Macaron Fail
I had a MAJOR macaron fail recently.
I usually have maybe one or two shells that crack, but in this batch almost every single one cracked. I am not sure why because I didn’t really do anything different than I normally do.*
It seems like it can be caused by any number of issues including: the batter being too wet, whipping the egg whites too long, too much humidity and too high heat, or generally the oven was too hot. I always cook my macarons at the same temp…so…was it the humidity? Did I mess up my ingredients? Did I over-mix the batter?
I DON’T KNOW. That’s the mystery of these finicky dang things.
So…it just goes to show you. Even after lots of successful batches, you can still have major failures. I’m going to pop them into the freezer and repurpose them in a trifle or something for a last minute dessert.
*I lied. I got to thinking about it and remembered that I added some vanilla extract, which I don’t normally do. Half of me doesn’t believe that something small like that could make a difference, and the other half of me thinks it probably does since I sort just dumped it in there and didn’t really measure. In researching the causes for cracked shells, I found “using liquid coloring” to be a potential culprit, so perhaps the extract was to blame as well. Crazy.
I’m the last person you’d want to ask but a Google search turned up this interesting link: http://foodnouveau.com/2011/12/destinations/europe/france/a-macaron-troubleshooting-guide-useful-tips-and-advice-to-master-the-french-delicacy/
They have convinced me that I haven’t got a chance at baking a fine macaron.
Oh yes…I’ve seen that one! In fact, I’m pretty sure that’s where I found that they extract might be my issue.