Save yourself from macaron madness! If you are having issues with your feet, have wrinkly shells, brown shells, hollow shells or anything else, check out our troubleshooting guide quick-smart! We'll get you to be a macaron master in no time!
This is a common problem with under-mixing. Try continuing the macaronage process for a bit longer until your batter is smooth and flowing. Check it's the right consistency by dropping some mixture off the spatula and into the rest of the mixture in the bowl. Make sure it disappears back into the batter after 10-15 seconds.
This could be due to either the oven temp being too low, resting the shells too long or the tray being too far from the heat source. Try changing these aspects one at a time until you get a better result. If you’re using baking trays with tall sides, try turning them upside down so you have better air-flow in the oven.
This could be due to a number of reasons, including not resting them long enough, the batter being under-mixed, the oven temperature being too high or the meringue being under-whipped. As above, try adjusting slightly one of these aspects at a time until you get a better result.
This is probably the most common macaron issue people face, unfortunately this is also one that is not an easy one to answer, as it could be from a multitude of reasons. Try adjusting slightly until the result changes. It could be because of the batter being over or under mixed, resting too long, the oven temp being too high or too low, or the shells being under-baked. Keep in mind, small hollows are not an indication of a macaron failure, as they will usually resolve themselves during the maturation process.
For more on hollows: https://www.piesandtacos.com/hollow-macarons/
Most commonly this will be because of the oven you’re using is heating unevenly. You might find that either the back or the front, or even one side of the oven, is hotter than the other. To fix this issue, try rotating your shells during baking. It's recommended to only rotate once halfway through the bake, so that the heat is evenly distributed.
If this issue still occurs, do your trays have walls? If so, try using your baking trays upside down to allow for better air-flow. Also ensure you are not using fan-forced heating.
Usually caused by over-baking. Try reducing oven temp, or the time that you are baking. You should be able to tell the macarons are done when you can touch the top of the shell and attempt to ‘jiggle’ it and it doesn’t move.
If you’re attempting white or pastel colour shells, and they’re browning too much and you aren’t over-baking, you can gently place some foil over the tray after about 7 mins or so in the oven. By this point they’ve baked enough that the foil won’t stick. This still allows for air-flow, but blocks some of the direct heat from browning the shells too much.
Under-baking is usually the cause of this. The macarons haven’t had a chance to bake and adhere properly. This could be a time issue, or an oven temperature issue. Try baking longer, doing the jiggle test to make sure they’re done or increasing the temperature. If this is still happening, it may be due to over-mixing.
This is common when adding cocoa powder to your shells (which is why it’s recommended to try regular macarons first). Too much cocoa powder adds extra moisture and oils into your shells, which can cause the wrinkling. It may be also a case of oily almond meal. If the brand you are using is too oily, try baking it in the oven first to dry it out before making macarons with it.
As above, this is usually because of excess oils and moisture in your macarons. If you’ve used cocoa powder, it could be that it’s too oily, or alternatively your almond meal is too oily. As above try drying out your almond meal first. If it’s not due to these, it could be because of over-mixed or under baked macarons.
This could be a result of using cornstarch (or cornflour). Make sure that the icing sugar you are using is PURE icing sugar and not a blend like icing mixture. If you’re using pure icing sugar and having this issue, it could also be due to the meringue being under whipped or the macarons being under baked.
Usually this is an indication that your oven temperature is too high. Try dropping it down a few degrees at a time. This can also be caused by not resting your macarons long enough (you’ll see they don’t have feet) or the meringue being under-whipped. A few of the less common reasons for this can be because of the tray being too close to the heat source, too much food colouring (additional moisture in the shells) or using a dark baking tray (much like the high oven temp, this is affected because darker trays retain more heat).
If your macarons are crunchy, it’s usually due to the oven being too hot. Try reducing the temperature a few degrees. It can also be caused by over-mixed batter or too much food colouring (remember, too much moisture is your enemy here!)
Macarons are tricky, and even when you've been baking them for years, they can still go wrong! But when they go right, they are heavenly! Keep practising, and if you need help eating all the "dodgy" ones, we are all happy to help here at LCS!