipes easily into macaron shells.
One of the biggest mistakes you can make when making macarons is under mixing your batter can cause there to be excess air which can bubble during the baking process and create cracks in the shell. Another way to get rid of some of that air trapped in your batter is to tap your baking sheet on the counter.
Just as important as undermixing, overmixing your sensitive batter can lead to a runny consistency that not only makes it harder to pipe out but can also lead to flat cookies and will not form “feet”. It is better to undermix your batter than to overmix it.
Make Macarons Tip #3: Drying Macarons
After you pipe your now perfectly mixed batter onto your tray you want to then dry or rest your batter so that they can develop a skin that is not sticky to the touch. Your cookies should not be shiny and should be more matte. Proper skin is necessary for a hardened shell and feet to form correctly after baking. High humidity should also be a factor considered in this phase as it can cause the skin not to form.
Make Macarons Tip #4: Maturing Your Cookies
Make sure that you let your shells dry all the way, fill them, and then refrigerate for 24 hours. After cooling for a day, you want to take them out of the fridge and let them get to room temperature, about 30 minutes, before eating for the perfect macaron experience. If you are having an issue with hollow shells, and the hollows are small try this method before throwing out your batch as maturing them can sometimes fix hollow cookies.
Making macarons is somewhat of an art, and for beginners, making the perfect macaron can seem like an unreachable goal but with these tips and a little practice you’ll be making impressive macarons in no time—or, you could do what most people do and buy your favorite macarons online from Macarooz.
With a variety of macaron flavors to choose from, shopping for macarons to be shipped direct to you is as easy as a push of a button.