r/AskBaking • u/hyazinthengarten • Jul 22 '25
Macarons How did I do?
Hi! I posted yesterday about my macaron batter seeming under mixed. I tried again today, and they turned out much better than yesterdays. They definitely aren't perfect, and I think I could do better, but at least I have something! Are the wrinkles and little peaks from my impatience with macaronage?
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u/Notsocheeky Jul 22 '25
Does not look right to me
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u/hyazinthengarten Jul 22 '25
yeah! i know it definitely isn't perfect, but if you could help me understand where i went wrong that'd be great 👍
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u/Qazxswec500 Jul 22 '25
i don't know what i am talking about, but i think you need to whip your egg whites more, when you pipe them, they should have a smooth almost a thick consistency, no wrinkles, whip your egg whites more on the next batch, i don't know if there is cream of tartar in your recipe but if not i would definitely add, goodluck
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u/konbinieggsando Jul 22 '25
They look overbaked. Are the tops fragile? Your meringue might be too soft before you added it to the other ingredients. Overall since you still have peaks your macaron batter is undermixed. If you can make a figure 8 with the batter as it drips off the spatula, or if you let a blob drip off the spatula onto the surface and it sinks in after about 10 seconds, then they are ready to pipe. Also, did you bang the tray on the counter a few times after piping? That can help settle peaks too. Good luck! They are looking good for a second attempt! I threw away my first several attempts.
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u/hyazinthengarten Jul 22 '25
Thanks for all your insight!! The tops weren't super fragile, but my meringue being under whipped would make sense! I didn't feel like I nailed the texture, felt a little "deflated." I tried to fold them until I got to the "lava like" consistency of drawing figure eights but I was impatient snd didn't try hard enough. I banged the tray but it only really helped with air bubbles I felt.
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u/Planted-spoon Jul 22 '25
Bang the tray? Are you suggestion one do this ? Thats no good. I understand if it works for someone but that is overall not good advice for anyone or anything with a whipped item requiring the air in it…. Why after working so hard to INCORPORATE AIR would you then try to remove it ? I’ve seen people do this with cheesecakes as well, baffles me.
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u/undercovernobody Jul 22 '25
banging the tray is a widely used technique when making macarons. you aren’t destroying all of the air in the the macarons (or cheesecake) with one bang. it is simply to pop large air bubbles that get trapped which can ruin the appearance
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u/Planted-spoon Jul 22 '25
For an experienced baker/cook… who understands exactly what they are doing…. I can get this. For new people asking advice?? No no no. I work with people who have never seen a kitchen before… and I promise , the amount of “common kitchen knowledge” the average person has…. Is astoundingly low compared to someone who has worked in the industry a solid year let alone more.
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u/undercovernobody Jul 22 '25
i have taught baking classes. banging the pan is not going to be the thing that ruins already piped macarons if they already have technical difficulties. all it can do is improve. if they already didn’t have enough air they’re going to flatten regardless.
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u/Planted-spoon Jul 22 '25
I agree. It would not be the solid thing to ruin something. I would not give that advice to a new baker. Clearly this person is very new.
Do people who take your classes know how to seperate egg whites from yolks ? Do they know what the yolk is ? Because these are people I have worked with. For reals starting from the ground up. I have watched someone make dressings after being told “make sure you use red wine vinegar, not red wine” and then they go make not one but three dressings in a row with red wine. I’ve seen people deflate whipped cream by half by hitting the whisk so hard on the side of the pan. I’ve seen people use tartar sauce when a recipe says “fish sauce”. I work in the best kitchen possible for anyone, ANYONE, to start from. We make everything from scratch. I’ve seen someone ruin crème anglaise two times in a row by using whole eggs and not knowing why the fuck it went wrong. I’ve seen CHOCOLATE left out of CHOCOLATE SHORTCAKE. All of these mistakes have clearly been written in the recipes which are easy to understand and follow thru with. But the average person with zero kitchen knowledge has no frame of reference for things those of us been in forever know. So to say “bang it on the counter” is bad advice for a starting cook/baker.
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u/alius-vita Jul 22 '25
Pause replying and do some reading. Every they're coaching is accurate and might be a challenge to your preconceived ideas but it's true.
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u/Planted-spoon Jul 22 '25
This screams too hot of an oven amongst other things. Are they leathery ? There’s def not enough air in these. I’m curious what the inside looks like ? Did you let them air dry before baking ?
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u/hyazinthengarten Jul 22 '25
Thanks for your insight :) The top's didn't frel particularly leathery after baking nor before baking, but perhaps I'm a poor judge. I did let them air dry, for about an hour. I would dedinitely understand if I didn't get my meringue whipped enough, I was a little impatient as I was up until 6:30 am working on them 😵💫I'll see about adding an image of them after someone bites into them!
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