[Macarons: Troubleshooting & Tips]

Sarah, the sticky shells sounds like it could be similar to a glass of ice water sitting on the counter in a warm room. Or, it could be your new brand of powdered sugar. To find out for sure, try a batch with your old brand right now and see what happens. I have always used the name-brand powdered sugar -- Dominos 10x -- and it has a bit of cornstarch. Perhaps your new brand doesn't have any cornstarch or enough cornstarch. Starch does help dry out the batter. I do know that when I first take the empty or filled shells out of my freezer, they are a tad sticky until they come to room temperature. Once at room temp, that bit of moisture on the surface dries out.

 

I had lots of problems when I first started making macarons with French meringue. After countless trials in my electric oven, I finalized a recipe that has worked perfectly and have never had a bad batch. I actually found that adding tapioca starch -- yes, tapioca starch -- with the caster sugar and cream of tartar to make the meringue, I've had perfect shells using French meringue. I use 0.5 oz. of tapioca starch to 1.5 oz. caster sugar to 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar to 4 oz. of aged egg whites to 8 oz. powdered sugar to 5 oz. finely ground almond flour. The ratio of each ingredient is specific to all the steps I took in making a very reliable recipe. Instead of rewriting my procedures, here's a link.

 

Since your macarons are somewhat soft after cooling, flip them over so the bottom sides are up and bake in a 180-degree-Fahrenheit oven for 30 minutes. This should make them very crispy and dry without darkening them. Once you fill and age your macarons in the freezer or fridge, the cookies will absorb moisture from the filling and soften up to chewy/creamy deliciousness. Hope this helps!

Thanks for the tips Paula!! I have to try out your recipe. It's a really good and clear video. Fingers crossed. Hope it works for me!

[Macarons: Troubleshooting & Tips]

I let them cool & sit out on the baking sheet while I do other stuff for around 30 mins - 1 hour, then once I fill them, store them in an airtight container and pop them into the fridge. The Fillings I used were chocolate ganache & Mango Jam (Just in case you thought the filling mattered).

 

I am thinking if it could be because I switched icing sugar brands, and if so, how would the corn starch content affect this? Would the starch help develop a more solid shell or is it the other way around? The Corn Starch content isn't indicated on the packaging of my icing sugar. The brand I previously used had 2% corn starch and 98% Sugar.

 

Any Ideas?

[Macarons: Troubleshooting & Tips]

Hi all. I am relatively new at macaron making. I have managed to churn out a couple of successful batches with both Italian meringue and French meringue.

However, I found lately that my French meringue macarons are very

chewy and their outer caps can become very wet, which to me seems very unappealing as it won't be as crisp ad it should be. What am I doing wrong?

I figured that I may have overmixed the batter or under baked them. I tried getting it slightly less mixed than I am used to and baked with a low temp baked for a longer time as not to Brown them, but they still end up with the same problem.

This so far only happens with the French meringue recipes. Could it have anything to do with the weather? I live in a high humidity area where it is common to experience 99% humidity. I do make up for it by drying the shells in an air conditioned room prior to baking.

Any help is appreciated and highly needed as my macarons are otherwise perfect so this issue is driving me crazy.

Thanks in advance!