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FAQs

 Questions and answers will be added here. Have a question? Email BEL@bakeeatlovebox.com 

1.) What is the best way to separate the eggs?

Answer: When separating egg whites from yolks it is important to follow a method that ensures the whites are free of egg yolk. The reason why is there is fat in the yolks. Having even a little bit of yolk in your mixture will prevent egg whites from whipping up properly. Here's the method we recommend to separate the egg whites: 1. You will need two small bowls. 2. Crack your first egg into the first small bowl. 3. Using your hands, separate the yolk from the white and pour the egg white into your clean mixing bowl. 4. It is important to do the eggs one at a time just in case an egg yolk breaks then you can discard that one white rather than all the whites in the bowl. Discard the yolk or save it for another use. 5. Repeat this process until all of your egg whites have been added for the recipe.

2.) Why is it important to only sprinkle a smattering of sprinkles on top of the macarons?

Answer: Macarons are a delicate cookie. If the sprinkles are applied heavily or concentrated in one area, it will prevent the cookie from baking properly and will result in a collapsed or cracked cookie dome. 

3.) Why do we bake the dry cake mix before adding it to the frosting?

Answer: The cake mix contains products in their raw form. Because we are adding the cake mix to the filling ingredients and the filling is not baked, it is important to bake the cake mix before adding it to the mixing bowl with the rest of the filling ingredients. 

Best Practices

• Place oven rack in the middle and bake one sheet at a time. Macarons are needy! And they don't like to share. They prefer to be placed in the middle of your oven, by themselves, for a nice even bake.
• If you get any egg yolk in your egg white, discard the egg and start again. 
• Fold sugar and eggs gently. Lightly and quickly fold the batter, trying to keep as much air in as possible. In the end, the batter should be thick but should still be airy. 
• Pop ALL bubbles before baking. Firmly drop the tray of macarons onto a flat surface at least five times, until bubbles rise to the surface. Gently poke out the bubbles with a toothpick, swirling around the batter when needed. If you are dropping less than a full tray of macarons, hold on to the parchment paper! It can fly up and get stuck to the macarons. Instead of dropping, you can firmly tap it on the counter while holding the tray.
• Let the macarons sit. It's important to allow the macarons at least 30 minutes to rest on the tray after piping. If you're in a humid environment this process can take up to an hour. Make sure they don't stick to your fingers! Doing this gives the macarons a strong outer shell. 
• Watch your oven as your shells get close to 17 minutes. The shells can burn easily. Shells are done when the feet are no longer sticky. That said, it is far better to over bake macarons than under bake.
• What to do if you over bake your macarons? Mature them! Believe it or not, most bakeries over bake their macarons....on purpose. Over baked macarons are easy to fix, and it actually gives them a stronger shell when done right. Unfortunately for us hungry bakers who want to enjoy what we just made; maturing macarons will take patience. First off, how do you know if they're over baked? Over baked macarons are hard and even crunch when they cool. To mature them, frost them, and set them in an airtight container in your refrigerator for up to 72 hours. The wetness of the frosting helps hydrate the macarons. Test one after 24 hours. Let it come to room temperature. If it's too cold, it will still be hard. If it's hard at room temperature, let it mature another day and test it again. 
• How do you store macarons? If you're going to eat them in under 24 hours, they can sit out at room temperature. If you need more than 24 hours, macarons should be stored in your refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a week. Let them come to room temperature before enjoying.