Mardi Gras Macaron Madness

ring of macarons — My Mardi Gras “beaded necklace” of macarons.

I have decided that I want to learn how to make macarons. They look so pretty, and the ingredient list is short, so it’s got to be fairly straightforward…right? So wrong. So, so wrong…well, not quite right anyway. The recipe itself is quite straightforward: make a meringue, fold in almond flour and powdered sugar, pipe into rounds, rest, bake, voila!

I had heard about how fiddly macarons are. But, I figured if I was very careful, and followed the instructions very precisely, I would succeed. I hear the cackling now. Yes, I know…I know…I was so naive. My first try was less than successful. It wasn’t an utter disaster, but it was close. No feet, hollow, but it was crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside, so that was something in my favor. In addition, the skin would NOT form. I think it’s because my kitchen was too cold. After asking for advice from some Facebook groups I’m part of, the only consistent thing was, “Keep trying.”

cracked macarons — This…this is NOT what macarons are supposed to look like

So that’s exactly what I did. I did some searches online for different recipes, different methods, troubleshooting what can go wrong, and started experimenting. First, I moved where I rested my shells before baking. I set them on the stove as it was preheating with a fan going for good measure. Next, I adjusted the oven temperature down a bit, since I think heat was a factor in the failure. I finally got feet on my next batch of macarons! They were still hollow, but, FEET!!

macaron cut in half — Look at that…almost no hollow bit!

Today, I tweaked my method a little bit more. I was much more deliberate in how I folded the almond flour/powdered sugar mix into the meringue. Once I got my ribbon-y figure eight in the batter, and piped the little circles (free hand, so yes, they’re all different sizes…baby steps…), I let them set on the stove with the fan on. Most importantly, I reduced the baking time. This time, I think I got most of it right! I had feet, and no hollows. Yahoo!! So in honor of Mardi Gras, I made yellow, purple, and green macarons in lemon, blueberry, and lime flavors respectively.

purple macaron shells — Just look at that vision of violet. I’m so proud

macaron shells baked — So…no template means different sizes…it’s cool.

crushed macaron — So, did you know that macarons can crush with very little pressure when you’re filling them?

three macarons stacked — Look at that balance…amazing (the feet and colors aren’t bad either!)

I’m going to keep trying different flavors. I’m also curious about how to make marble-looking shells. More experiments are in my future, I know it. What are some of the interesting macaron flavors and styles you’ve tried?

March 5, 2019 By Kate