Indulge With Mimi

The Best Macaron Recipe, Macaron Art & More

  • ♥ Home
    • Conversion Charts
    • Privacy
  • ♥ Macarons
    • Best French Macaron Recipe
    • Macaron Troubleshooting Guide
    • Macaron Tutorial Video
    • Macaron Art
    • Macaron Baking How To’s
    • Macaron Recipes
    • Macaron Templates
    • Subscriber’s Only Area
    • Macaron Knowledge & Books
    • Mimi’s Macaron Friends
    • Reader’s Questions
  • ♥ Sweets
  • ♥ Recipes
  • ♥ Life
    • Afternoon Tea
    • Travel
    • Party Ideas, Home Decor, Design
    • Easy Meal Recipes
    • Social
    • Fertility, Pregnancy, Family
  • ♥ SHOP
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
Home » Blog » Macarons » Macaron Baking How To's » What Causes Hollow Macaron Shells

February 24, 2018 by Mimi

What Causes Hollow Macaron Shells

5.9Kshares

Dealing with hollow macaron shells? Here are the top reasons why your French macarons are hollow and how to fix them.

The Trouble with Hollow Macarons

Most bakers start to notice the issue of hollow macarons later in their macaron baking journey. When most bakers begin baking this little French treat, most are likely trying to overcome common hurdles like cracked macaron tops and bumpy shells. As a result, most tend to covet smooth non-cracked shells and frilly macaron feet above all else. But as their macarons start looking better – on the outside anyways – they realize there’s a hidden issue that lies deep within their macarons – hollow shells.

Do Hollow Macarons Go Away with Maturation?

Severely hollow macarons cannot be fixed with maturation. If most of the body has burst out of the shell and into the feet or sank down to the bottom causing a huge gaping hole, no amount of maturation will really help these types of macarons. Pressing into the back of the shells in order to push the body back up to the top – which some bakers do to deal with hollows – may be a temporary solution. But, ultimately, it’s worth fixing hollow macarons since there is something inherently wrong with the baking technique.

A truly non-hollow macaron is not hollow even before filling and maturation as shown in the video above. If it’s just a small gap in the macaron shells, these do benefit from filling and maturation, yay! You’ll find that they can completely go away after 24 hours of maturation.

Please note, this post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Should I Fix Hollow Macarons?

Having said of all that, it’s important to remember that hollow macarons are not a problem for most people who eat your macarons unless they’re macaron snobs and to which I say, why are you sharing your precious babies with those people anyways 🙂

All kidding aside, although hollow macarons may taste the same as non-hollow ones, severely hollow macarons are more fragile and lack the distinctly chewy texture of a full and fluffy macaron. Those are two of the reasons why you might want to work on your hollow macarons. But if you’re obsessed with non-hollows for the glory, save yourself the frustration. It’s important to remember that no matter what they look like, macarons are for eating!

For those who are keen on fixing this problem. Below are some key issues to look out for.

How Do I Fix Hollow Macarons?

Hollow macarons can be fixed by whipping the meringue to the correct stiffness, folding the batter to the ideal consistency during the macaronage stage, rapping the tray after piping, using the correct tools, baking at the optimal temperature and possibly the addition of a “secret” ingredient.

Meringue Stiffness

Over-beating the meringue can cause macaron shells to deflate while baking, resulting in a hollow shell. A good stiff meringue is required for my best recipe, however, over-beating the meringue can have an adverse effect and lead to hollow macarons. This is especially true if your macaron looks almost perfect in every way except for a little gap inside the shell.

If your macarons are looking fabulous in every way already (dainty feet, smooth tops), then this fix is for you. Beat the meringue up to the stiff peaks stage and stop immediately once it has been reached.

Meringue clumped inside a ball whisk with stiff pointy peaks.
Stiff peaks have pointed peaks that do not droop.

How Stiff is Stiff Peak?

Beat the meringue until a small peak points upwards when you pull the whisk out of the meringue. The peak can be small! If you beat until a big clump of egg whites can point upwards, you are probably over-beating. This is worth mentioning as some of you may have been trying to test the peaks with a lot more meringue than is needed.

Another way to scale back on how much you have been beating your meringue is to test the bowl by tipping it upside down. Once the egg whites can cling securely onto the bowl without slipping and you have a SMALL stiff peak, stop beating the meringue.

It’s very important to create a stable foundation for your macarons and a lot of it starts with the meringue. The speed at which the meringue is whipped and the temperature of the ingredients also play a role. Take a look at the following post to learn more on how to make meringue for use in macaron baking.

FURTHER READING: HOW TO MAKE PERFECT MERINGUE FOR MACARONS

Folding During Macaronage

The macaron batter should be properly deflated to prevent hollows. If you tend to over-beat the meringue, this will help you counteract that. In the beginning of our macaron baking journey, we were told to be careful with deflating the batter. “It’s better to under-fold than over fold,”…etc. But that’s where a lot of hollow macaron problems begin – from an under-deflated batter. When you’re folding the batter, you don’t need to baby it as much as you think. Here is a video on how to fold properly to avoid hollows:

Proper Macaron Batter Consistency

On the flip side, over-folding can also cause hollow macarons and feet that are widely spread apart. When folding during the macaronage stage, constantly test the batter using the Figure-8 test in the video above. The batter should flow steadily without breaking but it should not be too runny either. Aim for a thick honey-like consistency. Here is what to look for in terms of consistency during and after piping:

Rap Tray

Rapping the tray after piping will further eliminate the small gaps in the shells that lead to hollows. Make sure you are tapping it hard enough against a hard surface. In the macaron class I took, the instructor literally dropped the baking trays from waist level down onto the floor. It’s quite a violent action and sometimes the shape of the shells do change after rapping. For that, I recommend piping on Silpat mats which are great for retaining the shape of the macaron. Pop any remaining bubbles with a toothpick.

Silpat Mats

Silpat silicone mats are great for retaining the macaron’s shape. There are many cheaper silicone mat alternatives out on the market now but I recommend using the Silpat brand. I trust them to have the highest degree of food safety. Also, they are reliable for conducting enough heat to reach the bottom of the macaron shells which helps with reducing hollows. Disclosure: Affiliate Links

Silpat Mats: 11 5/8 X 16 1/2 is the size I use in all the videos showing one single mat on a pan. SILPATS are is the only mat brand I use for baking macarons. This mat has no preprinted templates on it so it’s great for using over my free macaron art templates.

Toaster oven sized Silpat mats: are perfect for counter top ovens. I sometimes place two of these on one tray to bake two different sized macarons shells at once. You can easily take out one mat earlier once it’s done, leaving the other mat to bake longer. SILPATS is the only mat brand I use for baking macarons.

Bake Time & Temperature

Meringues and by extension, macarons, love heat! Give it as much oven love as you can and you’ll see less hollow macarons in your kitchen. You can do this by using a:

a.) higher temperature OR
b.) lower temperature with a longer bake time

325 F for 12-14 minutes is a great place to start. (I know of a baker who likes to go even higher at 350 F for 10 minutes.) I must admit, this is quite a high temperature. Most readers have found that 325 F or higher can cause their shells to become browned so another temperature/time combo I can recommend is 275 F for 18 minutes. You can play with the time/temperature combinations. For every 25 F, compensate with a 2-3 minutes change in the inverse direction.

Some Recommended Baking Temperature and Times for Perfect Macarons:

350 F for 10 minutes – suitable for spacious large ovens
325 F for 12-14 minutes – standard starting point for use with my recipe
300 F for 16-18 minutes
275 F for 18-20 minutes – suitable for smaller ovens with small compartments

FURTHER READING: HOW TO USE YOUR HOME OVEN PROPERLY TO BAKE MACARONS

A macaron with hollow gap in the middle.
The fully set shell was baked with oven cyclying between 300-325 F for 14 min. The hollow one didn’t reach its full potential as the temp. hovered between 275-300 for the same amount of time. Every oven is different, so set your own oven accordingly.

Silpats VS. Parchment VS. Teflon

Some bakers complain about hollows when using Silpat mats and have given up on them completely even though Silpats produce much better results in terms of retaining the macaron’s shape. Sometimes Silpats don’t perform as well for fully fluffy shells because of the related issue discussed in the last section: heat. The mats are thicker than parchment paper and don’t conduct heat nearly as well.

There are a few adjustments that can be made to compensate for this:

  • Use better heat conducting baking pans.
  • Put it closer to the heat source if your oven’s heating coils are on the bottom.
  • Try Teflon paper which better conducts heat.
  • Keep a pizza stone underneath the baking tray.

Heavy-duty baking pans: This is the cookie sheet I use. It’s constructed of aluminized steel, the material of choice for commercial bakeries. It is also heavy duty so it won’t buckle while baking . It is also rimless allowing even air flow to the macarons.

Teflon baking sheets: These are great for conducting heat and provides macaron shells the heat that some ovens lack. A great compromise between parchment paper and silicone.

Pizza Stone: A pizza stone in the oven can help stabilize oven temperature for temperamental ovens and provide heat from the bottom.

Convection VS. Non Convection for Macaron Baking

You don’t have to get too hung up over whether or not to use the convection setting to bake macarons. I’ve had both types of ovens and they have both performed equally well for baking macarons. If your batter is at the right consistency, you can bake non-hollow macarons in both a convection or non-convection oven granted that you have found an optimal temperature and bake time. Consistent high temperature is key using the tools provided above. Keep an external oven thermometer to keep track of the temperature in the oven. Keep oven doors closed as much as possible and do a longer pre-heat if needed to reach that consistent temperature. Sometimes it takes a little longer to pre-heat to a consistent heat level.

Magic Ingredient for Non-Hollows?

Although, technically, you should be able to overcome hollow macarons with the right techniques as mentioned above, there is one special ingredient you can consider. There’s a lot of buzz around adding egg white powder to the dry ingredients to help combat hollows. I haven’t tried it yet but it’s something that some bakers have discovered worked for them. If all the above fixes don’t work for you, you might want to give it a try.

Please note, egg white powder is NOT the same as meringue powder. Meringue powder contains a mixture of sugar, acids and flavorings while egg white power is just purely egg albumen.

My Secret for Testing Macaron Doneness

If you lower the oven temperature as per above, it’s important that you bake for a longer amount of time, otherwise, the meringue will collapse after it cools. How to test the macaron for doneness? I’ll cover it in an upcoming post. Stay tuned!

I hope you found this post useful and let me know below if you have any further questions.

XOXO,
Mimi

Close up of two non-hollow macarons assembled with fillings.

The Best French Macaron Recipe (with Video & Template)

How to Bake Smooth and Round Macaron Shells

How to Bake Smooth and Round Macaron Shells

Christmas bear macarons with a holiday greeting card and holly on a white background.

Ultimate Guide to Making Christmas Macarons (Templates)

5.9Kshares
❮❮ Previous Post
Next Post ❯ ❯

Comments

  1. Dee Nargi says

    December 20, 2020 at 9:50 am

    Thank you this is all helpful. How much of the dried egg whites would you add to the dry ingredients?

    Reply
    • Mimi says

      January 5, 2021 at 9:33 pm

      Hi Dee,
      Happy you found it useful. For my recipe, you can add 1/4 tsp – 1/2 tsp.
      XOXO, Mimi

      Reply
  2. Mokshita says

    November 6, 2020 at 8:45 am

    There is so much knowledge… Thank you mimi.. I just wanted to know that should i buy oven thermometer?.. As my oven is super hot even at 50 degree.. Its a home oven.. Its my mom’s oven.. It was brought 25 yrs back.. It only has 50,100,150….,300 degrees celsius options.. And at 50 degree I baked macarons the feet spread…. Plz guide.. Thank you

    Reply
    • Mimi says

      November 9, 2020 at 9:17 pm

      Hmm… 50 degrees is not too high in fahrenheit so I’m not sure if I am reading that correctly. Please read my oven guide on some adjustments you can make to compensate for different oven conditions. XOXO, Mimi

      Reply
« Older Comments

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Search this site:

Writer and photographer behind IndulgeWithMimi ♥ Join me for posts about Vancouver life, style, baking and my obsession: #MacaronArt ♥

Macaron Recipes

Baileys Irish Cream Macarons with Gingerbread Man Template

Salted Caramel Recipe & Donut Macaron Template

Lavender Earl Grey Easter Bunny Macarons (Template)

A stack of 3 gingerbread spice macarons on an agate plate.

Easy Gingerbread Macarons with Chocolate Spice Filling

Macaron Templates

How to Add Speckles to Easter Egg Macarons with Template

Double Unicorn Macaron Collaboration with Christina’s Cupcakes (Template)

Gender Reveal Surprise Macarons & Pacifier Macaron Template

Lavender Earl Grey Easter Bunny Macarons (Template)

Easy Sweet Treats

Close up of whipped cream piped into a swirl pattern.

Stabilized Whipped Cream with Gelatin for Piping

8 slices of matcha pound cake on a long serving dish.

Easy Matcha Cream Cheese Pound cake

Mimi & Bibi’s Vancouver Life

GET NEW POSTS & FREE MACARON TEMPLATES

Thank you! Please check your INBOX/JUNK in a few minutes for an email from me. XO, Mimi

GET NEW POSTS & FREE MACARON TEMPLATES

Today we celebrated mom’s day way up high in Top of Vancouver Revolving Restaurant. It was a lively get together which included our two moms, my family and hubby’s family. We presented our moms with these flower macaron bouquets I created for them. I’d like to say that somehow I inherited mom’s skills towards working with […]

My bear macarons were invited to be part of the Panda fun at the first birthday party for MurDeFleur’s little princess. It was a fabulous purple, black and white panda themed party styled by ChicFete. It offered me a perfect opportunity to try out some of the new supplies I bought while in Chicago. Disco Dust was an item which was particularly hard […]

It was my friend’s housewarming party and she decided to have a potluck. As usual, I offer to bring the desserts. Not that I’m the baker in the group or anything but one thing is for sure, I’m definitely not the cook! I like bringing cakes to festivities because it always seem to bring people […]

4 small afternoon tea treats served on a glass plate with the pink takeaway box in the back.

I heard a lot of buzz recently about an interesting afternoon tea set that was being offered at the new Laurence and Chico cafe in downtown Vancouver so I quickly made my way down with bestie in tow. The cafe is a new venture for Canadian designer duo, Laurence and Chico, best known for their […]

  • ♥ Home
  • ♥ About
  • ♥ Contact

COPYRIGHT © 2014 - 2020 · INDULGEWITHMIMI.COM UNAUTHORIZED USE OR DUPLICATION OF THE MATERIAL ON THIS SITE WITHOUT EXPRESS AND WRITTEN PERMISSION FROM THE BLOG AUTHOR AND OWNER IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED

5.9Kshares