Troubleshooting Macaroons!

Hello People!

Sorry for not being consistently posting about my baking,

caught up by a few catch-ups and what not :)

Anyways, so i've been thinking,

when u want to make macaroons

there are possibly a hundred different things that could go wrong

(okay, maybe i'm exaggerating!)

and you might want to know why it happened.

So i've made a little research, and here are the list of possible mishaps :

• Your macaroons have no feet. This is mainly because you didn't let it rest enough and the thin cap that was suppose to form on top of the macaroon didn't have time to form yet. Another possibility is that you over mix the batter. Most of the bubble needed to lift the cap have been popped out of the batter.
• Your feet protrude to the side. This may occur due to over-heat in the oven. Every oven is different on its own so you might want to adjust and see which temperature suits your batter batter best. When there is too much heat, the macaroons will expand quickly thus making the feet protrude sideways. You can also try to put a wooden spoon on the oven window, this create an even heat in the oven.       
• Your macaroons have large spaces under the cap. This happens when bubbles in the foam pop. Try cutting back on your resting time a little. Another tactic might be to add a bit more sugar to your batter to help shore up the bubble walls.  
• Your macaroons cracks. This is due to the effect of under-mixing your batter. The bubbles inside the batter is too much that instead of giving lift your macaroons, it pops thru the thin caps and make your macaroons crack. Another possible cause is due to excess moisture in the batter ex: the air is humid or the egg whites are big.Try using grade B eggs instead.

And some tips and tricks when doing your macaroons :

1. Use an oven thermometer: Chances are, your oven is different than mine, put down the few dollars it costs for a decent oven thermometer and you can know for certain that your oven temp is right.

2. Use a good baking sheet: If your baking sheet is too thin, the macarons won’t bake evenly or correctly. You can even try doubling up two thin baking sheets if that’s all you have.

3. Use old eggs: I know this may sound wrong in our world of refrigerating everything, but it makes a difference. Use eggs that are not too fresh and leave them on the counter at room temp for a day or two.

4. Make sure you have prime egg-whipping conditions. Trust me, a humid day or one streak of grease in your bowl can make what could have been a beautiful batch of macarons into a big disappointment.

5. Increase cooking time for bigger macarons: I’ve undercooked my macarons before and had them come out hollow. Pretty still but very disspointing in texture. Make sure that if your macarons are bigger circles, you bake longer.

6. Keep an eye on your macarons to avoid browning them or letting them crack:  If it seems a little hot, crack the door and stick a wooden spoon in to hold it slightly ajar.

7. If you macarons won’t unstick, try water. Rest the paper (with the Macarons stuck to it) on a thin layer of water. Count to 15 which is just enough to soften the paper without getting the Macarons wet. They pulled off flawlessly! You may have to adjust how long you let it sit depending on the type of paper you use, so as not to wet your Macaroons.

So far that's it peeps!

I'll let you know if i found out anything new :)

And i'll be posting a french macaroon recipe next.