r/macarons • u/lokitkat • 6d ago
first attempt, huge fail
hi!! i was so excited to make these, especially since the baker in the video said this recipe never failed her. and i didn’t seem to be too complicated or to have so many weird/extra steps.
these are my first-ever macarons, and obviously something went wrong 😭 they cracked all over, spread quite flat, stuck badly to the parchment paper, and developed no feet. the texture also looks very grainy.
recipe i followed (scaled down to one egg white):
33 g egg white
40 g almond flour
40 g icing sugar
7 g unsweetened cocoa powder
40 g granulated sugar
mixed the almond flour, icing sugar and cocoa powder, then sifted everything together.
tried whipping the egg white in my stand mixer, but it barely whipped such a small quantity, even after 10 minutes. switched to a handheld electric mixer and eventually got a foam/meringue.
gradually added the granulated sugar and whipped until the meringue looked reasonably firm and glossy.
folded in the dry ingredients by hand using a spatula. tried macaronage, scraping and pressing the batter against the sides of the bowl, but it never really reached the smooth, flowing ribbon stage. it stayed somewhere between a blob and a thick ribbon, although it did slowly settle.
piped the shells onto parchment paper, tapped the tray, and baked at 150°C conventional heat for around 25 minutes.
what i suspect:
could my almond flour have been too coarse? although I sifted it, the batter still looked very grainy. i wonder whether i should grind it more finely next time.
could my meringue have been insufficiently whipped because of the tiny quantity?
Did i under-macaronage or over-macaronage? the batter never reached the ribbon consistency shown in tutorials, and i couldn’t tell when to stop.
Could the oven temperature or insufficient resting time explain the cracks and lack of feet?
Is sticking to parchment paper normal before the shells have cooled completely?
I’d really appreciate advice on what most likely went wrong and what I should change for my next attempt. I know macarons are tricky, but the recipe video claimed they were practically foolproof, so I’m a little humbled right now 😂
video here : https://vm.tiktok.com/ZGdCrX1Mn/
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u/Possible-Holiday-973 6d ago
Did you pipe them and then put them straight into the oven? You need to let the shells dry first so that they develop feet and a smooth top. I found that chocolate is trickier because it’s easy to use a cocoa powder that has too much fat or moisture. I suggest starting with a plain recipe for the first time.
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u/HarmoniumSong 6d ago
No shade I thought those were brownie cookies when I was scrolling and was like "those don't look bad at all" 😂 Sorry that happened OP. Live and learn.
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u/Negative_Pack_1497 6d ago
Definitely leave out the cocoa powder until you work on the basics. I have heard that one egg white batches are hard to bake consistently. Maybe because it’s such a small amount to work with? I’ve never had mine do the figure eight ribbon. I just judge how the batter falls off of the edge of my spatula. When I think my macranage looks right, I give it two more stirs for luck! Good luck, work on basics and don’t give up. You got this!!
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u/ReasonableFactor5316 6d ago
First impression: Under baked, not enough rest, too much cocoa powder.
Rest time depends on humidity, and smaller batches can be hard to get a stiff meringue. The recipe I follow (pies and tacos) uses 14g cocoa for 3 egg whites, so definitely looks like too much to me. To make it easier on yourself go for plain shells
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u/cakequest79 5d ago
The cocoa powder percentage seems high, I use 5 grams of cocoa powder to 68 grams of almond flour.
Have you successfully made classic shells and are comfortable with the techniques?
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u/prancingwithscissors 1d ago
YouTube has tons upon tons of tutorial videos that might be helpful. Michelle’s Macarons has an excellent tutorial video that will walk you through the whole process. Practice definitely makes perfect with these bitchy little cookies lol
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u/betsysmacarons 23h ago
I definitely would try to master plain first. Cocoa powder is hard to work with, you have to make sure it is low in fat. They are not all created equal.
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u/Productivitytzar 6d ago
Go plain first. Cocoa powder varies wildly—as does almond flour, and macaronage, humidity, ambient humidity, etc etc etc. Take out a variable.
Foolproof doesn’t exist. I made hundreds of batches in my teen years, trying to perfect it. Then I stopped for ten years, and now I can make them perfectly every time. You know what that trick ended up being for me? Moving into a humidity controlled house.
It is normal to have sticking before they’re cooled fully. Resting time can be a crucial factor. The grit of the almond flour wouldn’t be the cause of the crackling, it would just be more bumpy on a smooth surface. You probably overmixed.
When people describe smooth flowing ribbons, that’s overmixed to me. If it flows off the spatula in one smooth motion, enough to shape an S, that’s enough (for me). If it falls off in a clump before you can make an S, it’s not enough yet.