Macarons, Take One

In the interest of full disclosure, I'm about to show you my first attempt at macarons.

I want you to see the whole learning process.  Good, bad and ugly.

Let's start with the ugly.

So macarons are known as one of the most difficult cookies to make.  The ingredients must be precise, your mixing technique must be perfect, your sheet pans level, your oven at the right temperature.  There are a lot of things to think about.  For my first try, I decided to go with a simple vanilla bean macaron.  The resource I found most helpful was Not So Humble Pie- she has great macaron tutorials and troubleshooting guides.

Things I think I did right:

I aged my egg whites.

I weighed my ingredients.

I had a well-mixed meringue.

I let them rest before baking.

I popped any air bubbles.

Things I think I did wrong:

I over/under mixed the batter (still not sure).

I piped them too large.

I baked half of them on an older, possibly crooked baking sheet.

I overbaked a little.

Exhibit A: uneven, blob-like shapes.  I think this is due to the possibly crooked baking sheet and the incorrect mixing technique.

Exhibit B: Side view of my cookies.  This give me hope! They have feet (the bottom part of the cookie), which is a good sign.

Exhibit C: The inside of the cookie.  This is hopeful too, since there aren't a lot of air pockets.. but that could always be because they are too flat.

I am planning another attempt soon.  Hopefully it will go a little better.  I'm going to pipe them a little smaller,  make sure I mix correctly,  and try not to screw it up! 

Has anyone made macarons before?  How did it go for you?  Any tips?

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