My Macaron Journey

****Fair Warning***

I am not a macaron expert. I don't have all the answers, I'm still experimenting myself. I can tell you what I have learned, and mistakes I have made, and hopefully you can learn from that. But I don't have a magical unicorn on my shoulder who sneezes on the batter and ensures that they come out perfectly every time. Sometimes they do, and sometimes they don't, and sometimes I have no freaking clue what the difference was. 

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If you know the process behind making these gorgeous cookies, you know that despite the misleadingly simple ingredients and seemingly straightforward method, there are a million and one variables that can effect the end result. 

My macaron experience started a year ago. BTW, I prefer this spelling for French macarons. I have seen numerous debates on different sites arguing the macaron vs. macaroon conundrum. It is my personal opinion that the single "o" is for French macarons, and helps to differentiate between these sandwich cookies and the American coconut macaroons. I don't much care either way, delicious is delicious, right? 

Anyway, about a year ago I set my mind to learning how to make these. I had never even had one before (embarrassing, I know) and so I went to a posh neighborhood and a hidden little shop and purchased some overpriced macarons so that I would know what texture/shape etc. to look for. 

The first time I made them, I was completely clueless. No idea what I was doing. None. I had no idea that these innocent looking things could be so evil. I had done this countless times before. I saw a recipe, I followed it, it came out perfectly... Oh, sweet, naive Dani. 

My first batch were rough. The oven was way too hot, they burned on the bottom and were hollow on the inside. Huh. This might be trickier than I realized. I spent all winter trying to perfect these cookies. I read a lot of blogs, tried tens of different methods, got all kinds of results. No feet. Cracked tops. Too puffy. Too thin. JUST RIGHT. Then, winter in Florida ended and the humidity killed any hope of continuing. But now it's winter again, the humidity is gone, and I am back at it. 

This is my favorite chocolate macaron recipe and the only one I've ever gotten to come out exactly, beautifully perfect:
http://www.chow.com/recipes/28339-french-chocolate-macarons-with-chocolate-ganache

My biggest issues have been over whipping the eggs whites, which seems to result in a thicker cookie with a more domed top instead of nice and flat. I also have trouble not over mixing or under mixing the egg whites and the dry ingredients. I have found between 50 and 60 folds to be a good number. Baking is also difficult. This recipe suggest 350, but I have found 325 to be more consistent. I have burned cookies at 350, especially the bottoms getting too dark. If the oven seems too hot, I also crack the oven door open. I like to turn them after 7-10 minutes and give one a light touch to see how jiggly it is. I always bake them on parchment paper, and when I take them out of the oven I immediately slide the entire paper off the pan and onto the counter to cool. 

For my pumpkin macarons, I used this recipe and found it very nicely proportioned!
http://www.yummymummykitchen.com/2011/09/pumpkin-french-macarons.html

If anyone else has any tips or tricks, please share!