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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Salted Caramel Macarons

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334 Comments View Comments

  1. Here are some more pics

  2. Hi,
    I made 3 batches of macarons yesterday. They all had feet however cracked on top. Can you tell me what went wrong ?! I rested the shells so they were dry to the touch and had skin on top. Also i tapped the tray to make sure all of the bubbles were popped. These were baked at 350F ( showed on my thermometer ) around 14-15 mins. Is it because of thr huminity ?! I use italian method. The good thing out of this i thought was there was no hollow. However the cracking and little feet are my concern. Thanks in advance !!

    • Hi Hoa, Ann recommends checking out her recipe. It is hard to comment on results using other recipes as they produce different results. Have a go at her method and then see if you get a better result. Here is a link to one of her macaron posts bu there are a couple of others you could try: https://www.howtocookthat.net/public_html/salted-caramel-macaron-recipe/ . Post a photo of those macarons and we can usually identify if the issue is temperature or something else. Hope it works well for you.

  3. My macaron did not get a foot

    • You probably did not let the macaron proof long enough. They have to form a “dry” skin. You let them sit for about 20-30 mins before putting them in the oven.

      • Hi Rebecca, Ann has spent hours testing her recipe and finds it makes no difference if you rest the piped macarons or not before cooking. As a result, she does not include resting as part of her recipe.

  4. Hi Ann & team,
    I habpve tried to make macarons now 3 times now and had varying results. They always seem to be rather chewy inside and a little too brown – the first time I used Almond flour and they came out totally flat with no foot, second time they had a skirt and not a foot (baked at 150) and my latest batch (baked at 160) have turned out again with a little skirt a not a proper foot – I would love to hear your comments to get mine looking like yours! Also I wonder why there are so many different recipes?
    Thanks
    Helen

  5. Love the q&a! Here’s another question. Do you use convection setting on your oven when you bake them?

    Also, there is now a way to make macarons reliably without egg whites. People have been experimenting with aquafaba (the liquid from a can of chickpeas). Here’s a recipe: http://www.mywifemakes.com/2015/06/21/raspberry-rose-vegan-macarons-using-aquafaba/

    • Hi Jennifer, Ann uses a fan-forced oven setting.

  6. Hi there, thanks for the Macaron recipe. I have made two batches: one was pretty much a resounding the success, the second an almost success. The second batch I accidentally forgot to put the caster sugar in – they turned out more like crunchy meringue biscuits than macarons – but with some white chocolate & dark chocolate ganache sandwiched in between, they didn’t turn out too bad. Still taste okay. I am going to try a third time and hopefully they are super super amazing! Thanks again.

  7. Hi Ann,
    So I’ve tried to bake macarons like three times with all different recipes and none of them worked and I always ended up throwing them out. I always use the recipe that tells me to let the macaron dry, but why’s your recipe don’t need that? And can i make just a quarter of this recipe, will it affect anything? Thank you so much for the answer, all of your video amazed me 🙂

    • Hi Monica, Some bakers, are firm believers in resting the mix on the tray before baking. They find it lets the macarons dry out a little and a skin forms on the surface of the macarons, which they find helps ensure a good surface finish on the macarons. Ann tested this with the recipe she used, resting the mix for both long and short periods and comparing the result. She found it made no difference at all to the finished article. As per her guide, she did find that tapping or rapping the tray on the bench was important in loosening any air bubbles that might cause uneven finish.

  8. Hi My Macarons look fine except for the fact that they have gone brown. It would seem obvious that my oven temperature is too high, but it seems that if I turn they oven down they don’t cook properly until they are brown. I have a fan oven, do you think this is causing the problem?

    • Hi Bev, Try putting an empty baking tray on the top shelf of the oven and your macrons tray on the middle shelf. The empty tray will shield the macarons a little from the direct heat and hopefully improve the result.

  9. Hello Ann.
    I’ve been trying this recipe and my macarons cracked. I think that they look like the one you say in the troubleshooting about normal sugar.

    • Hi Margareth, assuming that you did not use normal sugar they look under-folded to me. The other two things to check are your oven temp and the colouring – try making a 1/4 batch with no colouring. 😀

  10. Hi Ann,

    I loved you blog. I have been practicing on how to make a perfect macaroons but I am always frustrated because as you can see in the photo, this was my macarons. What do you think the cause of this problem, no feet..

    Kind regards,

    frustrated

  11. Hi Ann,

    it ried making the french macarons but it has no feet?.What coul be the problem? I leave it for 30 min before baking, there was no lumps…

    Kind regards,
    CONFUSED

    • Hi Cora, I am not sure if you are using this recipe or a different one. You do not need to leave before baking.

  12. Thank you so much for this step by step guide. Most of my macaroons turned out , some cracked but taste and texture were great. All I need to do now is perfect them.

  13. hello, I have some times problems wit macarons or meringue, they are become a empty inside, I live in high altitude (7000 ft) so what can I done for fix this?
    Thanks
    Anna

    • Hi Anna, Usually a hollow Macaron means they have been taken out of the oven too early or the oven temp wasn’t high enough for long enough. They end up cooked on the outside but not cooked enough on the inside, so the centre falls. Try leaving them in the oven for a little longer.

      • Thanks, I’m been try so many different times and temperatures, but non of them work so far ((
        I have commercial oven, so problem with this can’t be, but also this convection one, so if you can pleas give advise in what temperature bake them I will be thankful ti you

  14. Hello,
    could you please tell me what is wrong with this macarons? I’ve been cooking macarons for so long, some of them works and some of them come out like this. I need help!!

    • Mine looked like this when i didnt beat the egg white stiff enough, the next try i made sure to not do that and it worked great.
      Also you need to let them sit on the mat for 10-15 minutes before you put them in the oven, the mixtures settles, and develops
      a skin that will make them not crack like that

  15. my macarons are not getting feet and look bubbly on the outside what am i doing wrong?

  16. Hi,
    Can I use micro wave oven for making macaron ?
    Thanks

    • Hi Ramin, Macron recipes are not suited to the microwave.

  17. Can you freeze the finished macaroons?

    • Hi Sophia, Apparently you can but I never have. They always get eaten!

  18. Hi. Thanks for the video and guidance its great an I’ve finally felt confident enough to try making macarons!!!!

    They turn out great BUT we’re still cracking even after repeatedly “rapping” on the bench 🙁 other than that they are perfect… Can anyone help me out? Am I doing something wrong?

    RosieDG

    • I believe you may be baking them a touch too long RosieDG. If I don’t monitor them it’s what happens to some of mine as well. You can also try baking them at a lower temperature and monitoring them. That has helped some of my batches that have had more color added as well.

    • I have the same problem than you and I dont find the reason. Do hoy?

  19. Hi
    Good Afternoon
    This is Madhumati, Mumbai,India
    Some queries
    had prepared macrons but i had used cashew nut powder instead of almond powder and used normal sugar instead of castor sugar
    Ibeat eggs till the peaks are seen and gently added sugar litelte by little but the batter became watery(flowing consistency) and then added cashew powder but still the batter remain in liquid state and then added butter and maida flour to it and prepare cookies.

    Just want to know using your receipe whether i can use cashew powder..
    Thanks
    MADHUMATI

  20. Hello.I love your blog and the fact that you explain everything. Happy New Year from Romania.

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