I have to say, these were not the prettiest macarons I've made over all. I actually made two batches. The first batch were colour perfect. I added some lemon oil extract to the shells in the second batch, and it seemed to react with the gel paste food colour a little and give them a yellowy tinge round the edge.
Most of the first batch had been eaten at the end of the video tutorial and these were all that were left.
Macarons seem to have a reputation for being horrendously hard to make.
It's honestly not that bad. If you are already a confident baker, you'll find it quite simple.
I've made a video guide that you can watch below which may help give a little confidence - using the Revolutionary Double Sided Macaron Mat.
Do note, that undercooked macarons are are likely to sink and crack on removing from the oven. If not cooked enough, they will be impossible to removing from your baking paper or macaron mat. If properly cooked, they'll be crispy on the outside and chewy in the middle once cooled. They'll peel off your mat but leave a little sugary residue. If half the macaron sticks to the mat - it's undercooked !
I like to soak my mat in warm soapy water for a few minutes in the sink and then give it a quick clean by using a dish brush. Rinse in clean water and then pop in the oven for a couple of minutes only with the door open to rapid dry without water marks.
If your mat starts to lose it's shine after a few uses (common as there is no fat content in the meringue shells), I give a light spray before use with some cake release spray. Rub this in until the mat is shiny again but NOT greasy. All you are doing is sealing the pores in the mat.
Happy Baking !
Sarah, I've not tried making macrons yet. Thought of trying it but with reduced sugar.
ReplyDeleteThese are gorgeous (yellow edges & all!). I love the wild blueberry & lemon flavor combo. I haven't tried making macarons yet but I definitely have to give this a shot. Yum!
ReplyDeleteMmm, the color from the blueberries is fantastic!
ReplyDeleteI still haven't had the courage to make macarons at home even though I love them!
ReplyDeleteThese look amazing :) I love lemon and citron flavoured macarons ~
Your Macarons look delicious. I like the combination of blueberry and lemon. Congratulations on Foodbuzz Top 9.
ReplyDeleteI just made my first batch of macarons last weekend, they were a hit! They're easy to make, though there are steps that must be followed (as with most baking). Yours look YUM!
ReplyDeleteAnn - yes - there is a huge amount of sugar. I don't know how it would work with reduced sugar. Still playing at perfecting the normal ones. Getting there though !
ReplyDeleteLacy - thanks. Do note that cooking time on baking paper is a bit less than it is on silicone (as in the tutorial) as the silicone needs a little time to heat through given low temperatures for cooking.
Kiri - hate to disappoint you, but the colour in the shells is a COPIOUS amount of gel paste food colouring. The lemon oil extract made the edges tinge yellow. At least, that's what I'm blaming it on. The wild blueberry jam is only in the middle.
Daisy - macarons have a reputation for being one of the most awkward things to bake. Initially it put me off too. Took me a little while to get into them, but I adore making these cute little coloured things now. Shells are always fairly basic, but I like to make sure the middles are packed with flavour
Geri - thank you. That was a lovely surprise this morning. Thanks for stopping by.
Anon - before you know it, macarons become an obsession. Me = guilty. Have fun baking !
those are the prettiest macarons I have ever seen. what a magnificent color!
ReplyDelete