Ann Reardon

Macaron Recipe Troubleshooting FAQ Cracked, Flat, Lumpy,

 

1. Macaron Cracked

fix macaron cracked

Try rapping the trays on the bench harder or more times before cooking.
 

2. Macarons Flat or Lumpy

See the pictures below which show the results of under-mixed and over-mixed macaroon mixture.

undermixed good overmixed
fix macaron problems undermixed french macaron smooth macaron
overmixed french macaron

2. Hollow macarons

Macarons should not be hollow. This is most often caused by the oven being opened before they are cooked through or the macarons being taken out of the oven too early. The under-cooked middle drops to the base.

 

More questions see the video below:

The video answers the following frequently asked questions:
0:15 Can I have the recipe? …yes… macaron recipe
0:31 Do macarons taste better if you fill them and leave them overnight?
0:58 Do you have a nut free recipe? … yes… nut free macarons
1:38 Can I have the chocolate ganache recipe? …yes… plain ganache, ginger ganache, orange ganache
1:59 Is greaseproof paper the same as non-stick baking paper?
2:18 Do you have a chocolate macaron recipe? …yes… chocolate macaron recipe
2:26 My macarons have a skirt rather than a foot, why?
2:45 What does rapped on the bench mean?
2:54 Can I use liquid colour for macaroons?
3:13 My macarons turned out lumpy, why?
3:50 I can’t get caster sugar can I use powdered sugar for the whole recipe?
4:12 Can I use icing mixture or does it have to be pure icing sugar?
4:18 How do I flavour the macaron recipe?
4:36 Do I have to leave them on the bench before I bake them?
4:56 What is almond meal?
5:04 I don’t have a piping bag 🙁 what can I use?
5:21 I need to make 100 of these perfectly HELP! (how to tell if you have folded enough times)
5:52 Can I put two trays in the oven at once?
6:14 Does your recipe use customary or imperial units?
6:29 Can I use less sugar?
6:36 My egg whites won’t whip, why?
7:00 Can I use wheat flour?
7:03 Do I have to use a stand mixer?
7:10 Can you replace the egg whites with something else?

 

More macaron recipes for you:

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All recipe quantities in the book are in grams, ounces and cups.

334 Comments View Comments

  1. Hi!

    My macarons turned out quite nicely, but some of them only had feet on one side. What am I doing wrong?

    Thank you for your help and keep up the good work! 🙂

    • hi pia sounds like uneven heat in your oven try either two silpats under the baking paper or a baking tray that is hollow designed for even airflow

  2. What would be the reason that my macarons didn’t form a skin? I left them out for an hour and still no skin.

    • Hi sweettooth you do not need to leave the macarons out with this recipe.

  3. Great tips! I should have watched BEFORE making my first batch. They are about to come out of the oven and may be a bit under mixed as they are chocolate and look like poo.

  4. I forgot to add, they also come out crunchy and not chewy at all which is driving me crazy. Help please! So basically they taste like macaroons but look and feel nothing less of a biscotti! 🙁

    • Definitely overcooked should have a moist ‘cakey’ centre check oven temp

  5. Hello,
    This is the second time I attempt your recipe, I think I’ve got the mixture right, I’ve rapped it too, but for some reason they still crack and also the bottom burns before it being possible to take them out of the oven, then they all end up crunchy. Also I was wondering if I should use the fan option on my oven or not.
    Thank you

    • Hi Rida20493, I use the fan, If they are burning before they are cooked check the oven temp using an oven thermometer sounds like it might be out, which can effect everything.

  6. Hello Ann,
    I’m on my 5fth attempt at making macarons and for some reason my macarons look nice in the oven and develope a nice foot at the bottom then the centre just starts to ooze out and they end up looking like a mess. what am i doing wrong?

    • Does the centre ooze out as in the foot flattens to form a skirt? If so low oven temp. If something else please explain for me

  7. I have Gas oven
    Can I use that for bake Macaros ?
    I did it 4 times and all goes wrong ..

    Cheers
    Vincent

    • Hi vincent yes you can use a gas oven, oven temperature is important so if you think your oven is the culprit buy an oven thermometer and check if it is accurate.

  8. Would buttercream filling be okay to leave overnight?

    • Hi caitlan yes buttercream will be fine.

  9. My macaroons doesn’t hav feets~ I’m using 125*c isit the temperature too high?
    my macaroons should be pink in color but turn out a little bit brownish~

    • hi stephanie, make sure you measure the ingredients exactly and check your oven temp with and oven thermometer.

  10. Hi Ann, I discovered this blog today and I have to say, you inspired me! You post really interesting recipes, content and pics are very clear. Love it!

    Today is my 4th time trying to get the perfection of the macarons recipe, but…it seems I’m not gonna get it so quick 🙂 So I will tell you what happened to me:

    When I put the macarons in the tray they were pink, when I took them out …. was pink just the bottom of the macaron, the surface was brown. Why is that? I used a drop of red colouring, it was really pink when I put them in!!

    By the way, they ended up a bit flat as well. Do they become flat because of the egg whites maybe? I know you explained it happens when the mixture is over-mixed but I read in other blogs this is because of the egg whites which haven’t been properly whipped. I added the 70 gr caster sugar at the end of the whipping and in one time. After that I was whipping for about 4 minutes more, then I added the red colouring. What did I wrong?

    Thankyou for your help!

    • Hi Amina, yes flat is from over-mixing when you are folding the macaroons.

  11. Hi Ann, when I put the macarons in the tray they were pink, when I took them out …. was pink just the bottom of the macaron, the surface was brown. Why is that? I used a drop of red colorant, it was really pink when I put them in!! 🙁

    • Hi Maina, this is normal it takes a lot of colouring to make the macarons look coloured after baking so if you want strong colours you need to use powdered colour, if happy with softer colour then use gel colour.

  12. Dear Ann,
    Thank you so much for the self-help resources you put together! It made a great difference! I understand what I was doing (well, maybe not completely wrong:-)but in a suboptimal way and what I will do differently the next time (which will be the next weekend).
    I’m living and working in North Europe right now, travelling often to France, sampling all kinds of macarons in caffes and in backery shops; my dream has been to learn to make my own, so I spent quite a few hours screening recipes, and I have got a wonderful book on this (as a Christmas gift from my husband). But I found no French magazine, book or blog that provided instructions and how-to tips as clearly as this blog did. I complement you for this! (Being a teacher myself, writing guidelines and instructures is part of my job, and I so much appreciated the level of clarity and simplicity in your videos). Please keep up the good work.

    I’m having my macaron workshop today (that’s how I arrived at your blog). Fortunately, I watched the videos before having started. I did three batches: the first one got skirts, and no feet; the second got lumpy and the third is in the oven right now… I have a hot air over and it turned out that 150 degrees was ‘too low’, so the third batch is at 180.

    Thank you so much again and all the best!!

  13. I have now tried this recipe three times and I think I am getting there but in all three batches I cannot seem to get proper “feet” it just appears as a crack around the base. They still lift off the paper no problems but after they have been out of the oven a couple minutes they crack underneath and kind of suck up inside. Then I have to use more filling to make the proper sandwich I am using a gas oven at 150degrees please help what am I doing wrong?

    • Hi Alana, If they are hollow inside try 1. making sure you don’t open the oven until they are done, 2. only mix the meringue until it is firm enough to turn the bowl upside down without it falling out and then for 2 minutes more.

  14. Can i use the egg beaters egg whites instead of fresh egg whites?

    • Hi Sam, I have never tried them but apparently pasteurized egg whites do not whip properly. On their website in all of the recipes they do not have any that require the egg whites to be whipped. So my guess is a no.

  15. Hello, Ms. Ann. I have two question, (1) can I use non stick foil instead of non stick baking paper or (2) can I use wax paper with spray? Please help me.

    • Hi Yee Yang, I have not tried either of hess. I suggest that you do a batch and put half on one and half on the other and see which one works the best for you.

  16. Hello Ms.Ann!
    I have a question for some reason why macarons don’t have feet… please help me!

    • Hi cmtran8, were they also smooth on top or lumpy? If you see in the video about doing a test batch you can see the ones that are under-mixed have no feet but are still a bit lumpy on top too. The over-mixed ones have a very small foot and are flatter. If the oven temp is too low they have a border around the base rather than a foot. Make sure you are not opening the oven during cooking as this will effect the temp too. Check oven temp with an oven thermometer

  17. Hi, thank you for the recipe and and tips. I followed your recipe and everything turned nice except for hollow shells. What am I doing wrong?

    • Hi Maria, Two possibilities 1. overbeaten egg whites – your mixer may be more powerful than mine, try whipping until just thick enough to turn the bowl upside down and then for 2 minutes more only. 2. a drop in oven temperature, try not to open the oven until they look done or taking them out of the oven before they are done – this will cause the insides to drop.

  18. Hello, thanks for the great tips. Congratulations for your helpful site.

    • thanks dulce

  19. Hi I am trying to make macaron, may I know what type of cream should I use? Thanks!

    • Hi Jennifer cream goes by all different names depending on where you live so it is easiest to look at the nutrition information and find one that is 30% fat ie 30g fat per 100 g or more. If you are in the US this will be called heavy cream.

  20. Hello!
    It was nice to see you rather than just hearing you! 🙂
    Thanks for the tips, I’m trying then at the weekend.

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