Feet:
Perhaps the most talked about and coveted aspect in the art of macaron making. You’ll realize that once you’ve acheived macarons with feet, you don’t want just any kind of feet because each type actually reflects what kind of macaron you will have and shows the kind of mistakes you’ve made. Small unbroken feet are usually a good indication that the macaron is not hollow. Big bubbly feet usually indicates that the insides have been pushed out into the feet causing a hollow macaron.
Examples of “Good Feet”:
✓ Ruffled Feet (slight horizontal rise)
✓ Small Delicate Air Pockets in Feet (clean vertical rise)
✘ Examples of “Bad Feet”: (messy broken air pockets/detached feet, excessive horizontal rise (tall feet)/ overly developed feet, no feet)
NO HOLLOWS & Texture:
The texture of the macaron should not be super crunchy or crispy like a biscotti. Shells can turn hard from over baking so learn when to stop baking and mature your shells with a higher moisture filling if needed. Stale macarons can also turn hard so make sure to place them in an air tight container in the fridge as they are best eaten within 5-7 days.
Another coveted attribute for any macaron is the absence of hollows. When handled, hollow macarons can be easily broken because there’s a big gaping hole inside the shell. As soon as you press into it with your hands, it can easily get crushed. You do not need to fill the macaron shell and bite into it to see that it is fully set with no hollows. This should already be apparent once it cools down and you break it open to see that the shell is not hollow and the insides have not collapsed. Macaron bodies should be fully set with a nice fluffy interior and a crispy egg-shell like exterior. It’s the presence of these two contrasting textures which makes this cookie so special. Pressing the bottom of the macarons shell, thereby pushing the insides up to the top, is not the proper way of achieving no hollows. Aim for reducing hollows by baking at the correct temperature (not too low), proper meringue whipping and using the correct folding techniques.
“Puffy” Macaron
Rise:
The shells should have a healthy rise, not too puffy yet not too flat. A bloated shell that is disproportionate to the whole macaron is often hollow or conversely, dense and not as moist . Fix this by working on your folding technique and making sure that your temperature is just right.
On the flip side, a pancake like macaron is usually a sign that you’ve over mixed your batter. These aren’t too attractive so learn to judge the consistency and know when to stop folding. Remember, the batter should flow slowly like lava and fall a few times on itself like a ribbon.
Shape:
This is obvious. Macaron shells should be round. There are several reasons for oddly shaped shells including: over mixed batter, wrong piping techniques and use of parchment paper, either through improper use or just plain bad quality. Invest in a Silpat pan, it will work wonders to keep your shapes round.
Filling:
The filling should not overwhelm the overall construction of the macaron by being over stuffed or under stuffed. Pipe the filling until it reaches close to the edge of the shell but leave some room for it to expand once you assemble the macaron. The filling should not run past the the outer rim of the shell. Too much filling and it will be hard to eat it without the filling squishing out, making for one messy messy treat.
Bumpy Shells
Color:
The tops of the shell should be smooth, not too lumpy and devoid of “nipples”. Sift your almond flour well and you will have super smooth shells. Remove nipples by rapping the tray firmly against the counter after piping.
The colour of the shells should be uniformed and not spotty or browned. To avoid spotty coloring, make sure you’re introducing the gel colour into your mixture with enough time left to mix it thoroughly. As for shell browning, make sure you are using your oven correctly. Move your macarons further away from the heat source, lower the temperature or place an empty pan below or above your macarons according to your own situation. Click here to read how to use your oven properly for baking macarons.
I hope it gave you insight on what attributes to look for in an “ideal” macaron. I put that in quotes because at the end of the day, don’t forget that macarons are for eating!
XOXO,
Mimi
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Cynda says
Took my first stab at macarons, followed your recipe (all tips and tricks) and they came out looking perfect! Smooth shell, perfect feet, no cracks or hollow shells, but they were a little chewy. What should I adjust? Thank you- following your steps allowed me to have my first batch looking beautiful, no fails!!
Mimi says
I’m glad to hear that. If you brush a bit of syrup or milk on the bottom of the shells and then fill it, it will help to mature it more readily and not be so chewy. XOXO Mimi
Paul says
Hey, I have tried every single way you can possibly try. Soft peaks, hard peaks, low speed, high speed, cream of tartar, no tartar, French method, Italian method, lightly folding the mixture, no macaronage, over macaronage, connection bake, regular bake and everything in between. I only get hollow, I have never gotten anything but good to perfect looking shells that are completely hollow inside. I’ve followed so many tips, including this site. Every single time they turn out hollow, EVERY time, HOLLOW. The only thing is that I’m at altitude, almost 7,000 feet where I’m at. Do you have any more tips than what you’ve laid out in this and the perfect recipe blogs? I’m getting so tired of making inedible hollow Macarons. Terrible texture.
Mimi says
I really wish I knew more about high altitude macaron baking. As I don’t live in a high altitude, I don’t have any real hands-on experience with this that I can share. Have you read How to Avoid Hollow Macarons? At the current moment, that’s all the knowledge I can give in regards to hollows. I hope I can get some more information for you later. I’ll have to poll my readers and see if they can provide any more real-life experience on this. Also, Have you tried making the Italian meringue? Would this be more stabile? XOXO, Mimi
Monty says
And yet here you are telling everyone that no hollow macaron is the perfect macaron. You should be able to support that flat out blatant opinion and know-it-all attitude towards perfect macaron and yes even high altitude issues.,
Mimi says
Hi Monty,
I’ve always supported and cheered on bakers with all different types of macarons results. In my post on these issues, I have always made sure to state macarons are for eating afterall and not just for the aesthetics, I wrote that this is just what an “ideal” macaron should look like for those who are interested to know what attributes one should be looking for when baking them. It would be nice to have a non-hollow macaron but we don’t have to be snobs about the issue. I’ve always told my readers that it takes a long time to make macarons, a lot of love and time goes into it so we should celebrate and enjoy all types of macarons results. What works in one person’s kitchen might not work in anothers. I’ve always recognized I don’t have all the answers, I don’t live in a high altitude location so I cannot say from my own experience how to bake them in this environment. Everything I share is based on my own experiences which I provide for free to everyone online. With all that is happening in the world right now, I am dismayed that baking – something that is meant to be a sort of stress release and bring a sense of community – can bring on such negative emotions. I hope you do get your answers to high altitude baking. Best of luck.
XOXO,
Mimi
Stacey Youngblood says
Hi Mimi!
Love your troubleshooting advice! Question: How do you get a 2 tone macaron? I noticed them in on the pic with the pink/black macaron and white and black macron.
Thanks!
Stacey
Mimi says
Yes, here is the post to Gender Reveal 2 Coloured Macarons.
Macaron says
The macaron looks great
Mimi says
Thank you so much for your feedback! I hope you get a chance to make it too!
XOXO, Mimi
Lisa says
Hi Mimi,
You said to use 65g of icing sugar with cornstarch, how much cornstarch?
Mimi says
Hi, most powdered sugar in N. America already contains cornstarch. You can use any brand that lists cornstarch as an ingredient.
xoxo,
Mimi
Lisa says
Oh, ok. Good to know. I never paid attention to the ingredients listed on the icing sugar.
Mimi says
No problem. I hope it helps.
XOXO,
Mimi
Casey says
Hi Mimi, my macarons turn out perfectly in every way except for very slight browning around the top edges. The colour is the only thing I need to fix. I bake at 305F for 14 minutes, one rack lower than ‘middle’. I’ve read your posts about properly using the oven and have tried everything I could. Do you have any suggestions?
Mimi says
Hi Casey,
I think you can try a lower temp for 16-18 minutes 🙂
XOXO,
Mimi