To preface this post this is my third batch of macarons I’ve made and I am just a bit confused as to what happened.
So obviously when I first made them I couldn’t help but break a few open only to find a giant hole in the top of the shell. (Want to note in case it matters the shells were not fragile and actually held up very well when I pushed on the top to test them) since it was just for friends I decided to fill and test them anyway. Cut to a few hours later and I bite into one that does not seem to have a gap?
Is it possible the same batch had shells with and without a hollow shell and how do I prevent that? Does maturing them help with the hollow-ness? I have so many questions and macarons are not keen on helping me answer so any advice or troubleshooting is welcome and appreciated!
by UnderstandingHot8431
3 Comments
Maturing absolutely helps. These look great.
IMO hollowing is not an issue as long as you have a shell strong enough to endure handling.
Yes, a batch with hollow and non-hollow shells can occur.
Maturing does not help in this instance. I think people just repeat stuff they read online. When they are hollow like this, you will always experience a crispy shell that breaks away before sinking your teeth into the fondant-like centre. There is 0% chance that the macaron will expand to fill that void after soaking up some moisture from the filling.
I would firstly ask if the non-hollow shells were from macarons you piped later, and the hollow ones were the ones you piped first?