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| Macarons Did Not Develop Feet: |
| – Macaron shell is too “wet” due to humidity or ingredients themselves had too much moisture FIX: turn on range-hood fan while letting macarons dry, turn on dehumidifier, use “aged” egg whites, avoid use of liquid colouring. |
| – A skin did not develop before shells were put into the oven FIX: wait at least 30 minutes AND until a “skin” has developed before placing macarons in the oven. It should have a dull matte finish. |
| – Baking Temperature Too Low FIX: Increase temperature to allow shell to develop properly. |
| – Poorly Beaten or Broken Meringue FIX: Use some cream of tartar or salt to stabilize meringue while beating. Use a clean oil-free bowl and ensure egg whites are free of any yolks. Make sure you achieve stiff peaks but stop beating egg whites once it reaches that stage. |
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| Macaron Feet Develops Quickly and Outwards Past Its Shape |
| – Baking Temperature Too High FIX: Turn down oven temperature, increase bake time. |
| – Flat Pancake like Shells from Over-mixed Batter FIX: learn when to stop folding during macaronage |
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| Macaron Feet Rises Quickly and Upwards, Feet is Way Taller than its Rise: |
| – Baking Temperature Too High FIX: Turn down oven temperature, increase bake time. |
| – Over Whipped Egg WhitesFIX: Stop whipping egg whites once it reaches stiff peaks in the French method. Stop whipping egg whites once it returns to returns to room temperature in the Italian method |
| – Improper Macaronage Techniques FIX: Deflate some of the air in the batter by using proper folding techniques, should flow like molten lava, do the “Figure 8” test to test consistency |
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| Macarons have Hollow Shells: (READ THE FULL POST HERE) |
| – Under Whipping of Egg whites FIX: Make sure you beat the egg whites until stiff peaks before stopping. This will “dry up” the meringue. It should clump into a ball inside the whisk. You want as little moisture as possible. |
| – Broken Meringue Due to Over Whipping of Egg whites FIX: Stop mixing egg whites once the white cling onto the bowl and a small clump of meringue is stiff. Stop beating whites as soon as whites have returned to room temperature for Italian method. It should look very thick, glossy and flow off the whisk like a bird’s beak. |
| – Under Baked Shell FIX: increase oven temperature to allow the body to rise fully, French method macarons bake well at degrees of at least 300F+, break open a sacrificial shell to check if it has fully set before pulling out the whole tray, bake until fully set |
| – Improper Macaronage Techniques FIX: Deflate some of the air in the batter by using proper folding techniques. Should flow like slow molten lava. Do the “Figure 8” test to check consistency. |
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| Top of Macaron Shells are Browning |
| – Baking Temperature is Too High FIX: Decrease temperature, increase bake time. |
| – Too Close to Heat Source (assuming the heat source is from the top) FIX: Move further away from heat source while baking. Place an empty tray on the rack above it to shield it from the heat. |
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| Bottom of Macaron Shells are Browning |
| – Baking Temperature Too High FIX: Decrease temperature, increase bake time. |
| – Too Close to Heat Source (assuming the heat source is from the bottom) FIX: Add an extra pan on the bottom of the current tray |
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| Macaron Shells are Lopsided |
| – Improper Piping Techniques FIX: Make sure you are piping the batter straight down onto the paper or mat while holding the bag perfectly vertically. Dab a little bit of batter on the bottom of all four corners of the parchment paper so it will act as a “glue” to keep the paper in place while you pipe. |
| – Using Too Strong of a Fan FIX: Avoid using strong fans. Turn on fan in range hood as the air direction will be vertical and more uniformed. Dab a little bit of batter on the bottom of all four corners of the parchment paper so it will act as a “glue” to keep the paper in place. |
| – Oven’s Convection Fan is Too Strong FIX: Avoid using convection fan. You may need to increase time and decrease temperature since your oven may not be as hot without the convection fan. Dab a little bit of batter on the bottom of all four corners of the parchment paper so it will act as a “glue” to keep the paper in place. |
| – Warped Baking Pan FIX: Use a good quality pan that won’t buckle in high temperatures. Throw out old warped pans |
| – Shells Rested for Too Long FIX: Place shells in oven once it has developed a “skin” |
| – Baking Temperature Too High FIX: Decrease temperature, increase bake time. |
| – Improper Macaronage Techniques FIX: Make sure you are folding the batter properly and the wet/dry ingredients are homogenous before piping. Deflate some of the air in the batter by using proper folding techniques, should flow like molten lava, do the “Figure 8” test to test consistency |
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| Macaron Shells have “Nipples” |
| – Batter is Under-Mixed FIX: Add a few more folds next time. Learn to judge when to stop folding macaron batter. Rap the tray of piped macarons on the counter a few times, this will smooth out nipples from a properly mixed batter. |
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| Macaron Shells are Lumpy and Bumpy |
| – Batter Not Mixed Properly FIX: Make sure you are folding the batter properly and the wet/dry ingredients are homogenous before piping. |
| – Almond Flour and Powdered Sugar Not Sifted FIX: Throw both ingredients into the food processor, sift and discard bits that cannot be sifted. |
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| Macaron Shells are Not Round |
| – Improper Piping Techniques FIX: Make sure you are using the proper piping techniques. Hold the bag vertically while piping, squeeze an equal amount on all sides. |
| – Clogged Pipe Tip FIX: Clean out tip of debris |
| – Batter is not incorporated properly FIX: Use proper folding techniques to create a homogenous batter. Non homogenous batter creates “bumps” while piping. |
| – Use of and/or low quality parchment paper FIX: Use high quality parchment that won’t curl easily when it comes into contact with the batter. Dab a little bit of batter on the bottom of all four corners of the parchment paper so it will act as a “glue” to keep the paper in place. Use a silpat mat instead, it will create beautiful round macarons every time. |
| – Over-mixed batter FIX: Learn to judge when to stop folding macaron batter. Immediately, as soon as the batter looks homogenous, pick some up with the spatula, drop it back into the bowl and observe how it falls back into itself. It should not look like a “PLOP”. Rather, it should look like slow moving molten lava. It should fold into itself a few times like a ribbon but not like runny pancake batter. |
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| Macaron Shells are Concave like a “Contact Lens”, Bottom does not Stick to Mat |
| – Over-mixed Batter PLUS use of Silat Mat- Batter is too runny PLUS use of Silpat MatFIX: This is one of the least discussed troubleshoots out there. If the batter is too runny, the shells will not develop properly. When piped onto a silpat mat, this problem is exacerbated by the fact that it will not stick onto the mat at all once baked. The feets will not stick to the silpat and breaks away. The body also rises to the top without touching the mat so it never full cooks on the bottom. If you find that your batter is already over mixed and unsalvageable, pipe them onto parchment paper instead. It will develop on the parchment paper but it will be runny and therefore, not round. A little more heat during baking helps fix this already broken batter. Preemptive measures include ensuring that you’re using aged egg whites and whipping it to stiff peaks. This makes a big difference! |
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| Macaron Shells are as Flat as Pancakes/They Spread Quickly Once Piped |
| – Over-mixed Batter FIX: There is no way to salvage batter that is over-mixed. Once you deflate all the air in the meringue, the shells will not develop properly once placed in the oven. Start again. If you do want to bake them anyway, make sure you do not use a silpat mat as they will not stick to the mat and you will end up with concave shells that cannot be filled. |
| – Wet Batter FIX: Ensure your egg whites are aged and you are have reached stiff peaks before folding. Do not overfold as mentioned above. |
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| Macaron Shell has Cracked |
| – Did not rap the tray against the counter after piping FIX: rap the tray firmly against the counter after piping. Flip the tray around and do it again in case you missed certain spots. |
| – Hot spots in the oven FIX: make sure you are getting good circulation in your oven by only baking one tray at a time. |
| – Meringue not stiff enough FIX: beat until stiff peaks form. |
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| Macaron is Hard and Dry: |
| -Over baked shells FIX: this is an easy fix! Fill the macaron with the filling and allow it to “mature” for 24-48 hours. It will soften up. You can always brush the bottom of the shell with milk or a syrup in the same flavor as your filling to help soften the shell.- Turn down temperature or decrease baking time on your next try |
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| Macaron is Wet and Sticks to Pan after Baking: |
| – Under baked macarons FIX: Increase temperature or bake time |
| – Macaron shell is too “wet” due to humidity or ingredients themselves had too much moisture FIX: turn on range-hood fan while letting macarons dry, turn on dehumidifier, use “aged” egg whites, avoid use of liquid colouring, ensure meringue reaches stiff peaks before folding. |
| – Improper Macaronage Techniques FIX: Deflate some of the air in the batter by using proper folding techniques, should flow like molten lava, do the “Figure 8” test to test consistency. Do not overfold. |
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| Macaron has Inconsistent Results within the Same Batch: |
| – Poor Circulation in Oven FIX: Use convection setting, only bake one tray at a time. |
| – Poor Macaronage Technique FIX: Make sure batter is fully incorporated and you use the right folding techniques to deflate some of the air in the meringue |
| – Inadequate Resting Time FIX: Make sure shells have developed a “skin” and looks dull and matte before placing in the oven. |
| – Under Beaten Egg Whites FIX: Make sure meringue reaches stiff peaks in the French method |
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| Macaron are wrinkly and/or blotchy: |
| – Temperature too low FIX: try increasing your temperature by 25-50 degrees |
| – Overbeaten meringue FIX: Stop beating once the egg whites have clumped in the whisk and reached stiff peaks |
| – Overmixed Batter FIX: Fold only until the Figure 8 stage. Add colour in the meringue stage and not the folding stage as it’s easy to overmix batter |
| – Incorrect ratios of ingredients FIX: if adding other ingredients to the shells such as cocoa powder or matcha powder, ensure that you’re adding an amount that won’t compromise the integrity of the make up. |
| – “Oily” ingredients FIX: over-processed almonds or addition of other ingredients that comprimise integrity of the shells. Always grind almonds with icing sugar. Check that your gel colours have not become runny. Check the expiry date and composition of dry ingredients added to shells (cocoa powder, match etc.). Almond flour can be baked in the oven prior to use to “dry it out”. Better yet, make your own almond flour for the most consistent and stable results. Here’s how to make your own almond flour. |
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| Macarons are porous with holes: |
| – Meringue too soft or broken FIX: Beat meringue until stiff peaks and stop immediately once stiff peaks has been reached. |
| – Batter too wet FIX: Watch out for addition of ingredients with too much moisture like extracts, water-based food color or expired gel colours. Do not use extracts in the batter if you don’t have a reliable recipe for this. |
| Note: porous macarons are not due to oven temperatures. |
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| Macaron batter gets thicker while folding. |
| – Incorrect measurements of ingredients FIX: a kitchen scale is a must when making macarons. If you use cups to measure your ingredients, you might end up with too much almond flour or too little egg whites leading to a thick dry batter that never thins out no matter how much you fold. |
| – Incorrect measurements when splitting the batter to make multiple colors. FIX: Use a kitchen scale to carefully weigh out ingredients. Make one batter at a time for each color. Completed batters can be kept inside a piping bag for up to 2 hours. |
| – Meringue too dry FIX: Do not overbeat meringue. Stop once the meringue does not slip in the bowl when turned upside down. |
| – Gel colours are corrupted FIX: Shake bottles before using and add the colour during the meringue stage instead of the folding stage. Make sure they are not expired. |
Here are some other posts which will help you fix your macaron problems once you have pinpointed what the problem is after reading the Troubleshooting guide:
Gail Watson says
hi Mimi. I’ve just come across your page after googling titanium dioxide in macarons and have seen your reply to a question with the amount mixed into water. My question is at what stage do I add that? I’ve made macarons 3times and they’ve been OK – still have a way to go so will be trying your recipe. I’m making some for a themed birthday party and thought titanium dioxide might help me get the bright colors I need. Thank you
Mimi says
Hi Gail,
You would add it into the dry mix with the almonds and sugar. Good luck!
XOXO,
Mimi
Mia says
Hi Mimi, I need your help ASAP 😊. My Macarons are baking perfectly but I’m having trouble with dots appearing on top of the shell with or without the gel food coloring. What’s causing the dots?
Mimi says
It may be excess oil released from the almonds. I am assuming you mean oil splotches? Or do you mean it has a grainy top?
Jacob says
Hi Mimi. I was honing my macaron skills using another recipe for a few weeks. My shells were getting better and better looking but I continued to have hollows. I had been reading lots of your posts and was excited to try with your recipe. The first time I used your recipe my macarons: had no feet, cracked, and were hollow. The no feet and cracks were a first for me. Any ideas what would cause my new problems along with the continued hollows? Thanks so much!
Mimi says
It might be a weak meringue. Try whipping your egg whites a bit more. XOXO, Mimi
Alisha Breese says
Thank you SO MUCH for addressing “concave” macs. This kept happening to me and I didn’t understand why and no one I work with had ever heard of the problem. Your site is by far the very best guide I’ve seen! Thank you again for all the help
Mimi says
Hi Alisha,
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave me a message. Happy bakes to you!
XOXO,
Mimi
JJ says
Hi Mimi,
Your recipe has been working so well for me! The only question I had was about a fix for the feet looking super poofy/crazy. They’re not exactly rising outwards, but they’re not like the nice delicate feet you’d see in a bakery. I tried my best not to overmix the batter and turned the heat down to 300° F because I did some research and those were said to be potential causes. But I still ended up with messy looking feet! Please let me know if you can think of a solution!
Mimi says
The meringue may have been overbeaten. Overworked batters or meringues can cause bubbly feet.
XOXO,
Mimi
Laura says
Hello Mimi I wanted to give a tip that I found helped with blotchy/wrinkle macaron shells. I found if I took the ground almond flour (the superfine almond flour that I bought at Costco-Kirkland brand) and baked it in the oven at 200 F for 30 minutes that helped to dry up the flour enough that I stopped getting blotchy shells. After baking I cooled it down and then use it as called for in your recipe. I baked a little extra to account for larger pieces when sifting to ensure I got the correct amount needed for your recipe. Thanks 🙂
Mimi says
Hi Laura,
Thank you so much for sharing what worked for you! I hope it will help someone else out too! I noticed when I used another brand of almond flour, it was too oily as well. I just stopped using it instead of baking it since I’m always pressed for time but its good to know it worked for you.
XOXO,
Mimi
Corey says
Hi Mimi, what brand of almond flour do you use? Kirkland brand from Costco and two others I’ve tried give me blotchy tops. I don’t want to keep baking it and would rather just switch to a reliable brand. Thank you!
Mimi says
I like making my own almond flour because I get a more consistent quality that I know won’t cause blotchy macarons. It’s also more cost effective as well. This post will show you how to make your own almond flour. XOXO, Mimi
ayi kartika says
Hi Mimi..i am from Indonesia. The area’s relative high humadity. Can i use food dehydrator for drying macarons.
Thanks
Ayi
Mimi says
Hi Ayi,
I haven’t tried… I like to use the oven/stovetop overhead fan or turn on the dehumidifyer. Let me know how it goes!
XOXO,
Mimi
Rachel says
Hi Mimi,
When I bake my macarons, I’m sometimes getting a blotchy top. My shells are not wrinkly, inside isn’t hollow, and they aren’t cracked either. It’s just this darn blotchiness that won’t go away. I’m baking at 300F for 13 min. Any ideas of what I can do to fix this?
Mimi says
The temperature is not the culprit for this issue. You can see the fixes for this under “blotchy tops”.
XOXO,
Mimi
Sarah says
Hi Mimi,
I read through (nearly?) all of your Macaronposts and just wanted to ask if I’m understanding the troubles I’m having right xD My Macarons nearly always turn out with a rather broad feet, this means they look like little strawhats (more or less, i you look at them from above) and they are hollow and rather hard/ dry/ crispy. Since I’m relatively confident that my batter is okay (figur-8-test works and the ribbons sink in at about 25 sec.), is it correct that the problem is too much heat? I used 160 degrees celsius (in a true convection oven) for about 14 min. What would you suggest I should try next? (I’m already quite anxious and insecure because I failed so many times…)
Also I wanted to suggest that it might be helpful to see a time-lapse-video of your Macarons baking in your oven, so that it is possible to see, how they should correctly develop.
Thank you so much for all your detailled information and many greetings from Austria!
Sarah
Mimi says
Hi Sarah,
Happy to hear from you in Austria! The temperature is most likely not affecting your hollow shell. Most properly prepared batters can withstand a good amount of heat. You might have overbeaten the meringue or overfolded the batter. I know you said you can do the do the figure 8 test, but perhaps, its a bit runnier than needed.
XOXO,
Mimi