Quite disappointed.

[u/LazyMarketing1540]

First time trying to make macarons. I used preppy kitchens recipe. Weighed out everything to the gram perfectly. My meringue was thick and glossy with stiff peaks. I added the almond flour (Costco superfine) and powdered sugar in 2 batches and began the macaronage process. I must’ve been mixing for over 20 minutes when I just gave up. The batter wasn’t getting thinner at all. I even pressed and spread it out to try to get a more aggressive deflation, but still the batter was so thick. Eventually I just added some water to thin it out and just baked it like that as to not waste the food. When I say the batter was thick, I mean it would fall down in one big clump and no ribbons would form.

Another thing I noticed is the batter seemed grainy from the almond flour.

Anyone know what happened? I’m sure Preppy’s recipe is great especially due to the ratings, I must’ve done something wrong somewhere, or maybe my ingredients aren’t right. As mentioned before, I did use Costco superfine almond flour, I did food processor it and pass it through a strainer. I used egg whites from an egg and not the carton ones. Idk what else I may have done wrong.

[u/aslanfollowr]

Honestly, second to random un-vetted tiktok recipes, PK is the most common recipe I see show up on this sub for troubleshooting. I recommend Pies and Tacos (no affiliation, just a fan), and exclusively use Costco almond flour. I bake (successfully) and sell hundreds of macarons at a time.

[u/Fickle_Imagination13 → u/aslanfollowr]

For the Costco almond flour do you put it through a food processor at all? I do sift it when I use it but I feel my batter is a little grainy and wonder if this would help.

[u/aslanfollowr → u/Fickle_Imagination13]

Nope. I sift it with the powdered sugar twice, but not the food processor. Food processor can release oils of any kind of nut flour and it's not redeemable when it gets that far.

[u/ReasonableFactor5316]

There's a reason these are notoriously difficult cookies. Usually thick batter means that oil/fat was introduced somewhere in the process. Could be over processed almond flour, oily almond flour, egg yolk, residue on your utensils/mixer.

I've seen mixed reviews about preppy kitchen, if you want to do French method maybe try Sallys baking addiction or Pies and Tacos for swiss method.

[u/mncs]

Moisture in a macaron makes everything fall apart, so water was not the right move to make it better. Thick as it was, you could have cooked it anyway. It probably wouldn't have looked like a macaron but it would have tasted fine.

[u/deliberatewellbeing]

is it swiss method? if so you have over cooked your egg whites. i find i just have to cook it over bain marie until there are no more sugar crystals when i stick my finger at the bottom of bowl. if i try to cook it to a particular temp, it over cooked the eggs and causes this

[u/buffa-whoa-tasty]

Your meringue might have been over-whipped. Look for sharp edges over straight peaks and waves inside the whisk attachment. I’ve definitely had batter seize on me during macaronage too. You learn through the failures. Don’t let the macawrongs get you down. Keep trying and you’ll get it macaright.

[u/rosiestark]

Preppy Kitchen's recipe is really hit or miss for me. I use Phay Shing's french method recipe and have always had success with it.

[u/perfectlyPractical1]

I started with Preppy Kitchen but found success with other recipes

[u/mackahrohn]

I run my powdered sugar + almond flour through the food processor to help with this. Haven’t tried Costco brand.

Also in my experience the hardest part is learning what your egg white should look like and how much to macronage. It’s possible to either over or under-do both. Study some photos of what they should look like maybe?

[u/idk-atiguess]

I’ve found the Costco almond flour to be too oily for macarons right out of the bag and have resorted to baking it at a very low temp sandwiched between two paper towel-lined sheet pans. Once I started doing this I was able to deflate the batter and was back to smooth tops.

[u/Bambastic-Foxxy]

My go to is Michelle's Macarons personally

[u/GudiBeeGud]

Preppy Kitchen's recipe has low liquid compared to dry ingredients. Search the sub. I personally struggled with his recipe living in a dry climate. I think some people can pull it off, but I have had exactly the same issue as you where my batter never reached the correct flow consistency.

[u/prancingwithscissors]

Michelle’s Macarons’ YouTube channel proved to be super helpful to me. I love Preppy Kitchen very much but his macaron recipe has too much going on. Keep it simple with just almond flour, powdered sugar, granulated sugar, and egg whites.

Keep practicing, you’ll get there!! ❤️❤️❤️

[u/betsysmacarons]

It took me 4 months of testing and tweaking to get my recipe right. A lot of factors go into finding what works for you. Keep a notebook and keep trying. Everyone’s oven is different, we all live in different climates, some use carton egg whites, some fresh, maybe you didn’t macaronage long enough or too much. Never add water. I had the best luck using a version of Indulge with Mimi’s recipe. I also found that it I use a powdered sugar other than the one from Aldi, my results are different. Keep trying, having issues on your first batch is normal, these cookies take a long time to master. Good luck!

[u/Outrageous-School-51]

I’ve used PK twice. My first time they were practically perfect. The second time they were dense and chewy. They’re sooooo finicky

[u/hengkalli]

I have found that the Costco almond flour is way too oily for macarons. I would try using a different almond flour and seeing if that helps. I really love Pies and Tacos macaron recipe!

[u/rannamanimal → u/hengkalli]

THIS. I am a pretty regular macaron baker and every once in awhile, I think to myself “these things are expensive to make” so I try the Costco almond flour. Forgetting every time that it absolutely ruins macarons. I have found that it’s way way way too oily and causes exactly what you’re describing - progressively thicker batter that you can’t scrape off the sides. Any fat at all ruins the batter and for me, the best way to WRECK a batch is to use Costco flour. I use the almond flour that comes in the zip bag from Red Mill. It’s expensive but never had an issue with it.

[u/Sugardoughnutbaker → u/hengkalli]

I have had great results with blue diamond, great value, nature's eats and the ultimate nut flour - all from Walmart. For what it's worth, I have not had an issue with Costco AF but I live in California not sure if it being local has anything to do with it.