Practicing Macarons

Macarons are one food that I am yet to master. I am always inspired by my friend Holly's beautiful macaron creations (she's such a fantastic baker!). I find them so intimidating that I put it on my birthday list to attempt them again this year. If you are not familiar with birthday lists, it's something Elsie and I (and others!) do every year. We make a list of goals for the upcoming year that corresponds with our age. For example, last year my list included 26 things to do before I turn 27. I will be celebrating another birthday the end of this month, so I'm trying to wrap up any unfinished goals and make my plans for next year. One thing I had yet to accomplish was to attempt macarons again. I wish I had a picture of my first attempt (almost 3 years ago). They were a DISASTER! Ha!As you can see I still have some more practicing to do. :) But these were MUCH better than my first attempt. And although they were not cosmetically perfect, they were definitely delicious. They are cinnamon macarons (they taste like a snickerdoodle cookie!) that I filled with Nutella. I will share the recipe but for instructions on the method I would highly recommend this blog, and she also provides links to other fantastic bakers who have offered up more instructions as well.For these cinnamon macarons I used: 110 gm slivered almonds, 202 gm powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 100 gm egg whites aged at room temperature overnight and 50 gm granulated sugar. 

My main issues with this batch was that some of them cracked while baking and the tops still had a prominent tip from piping. (I also have a suspicion that I didn't fold the batter enough.) I got some suggestions from friendly IG users on how to remedy these problems. To keep macarons from cracking, it was suggested that I lower my baking temperature and allow them to bake a little longer. Or I can try letting them rest for 30 minutes to an hour before baking. And for getting rid of the piped tips it was suggested that I could give my baking sheet a tap on the counter before baking to level them off.

I was proud to have gotten some decent "feet" out of this batch at least. :) What about you? Have you ever been intimated by something you wanted to do? Or have you ever baked anything challenging? xo. Emma

Comments

[Raquel]

Wow! I was living in France...and there Macarons are soooo good!! :)
Super nice try!!

http://doitnaturalnow.blogspot.com.es/

[Annika Deboer]

I tried making them the other day! and the pooled and didn't even bake, I didn't some research on why and found that its best to under beat the eggs as its possible that I over beat them and thats why they pooled!

Lessons learnt!

Your looks and i bet they tasted fantastic!

[Rachel]

I have always wanted to learn how to make these, thanks for the tips!

[Aydan]

This is how I do my macarons and they work just fine!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8elGvI1R_c

xx

[Valentina]

I can't wait to make macarons!

Valentina
http://valentinaduracinsky.blogspot.com/

[Ana]

Yum! I've never tried to make them! I should give it a go!

[Kate Fitchett]

Baking has always been more intimidating to me then cooking, I think it is all of the exact measurements and timing that prove to be scary! Their is less forgiveness for errors!

[Caterina L.]

I can't believe you're making these! I LOVE cooking but I have not attempted macarons because I am very intimidated by them. I hear it's incredibly hard to get them right. Good luck tho!

ps. Macarons are the french one you're making and macaroons are coconut cookies xx

[Stephanie]

I don't care how it looks, I want it now! I still looks so delicious!

[Kim]

Macarons are hit of miss for me. I use the same recipe and they always come out different.

Good luck!

Kim

http://loopsoflavender.blogspot.com/

[irene wibowo]

wow.. i wanna try to make this.. thanks for sharing! :)http://lovesimplegreen.blogspot.com/

[Layls]

I loved this post. I have wanted to try macarons for awhile now. (not to be a pedant or anything, but "macaroons" are an entirely different cookie) I've always been scared to go for it. But I might just give it a try! Thanks!

[Elizabeth Lewis]

How cute! I love how they turned out.
Liz
http://liz-makes.blogspot.com

[Caitlin]

For some reason Hard Candies stress me out so much that I've never tried to make them, even though I think it'd be so fun to make lollipops and things for gifts. Maybe I'll try them this year in honour of your birthday list.

[Sarah]

I LOVE macarons. Thankfully my sweet friend Chef Tariq at Sucré does all the hard work for me. If you and Emma ever find yourselves in New Orleans I'm sure he'd be glad to show you around his kitchen!

[Laura]

They look delicious! I love Macarons, I work in a french inspired bakery and we are obsessed. Letting them rest on your baking sheet will definitely help prevent cracking. Another technique that we use is to double up your baking trays, this helps to regulate temperature. Happy Baking!

[Monica]

I visited the Laudree bakery in the Paris airport almost two years and and fell in love with macaroons when I took my first bite into a salted caramel one. Then I ate the other 5 in the box within minutes... no regrets (I could have bought more, but those babies are expensive). I'd love to master macaroons too, but there are so many details in making them perfect, but you have to start somewhere, right? I'm going to try to make some for Valentine's Day :)

M.

[Andrea]

I have wanted to try making macarons for a long time and after seeing your post I feel it's time I give it a go ;)
P.S. I like the birthday list idea - so I'm totally stealing that. I think it has a better chance of working out than New Year's Eve resolutions :)

[grace]

those look absolutely delicious.

grace
http://herumbrella.com

[Chanel]

Macarons are so cute! Here is a website that is really great for making macarons: http://foodnouveau.com/2010/03/29/destinations/europe/france/how-to-make-macarons-a-detailed-illustrated-step-by-step-recipe/! It has a question and answer section that explains how to prevent cracks, peaks, hollow centers, etc...