Everyone loves a tasty macaron, but sometimes the idea of having to go out and physically pick them up can seem so taxing. This year for Mother’s Day, so many amateur bakers plan to roll up their sleeves, prep their ovens, and attempt to recreate the perfect macaron in their home.

However, making macarons is a complicated process and a multitude of things can go wrong. Here are some of the most common DIY macaron problems that home bakers typically face.

Bumps On the Macaron Shell

If you are buying fresh almonds for your macarons, you’ll need to grind them up into a fine powder in your food processor. Most recipes will tell you to combine your almonds with the icing you use for your macarons to help achieve a smooth consistency in your shell.

However, if you haven’t blended the almonds enough or combine the almonds and icings for longer than 10 seconds in the food processor, you will end up with oily and bumpy macarons. These won’t kill the flavor of your treat, but we guarantee that Paul Hollywood wouldn’t label you “Top Baker” for this mistake.

No Feet to Speak Of

Your macaron shells should always have some great “feet;” AKA that little ridge that outlines the center of your macs. Feet allow your macaron shells to retain their desired shape and not spread out too thin.

This is a very easy mistake to make and usually is the result of under beating or overbeating your merengue, boiling your sugar syrup beyond 118 degrees Fahrenheit, or not letting your batter rest the full 30 minutes after piping.

Don’t let lack of feet throw you off of your mac game. Simply keep those three issues in mind and avoid them with your next batch in order to be one step closer to your desired macaron achievement.

Your Macarons Aren’t Round Enough

Irregular piping of your batter will often lead to macarons failing to have that “rounded” cookie shape that we have all come to love. If your piping bag isn’t held perpendicular to the drawn circular blueprints on your baking paper, the likelihood of the mixture spreading is extremely high.

Always pipe perpendicular to ensure that your macarons stay within your design’s desired shape.

Hollow Macaron Shells

Even though your macarons may look great on the outside, if you bite into them and the shell is hollow, you’ve likely done something wrong. Usually, this issue is due to the macarons baking at too high of a temperature. When this happens, the batter cooks and rises too quickly, forming that hollow space in your dessert.

Even if you’ve followed your recipe to the “T,” everyone’s over has differentiating heat output. So, even an additional 5 degrees could ruin your macarons. If you find this problem persisting, try to reduce the oven settings by five degrees per bake, until you’ve gotten it right.

Skip the Frustration This Mother’s Day and Check Out Chelles Macarons

If you’ve tried to recreate that perfect macaron for Mom, you most likely didn’t get it right the first time. Don’t let a burnt batch of macs steal away your love for our favorite dessert. Let the experienced bakers at Chelles Macarons bring the perfect macarons to your door.

Our nationwide shipping option allows for a stress-free macaron experience that comes straight to your door. We are Dallas’s favorite macaron bakery and are ready to show you why so many people think of Chelles when they crave a delicate, delicious macaron.