Experimenting with Macarons - Temperature & Placement

Today we will have some fun experimenting with macarons! They are a finicky little cookie and so many variables can cause them to fail. So why not have a little joy when learning to tackle this little beast of a delicacy? Since they are one of the most difficult cookies to learn, there’s plenty of opportunities to improve your skills. For every failed attempt, you are one step closer to success! Never give up on learning to perfect the macaron and say hi to Macaron Maggie along the way.
🖨 Print Recipe by Clicking Here:
jacksonsjob.com/french-macaro...
Recipe Tips:
✔ Macarons are often called “the world’s most difficult cookie.” There is a reason for this. Expect failure and celebrate small wins. Once you master the macaron, you’ll be on top of the world! Enjoy the process of learning how to make this finicky little delight!
✔ Try a variety of recipes and techniques. Some prefer the French method as we do, others the Italian, Swiss, Japanese, American, Korean or a hybrid of these varieties. Once you find the one that works for you, stick with it and perfect it.
To read more about this fun little experiment and our mishaps along the way, check out this link: jacksonsjob.com/experimenting...
Want more? Try reading this one: jacksonsjob.com/macarons-maca...
You are not alone in when it comes to making mistakes in the kitchen. Embrace them and carry on.
Happy Baking!

[@a.c.6361]

Your video was what I needed. I've watched so many different videos and tried different methods, but to no avail. I made many mistakes and became frustrated because I felt that the videos I watched didn't really address the issues I was having. Then I watched your video on how to make macarons and all the tests you made including different techniques and addressing different factors. Aha! I thought finally the answer to my prayers. So I printed out your recipe. I'm looking forward to baking again and hoping for the best. Thank you soooo much!

[@Jacksonsjob]

AC, I am glad you found these videos useful and encouraging! Please let me know if you need help along the way, I’ll be happy to help with what I’ve learned over the years. Remind yourself these are often referred to as the world’s most difficult cookie. That helped me keep going and enjoy the process of learning to make macarons. 😊

[@nena5437]

Thank you so much for your time and your effort in baking AND producing this video. Bravo ! Today, makes the 4th time I've tried to make French Macarons. I can't tell you how many KZbin videos I have watched....a lot ! Quit is not in my DNA. But obviously, God, or the Universe, or whomever brought me to your video. Merci Beaucoup Madame ! Et j'aime tes chiens ❤ !

[@Jacksonsjob]

I am so glad you found my videos useful! We are a lot a like. It took me months to learn how to make macarons. If you need any assistance at all, feel free to ask away. I would be honored to help. Vous êtes les bienvenus ! Et merci, je dirai aux chiens que vous en avez parlé" ! :D

[@nena5437]

@@Jacksonsjob what silicone mats do you use? Can they be purchased thru Amazon?

[@Jacksonsjob]

Hi Nena! I use the brand “cook time” on Amazon which is a generic silicone mat. I have purchased them a few times over the years when they go on sale and they have been consistent with baking, but a few minor imperfections on the printing of the outlines here and there. (Lines being broken in places.) A few caveats: I did purchase Amazon’s brand and they are hit or miss. Some of the Amazon ones are terrible and some work well, but they all have a strong smell. The ones that don’t work well you end up either overbaking the shells or they will stick to the mat. I also found they can give a peculiar smell as they heat up in the oven and some even transfer that smell to the macarons after they are baked. I do not recommend them at all. If you have pets or towels that shed, you will find lint and fur on silicone mats even after you wash, dry and immediately store them in an airtight container. You usually don’t find the fur or lint until after it has been baked in. I now top them with parchment paper. In high humid climates, they take a long long long time to dry or not at all because moisture gets trapped. I found topping it with parchment prior to piping on high humid days combats this issue. It will often increase the baking time depending on the brand. With just parchment, my macarons cook around 5-7 minutes faster in my oven using the same rack and baking sheet. This can be a good thing as it also prevents over browning and seems to give a more even bake. Hope this helps!

[@nena5437]

@@Jacksonsjob yes, that does help and I appreciate the tips, too. It’s still trial and error but getting better. Sending ♥️ to you and your furbabies!

[@Jacksonsjob]

Thank you so much for the well wishes to the baking crew. They will be glad to hear it! If you need any help or have questions, just let me know. They are a pain to learn but once you get the hang of it, you then have the fun time of inventing all kinds of flavors.

[@venomthedoll]

i’ve never made macarons but i’ve been getting into baking recently and i wanted to give this classic recipe a try. thanks for all the experiments hopefully they will help me make my first attempt a success!

[@Jacksonsjob]

Good luck, Audrey! Baking is a great hobby as you get to have a lifetime of happy memories along the way. Macarons are so fun to learn to make and once you learn them, most recipes become easy in comparison.

[@Space-el9hg]

KZbin Lacks genuine, fun, informative, and genuienly enjoyable content. this channel has all of them batched up like macarons!

[@Jacksonsjob]

Hi there, Space! I am truly humbled by your compliment. Thank you!😊

[@KarliGee]

Thank you for your helpful videos! Your recipe is the one that has worked best for me. Also your technique has worked best for me too. Maggie, Viva la France 🥰

[@Jacksonsjob]

You are quite welcome, Karli! I plan to post more fun videos about macarons such as different fillings, and just some fun experiments overall. If you have any requests, feel free to just ask. I do have to work around my health, but I love helping you all in anyway that I can! Maggie sends her love and thanks you for remembering her. 🐕🐾🐾🐾

[@karenbearden6198]

Maggie takes her job seriously! haha, love the experiments and all your experience and instructions. I guess I got lucky, but I followed your directions closely when I made these and they turned out pretty good. Thanks, hope you are having a great day.😊

[@Jacksonsjob]

You are a natural! Some really do well making them right away and have a knack for macarons. 🤗😁 Maggie takes her macarons seriously. 🐕 She will tap me with her paw 🐾 on the side if I’m taking too long to let her sample the batch. It’s really cute and I think it shows up in the video a few times.

[@llamallamaduck4450]

Really cool :)

[@Jacksonsjob]

Thank you! :D

[@AlpacaRenee]

Very useful thank you

[@Jacksonsjob]

You are very welcome!

[@meridethm9658]

super appreciative of this video! been making macarons for 5 months now and i'm still learning. i'm still experimenting with recipes and additives, so glad i found your channel today - excited to try out your recipe tonight!

[@Jacksonsjob]

Hi, Meredith! Glad you liked the video. Let me know if you need any help with the recipe. I’ll be glad to answer any questions or concerns. Macarons are so fun and sometimes frustrating to make. 😂

[@meridethm9658]

@@Jacksonsjob i have a suggestion for an experimenting video! i have an oven that's capable of convection and i would love to see the difference in what temps and time work best for both regular vs convection, because i've found some opposing opinions online!

[@Jacksonsjob]

I have an oven that does both, too! I will put this on my list to do. Any temperature ranges you are interested in the most? If it helps at all, in the meantime, I’ve found 275-325 (135-160C) is a good range overall with both convection and regular ovens for the french meringue method. For the Swiss and Italian, you can go even lower on the heat, but the higher temperatures seem to dry them out fast and make them leathery.

[@gidget8717]

That was an interesting video. I have got too give them a try sometime this summer. Maggie and Jackson are too cute, and Raymond was looking spry! 🥰 Maggie's like me, cookie monster. 🤣

[@Jacksonsjob]

She is obsessed with these cookies. I’ll share a little 🤫 with you. I’m not a fan of them. They are very sweet. I made all those macarons. Tried one and was like nope. Still too sweet for me! Thankfully Raymond has been doing surprisingly well! I hope the same for Buddy! Jackson is getting close to retirement age. His little leg is starting to give him some trouble.

[@gidget8717]

@@Jacksonsjob All things considered, Buddy doing good. Even if Jackson retires he'll still make a good snuggle buddy. ☺️

[@Jacksonsjob]

Yay for Buddy! Jackson has already picked out his favorite sleeping spot, sunning spot, and watching for school bus spot. I think he’s going to enjoy it when the time comes.

[@nzs316]

“Goodboy Raymond” what a great name! I would gather that they do not quibble over their kibble!

[@Jacksonsjob]

They were taught to share as young dogs and they all have separate eating areas so they can have their food at a leisurely pace. They are lovely little dogs. They even leave the cats alone when they eat. :D

[@nzs316]

@@Jacksonsjob Domo is buddy to all dogs but, oooh not cats! He regards them as prey. Its probably due to the fact that cat owners are encouraged to let their cats roam freely in my neck of the woods. As you may imagine, i am so against that. The argument from the cat people is that its in their nature to hunt! I then remark that Domo is a hunting dog! Plus dogs have to liscensed but, not the cats...such predjudice.

[@Jacksonsjob]

@@nzs316 We've have raised working line terriers so we understand prey drive! We believe in responsible pet ownership for happy and healthy pets. Unfortunately, not everyone has that same belief system. I'm off for the day to work on video series. Have a great weekend!

[@denecefrisbie9578]

Good morning, I just came across your videos about two weeks ago, and I have already made 7 or 8 batches…. I’ve made your chocolate ones, and the regular original French macaron. I’ve gotten the chocolate one closest to a perfect full shell, but still have not succeeded at a full shell like you get. I’ve probably tried a dozen or more different recipes, but yours is by far the best! Not only the best in results, but hands-down the best in flavor 💞 after watching this video, I am chomping at the bit to try it again because I think I have found my problem… I’m so glad that you included what speed the mixer is at. I get so danged impatient when it comes to whipping up my meringue! Mostly due to the fact that my arms get so darn tired I think due to arthritis. So I’m going to have to try it in my KitchenAid mixer. What number on the KitchenAid mixer would you suggest? I was thinking maybe number 2? Or maybe 4? Also, when you were mentioning oven rack positions, I think you mentioned that your heating element was on top… Mine is on the bottom. So perhaps I should try moving it up one spot and give that a go. What are your thoughts about that?

[@Jacksonsjob]

Good morning to you! Thank you for the compliments, that is too kind. 😊 My oven has two heating elements, one on the top and bottom and the ability for both to be circulating at the same time. But mostly, I bake from the bottom element. So you’d stick with what I found out as heat tends to rise and leads the problems I discussed (at least for me) in the experiments. However, if your oven is on the smaller side like my previous oven was, oftentimes the middle rack is the best placement. When the oven is smaller, I also found dropping 25-50F or 5-10C made a huge difference in appearance. You have to increase baking time 3-8 minutes, but it’s worth the wait. As far as a KitchenAid mixer, although I have one, I rarely use it. When I did, I would begin at a 4 - 5 and then move it down to 2 - 3 once it started actually whipping the egg whites instead of just sloshing them around. The way the mixer works on whipping meringue is a bit different than a hand mixer, so you have to compensate for the lack of the second beater for egg whites. Otherwise, the whites will just spin and slosh around not doing much of anything for quite a long time. I also found that the kitchen aid does benefit from a stabilizer like lemon juice or cream of tartar in general for French meringues. I’ve never been a huge fan of using it for French meringue as it tends to create more air and can make the meringue more delicate to work with than using a hand whisk or hand beater. I hope this helps! Let me know if you need more advice. Macarons are tricky to master but once you find your rhythm, you’ll get better and better with each batch.

[@denecefrisbie9578]

@@Jacksonsjob thank you so much for your incredibly swift reply💞 I will try again with the hand mixer and just go with it until I get the results at a medium slow speed And I will try to maintain the oven rack position first, then I will try one spot closer to the heating element and see what happens. I will let you know. Thanks again for your amazing tutorial videos 🤩

[@denecefrisbie9578]

I’m thinking, because I always whip my meringue as fast as I can on high speed, that I’m whipping too much air into the meringue, causing the hollows

[@Jacksonsjob]

@denecefrisbie9578 you are very welcome! I want you to be successful as macarons can be so rewarding and boosts your confidence to try all kinds of new recipes and techniques. After all, master the “world’s most difficult” cookie, and you grow so much in confidence. 😊 Be sure to let me know how it goes regardless. Some find it easier to slightly under mix the macaron batter at first and then gradually increase folds once they get the full shells consistently.

[@jean-charlesmarie5010]

Oh wow, I'm really impressed by the amount of work done around assessing the robustness of the macaron baking process! Simply put, you clearly demonstrated that despite being notoriously finicky cookies to bake, they actually tolerate a wide range of parameter variations (little failure rate, maybe a few lopsided ones, at most)! I'm pretty sure that even your hollow shells could actually give great macarons once filled and matured... Now, I call that a very solid scientific approach to problem solving, congratulations! And thank you so much for sharing the results of your long series of experiments, this is extremely useful (how did you find the patience to go through so many batches?) Now, forgive me for asking this, but what would be your ultimate recommendations as a conclusion of your macaron baking journey? 300F, not too close to the source of heat, regular drying method and low- to medium speed for meringue making? Did I capture that right? I know this would be specific to your oven but maybe it could be considered as a starting point for experimenters like you! Thank you so much again and good job saying my name right 👍, you made my day 😍❤️🥰 I can't wait to experiment on my own this weekend, with my ultimate goal being able to produce shells that are not hollow anymore 🤞. I'll save my best batch for Maggie 😉 Best wishes from Boston.

[@Jacksonsjob]

So glad I got your name right! I was sweating a bit on that one. 😅 And im glad it was useful. I’m now planning a video on just macaronage or the folding of the batter for beginners. That’s my next plan and then one for some easy fillings. If you can think of anything else you’d like help on or need something explained more, let me know. The price of the flour is finally going back to reasonable prices on sale, so I picked up a bag. As far as my recommendations, you are correct. I would also recommend trying that oven rack position slightly below center as well. I have been doing that since and getting really nice results. Honestly, I would recommend trying all of them if you have the resources as you’ll really get to know your oven and which rack is ideal. So many are focused on perfecting the macaron, they forget to enjoy the process of learning. If you are one of the lucky people to have an oven that will go between the temperatures 275 (80) - 300F (150C) then I would start tinkering around those temperatures. See which one you are willing to trade off on: time or speed. I personally really like 280 - 290 (138 - 143C) but a lot of ovens only work in 25 degree increments here in the states as you are likely aware by now. Another thing I would experiment on is the oven drying method some more. I ran out of almond flour and after about 700 or so macarons, the desire to want to try more. However, another macaron fan, Christine is having good success with the oven drying using these times and temperatures: Preheat oven to 120C (250F.) Place in oven with door ajar 3 minutes. Then, close door and turn heat to 300F (145C) and bake another 15 -20 minutes. She gave me amounts Celsius so I’m giving closest Fahrenheit temps. I say if you are up for it, give it a go. As far as how did I go through so many batches, Maggie makes it hilariously fun to bake macarons. She becomes so animated and full of excitement that it’s hard to believe she’s a senior. She acts like a puppy again dancing around the kitchen. She’s a little obsessed with them. She will look forward to your batch! 🐕🐕🐕🐕😁😆🤭

[@user-bw6md7jk4x]

Hallo liebes kanst du mir sagen bei welshe element mus ich makaron backen 150c heisluft oder oben unter? Oder heisluft mit unter temperator?!?!?!?

[@Jacksonsjob]

Bei 150 °C unter, nicht darüber backen. Möglicherweise möchten Sie auf 145 °C gehen und 2-3 Minuten länger backen, um je nach Ofen eine bessere Farbe zu erhalten. Ich verwende Google zum Übersetzen. Ich hoffe, das hilft!

[@user-vv9oc6pr2o]

I used convection oven,what temperature would be the best?

[@Jacksonsjob]

I would try both 300 - 325F (gas mark 2 - 3) or (150-160C) and see which one you like best. Since every oven is a bit different, it’s best to try both temperatures to get ideal results. If you bake at the lower temperature, you may need to adjust the time by a couple minutes.

[@user-vv9oc6pr2o]

@@Jacksonsjob thank you..

[@Jacksonsjob]

You’re quite welcome!

[@nzs316]

I just noticed that your baking sheet has "Macron" spacing indicators. Yes i had to play on the french presidents name. Although i do wonder which came first, the button for political affiliation or the pastry. The Lass and Lads seem to be right fine pooches. Aghhh i just caught the "Jackson - Dish Washer!" My Domo is limited to "pre wash".

[@Jacksonsjob]

It’s a little cheap mat from Amazon. I have to line them with parchment because of the humidity and the dog fur and silicone compatibility. 🤦🏻‍♀️😳 Domo can join the staff! 😁🐕🐾🧫 I asked Jackson about which came first and he said he doesn’t talk about advanced topics. He said he’s still trying to figure out the 🐓or the 🥚. 🐕🐾😳😆

[@nzs316]

@@Jacksonsjob My brain is like a pinball machine. A few words and off i go... The shell of an egg is actually the placenta in humans. So the Egg came first. Now if only i can figure out why the darn chicken crossed the road! With the one rear left leg in paralysis and his loss of bladder control and #2 blockage, Im really challenged trying to maintain a certain diet. He typically wakes me up 3-4 times during the night to go out. For lube i gave him 3 tins of sardines spaced out during the day and mixed food by days end. Hopefully this will get him through the night so i can get an actual night undisturbed sleep. Ive read that pumpkin is also good. I do have a few jars of preserves, that might also help.

[@Jacksonsjob]

@@nzs316 It does bounce around, but that's okay! I call it going off on a tangent and it happens often with me as well. I hope your dog feels better and you got some rest!