pquinene

I bought flat half sheet pan size from King Arthur Flour for $19.99 for 100 sheets plus $8 shipping. The quilon coated stuff I bought from a restaurant supply place for $50 for 2000 half sheet pan size. I thought it was a real deal. The best deal that I could find online was about $100 for 1000 full sheet pan size silicone treated parchments (same place sells quilon treated parchment for about 1/2 the price). I like the flat sheets for making macarons as I can't seem to ever get the curl out of the stuff on a roll. So, the King Arthur brand was working for you then??? I tempted fate and lost today, using a new parchment too. I've been using Reynold's rolled parchment. I'll try King Arthur's if that is what you have been using. Please let me know. Thanks!

I decided to test fate today, but I should have listened to that other voice "do a few circles only." Of course, I piped all of the batter on the new parchment. I bought some flat parchment because I was tired of the rolled ones. The rippling of the new parchment made my cookies oblong: I made these last week, same recipe, on Reynold's brand/rolled parchment. The parchment stayed pretty flat. I have two silicone mats. I'll try them on the same recipe next time. I'm going back to Reynold's. I took the pictures at a different time of day thus the varied color / lighting.

I really don't know what to do. I looked around on the web and a lot of people said that what I was seeing was probably due to too high of a temperature in the oven. I had noticed that my oven tends to over shoot the set temperature by about 25F and since I usually bake macarons at 350F that could be a problem. I reduced the temperature to 300F and kept a very close eye on the macarons and the temperature as they baked. The top photo shows the macarons in the oven after about 4 minutes of baking. It looks like the top shell has formed and the foot is starting to ooze out of the sides of some of the macarons. The second photo shows the end of the bake at about 15 minutes. I just don't know what to do. This is worse than when I baked at 350F. I used to be able to make macarons, but I'm ready to give up! Help!!! I wish I could be of help. I've made these things for years and thousands of them, sometimes they just screw with you. I had that happen at Christmas. I set out to make Christmas presents, and I had so many not work. I was not pleased by all the nut flour that was wasted. The day after I started again, and I found that I wasn't whipping the whites stiff enough (I use the French meringue method). After that, every batch came out perfect. But, a couple of weeks ago, I needed to make some for my step-sister's mom, and the same problem, even whipping the whites just like before. I have some old whites in the fridge, I'm thinking about experimenting today for the heck of it. Maybe I can figure out the problem. I'm just a novice at macarons, but I'm a thorough researcher and here are my thoughts, based on what I've read: 1. Macaron recipes vary, thus techniques / directions vary: what works for one, may very well not for another. For instance, I read that if you can lift the macaron off the baking sheet while it is in the oven, it's done. This is not the case for the recipe in this link: http://www.eatlivetravelwrite.com/2012/03/why-do-my-macarons-have-hollow-shells-a-work-in-progress/ I baked one tray for an extra four minutes. This resulted in very hard cookies. The advice of Mardi using her recipe above is right on: once the macs are cooled, they are easy to remove from parchment paper...take them out at 16 minutes even if they stick. 2. The best temperature for macs varies according to the recipe. Mardi's method/recipe was spot-on at 300 degrees Fahrenheit. When I baked a tray at that temp (using a thermometer in my oven, rack in the middle), the cookies were excellent; the first tray that went in at a slightly higher temp produced tough cookies. 3. Resting the macs is essential. But the best way to tell when they are ready is by touching them; if they are no longer sticky and don't make an indentation, they are ripe for baking. 4. Beating the egg whites to stiff, of course, is essential. There is a difference between a "normal" stiff peak and the "stiff" necessary for macarons. Someone explained it best: if you can hold the bowl of whites above your head without it falling on you, it's stiff enough. Also, some recipes say fold gently, others say get the air out! Mardi, again, was spot-on as the batter with more vigorous "folding" tended not to be hollow and had more dainty feet. 5. When I bake pie crusts, I keep a cookie sheet in the oven while the oven is preheating; this very hot sheet helps to set the pie crust more quickly than simply putting the pie crust on an oven rack or on a cold cookie sheet (less bubbling). Mardi suggests doubling on on the baking sheet for macarons. This probably helps to set the macarons too. 6. Weigh everything on a cooking scale, digital preferable. 7. I always keep several dozen eggs in my fridge for two weeks; I also keep a dozen on my counter on a daily basis so they cook quickly for breakfast since they are at room temperature. They are still "good" for consumption. All I did for Mardi's recipe was use the eggs that were on my counter; at least seven days old in my house between fridge time and counter-top time. I'm not sure if this is the same as aging egg whites by separating them and keeping them in fridge for a few days, but...they are "old" eggs. Since you've used the same recipe for a while, perhaps your oven needs to be calibrated. Did you get new baking pans, try a new brand of sugar or almond flour, change your type of coloring agent, baking in a different place, is a storm brewing? Good luck, hoped this helped and keep us posted! paulaq

My first attempt at macarons resulted in decently pretty cookies, but they were hollow (I used a volume-measured recipes). After some research, I found the link below and used it to make awesome chocolate and coconut macarons (I used a chocolate filling from another site and sprinkled freshly grated coconut I had in my freezer): http://www.eatlivetr.../#comment-61857 Kudos to the author of the link above, Mardi, for helping this macaron-making-novice to victory over something difficult to make. Here is a pic of my second attempt at macarons. I used caster sugar instead of the superfine sugar on grocery shelves. I also placed an oven thermometer in my oven; it's a must. I converted the weight in grams to weight in ounces because my scale could do both....and the grams were in increments of 2 grams. The batch I cooked according to the inserted thermometer had a better texture (soft and chewy) compared to the first batch in which I followed the oven's own temp. I set the oven at 285 degrees Fahrenheit which came to be about 302 degrees in the middle rack where the thermometer was. The temp was different on the lower third of the oven compared to the middle of the oven. Yes, the macs are best the next day! Chocolate and Coconut Macarons

My first attempt at making macarons was from a volume-measured recipe. They looked pretty but were hollow and crispy. Below is a pic of my second attempt using this link: http://www.eatlivetravelwrite.com/2012/03/why-do-my-macarons-have-hollow-shells-a-work-in-progress/#comment-61857. An oven thermometer is an absolute must. Also, using this specific recipe, pull the macs out at 16 minutes. They don't come off the parchment paper until they are completely cooled! Forget about being able to lift them off the sheet while the pan is still in the oven or you will cook them to a crisp. Then end result was delicious and you must absolutely wait till the next day to enjoy their best taste and texture. Chocolate and Coconut Macarons

I've been craving champulado. I made a small pot a few hours ago. It's short or medium-grain rice, water, milk, sugar, cocoa powder and a bit of corn starch:

I would so love a piece of that cake!!!!

Thanks...I didn't know that about lite olive oil....I'm going to remove that from my recipe notes!

these look awesome and beautiful!

I've discovered homemade granola is so much better than store-bought. A half-cup of the cereal with 1/3 cup of low-fat milk is plenty for one serving. Here's a pic with a link to my recipe. Homemade Granola

I made caramel popcorn. If you are familiar with Cracker Jacks, this is the homemade version. Caramel Popcorn

Oh my, I'd love a plate!

I'm cooking more blueberry jam today. The thumbprints below are topped with my homemade blueberry jam, and store-bought guava jelly. Of all the jam flavors I make, blueberry goes exceptionally well with these nutty cookies.

I made Mexican tortillas today. The recipe had too much baking powder and salt, however the texture was excellent. Tomorrow I will reduce the baking powder and salt, resulting in this recipe - 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1/8 tsp. baking powder, scant 1/2 tsp. salt, 2 tbsp. butter-flavored Crisco, 1 tbsp. regular Crisco and about 3/4 cup boiling water. This makes six small tortillas, enough for testing a recipe. I'd also like to try my hand at arepas soon. It is a Latin bread made with pre-cooked, white cornmeal. Any tips for the above?

Wow! Your macaroons look amazing. I tried to make them once, over 15 years ago. Unfortunately, they did not turn out.

Here are some pics of the jam; I've gotten a start on Christmas: Sweet pineapple jam Strawberry-jalapeno

Coconut cream, coconut milk and coconut oil are all different. Each product is labeled specifically as cream, milk or oil. I've never used the cream, but I know it is not interchangeable in recipes. All three products may be bought at the store. Coconut milk and coconut oil can be made at home from freshly grated coconut. Coconut milk in the can is very commonly used as an ingredient in sweet and savory dishes among islanders. Most brands of coconut milk are thick, like the consistency of heavy cream, and might be labeled "thick;" a few are thin, like 2% milk, and perhaps even like skim milk. When you open a can of coconut milk, it might appear separated; just stir to combine. Coconut oil is made by heating coconut milk and skimming the oil that rises to the top. You need so many coconuts to make coconut oil, thus it is quite expensive. Good quality coconut milk is clear and liquid; in cold environments, it will solidify and be white in color. Coconut oil is generally sold in a clear bottle or glass jar. Shrimp cooked in coconut milk: :

I'm almost done making a traditional Guam cookie called guyuria. The dough is flour, butter and coconut milk, rolled on a fork, fried then coated with sugar. Guyuria

My two favorite things: chocolate and marzipan!!!! See's Candy has a chocolate-covered marzipan candy that is so yummy!

I'm doing jam for Christmas, both sweet and the sweet & spicy.

That looks intriguing - and quite different from the Pain Chocolat I've had in the past. Tell us more. I made this over 10 years ago. It was so delish and so much work :-) Thank goodness I've discovered a French bakery not too far away. However, they just don't put enough chocolate. Yours looks like there is chocolate throughout the dough. I'm sure it is heavenly!

I made strawberry-jalapeno jam this morning. It's quite delish, but the jalapenos are just not as spicy as they used to be. I'll have to throw in a habanero next time. Strawberry-Jalapeno Jam

That looks like my kinda food!

jmacnaughtan - The cream I used in the recipe is in place of melted butter; just another kind of fat. If I can recall correctly, I used 6 whole eggs, 2 egg yolks, 1 cup total of sugar, 1/2 cup of cake flour, 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour, pinch of salt, 2 tsp. vanilla extract and 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream (I apologize for the US measurments). RWood - I did the same thing with the cream as opposed to the warm butter. I like your idea of a large balloon whisk. I did sift the flour, but it took more than 3 batches. I'll use the whisk the next time I attempt this. Thanks to you both!

This sounds interesting. And that tarte tatin looks so inviting!