Prior to making my first-ever batch of macarons just over a year ago, I did a ton of reading on the subject. I swear I read every macaron technique blog post and watched every You Tube video out there. I’d heard that macarons were really hard to make, so I wanted to do my homework before attempting them. I also picked up Jill Colonna’s Mad About Macarons book–her basic macaron recipe received great reviews, so I thought I’d start with the basic recipe and expand from there. When the book arrived, I breezed through it in a night, and felt so inspired I decided to make pistachio macarons right out of the gate. Below is an image of my very first batch of macarons–not perfect, but not bad! I was expecting cracked shells with no “pieds,” but the step-by-step instructions were surprisingly easy to follow, and I felt so accomplished after that first batch. Though I’m by no means an expert, I’ve learned a lot since then so I thought I’d share some hints that have helped me along the way. Do you have any tricks you swear by? If so, please share!
1. Invest in a digital scale. Macarons require very precise measurements, so precise that even measuring cups won’t quite cut it. Measuring by weight tends to be more accurate than measuring by volume and is recommended for macaron making. Here’s the one I have.
2. Age your egg whites. Ideally, it’s great if you can separate the egg whites from the yolks, and store the egg whites in an air tight container in your refrigerator for 4 days prior. However, I’ve made macs after aging the egg whites for only 24 hours beforehand, and they seemed to come together alright.
3. Make sure all of your bowls, utensils, etc. are clean. This may sound like a given, but one trace of soap or oil and your egg whites may not set up properly.
4. Prep ahead of time. I like to weigh/measure all the dry ingredients ahead of time, so that the process runs smoothly, and I don’t get flustered and make a mistake.
5.When wisking egg whites into firm peaks, make sure not add any food coloring or extract to the egg whites until they start to firm up, as this could inhibit the egg white “stiffening.”
6. Sift the almond flour/powered sugar. Don’t skip this step, or you’ll end up with lumpy shells.
7. After piping the shells onto the baking sheet, if the macs aren’t smoothing out and still have a point on them from the piping tip, give the baking sheet a rap or two on your table or counter top. Make sure to do this right after piping, not after they’ve set for 30 minutes.
8. Macs like air circulation in the oven. If, like me, you don’t have a convection oven, try propping the oven door open with a wooden spoon while the macs bake to help with air circulation.
9. Practice makes perfect! After a few times, things will start to click, and you’ll get a feel for the right consistencies for stiff peaks, macronnage, etc.
10. Wait 24 hours prior to indulging! I know this seems ridiculous after you just spent 2 hours making these little gems, but the shells need time to meld with the filling for full effect. Otherwise, they’re just too crunchy all the way through.
