With these 7 tips of perfecting French macarons, you should have no stress and only fun when you bake your next batch of macarons.
1. ALWAYS MEASURE INGREDIENTS
I cannot stress how important it is to measure the ingredients by weight when making macarons. You cannot get a consistent batch of macarons by measuring with volume (with measuring cups). Measuring by weight is really the only way to get the same amount of each ingredient every single time!
Kitchen scales are a very cheap investment and will definitely be used in future baking projects.
2. SIFT THE DRY INGREDIENTS
Always sift the dry ingredients (powder sugar + almond flour) together even if you see no lumps. You may think skipping this step will not matter; it does. Not sieving, you risk lumps in the mixture which will flatten the macaron mixture. Its ok to sift it more than once to ensure your dry ingredients are well mixed. Remember, when you add the dry ingredients - you are only folding them in not mixing them; so mix them well now.
3. NO GREASE
Before making your meringue, make sure your whisk and bowl are sparkling clean and grease-free. Any traces of grease will not let your eggs whites whip to stiff peaks. Plastic bowls tend to hold oil. So, its best to use glass or stainless steel bowls.
4. EGG YOLKS FREE
It is very very important that your egg whites have no trace of egg yolk or they will not get to stiff peaks.
5. TAP THE PAN
Air bubbles can form in the macaron shells simply from the mixing and piping process. It's completely normal. The air bubbles can cause the macaron shells to burst and crack during the baking process. To fix this, gently tap the sheet pan down the counter a few times to release any air bubbles. Pop any air bubbles with a toothpick.
6. DOUBLE PAN WHEN YOU BAKE
Oven temperature is a crucial part of macaron baking. Double panning helps ensure even heat distribution, thus level feet on the bottoms of your cookies.
7. BROWNING OF THE TOPS OF THE MACARONS
Tops of macaron shells can become browned if the baking temperature is too high or it's too close to the heat source. It's very important to control the oven temperature properly to achieve the desired results. Turn down the temperature or move it farther away from the heat source.
SUMMARY
I hope these tips will help you in your macaron making, but if you want to learn more about all the tricks of perfecting macarons, we also offer Macaron Making Classes in person and virtually. More info can be found here.