I'm going to attempt macarons...

[BeautyGoesToBenidorm]

Right. I've wanted to do these for a while, but I'm shit at baking and I love a proper boutiquey Parisian macaron. I've found a lovely looking recipe in a Spanish cookery magazine, for apple and blackberry ones. I'm terrified.

The recipes are simple enough, but I keep worrying myself about technique, and my oven is a temperamental old witch that doesn't always cook at an even temperature. I've heard they can fall flat depending on the hardness of the water in your area. I know there's tray bashing involved, and I fret over the quality of my bash. I have a macaron tin in my online shopping basket, ready to go to checkout, and I don't want it to be exiled to the barren wasteland that my broken juicer and my ice cream maker inhabit. There is also a possibility that I'm overdramatic.

How do I not fuck this up?

[KittensandKnitting]

Unable to help, but very keen to the answers and the results :)

I posted yesterday about homemade Mayo as thought it was one of those oh so difficult to do things! Easiest thing I've ever done in the kitchen so hopefully some wonderful mumsnetters will be able to take out the mystery of macaroons :)

[BeautyGoesToBenidorm]

Oh, homemade mayo is amazing - I thought it'd be tricky too! Love the stuff.

[KittensandKnitting]

It is delicious! And was so easy...

Hope someone comes along to help with your macaroon question soon :)

[TheSpottedZebra]

You don't need a special tin -just draw circles on a piece of baking parchment (and turn it over so the pencil is on the underside), and use that with a baking sheet.

Then you can invest the money in extra eggs and almond flour.

My top tip is careful with the food colour -it can dilute the mix, and most of it tastes rank.

[BeautyGoesToBenidorm]

Zebra, thank you - I'll have to use a dropper/pipette for the food colouring, I have no self control

[KittensandKnitting]

Please do tell me results and recipe!

Only I'm super allergic to almonds so any suggestions of what other but flour to use greatly appreciated :)

[CaitAgusMadra]

I think you can use ground hazelnuts.

Disclaimer - have never actually made macarons... I bought electric scales to make them (as apparently weights have to be pin point accurate) about 5 years ago. The scales are fab but have never quite got around to making the macarons

[1frenchfoodie]

kitten a colleague made succesful macarons with chickpea flour, no idea of the source of recipe but may help with googling.

[TheUnsullied]

I'd love to try macarons. Is there any special equipment needed?

[KittensandKnitting]

Great ideas thank you!

I may give them a try and some point soon too

[ppeatfruit]

Oh I love those french ones too, we get them sometimes here in Fr. But I've looked up a variety of recipes and they are ridiculously different, even Saint Delia says to not over whisk the egg whites, one recipe says to not whisk them at all !!!!

On GBBO it looked so effing difficult I've given up thinking about making them! I reckon they're worth splashing out for occasionally. Just BUY THEM

[TrashcanMan]

Google Adriano Zumbo, an Aussie baker who specialises in macarons. There are loads of his how to videos on YouTube. Very good to see the texture you need when mixing. Good luck, they are tricky!

[NarcyCow]

It's easy to make them but very hard to get them exactly right. Thankfully the not-quite-right ones are generally pretty tasty too.

I have no advice to offer because mine have never actually worked properly.

[LockedOutOfMN]

I make macarons by making the meringues then sticking them together cold with the buttercream. I sort of made up the recipe myself but they go down well with friends, colleagues, etc. on whom I've foisted my efforts.

You can certainly add ground pistachios to the meringue mix instead of almond flour.

In our house the preferred flavour is vanilla meringue (using vanilla from a pod) and raspberry "cream" in the middle (using fresh or tinned raspberries so it can be a bit wet and generally messy. Raspberry flavouring or something more manageable would be better if you want them all picture-perfect).

Good luck, and happy baking and eating.

Agree with the previous poster who said to draw the circles onto the baking parchment.

[JulietteBarnes]

Circles on parchment is the easiest way imo.

My top tip. once they are on the trays, make sure you dry them out for at least 30mins, so they have a sort of 'skin' on them before baking.

[ppeatfruit]

Do you pipe them Juliette ?

[LockedOutOfMN]

Yes to piping and also to sitting to develop the skin before baking.

[JulietteBarnes]

ppeafruit yes I pipe them.

[KittensandKnitting]

So what size do you think for the circles....?

Any recipe links great full recieved :)

[LockedOutOfMN]

Bottom of a tumbler sized circles?

I had a fantastic sheet of giant polka dot wrapping paper that I'd put my parchment on top of when making things like macarons and cookies so as to be lazy and not have to draw the circles, then threw it away one day in an exuberant downsizing effort.

[KittensandKnitting]

Genius :)

[ppeatfruit]

Now you see I can't stand all the faff with piping, so that puts me off for a start. Also all that sugar When you buy them you don't SEE all the sugar!!! I know, I'm a pillock

[HelenaJustina]

THis may be less helpful than other replies but I bought a Waitrose cookery course for a relative and they chose macaroon making. They are amazing! She also now has a nice sideline in icecream to use up the egg yolk!

[cexuwaleozbu]

I once went on a patisserie course where we were shown how to make proper macarons. My conclusion was: pay the money to buy the good ones made by a professional. they have a scale of production going that means they can do it right. I wouldn't attempt them in a small kitchen - the proper method has them left for much longer than 20 minutes (can't remember the details but I thought it was hours) but they need to be cool dry and undisturbed in that time which they wouldn't be in a typical domestic kitchen (place I was at had a dedicated drying cupboard).

[ppeatfruit]

Yes exactly cexuwal Here in Fr. there are specialist macaron makers, you can get less sweet organic ones with amazing flavours too , really lovely.