macarons take #3.

 Say hi to macarons again!

It's frustrating. It really is. Because I actually managed to produce macarons that are 3D the last time, and now, they're back to being 2D- pancake flat. But the upside to this batch is that...

No cracks! Yes! *doing the happy dance* I experimented with different baking temperatures this time, which explains why each row looks different from the next. Okay, starting from the right, I preheated the oven to 200C and lowered down the temperature to 180C once the macs were in the oven. The oven door was left opened. The second row I used the fairly common 150C with the door closed. The third, oven was preheated to 180C and then lowered to 160C. Door closed. All batches were baked on the lower rack.

I was so excited about this experiment I completely forgot to put another tray above them to protect them from browning. Oopsie...

Preheated to 200C then lowered to 180C. Oven door opened.

These were the worst. Not only were they the darkest, their "feet" stuck out like a flying frisbee. The bottoms were getting browned before the top was done, so I moved them up to the middle rack halfway.

150C

I think this is the best temperature for my macarons. They still remained fairly pale, and they were slightly taller than the other two rows. Although it could be because I piped these out first so the batter wasn't as runny yet.

Preheated to 180C then baked at 160C

These are second best. Yes, they also got quite a bit of a suntan but a macaron from this batch had just that one perfectly formed feet. This one.

No sticky-outy business.

I had a problem with all of them, however. Even after spending close to 18 minutes in the oven regardless of any baking temperatures, their bottoms still stuck! The middle part, in particular. This problem occurred less in the first batch because of the higher heat though. Most bakers bake theirs for 12 to 15 minutes and this worries me. A lot. I think the consistency of the piped macaron batter should have a role in this. Ah well, more research to do!

Second and third batch

This recipe is based on Tartelette's. Same as before.

I filled them with a quick Rosewater Vanilla Raspberry jam I made out of raspberries, sugar, rosewater and vanilla.

Fourth try coming up and Merry Christmas!