Parisien Macarons (with tried recipe & process photos!)
(The paper discs make the display colourful despite it being only two types of Macarons!)
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Macarons. Macarons. The Heavenly Macarons.
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They are what dessert foodie’s Heaven is made out of. Delectable morsels that have a smooth domed surface, which encases a texture that can only be described as soft, gooey, slightly chewy… Mmmm… Which you’d be munching slowly… savoring every bite… with the ganache chocolate centre combining in your mouth… Mmmm… But then… will be finished before you know it! Ahh… Just imagine Homer Simpson’s drooling passion for his Donuts - that same passion applies to me about Macarons…
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I sell pink Macarons (with raspberry jam + ganache centre) & chocolate Macarons (with dark ganache centre) at my stall. I would love to sell many different coloured ones, as one of the attractions of these morsels is the array of colours it could come in, irresistably displayed like cute buttons. But work-time-wise, I am at my limit. I already make more than ten types of cakes every week, & chocolate truffles, etc, on top of that… Pink & chocolate colours are by far the most popular at the market it seems, so I’ll stick to those colours for now!
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So without further ado, here is the recipe(s) for Macarons.
I’d be explaining the base recipe which you’d use to create any colour Macaron you’d like. And then I’ll also list the ingredients list for Chocolate Macarons, which requires you to swap some of your almond powder with cocoa powder.
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Warning:
… … This dessert is very difficult to master. A perfect Macaron MUST have ‘THE FOOT’ which is the raggedness around the edges. It mustn’t come out cracked. It must be round. Each Macaron must be of same size.
… … So I’m afraid it’s all about trials & tribulations! I’m yet to meet anyone who’d made it perfectly from their first go. It took me numerous attempts with recipes from many sources to get it looking alright enough for me to sell. To have to try again & again til perfection is a test of endurance for your love of Macarons. Just remember, every single step in the recipe is important, otherwise, sorry to say, you’re doomed for failure.
… … Also, please remember that everyone’s oven is different. Is it fan or convection, is it pretty old & not precise with temperature, does it have heat spots… (I have a heat spot on the right for example). Every oven has it’s own knack. So I recommend the use of an oven thermometer! This little biscuit requires preciseness.
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Although despite these warnings, please don’t be intimidated by its complexities. Try! & besides, you’d always be able to eat them test batches for yourself, right!? (Like I do). Surely no harm done… ;-)
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Macarons Recipe:
Makes approximately 16 sides (but all dependent on how big you pipe it)
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Ingredients:
- 50g Almond powder
- 90g Icing sugar
- Liquid food colouring (optional)
- (and for the meringue the following:)
- 60g Egg whites (about 2-3 eggs worth), at room temperature
- 30g Icing sugar
- For the centre: jam, buttercream, or ganache (5:4 ratio of cream & chocolate. Read below for the recipe)
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Prepare:
a. Sift almond powder & the icing sugar TWICE. It’s your chance to get rid of the not-so-fine almond powders.
b. Line baking tray with cut-to-size baking paper (or prefably a silpat if you’ve got one). Place this tray on top of another tray (Doubling up the tray delays the heat cooking the Macaron from the bottom. This insures that the outer surface is dried up first before the inside starts to lift it up. This is what makes that all important ‘foot’ & the smooth surface that is not cracked).
c. Have a piping bag ready.
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Method:
- 1. Whisk the egg whites with the icing sugar. Whisk until stiff peaks.
- 2. (Optional) Add food colouring (Literally droplet at a time, as these droplets paint the whites unapetizingly vivid if you’re too generous. But also remember that the colour intensity will be slightly less once you incorporate the dry ingredints later!). Mix it in to the whites.
- 3. Deposit the pre-sifted dry ingredients (almond powder & icing sugar) in to the white in one go.
- 4. Use the spatula to fold it in. Once all the dry ingredients has been incorporated & dissapeared, you must check wether you’ve reached perfect consistency. Test by lifting up the dough with your spatula - HOW DOES THE DOUGH FALL? If it is not falling down in ‘GENTLE’ continuous ribbons, try mixing it a tiny bit more. The technique for mixing at this point is to “fold & press” your spatula against the side of the bowl to deflate the air out of the whites. Do this til you’ve passed this vital ‘dough fall’ test. But just remember, don’t over mix it either… (This folding process is called ‘macaronage’. This is the most tricky bit of Macaron making. I find that you can only know how much one should fold by practising again & again…)
- 5. Spatula the mixture in to a piping bag. (tip: having the bag over something like a juice decanter like the picture below is much easier than the professional way!)
- 6. (skip this if you’re using silpat) Scrape the left over mixture from the now empty mixing bowl & smear it under all four corners of the baking paper. It’ll act as a glue to stick the paper to the tray.
- 7. Pipe 3-4cm rounds on to the baking paper. Make sure to leave atleast 2cm around it as it will spread later.
- 8. Once all piped, drop the tray horizontally on to your work surface to knock some air bubbles out & to spread the dough out a bit. (If you’re doing this at night, & you’re worried you’d wake your kid upstairs (for example), layer some kitchen towels on the work surface to dumb the sound!)
- 9. Leave it aside for 20-30 minutes. This is to dry the surface of your macarons. After the time is up, check how dry it is by gently touching the surface. Does the dough stick back? Leave it aside for another 10 minutes. Once it’s not sticky, proceed to the next step.
- 10. Prepare your oven shelves - you’d want to place your trays on middle shelf. I’d like to cover the shelf above it with foil so that there’s no direct heat hitting my Macarons & discolouring it brown.
- 11. Pre-heat oven to 190 degrees.
- 12. Pop your trays in. (Make sure they are doubled up!!) Sit by your oven with your oven gloves.
- 13. Once ‘the foot’ graciously appears (it’s usually after 4 - 5 minutes), & has reached it’s maximum height, open the oven & quickly but safely take the bottom tray away (meaning don’t double it up anymore). Place the macarons tray back in the oven.
- 14. Change the temperature dial to 170 degrees.
- 15. Bake it for another 5 - 7 minutes. If the colour of the surface is starting to brown, turn the oven off, keep the door shut, & bake it with the remaining confined temperature.
- 16. Leave aside to cool together with the hot baking tray.
- 17. Once cooled, you’d have to remove it off the baking paper. To do this, you dab water on the baking paper under each Macaron & wait a few seconds. The paper should peel off easily without giving. Just do this process slowly & patiently - these Macarons are delicate stuff (if you’re using silpat, just use a knife & slide them off). Now, you can either go to the next step, or decide to store these discs in a consealed tupperware - it’ll keep for several days.
- 18. Pair up the Macarons.
- 19. Pipe the ganache centre mixture (Please read the ganache recipe below) or any other mixture of your choice & sandwich the Macarons together.
- 20. Place in a tupperware & store it in a refrigerator.
- 21. Best eaten the next day!
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1:1 Ganache centre recipe:
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Ingredients:
50g of fresh double cream
40g of dark chocolate
1. Have the chocolate ready in a mixing bowl.
2. Heat cream in a smallest saucepan you have. Bring it to simmering point
3. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate.4. Leave to stand for 10 seconds. Then use your spatula to mix it in - SLOWLY - from the centre, incorporating more cream from the sides as you do it.
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Chocolate Macaron Recipe:..Ingredients:
45g Almond powder
90g Icing sugar
5g Cocoa powder
Red liquid food colouring
(and for the meringue the following:)
60g Egg whites (about 2-3 eggs worth), at room temperature
30g Icing sugar.Method:
Please follow the basic recipe above. The red food colour will add that extra richness to the chocolate colour. To make green tea Macarons, you can user the same measurements as this - just swap cocoa to green tea powder, and omit the red colour.
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“AHHH.
.Update 20.06.07
ps: Which is the correct way to spell - macaron or macaroon? The original french version is ‘macaron’. But the english version seems to be ‘macaroon’… Pronounced with the ‘oo’ too. But doesn’t that point toward the American Coconut Macaroons…, not the French kind? If anybody knows, please advise me!!
I just found your website–your macaroons are beautiful! I love vibrantly coloured food.
Comment by Marilyn - March 30, 2007 7:28 pm
Hi Marilyn! Thank you for visiting my blog! I hope to see you here again!
Comment by tamami - March 30, 2007 11:01 pm
Hiya! You never cease to amaze me with your talents! It’s almost depressing when I think of my limited abilities as a cook.. It’s not exactly the case of..Well if Tamami can do it, so can I !!But I’m sure it took a lot of time and effort to get to where you’re at now so I shouldn’t completely give up hope right? ! hehe
Comment by Akiko Ueda - March 31, 2007 10:17 am
Hey Aki-chan! Funny, I was just thinking about you today! How are you doing? I bet you’re as busy as usual. I wonder how you’re doing in your new living environment - I wonder wether you’re still coming to London this Summer? Hope so! - Anyway, it’s nice of you to leave a lovely comment - I’d just like to say that I had never ever baked a successful cake before my recent fascination with it all…, & so yess, if even I can do it, I think anybody can!!
Comment by tamami - March 31, 2007 9:19 pm
A little piece of Parisian heaven in Hackney. Have attempted chocolate macarons before one tray developed their little feet one tray did’nt, but they sure tasted good. Love the view of your stall only wish I could reach in and grab something sweet. I’d send you a cheque of course. On a Homer note, saw the Simpsons are going to Japan episode the other night, Homer’s Japanese translation of D’oh had me on the floor!
Comment by Laura - April 1, 2007 12:23 pm
Thank you Laura! Macarons are temperamental things aren’t they?! Like you say, it can come out differently even if it was from the same ‘batch’ that you whisked up. It could be anything from - how long you’ve let it dry, for example. It could work one day, & then not work another day… And on the Homer note, I think I’ve seen that episode, but can’t remember the Japanese ‘d’oh!’… D’OH!
Comment by tamami - April 1, 2007 9:49 pm
Hi, I have been a macarons lover… I enjoy reading your website.. Your macarons look perfect!… You do sell that?
I did try making macarons before (9 times if i can remember) but only one time it came out acceptable.. that was disappointing. I would like to try our your recipe but so afraid of the result (because I am a poor cook :( )
By the way, I like sour fillings for macarons (I had tried before lemon Macarons from France) Do you have any recommendation of sour fillings recipe?
Comment by EQ - April 13, 2007 2:37 am
Hi there EQ! Those macarons can be a real dissapoint-er if it doesn’t come out right, aren’t they?! - Please try out this recipe - It’s the one that is ‘fool-proof’ for me, & I get good results every time with it now.
I don’t have any sour filling recipe I’m afraid, but you might try a lemon cream inside? I don’t know, maybe that’s too squidgy when sadwiched in a macaron.
I also have had a lemon macaron from France! Was your purchase from Pierre Hermé? Love him…
Comment by tamami - April 13, 2007 11:20 pm
Thanks Tamami, I will try out your recipe and let you know the results :)
For the previous macarons I had tried which were bought back by my boss in France and is not from Pierre Hermé. :(
But I do hope to try out Pierre Hermé macarons if I had a chance to go France! I do heard alot of people mention about his macarons, Sounds wonderful!
Comment by EQ - April 16, 2007 2:57 am
No prob ;-)
And, when you do get to go to Hermé’s shop for the macarons…, I recommend you go for the ‘assorted’ pack/ box, which is filled with a dozen or so of mini-macarons of different flavours! It’s all truly delicious, & it’s not for sharing, by the way!
Comment by tamami - April 16, 2007 9:58 pm
Those macarons look wonderful. Thank you for the step by step pictures. They are very helpful.
Comment by Cenk - May 1, 2007 8:47 am
Hello there Cenk! Thank you!!
Comment by Tamami - May 1, 2007 9:53 am
I am certainly try your macroons recipe.
The last time we were Paris we went to Laduree and I ordered 2 of these and 2 of those until the box was full, when the last of the big spenders nudged me and said, you do know how much they cost I hope. It turned out they were about $1.50 EACH. Quelle surprise.
So I’ll look on this as a money-saving-recipe.
BTW, I found you on Martha’s message board.
Comment by Dorothy - May 25, 2007 12:15 am
Hello Dorothy, thank you for visiting my site! It’s sure fun isn’t it when you pick a macaron one by one over the counter! Nothing like it. And yeah, they are on the expensive side aren’t they… but if you think about how much skill is needed to make these, you can understand why! Plus…, once you’ve munched on one, you’d certainly realise it was worth every penny!
Comment by tamami - May 25, 2007 2:21 pm
Hiya tamami,
Great delish looking macarons. Thks for sharing the recipe. Ur step tp step directions dispel my self doubts abt trying to bake these beauties. Was told by many tht the macoron recipe is very difficult but u almost make it seem so easy!
Susanna, Australia
Comment by Susanna - May 30, 2007 3:00 am
Hello Susanna from Australia! Thanks! Yeah, it’s not that difficult, but rather all about ‘practising-makes-perfect’. Happy baking!
Comment by tamami - May 30, 2007 4:02 pm
Your Macs look perfect. =) I’ve tried making them several times, but without success. =( I have a problem ‘drying’ the macs before baking them. For some reason, the crust doesn’t form even though I left them to ‘dry’ for a day! Maybe you can enlighten me on what I’m doing wrong?
Comment by S.K. - June 4, 2007 1:58 am
Thanks S.K!
Hm… the crust doesn’t form? I guess your macs must be too soggy, maybe you’ve got the amount of egg whites measured wrong somehow… Or maybe you’ve over whisked the mixture… Or maybe you’re using the wrong type of sugar (it needs to be icing sugar)… So many elements, it’s hard to put a finger on it. And I must admit, it’s taken me numerous trys with different recipes to get mine right. So perhaps give my recipe a go… I don’t know which country you’re from, but when I dry mine in London, UK, my macs are dry in approx. 30 minutes in the Summer (when I say ‘dry’ it means the macs are not sticky when you touch the surface gently) & even quicker in Winter… Hope this helps… Happy Baking!
Comment by tamami - June 4, 2007 6:50 pm
Hi Tamami,
I got your site from a forum and after so many tries on the macaron i am almost lost and clueless on what to do. But this afternoon, i had followed your recipe and wow.. i managed to get the macs on the right texture and taste. But then on the bad side i can’t get the feets. I leave my macaron to dry for about an hour but still a bit sticky before i bake, is it this reason i can’t have the feet? Hope to get some advice from you.(if you don’t mind can take a look at my macaron on my blog and see what’s wrong with it) Thanks. Sorry to trouble you!
Comment by Ellena - June 12, 2007 12:41 pm
hello Ellena. Thanks for your queries. From reading your blog, I can tell that you are nearly there - just a few changes that you need to do to get it right.
First of all, the macs HAVE TO BE DRY on the surface before it goes in to the oven. That means, when you touch it, it won’t stick back.
Secondly, you have to put them in at a high temperature. I suggest 190 degrees. This is to quickly dry the surface first and make the ‘case’, so that the ‘feet’ can lift that up.
Hope this helps. And good luck baking - you’re almost there!
Comment by tamami - June 12, 2007 1:10 pm
Hi Tamami,
Thanks for your prompt reply. I will note down your advice and try it out again soon during the weekend. I shall get back to you and see how it goes…. Thanks. :)
Comment by Ellena - June 12, 2007 10:51 pm
Pleasure ;-)
Yup, please let me know how you do! I’d be v. curious!
Comment by Tamami - June 12, 2007 10:57 pm
Hi Tamami,
Just wanted to say thank u for sharing ur recipe. I made it for the 1st time this weekend & it has feet!!!! So excited. I think I overmix a little so it was a little watery & thus a little flat but I think it turned out great for a 1st time. : )
Comment by BlurMommy - June 19, 2007 8:14 am
oh my god! you’ve got feet and its your first time baking macaons??! well done!!! thats sooo exciting!
Comment by tamami - June 19, 2007 12:24 pm
Hi Tamami
I happened to tumbled across this macarons by my friend .. she tried and failed and i tried twice and failed.. hehehe.. but I will keep on trying. The taste is great.. but I just cannot get the feet to pop out.. but never mind, I will try again and again.
Thank you so much for sharing the recipe and showing in details of it. I luv it sooo much.
Comment by mamazieza - June 24, 2007 12:59 pm
Hello Mamazieza & thank you! Good luck with the ‘feet’!
Comment by tamami - June 24, 2007 8:12 pm
i want to say that you are so sweet to share your recipe, especially considering the fact that you sell macaroons!
i live half the world away from you so there is only one bakery i can get macaroons from, which is quite far from where i live. plus it’s quite expensive!
my macaroons are in the oven now, and i’m crossing my fingers cos this is only the second time (and recipe) i have tried for macaroons!
on your question about whether it’s macaroons or macarons, i’m confused too :/
if you haven’t already, you could post up traditional japanese cuisine recipes :P
sorry my comment is so long. but a BIG THANK YOU for sharing the recipe (with photos!!!!) :D
*GLOMP*
Comment by grace - July 3, 2007 1:40 pm
Grace, no worries about the long comment! Thank you! Well, I hope your macaro(o)ns went well. Good idea about posting traditional Japanese food recipes - if I had time I would… - I just took on another job , probably starting from next week, to teach a Japanese lady English, so I’m soo not got the time for anything else now… sigh…
Comment by tamami - July 4, 2007 6:53 am
These look good! I must try them.
Just found your blog today. I really like it. I must come check out your stall in Broadway Market someday :-)
Comment by Niamh - July 10, 2007 4:57 pm
Hi Niamh! Y’know what, I used to be friends with a girl called Niamh when I was a graphic designer. Love the name. - Do hop by to the market someday! ;-)
Comment by tamami - July 10, 2007 9:44 pm
hi tamami…
I have tried again and again.. 3x to be exact.. but still no feet… must try again..huhu
Comment by mamazieza - July 14, 2007 12:33 pm
Hello Mamazieza - sorry to hear you have no feet after 3 go’s… It maybe worth while getting an oven thermometer to see if the oven is correct & precise - for example, my old oven was ‘off’ by 20 degrees - and I remember I had many unsuccessful attempts…! Hope this helps!
Comment by tamami - July 14, 2007 8:28 pm
found your blog by chance and saw what i wanted to make ‘Macaroons” and got interested and read thru your instructions carefully a few times before i tried it today.While waiting for it to dry some of it got wet at the bottom.What when wrong?No foot was found and when took outof the oven it all when flat and i jus want to cry…Yours look so good and you are so kind to share your recipe.Not easy to get macaroons recipe from ppl blog. Sorry for the long story n thanks again for your recipe..
Comment by gracey - July 19, 2007 8:39 am
Dear Gracey, I’m sorry to hear your macarons didn’t turn out well… These things are really hard to make - I myself was alsmost in tears several times beofore I finally perfected them. It’s hard to say what went wrong - not being there myself ..
But please try again & again, it’s one of those things. .. Good luck!
Comment by tamami - July 19, 2007 1:58 pm
I found your recipe, and can’t wait to try it! I wish I had known about your stall before we visited London, I would have come to buy macarons. We discovered them at Paul Bakery. I have a question for you, do you mean 190 degrees Celsius for the oven, or Farenheit? We Yanks still use the “English” system…
Many thanks!
Comment by Deborah C. - August 1, 2007 12:54 pm
Hello Deborah C.!
Next time you visit Ldn from the States, please do drop by! I’m sure you’d love the market. And as for the 190 degrees - it’s celsius. I don’t understand Farenheit much… Happy Baking!!
Comment by tamami - August 1, 2007 6:20 pm
For macarons that aren’t drying completely, sometimes it’s to do with too much moisture in the air or too much moisture in the almond flour mixture before macaronage. I’ve seen the recommendation (and tried it!) that if you have moisture concerns, to place the flour/sugar mixture in the oven for a few minutes to help it be completely dry before folding.
Just a thought.
Comment by Volupte - August 1, 2007 7:03 pm
Hi Volupte. Where did you hear that recommendation? I’m curious to find out where! Drying the almond powder sounds like a good idea - but can’t imagine placing the icing sugar in the oven though… it’ll just melt wouldn’t it? ;-)
Comment by tamami - August 1, 2007 9:02 pm
[…] Not too bad, huh? They are a little flat ‘cos I overmix the batter. Will have to improve on that. But the most impt fact is that they have feet. For a first time, I’m very happy with the result. Hopefully it’s not just beginner’s luck! :pSince I didn’t have any buttercream, I sandwich some Nutella between them. Even DH who never likes desserts gave a thumbs up! : p Thanks to Tamami from Coco&Me for generously sharing her recipe ! […]
Pingback by KookyCulinary » Macarons - October 16, 2007 5:43 am
Hi,
I tried 2 different recipes (1 from epicurious and the other from Coco&me) for the 1st time. Both failed as I got a too liquid base mixture.
Does anyone know the reason?? Pleeeaaaaase.. Help!!!
Comment by Natalia - November 3, 2007 9:33 pm
I blend my almonds into powder.. What kind of almonds should I use? Fresh? Roasted? With or without skin?
Comment by Natalia - November 3, 2007 10:39 pm
Hello Natalia - first of all, thank you for trying out my recipe!
macarons are notorious for being difficult, especially getting the hang of ‘macaronage’ (mixing to right consistency), & often when mixed too long, you get a liquid-y mixture as a result. - Then again, I have never tried blending whole almonds down for this - all I can say on that front is to make sure you sieve your powder so it is super-fine…
Sorry I can’t be of much help - but it might be the case of trying again & again & again. That is how I managed to perfect mine!
Comment by tamami - November 4, 2007 6:33 pm
Hi there.
Those look like really good macarons.
I’ve been using the ‘tant-pour-tant mixed with half unbeaten eggs and an equal quantity of meringue itallienne’ version recipe with some success (takes away some of the mixture consistency guess work for me), but have got some discolouration of the more vibrant colours. So I have been limited to vanilla, coffee and chocolate.
Thanks very much for the tip re the shelf over when baking. I’m off to try some matcha macarons - You know, I still have to watch the little things rise every time! Have you tried making an Ispahan yet?
Comment by Jeff - November 20, 2007 5:09 am
Hi Jeff, I must admit, I’ve never tried the Italian meringue version yet - although I once or twice made the Italian meringue for a mousse recipe.
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The discolouration problem you have, I completely understand - another tip to try maybe is to turn the oven off (& keep the oven door shut) in the last few minutes of the baking, & keep it in there for the rest of the baking time, so it ‘cooks’ regardless, without the direct heat colouring it. - Those blasted macarons are hard-work…, right?
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Ispahan: In the past, I’ve made a totally-fake version for my own consumption with ganache (gasp, not rose buttercream) with fresh raspberries & pink macarons. I know, it wasn’t the same as PH’s… Ispahan is too sophisticated to have at my stall, so I haven’t made it since though…
Comment by tamami - November 20, 2007 10:43 pm
Just thought I’d let you know the shelf thing worked really (really) well. It turned out beautiful pure-coloured coques. I was using 165 c for 23 mins (for 55mm piped coques) for and as an added bonus it gave bigger feet. Oh joy!
One note re the Italian meringue. Because it is inherently more stable than French I don’t think the mixing/over-mixing isn’t so much of an issue; and once piped the coques can stand a fair wait if you’re too busy to bake them all.
I have since seen the pictures of your stall. It’s fab! Far better than any patisserie in my neck of the woods.
BTW, Congratulations!
Comment by Jeff - November 22, 2007 6:33 pm
Hi Jeff! Yay!! I’m really glad it turned out well. 23 minutes? That sounds like a long time, & bigger feet??! Wow, I’m jealous. Maybe if you don’t mind sharing the recipe with me? ( email me if you can at contact cocoandme.com )
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The fair wait issue-wise, I’ve not had a problem with leaving the un-baked discs around, using the french meringue technique. In fact, I let them dry for a fair bit.
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Now you’ve got me burning to test-bake the Italian meringue macarons… ;-)
Comment by tamami - November 22, 2007 11:56 pm
hi Tatami,
Thanks for sharing your mac recipe with us. I’d tried another recipe before chancing upon yours but it turned out miserably flat! But will defintely pick up the pieces and try your recipe! Just wondering, is almond powder the same as ground almond? Do you really have to measure out the whites or do we just use whites from 3 eggs. Lastly, do the whites have to beaten stiff till they don’t fall even if i hold the bowl upside down? Many thanks!
Comment by tamchiak - December 24, 2007 4:26 am
Hello Tamchiak. Thank you for checking my recipe out!!
Here’s some answers:
1. Yes, almond powder is same as ground almond.
2. Yes, please measure out the egg whites precisely to the gram.
3. Yes, the egg whites need to be beaten stiff until it doesn’t fall out of the upside down bowl. But obviously, do not over-beat it that the water/ moisture separates. Just think of what purpose you are beating it for - it is to incorporate ‘air’ which would then be vital to lift the macarons to form the jaggardy feet. If you over-beat, the air bubbles you created would then get damaged…
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Hope this helps… ;-)
Comment by tamami - December 24, 2007 6:45 pm
Thanks, Tatami! Hope I have good news to share soon :P
Comment by tamchiak - December 28, 2007 7:10 am
Pleasure! ;-)
Comment by Tamami - December 29, 2007 9:00 pm
Hi Tatami,
Am so inspired by your lovely macaroons..am gonna try a batch for the 1st time this weekend! Many thanks for kindly sharing the step by step reciepe n pics..makes it so much easier to understand =)
Comment by pea - February 15, 2008 2:59 pm
Hi pea! Pleasure. let me know how it goes!
Comment by tamami - February 15, 2008 6:49 pm
Dear Tatami
I followed your recipe to the T but my macaron didn’t turn out well. The batter was runny and spread easily. It was a little sticky despite leaving aside for more than 1 hr. I baked them @ 180 for 10 mins still it was flat, got no feet and had a rough bubbly surface on the top. Whereas, the bottom was a bit wet and soggy. Hope you could advise me, thank you very much.
Comment by Sanrio3138 - April 23, 2008 9:22 am
Dear sanrio3138,
not being able to be in yr kitchen to witness you making it, it’s a bit of a stab in the dark to try to give advice…, but, from reading your comment, it sounds as though you are over-mixing your batter at step 4. It really is the most difficult part of the recipe… The batter shouldn’t spread easily like you mention.
Or perhaps you are not measuring your ingredients precisely enough. As for the oven, do you use an oven-thermometer? and have you pre-heated it?
Well, I hope this helps… good luck and happy baking!
Comment by tamami - April 23, 2008 8:18 pm
Thanks Tamami for your reply ^-^
I did measure all the ingredients and preheated my oven. I think the main reason must be I’ve over-mixed the batter :-(
Since this is my first attempt baking macarons, I’ll defintely try to bake again.
Best regards.
Comment by Sanrio3138 - May 4, 2008 7:14 am
Hi Tamami,
I was thinking couple of years ago after stumbled upon your blog… may be you should set up a baking class… :-)
Another thing I wanted to say is you’re not stingy to share your recipe even though you sell macarons yourself!
You deserve big applause and hugs from me and your fans…:-)
I haven’t the time to make some for myself but definitely I would!
Comment by pixen - June 3, 2008 4:19 pm
Wow, Pixen, thank you for such a lovely compliment!
Comment by tamami - June 3, 2008 7:37 pm
hey, i came across your site and tried the recipe.. however, my macarons didn’t grow feet and the batter was lumpy… any idea what causes a lumpy/ un-smooth macaron? I baked them in different batches varying the oven temperatures but none got the feet :( thanks…
Comment by L - December 20, 2008 8:57 am
Hello L.
So the batter was lumpy… I see… hm…
How lumpy was it? And lumpy with what?
I don’t understand how a mixture of meringue & almond powder & icing sugar can have lumps. Are you sure you are using the right ingredients?
Maybe try sifting the dry ingredients (almond powder & icing sugar) with a fine mesh sieve first to get rid of gritty bits.
On the feet-front, well, if the batter is lumpy, it is wrong from then onwards, so… I think get the macaronage correct, & then if the feet still doesn’t appear, get an oven thermometer if you haven’t got one yet, then keep to precise oven temperature suggestion.
I hope this helps, & happy & yummy baking!
t x
Comment by tamami - December 20, 2008 10:26 pm
thanks for the prompt reply :) i shall try again tomorrow… i think maybe it had something to do with my egg whites. Btw your pastry stall in the market looks really nice!
Comment by L - December 21, 2008 5:58 am
Hi, may i know what do you mean by
12. Pop your trays in. (Make sure they are doubled up!!)
and
13. take the bottom tray away (meaning don’t double it up anymore).
I don’t understand the double up term used.
i would appreciate some help here. thanks! :)
Comment by Del - January 1, 2009 3:45 pm
i’m sorry! i didn’t see the front part. but i still don’t understand what i’m supposed to do with the trays
x.x
Comment by Del - January 1, 2009 3:47 pm
Hello Del.
Attempting a spot of macaron making on new years day? Impressive!
.
Basically, you’re using a metal tray under your silpat (or baking sheet) right? - Well, put TWO metal trays on top of each other. to make it thicker. It delays the heat from cooking the macaron from the underside!
happy baking, t x
Comment by tamami - January 1, 2009 3:57 pm
Tamami,
I tried making macarons last week and failed abysmally. I was using really poor instructions I found somehwere else on the net. Since then I did more research and found your site from Syrupandtang.com - I decided to follow your recipe.
I’m very very happy to let you know that first effort with this recipe (48hour egg white left out) I got nice shape, feet and base. I’d give them a 7/10 which I think is darn fine for a first attempt. I definitely overcooked them a shade (the largest one or two are perfect, but the average sized ones are overdone), but these are more than presentable.
Just hope I can repeat this, or even improve from here. Anyway. Just thought I’d say thanks :)
Off to make Ganache now….
Stu
Comment by Stuart - February 20, 2009 8:23 pm
Hello Stuart,
CONGRATULATIONS on getting a good result! 7 out of 10 is a fantastic start! It’s just a matter of ‘bake, bake, bake away til you’re happy!’ ;-)
Comment by tamami - February 21, 2009 12:32 am
Hi Tamami,
Macarons is the correct spelling for this type of cookie, while Macaroons are the odd shaped kinds which i think is not as difficult to make. That’s the difference! I think many people just think that the two have no difference, hence the spelling confustion.
On another note, i’ll be trying making your Macarons today for the first time, so wish me luck! :D
Comment by samantha - March 8, 2009 6:19 am
Hello Samantha, thanks for that! xx & good luck with your macaron baking!
Comment by tamami - March 8, 2009 10:58 am
hello tamami, i wonder what is almond powder. i never heard it before….huhuhu =(
Comment by pepper - March 22, 2009 10:49 am
Hello Pepper, it is almonds that has been ground very finely.
Comment by Tamami - March 22, 2009 4:55 pm
Hello Tamami,
there is just one word to say for your hard and beautiful work : fantastic.
I got to know your blog because i had lost the original receipe for the nordicware train mold, and was looking for another one on internet. It’s not for me though, i will definitely try it later on but it’s for a friend’s daughter’s birthday.
About the macarons : as i am french (living in Germany though) with a special permanent craving for macarons, i systematically try macarons whenever i spot some in a pâtisserie. I must say yours look absolutely perfect.
Right now in France (at least Bretagne) more and more pâtisseries start making macarons with a soft caramel filling, made with salted butter. It can be heavenly delicious, when it’s well made of course.
Anyway, you made me want to go back to bake macarons. In a week or so my children will have to bring a special dish/cake from their country, i decided i would bake some macarons with your receipe.
Like everyone else wrote, i am so grateful that you shared your proofed receipe, i will do my best.
Thanks again !
Comment by Florence - April 24, 2009 8:53 am
Wow, thanks Florence!! (sorry about the late reply - I tend to not be able to write back on days that I work…) Good luck with making the macarons - I’m sure the children will love it!! ^^ - Hope to hear from you again, T xx
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Comment by tamami - April 27, 2009 11:19 am
Hi, love your site, and your macaron recipe, they look soo cute in thoes bright colors!!
As you can see my english is kind of poor jijiji an I get lost in this section of the recipe
12. Pop your trays in. (Make sure they are doubled up!!) ????????????
13. Once ‘the foot’ graciously appears (it’s usually after 4 - 5 minutes), & has reached it’s maximum height, open the oven & quickly but safely take the bottom tray away (meaning don’t double it up anymore). Place the macarons tray back in the oven.
I really dont understand what to do…can yo be mor grafic, pleasssseeee, I love to make some macaron!!!! soon.
Comment by NenisQ - June 13, 2009 3:54 pm
Hello NenisQ.
Where are you from? Some people have said that my recipes are a bit wierd!! ^^
I’ll try to explain:
.
12. Put the macarons in the oven. Please remember to put TWO cooking trays on top of each other.
.
13. When the macarons rise, remove ONE of the cooking trays, and continue baking.
.
Hope that helps!
Comment by tamami - June 13, 2009 8:46 pm