Hollow Macarons- The Struggle is Real

[CookieCat]

Ok, so I’ve just made my first couple of attempts at macarons! They looked beautiful… until you bite into one and find a big air bubble at the top of each one. I realize there are a ton of things that can cause this.

If I break one open immediately after it comes out of the oven it looks full and correct but as they cool it’s like the centers fall. So if they're good until they cool is it more likely to be an issue with cooking temp or time? Or is that always how hollow macarons go??? Does the timing of when they become hollow offer a clue as to what went wrong in the process?

I tired an extra minute of cooking time for a small batch and that definitely didn’t help. I don’t have an oven thermometer yet and would really appreciate suggestions for brands that will be somewhat reasonably priced but still quite accurate.

For the meringue, I whisked the egg whites and sugar on medium speed and was very slow about adding the sugar, maybe too slow? I banged the tray on the counter repeatedly for a full thirty seconds, and popped any air bubbles I saw. I waited only as long as it took for a shell to develop before putting them in the oven (which was only about 10 minutes for the first batch).

After a night in the fridge they were still very hollow, but tasted great.

Any advise would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much!!

 

[retired baker]

yes , over whipping the whites will do this, drizzling the sugar very slowly can cause the problems you are having. watch this.

 

[CookieCat]

Thanks for the video. I love her little kitchen helpers : )
So I should have soft peaks then??
I had seen something about using egg white powder instead of creme of tartar. Has anyone tried this? If so was it better, worse, about the same?

 

[retired baker]

Thanks for the video. I love her little kitchen helpers : )
So I should have soft peaks then??
I had seen something about using egg white powder instead of creme of tartar. Has anyone tried this? If so was it better, worse, about the same?

its not the ingredients, its the method, the way you're doing it is way off.
acid isnt required because you aren't looking for a firm meringue.

 

[EdwardGuerra]

It's good that you're cautious about adding sugar slowly. However, ensure that your egg whites reach stiff peaks. Also, consider the humidity in your environment, as it can affect meringue stability.

 

[Mona]

It sounds like you're really close to getting perfect macarons! Hollow centers can be caused by a few things: your oven temperature might be off (an oven thermometer like the ThermoWorks DOT can help), or your meringue might need to be whipped a bit more until it's stiffer. Try lowering your oven temperature slightly and baking a little longer, and consider letting your macarons rest longer before baking to develop a thicker shell. Keep experimenting with these tweaks, and you'll likely see better results.