Go to the Recipe: French Macaron Cookie Base
Hello,
Have you tried making the macaron cookie base using swiss meringue instead of the italian one?
Thanks.
Hi, is there any indication that meringue is ready? What is the indication if it is overwhisk and underwhisk?
thanks.
I can't seem to get the texture of the meringue right and always over whip, resulting in flat cookies. Is there are indication in which to know when to stop whipping?
im using exactly the same oven white efficiency rational, but the problem i'm having is that the feet of my macarons seems to be not that obvious..is there anything to do with the humidity of my oven? should it be 100% or lower
So glad my cookies turned out great! I've been baking macarons for a while now but found my results to be inconsistent. This class helped me figure out how to make them come out awesome every time.
Are you familiar and/or do you guys use the "macaronage" technique when making these? When I first attempted this, the meringue wasn't enough to create a ribbon in my batter, I actually had to make more in order to get them to piping consistency . Should I have simply kept folding like during a macaronage? They turned out fine, but I'd rather not make double the meringue if its not necessary.
Can cream of tartar be used as a stabilizer instead of egg white powder?
i made this recipe and added the 20 grams of cocoa powder but when i mixed theTPT with the eggs whites it was difficult and very dry. Do we reduce the amount of powdered sugar by 20 grams when adding cocoa powder? or does the 20 grams cocoa powder go into the 300 grams of TPT?
hi, i´m RATIONAL chef from Bolivia,. If you doing in a hot mode, you have to put the humidity in 100 because the oven RESIST until the humidity from the product.. it doesn´t add humidity.... try it....
if you want you can put the humidity in 0% to get more crunchy, but take care because it will be very dry....
Late in replying but dip the whip into the batch -the peak should stand up by itself without flopping over....
Meringue is ready when you raise your whisk and it is stiff to hold its peak in a slightly bendy consistensy called bec de oiseau or bird beak, like the beak of a bird, it is slightly bendy down.
If you over whip, which is difficult with italian meringue, you can always add another eggwhite and more syrup. This way you will regain the consistency just watch it so it doesnt break again.
Swiss meringue cookies are way more difficult because they have water in them, better master the italian method you can do it with swiss but it doesnt always yield consistent results.
With italian meringue, macaronage is not as important (with french meringue is the most important step), just keep an eye in consistency, if it starts running in fast ribbons your macaron tops will be brittle and look craked. The right consistency can be tested when you drop a spoonfull in a plate and it flattens in less than 20 seconds. Use that test and fold slowly in your first mixtures, is better that way.
If you lift it the peak of the meringue it can have a bend like this picture.
I don't have a thermometer for the sugar/water mixture. (but I can buy if I really need to) What stage should I achieve? (Thread-like/soft/med/hard?) How will I know if it's ready?
I had the same problem until I reduced the powdered sugar. Try that and see; mine were perfect after that.
ty
i am confused because when you start off on the Tant Pour Tant section it states that you will need 250g of almond flour and 250g of powdered sugar. Then when you get to the French Macaron Cookie Base it says 150g almond flour and 150g of powdered sugar. But when you go to the shopping list section it will say again that you need 250g of almond meal and 250g of powdered sugar. I made the recipe once and it did not turn out well. I went with the 300 g TPT and i am wondering if it should really be 500 TPT.
I looked it up and 244F is the firm ball stage; however, I would highly recommend a good thermometer (the thermapen for example).
This recipe is fail-proof. I know it is so because it was my first time making macarons, and I almost always botch desserts the first time I make it, especially when it involves whipping egg whites . The macarons turned out tasty & adorable. Thank you, ChefSteps!
If you don't mind me asking at what temp do you bake your macarons and for how long. i have tried this recipe and get lopsided macarons. any tips you can share on lopsided macs. ty
Hey ChefSteps, it looks like you're teaching the Italian method. I'm looking for a technique that will give consistent results with the French meringue method. Do you have any tips on that?
green -> pistachio ganache
pink -> pomegranate ganache
Thanks for that. I already bought one and my 1st trial was perfect. Gotta love ChefSteps!
I have no powdered food coloring in my pantry but lots and lots of gel. Can i use that without affecting the final results?
It says that the TPT step will give you more than is needed in the cookie base step. I think they want you to have too much rather than come up short because you had to sift out lots of almond lumps.
is powdered egg whites "meringue powder"?
If your macarons came out lopsided it means of two things. 1) Oven temperature is inconsistently spread out (which would make sense since you're asking about oven temps). I had this issue as my oven has no fan in it. Leave your oven slightly propped open. If that doesn't help, try turning the tray half way through. I bake mine at 300F for 14-15mins.
2) They were piped at a steep angle. Watch their piping technique video, you want to make sure you pipe them as close to that technique as possible.
I have the recipe but got air pockets in my macarons. I am using rational oven and IBC powder colors, also the humidity in India comparatively high so i m using dehumidifier in my kitchen. How can I get rid of these air pockets?
If I was to use the French method as opposed to the Italian method, how much sugar should I use?
what about frozen whites do they work as well, are they cosidered old whites? thak you
Superb
At home we don't usually have granulated sugar. Instead, we have raw sugar, which is a much larger grain and when it dissolves it is an amber color instead of clear. I'm wondering if this will effect the Macarons in any way.
yes, they work exceptionally well. it is my preferred method of "aging" them. drop them in to the freezer overnight, thaw, et voila - aged whites.
It is 300 g or 500 g ???????????
Hi, I tried making these yesterday. Must say they turned out well even though I think I messed up the meringue. I did not get medium stiff peaks on the meringue. Does the meringue need to be at stiff peaks when you add the syrup? Because I added the syrup at soft peaks and while it became nice and glossy there were no peaks unfortunately
Thnx Lukas!
hi
why dont you let the meringue cool down before mixing it in?
thanks
I don't want to waste eggs trying to get the right amount of egg whites. approximately how many eggs should it take to get the desired amount of egg whites?
3 AA Grade seems to be perfect.
Beautiful color. Which brand / color of powdered food coloring did you use, and how much?
You could end up wasting more eggs than you would by weighing them in the first place. You risk adding too much or too little whites, and end up with wet or cracked macarons. Just measure it and add the extra to your scrambled eggs tomorrow.
the meringue will be harden as you wait it too cool, making it impossible to incorporate to the base
it has to be at stiff peaks and when it reach there, it has to continue whipping and while you pour the hot syrup its still whipping. continue to whip for 3-4 mins, and you should be done. remember the bowl has to be very clean and has no trace of egg yolks
Is it possible to add some salt to the macaron base to cut some of the sweetness? If so, any recommendations on how much to add?
You can add a pinch of salt, although it will still be very sweet. Where you can cut the sweetness and blast with flavor is the filling.
