 |
| 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. |
 |
| 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 |
 |
| 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 |
 |
| Macarons have Hollow Shells: |
| – 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 it reaches stiff peaks in the French method. 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. |
 |
| 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. |
 |
| 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 |
 |
| 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 |
 |
| 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. |
 |
| 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. |
 |
| 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. |
 |
| 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! |
 |
| 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. |
 |
| 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. |
 |
| 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 |
 |
| 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 |
 |
| 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 |
 |
| 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.) |
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:
– Mimi’s Best Macaron Recipe
– Using your oven properly for baking macarons
– Finding the right oven temperature
– Macaron shells that don’t dry
– Proper macaron consistency after piping
More Macaron Knowledge
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Thank you for this. Mine keep turning out doughy, relatively flat, and with no feet. And sometimes they crack on top too, so that’s fun.
I think my oven is the biggest culprit. 🙁
Lisa | THINK LIKE A BOSS LADY
What you described like doughy and no feet should not be related to the oven so work on the correct folding technique and getting a stiff meringue 🙂 Make sure you rap the tray really hard after piping to prevent cracks.
Hi, just wanted to ask if it is necessary to put the macaron mat on a tray, because my macaron mat does not fit on my tray.
Yes, I do believe its very important. The tray transfers heat to the paper or silicone and then onto the macarons. You need enough bottom heat to help the shells develop.
XOXO,
Mimi
I keep my macarons in fridge in air tight container, and when taken out to room temperature they sweat, turn soft and soggy. How to store and still have its crispness ?
hmm… do you open up the lid? Yes, I do agree moisture can collect inside the container when taken out to room temperature so I usually take the macarons out of the original container that was in the fridge and transfer them into a container that is at room temperature.
XoXo,
Mimi
What causes the tops to look wrinkly?
Taking them out of oven too quickly before they are fully baked or batter is too “wet”.
XOXO,
Mimi
Hi Mimi,
Thanks for the recipe! My macarons had no hollow but the tops were wrinkles. Would you please help how to fix if the batter is too wet?
Thanks,
Amy
Hi Amy,
Thank you! For the wrinkly tops, watch out that you’re not overbeating your egg whites. If the batter is too beat, theres nothing you can really do to salvage it except try again and build a better meringue. Adding more dry ingredients will defeat the purpose since the meringue is mostly compromised at that point already.
XOXO
Mimi
ive noticed that my macarons rise nicely when baking, but deflate before I take them out of the oven. At about 6 minutes in the feet are huge and beautiful, but by 9-10 minutes in they’ve deflated to just under the height of the top. Any idea why, or is this normal? Thanks!
Hi Mimi, i want to ask the same question. Mine are the same with Rachel’s, nice and beautiful feet for the first 5 mins then deflated until barely visible at all when i finely took them out of oven. Any idea why?
Hm… can you clarify… does the feet deflate or the shell?
Hi Mimi! I have the same problem. I often get beautiful feet after the first 6 or 7 minutes in the oven, but then they deflate and I end up with really tiny, thin feet. Other than that, the shells are perfect. Is there a way I can post a picture in the comments so I can show you what I mean?
Thanks!! 🙂
..Kim..
maybe tag me in Twitter, Facebook or Instagram? Please use the tag function since I mentions seemed to get bumped off the list after a while. Thank you
Xoxo,
Mimi
The feet do. They rise beautifully, then deflate before the cookie is done baking. Thank you!
Yup, same here. The feet deflated, the shell is good though with all the correct anatomy of a macaron shell. Thanks.
Sounds like too much air in the batter that’s causing a rapid rise and then drop
Are the insides full Rachel? There are many types of feet. If the feet falls to make just a small ruffled feet that doesnt expand outwards, its okay. If the insides are full and the feet is small but ruffled, that’s fine. I find the macarons at PH tend to have feet like these and those ones are always full and fluffy. There are many variables that can cause it such as high heat, overbeat meringue….
XOXO Mimi
Sorry, I left my comment above before reading the rest of the comments. Thank you for validating that even small feet are fine! I was getting a little self-conscious about them, even though the tops are delicately crunchy and the insides are full. I think it’s the obsession with making the “perfect” macaron that was getting to me!
hehe, I think small feet are definitely better than large feet with hollows!
Glad it helped.
xoxo,
Mimi
Hi Mimi, I have been baking macarons for about a year now. I have used the troubleshooting guide quite often, the problem I am running into is my shells aren’t as smooth as I would like. I food process and double sift my almond flour and powdered sugar but once I mix it in with my whites and pipe, they are bumpy and sad. Everything else comes out perfect, I don’t understand. 🙁
P.S. my whites are aged at room temp, whipped to a stiff peak, and I have tried a couple different brands of almond meal/flour. Please help!
Hi Carrie,
Are you sure your sifter is fine enough? It’s great to hear you are able to eliminate everything else like aged egg white, stiff peaks etc. (although those two don’t necessarily contribute to the smoothness of the shells.) Make sure you are sifting with a fine sieve, then DISCARD big pieces. Also fold sufficiently as well!
Mimi
Hi I’ve had success on baking on parchment howeva when I made macararons on silpat they rose beautiful and after I took them out the shell had wet spots and da feet collapsed totally around da macaronz which was really weird and under was concave
Hi Shaakira,
I do believe your batter is too wet. You can read more on how to fix the concave issue under the macaron troubleshooting guide above. Silpats do tend to reveal more of your macaron problems than parchment.
XOXO
Mimi
The heat doesn’t conduct as well on silpats, you’ll need to find the best way to use your oven in conjunction with the silpat. Try increasing the heat and buy better heat conducting pans.
XOXO
Mimi
I’m upset at da results of da Silpats as my Macarons from the first attempt was awesome so if u could plz advise wats da best way to use Silpats for Macarons to get total success many thanx enjoyed ur blog
Hi mimi!
Can you help me with my problem?
My macaron used to be hollow, but i do research and increased my oven temp. Now they are full and no hollow, however the feet become shorter (they were higher and prettier feet when they were hollow).
They are ruffled but i really love macaron with higher feet, i don’t know if you can help me?
I tried to contact you on insta but haven’t receive reply (i know you r busy)
Thanks before!! (I can send you picture if you have time ;A; )
Hi Wanda,
I love hearing that you are able to get a non hollow shell now. I think it’s much harder to force your macarons to get a “certain” kind of feet. As long as they are fully set with smooth tops, any kind of feet will is good in my book. I know of one baker who was unable to attain her “usual” feet due to using another oven. Most importantly, as you look into more macaron accounts, you will find that most bakers prefer smaller compact feets. That’s usually a sign that the macarons are not hollow 🙂
XOXO
Mimi
hi Mimi, if I want my macaroons are tall but feet are normal, is that I should bake with low temperature please? thanks
Hi,
Lower temperatures will allow the feets to rise more gradually and “taller”. However, I do find most macarons with disproportionately tall feet tend to be hollow so I’m not sure if that is something anyone should strive for 🙂
XOXO, Mimi
Hi Mimi,
How can I test my oven till I get it right? I ALWAYS have brown top and bottom. I have a few questions:
1. Does the quantity affects the temp or time? I’m thinking, can I bake in sets of 4 each with varying temp and time?
2. Is it ok to simply turn it off if I see it already turning brown? Is there a way to salvage such situation? :/
I have another question, sorry off this topic.
How can I have the macarons less sweeter? Cos I understand I have to follow the measurements accurately. Your recipe is too sweet for me. But the appearance is almost perfect! Hope you can help. Thanks a lot!
Jm
Hi Mimi, it’s me again. I forgot to ask one more question. How does an overbeaten egg whites look like? So i can know if it’s game over or i have not reached the peak yet. Thanks a lot. Looking forward to hear and learn again from you. You inspire me! 🙂
Hi mimi
Love your videos please can I ask a question
I’ve tried making macarons using your recipe but I never get feet ….I whip my meringue till stiff and even baked at lower temperatures but all batches are the same
Please help
If your batter is at the correct consistency, then upping the heat will help you gain feet. The lower the temperature, the less likely you will have feet. Make sure your shells are completely dry before baking this will help the shells rise upwards.
XOXO
Mimi
Hi again.
So I tried your recipe for the macarons, the batter looked great, it made the “8” I initially put the oven to 320 under convection and placed them in when they had a crust. As I watched them there was no feet, 7 mins in some tops began to crack. Then they all fracked and exploded. There was little feet and the end result was full shells, the bottom also didn’t set, I could see the sponge. I’m not sure what I did wrong. I wrapped the pans on the surface
Multiple times and no bubbles surfaced no matter how much I wrapped it. Any ideas of the errors?
Hi Mimi!
I’ve been baking for 2 years and still have yet to perfect making macarons. I still have hollows here and there and have tried to raise my temperature but they brown so much or end up cracking. Also, there are times where they come out lopsided even with using the same temp, same ovens etc. some days are perfect and some aren’t. What kind of food color do you use?
Also, how do you store your macarons? And what’s the best filling to use and how do you store them? I use to make American buttercream but noticed that it can get really runny so I switched to Swiss buttercream which is more stable but I don’t know how to store them. I will be needing to make big batches of Swiss meringue buttercream. How do you store them?
Thank you!
I use Americolor and you can find it in my macaron supplies list here.
I place them in the fridge in an airtight container.
Here is the link to all my filling ideas and what works best with macarons.
I store it in an airtight container.
XOXO,
Mimi
Any tips for hollows and lopsided macarons? I use americolor too! Do you use a lot of food color? Yours don’t look like they brown at all and the colors look so vibrant.
Thank you!
I use Americolor gel colours. You can find it in the SHOP.
xoxo,
Mimi
Hi Mimi,
I managed to make a few perfect macarons after sooo many fail attempts. But now I don’t know what has happened all my macarons come out wet and wrinkled. With many different recipes all come out the same wrinkled. When I use low temperature they will rise nicely but just before done baking they will go back wrinkled. I am so confuse, do you have any idea what has gone wrong ?
Hi Limin,
Your wrinkly macarons are not due to the recipe you’re using or temperature. Watch out for your meringue. Make sure it is stiff but not overbeaten.
XOXO
Mimi
Hi Mimi, thanks a lot for the reply. So it is the meringue !! I beat them about 10 minutes as suggested. I will try to fix them. Thanks again.
Hi Mimi!
Running into an odd scenario and wondering if you can help me out.
When folding my meringue, as soon as I get to that point it’s pretty close to lava, I decide to fold a little more and it starts going backwards and gets more like paste. This just happened two batches in a row. I piped some out and threw them in the oven to see what they’d do and the tops puffed up and cracked. I knew it was too thick, but wondering why something like this might happen? Has never happened before if I mixed too much…has only gotten runny, but no matter how long I folded it got worse.
Any tips at what might be causing this before I waste more ingredients? I have already wasted plenty trying to get to know my new oven, lol
Thanks in advance!
Dee
I am also experiencing the same issue!
Hello Dee.
This happened to me twice last night. I figured I measured something wrong. Have you figured out why that happened.
Did you really mean to write “hold the bag horizontally when piping”? I was taught to hold it vertically to make round shells, and every video I’ve seen does the same thing.
Thanks for catching that. It was a mistake. I have since corrected it.
XOXO,
Mimi
Hi There,
In your section on “Macaron Shells are Lopsided,” your first thought is : Improper Piping Techniques FIX: Make sure you are folding the batter properly and the wet/dry ingredients are homogenous before piping. 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.
Can you please tell me what you mean by “improper piping techniques” since your “Fix” has to do with mixing the batter, not in how the batter is piped out.
Thank you,
Michelle
Hi Michelle,
Yes, it does sound confusing. I have since corrected it to: “Make sure you are piping onto the paper/mat from a straight down position. 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.”
thanks for letting me know
xo mimi
I just made these.. there are dark spots on the shell and the shell is brownish.. I thought the dark spots meant that it was under baked or hollow, but they are not hollow and they are brown so not sure how they can be under baked and over baked at the same time! How can I fix this for the next time?
Do you mean your shells have browned due to the heat from the top? If your shells are browned, it sounds like they are receiving too much heat and overbaked.
Xo
Mimi
Hello! I have tried your recipe 4 times now and everytime I try it, they never turn out :(. The bottoms are baked (almost too brown) but the tops look “wet” or “oily” and as soon as I take them out of the oven, the all collapse. I’ve tried reading your troubleshooting and following the tips, but its not working! Please help – I am desperate to get this right!! Could my mat be an issue? I use betty croker plastic mats.
Hi Sandy,
Keep going! You can do it. I think you’ve overbeaten your meringue. Stop when it’s stiff and clumping in the ball whisk. Your mats are not to blame 🙂
Xo Mimi
my macrons are cooked perfectly on top but are undercooked at the bottom what should i do?
Your mat may not be conducting enough heat. You can try a different type of silicone mat, use parchment paper instead, or get a better conducting pan 🙂
xo mimi
Hi just wondering if macrons are meant to be chewy?
French method macarons tend to be more chewy while Italian ones are softer. Not too too chewy though.
xo
Mimi
Mimi, do you think maybe I can use the Italian method to make softer cookie for the macaron ice cream?
Italian method macarons do tend to be less chewy. I find the french method very resilient and long lasting. Xo Mimi
Hi Mini,
I love your beautiful site! I’m trying to make some macaron ice cream in advance for my niece’s birthday party and after baking them and letting them sit in air tight container for 24-48 hours unfilled… then I filled them with the ice cream and put it in the freezer for a few days… and my shells are hard like a rock! If i let it sit at room temperature the ice is going to melt. The problem is that I can’t make 100 macaron ice cream the day of… do you have any recommendations or suggestions on how to keep the shell soft and chewy yet hold the ice cream together?
Thank you so much!
Hello Milla,
Thank you so much for your feedback. I would recommend maturing them a day before with some buttercream, then fill it with icecream. This post for baking a big macaron cake might help you with the maturation part.
How to bake a big macaron cake.
Xo Mimi
I just wanted to say, I made ice cream sandwiches and they were too crispy right out of the freezer the first couple of days after making them, but by day 3 or 4, they were nice and soft after a minute or two of coming out of the freezer. They just needed to mature a little longer :).
When I take my macarons out of they deflate to the point where they are flat. This was my first time using the Italian method of macarons and because I don’t have a candy thermometer I think the sugar water was too hot. As a result it took a bit of mcguyvering to be able to get the whites to whip. I had to add cream of Tatar in order to get peaks. The macarons piped fine and didn’t spread, however they did not develop feet and when they cooled out of the oven they became flat. Any suggestions?
Hi Cat,
I don’t know what type of instructions you were given for the Italian macarons. Ask the original recipe writer and see what they say.
xoxo,
Mimi
Hi Mimi! I am losing my mind. I’ve been making batches after batches . Most every batches comes out with beautiful perfect feet and perfect circles but I get wrinkles in every one of them. It’s a total disaster! I’ve let it rest for 8 hours and it still bakes up with wrinkled too. My beautiful color fades into a dull burnt color along with the wrinkled top. I’ve lowered the temperature and it still has the wrinkled top. 😭
You might need to watch out that you’re not overbeating the meringue and instead of decreasing your temp, increasing it will actually help with wrinkles.
xoxo
Mimi
Here’s a problem I had a couple times this past week. After folding in the dry ingredients to the egg whites, the batter very hot thinner. It actually got thicker. Would you have any idea why this happened? Thanks. Love your blog.
You may have overbeat your meringue.
xoxo
Mimi
Hi Mimi,
I followed your recipe making macarons so many times but I still get hollow shells… very frustrating.
In the past, I baked my hollow ones at 280f to 300f with a conviction oven and took them out after 10-12 min when the feet are no longer wiggly. But the inside is still a bit sticky.
Yesterday, I finally made a batch testing them at 300f and 280f. They took 18min to 25 min respectively (with an empty tray on top to avoid browning) until they are fully cooked (inside not sticky). They did not come out hollow. But I noticed the initial pretty feet just shrunk and shrunk when they are baking in the oven. By the time they are done, the feet are pretty small. The overall shells tend to look more doom like than the hollow ones I made.
Do you think I overbaked the shells? Any less time will still give me hollow shells. I am just frustrated that my non-hollow shells ended up looking not as pretty as the hollow ones.
hmm… hard to know exactly what you are doing wrong since I am not there to see you make it. I wouldn’t discount a small feet though… Taller feet macarons tend to be hollow and are actually not desirable. I know there are a lot of pictures out there with big feet macarons but that’s not really an attribute that makes a good macaron 🙂
xoxo
mimi
Hi Mimi!
My macarons have been Browning and never have feet. I’ve tried different recipes and followed them to a T. The first time I made them they were perfect now I don’t know what to do.
Allie
Pay attention to whipping up a stronger meringue and don’t overfold. Your feet situation is due more to your batter and learn to control your oven better with this guide.
xoxo Mimi
Thank you for these tips! They are so helpful.
Hi Jenn, that’s so nice of you to leave a note. Glad you found it useful. Thank you!
xoxo,
Mimi
Hi Mimi have you ever tried freezing macarons? I would like to make multiple flavors over a month long period to be used at a party…
Also, do You have a macaronage video that shows the final consistency in real Time? I think the one you have post goes into slow motion. For many times I tried the figure 8 test and kept adjusting the temperature only to have hollow macarons. Finally, I deflated some more air and made the batter thinner and I got near perfect macaroons. The only issue was slight browning at the feet and shells that did not peel off all that clean. So I think a video that shows the real time flow of batter would really help:)
Thanks so much for your tips!
Hi Leena,
Yes, I usually freeze them without filling and take them out to assemble when needed. Here is a short clip which shows the real time flow of the batter. its short but you get the idea.
xoxo
Mimi
Hi Mimi,
Do you freeze the shells right after it cools and do you still go through the mature process in the fridge after filling them when the shells are out of the freezer?
Thank You for such an insightful recipe! It’s so hard to find a site that covered all my questions.
Thanks for your message! It depends on how much time you have. I would freeze the shells alone then add fillings a few days beforehand for the most stable product. But if you don’t have the time, I would recommend filling them and letting them mature after they get out of the freezer. Take one out of the freezer a week beforehand and use that as a tester to see how long it takes to mature properly.
Xoxo,
Mimi
First time Macaron baker here. Thank you! I haven’t even tried yet but I bought an awesome book that helps in addition to your troubleshooting techniques. Thank you so much!
Glad it helps. That sounds amazing. Which book did you buy?
xoxo,
Mimi
Les Petits Macarons by Kathryn Gordon and Anne E. McBride. It’s a really in depth POV on the folding process and on the various steps in making the almond shells. It’s a really great starter book. I’m going to try my hand in it this week.
While doing the Italiano method, do I stop when the merigue is at room temperature even thought it’s still softpeak? Thank you!
Hi, it’s best to ask the original writer of the recipe you are using.
Kind Regards,
Mimi
Hi Mimi,
I observe my macaron shells develop feet in the first few minutes of entering the oven. They look great and are of a nice height. However, towards the end of the baking time, the feet shrinks and becomes close to none. I used an electric oven with the upper and lower elements on and baked at 300F. Have you come across such an issue?
Thanks in advance.
Hi,
I think it’s normal for them to be rise during the baking process and then deflate a bit once it sets. I prefer tiny feet. Macarons with tall big bubbly feet are often hollow since all the insides are now in the feet.
Xoxo,
Mimi
Mine looks too tiny though. Almost like there is no feet (when i clearly saw feet at the start of the baking process). Any advice on increasing the feet height?
Be careful with the folding (don’t overdo it) and beat your meringue stiff enough.
xoxo,
Mimi
Excellent article. There is way to many recepies out there and i find this cookie very tricky even through im new at making this cookie i won’t give up. Macaroons are certainly beautiful. Ill keep practicing. And i will apply some of your tips. Thank you!
Thanks for your message. That’s really nice of you to leave a note for me.
xoxo,
Mimi
Mimi, could you clarify overbeating meringue? Is it possible to overbeat it without breaking it? Is there a way to tell by looking at it if a meringue has been over beaten but has not broken?
I just cannot get rid of at least a tiny air pocket every time I bake. It seems like higher temps do better at reducing the hollows but then my shells brown before they are completely set inside. It seems like I have problems due to an oven temperature that is too low and simultaneously too high :/.
Thank you so much for taking the time to answer everyone’s questions :).
Hi Jessica,
You can see that it’s lost a LOT of it’s gloss and looks very dull. I usually beat them until very stiff, clumps in whisk and matte but not dull.
Yes, if your macarons look fine in every way, the last bit of the puzzle is to work your oven properly. Have you read my oven guide yet?
xoxo, Mimi
Thank you for the clarification on the meringue. 🙂
I have read the oven guide, thank you for all the tutorials. I’ve baked with the door shut and cracked open. I’ve baked at every temperature from 285-330 degrees. I’ve double panned and single panned. I’ve stuck an empty cookie sheet above my macs during the last 5 minutes of baking to prevent browning. I can get them to be nice and full and fluffy right out of the oven, but when they cool, they fall a bit away from the top of the shell and leave a hollow. If I flip them upside down to cool, they stay completely fluffy, but then the very top dents in. They are solid on their feet, the bottoms are not sticky. They don’t seem too wet inside. If I bake them longer they dry out and still seem to hollow as they cool. I just can’t figure out why I can’t get them to stop falling as they cool.
Any thoughts would be appreciated :). Thank you so much!
Then you either need to work on the meringue (stiffer) or macaronage (fold a bit more). But that’s only if you’re sure you’ve baked them enough. Some bakers pull their macs out too soon because they don’t want them to discolor but that causes them to under bake. Finding the proper oven setting is really important too.
xoxo,
Mimi
I’ll keep trying, but I don’t think it’s the meringue. It is very dry, clumping in the whisk and rising up the sides of the bowl at the end, and almost spongy and makes a squelching noise when I pull out the whisk. And I mix until I have a nice ribbon flowing off my spatula (the speed appears to be the same as your video tutorial and others).
I’ll keep messing with the oven.
Thank you so much for your feedback.
Hello!
My macarons rose where the feet are visible, but once I took them out of the oven, they became kind of flat but the feet are still visible, just not risen 🙁
Hi Liane,
Make sure you’re giving them enough time to set in the oven. They shouldn’t deflate when out of the oven since they should be set already by the time you pull them out. Read my oven guide to learn how to control your oven if you haven’t yet.
xoxo,
Mimi
My macaroons are pretty, have feet except they are hollow! Like 90% of the time. I’m pulling my hair out cant figure out why. Also I’ve had problems with browning edges and bottom. I’ve played around with temperatures and 270*F for 16 minutes works,. I think? It definitely wasnt brown but some were still sticky. I do have an oven temperature as well. When I bake at 300 for 12 minutes they brown and undercooked. Please help!!! But I’m definitely more concerned with hollows. I beat till stiff peaks and I follow your macronage so that cant be it
Have you tried to keep them in longer at lower heat? Sometimes bakers pull the macarons out much too soon to avoid browning but then they get hollows. Try folding a bit more as well to get the air out of your batter.
Xoxo,
Mimi
Hi
I have a problem with my macaroons are both too moisture and browned. I tried to put tray on top to stop them browning but then even top of the shell was visibly wet.
Thanks
Joanna
what do you mean by wet? Are they sweaty with beads of moisture on it?
Hello!
So I have made these in the past with no problem but lately I cannot seem to be able to make them!
The last batch I made came out like the meringue you would get in lemon pie. I wonder if this is because somehow the ratio of the ingredients was wrong (I used 1 cup almond flour, 2 cups confectioners sugar and 3 egg whites (from a carton))
If you have any tips to get consistent results it would really help me!
hmm… i only use my recipe in grams. This ensures that everything is weighed out correctly and won’t change due to the way it’s scooped into the cup. I’m not sure if this is my recipe?
xoxo,
Mimi
Hi I’ve been baking chocolate and vanilla buttercream macarons and the chocolate turns out just fne. However, whenever I bake with the vanilla butter cream recipe, the macarons turn out the exact same-smooth shiny tops, nice feet, and they don’t stick to the parchment. But, they also are hollow, every single batch is hollow and ive tried all of the suggestions and they still turn out the same. The chocolate doesn’t ever turn out hollow. I feel like it’s just that vanilla buttercream recipe. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks!
hmmm… what do you add into the shells for the vanilla recipe?
I add 2/3 cup almond flour, 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 3 large egg whites, 5 tablespoons granulated sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. I sift the almond flour and powdered sugar twice, whip the eggs until foamy, gradually add the sugar a tablespoon at a time and beat until stiff peaks. Then I gently stir in the vanilla. I add half the powdered sugar-almond flour to the meringue and fold till incorporated, then do the other half. When I get the right consistency I pipe them onto the tray with 1 1/2 inch circles drawn. Then after they form the skin, I put 1 tray on the top rack of the oven and bake for 18 mins on 280° F, rotating halfway through. I take them out and do the other tray and they’re pretty and have good structure but theyre always hollow
I usually don’t recommend adding any more moisture into the shells. Flavoring the shells through the use of the filling is what I would prefer to do.
Xoxo,
Mimi
Also, I have found that with using an insolated or thick nonstick cookie sheet, the oven temp needs to be reduced by 25 degrees. Finally figured this out after burning and having over cooked (outside)/ undercooked (inside) cookies. Just finished a batch, that had blueberry powder added to the standard mixture, I hit my pan several times on the counter and still had broken, hollow cookies. Plus this was my first time using a silpat mat (I usually use parchment) and half of them stuck, and couldn’t be used. I think I am piping them too large, and that could be why they break apart. What exactly is the proper size of a macaron? Thanks
I think the most popular size tends to be 1.5 inches. Large macarons can definitely be made on Silpat so sizing doesn’t necessarily cause breakage.
xoxo,
Mimi
Thank you Mimi for all your help….I have referenced this website numerous times in my quest to learn how to make macarons. Do you have a recipe for macarons that uses only one egg and has metric measurements?
Hi Genny,
I don’t have a recipe for one egg since I find it very hard to whip up such a small amount and it’s harder to judge the consistency of the batter with so little ingredients. I only use a scale to measure everything. Macarons can flop so easily and it would be a shame if it was due to something that can be easily controlled like weighing your ingredients 🙂
xoxo,
Mimi