5 Common Problems When Making French Macarons
by Nicola Lando
French macarons are notoriously difficult to make, yet once mastered it's easy to look back and understand the reasons why they didn't work. With this in mind we've put together a list of five common problems when making French macarons and solutions to ensure success the next time round.
We've developed these tips for making French macarons using the Italian meringue method. We find the 'Italian method' more reliable - it is where you heat sugar into a syrup before whisking into the egg whites, forming a more stable meringue. However, the tips are still applicable to most other methods of making macarons.
Some of the key issues when making macarons are as follows - and we'll run through them one by one.
- Nipples when piped
- Cracked surface
- Missing feet
- Bumpy surface or look blotchy
1) Why do my macarons have nipples when piped?
The mixture hasn't spread properly when piped onto the baking tray. Tapping the baking tray a few times on a surface covered with a tea towel will help them to spread and lessen the nipples.
The deeper problem, however is that the macaron batter is likely to have been under-mixed. Use a spatula to mix the batter, firmly mixing the dry ingredients together with the wet ones - the consistency is right when the mixture begins to look glossy around the edges. Test the mixture by prodding it with the end of the spatula, the batter should sink back into place after about 20 seconds.
This can also happen when the mixture is too dry. See (5) below for our tips on amount of water to add to the macaron mixture.
2) Why have my macarons cracked?
The piped macarons weren't dried out for long enough before being baked. The drying out process allows a skin to form on the top of the macarons which prevents the expanding air from escaping. If the skin isn't thick enough the expanding air will burst through it, causing the macarons to be cracked.
In our tried and tested macaron recipe we dried the macarons out overnight, for approximately 8-9 hours before baking. To speed things up we also found that macarons can be dried out for 20 minutes in a dehydrator on the lowest setting.
3) Why don't my macarons don't have feet?
This usually happens when the mixture has been overmixed. Many bakers recommend a certain number of folds to achieve the perfect results but this hinges on many variable factors so it's better to learn what the mixture should look like when it's ready - it will start to turn glossy around the edges and will fall back into place when prodded after 20 seconds.
Another cause for feetlessness may be underbeating the egg whites for the Italian meringue - they should just have reached the soft peak stage when you pour the hot syrup over them. Start beating the egg whites on full speed once the sugar syrup reaches 117°C, and by the time it reaches 121°C the egg whites should be sufficiently beaten.
If your macarons have very small 'flat' feet, it is because they have not been baked long enough. When you think the macarons are cooked, touch the edge of the feet. If they feel very delicate and sticky then bake for a little longer.
These macarons were taken out of the oven too soon, as they have sunk back down into their 'foot' when cooling.
4) Why do my macarons have a bumpy surface or look blotchy?
Shop bought ground almonds contain fragments which need to be either sieved out of the mixture or ground more finely in a food processor. We recommend mixing together the ground almonds and icing sugar in a food processor and whizzing for a few seconds (10-15 seconds) - any more than this and the oils from the almond will start to be released and cause the macarons shells to look 'blotchy'. Remove from the food processor and pass through a fine sieve, discarding any larger fragments that won't pass through.
You can see that the macarons in the bottom right have a slightly blotchy or 'oily' surface. The oil from the almonds has started to leach out, caused by over grinding the almonds or by over-mixing the macaron mixture.
5) Why aren't my macarons perfectly round?
This is often caused by irregular piping - try holding the piping bag perpendicular to the baking tray and draw evenly spaced circles on the underside of the parchment paper to guide you. Some recipes call for adding liquid food colour or powdered food colour dissolved in water - sometimes the mixture may spread unevenly even when piped correctly if it contains too much water. We recommend using no more than 1 tbsp of liquid per 200g of almond/icing sugar mixture.
You can see the macarons have lifted in the oven and then landed to one side of their "feet". This can happen when the piping bag is not held perpendicular to the baking sheet.
Now you know how to avoid the common problems when making macarons, try this step-by-step guide to making raspberry macarons. Feeling inspired? Explore our large range of patisserie and baking products and find something exciting to bake with.
About the author
Nicola Lando is the co-founder and CEO of Sous Chef, where she has spent more than a decade sourcing, tasting and selecting specialist ingredients, cookware and tableware from producers around the world.
She trained at Leiths and later completed a stage at a Michelin-starred London restaurant, experiences that helped shape Sous Chef’s original mission: to give home cooks access to the same exceptional ingredients used by professional chefs.
Today, Nicola leads much of Sous Chef’s product sourcing and ingredient selection, working directly with producers and travelling internationally to food fairs, farms, mills and manufacturers. She tastes thousands of products each year and has built deep expertise across storecupboard ingredients, olive oil, condiments, spices, preserved foods and specialist cooking ingredients.
She holds an olive oil sommelier certification from ESAO in Spain, Imperial Executive Education’s Certificate in Nutrition for Health: Evidence-Based Tools and Strategies certificate; as well as studying Food Safety and Control at University of Greenwich.
Nicola also writes recipes and ingredient guides for Sous Chef, combining practical cooking experience with first-hand knowledge from producers, suppliers and specialist food makers. Her work focuses on helping cooks understand how to choose better ingredients, use them well, and get more flavour from their cooking.
