LOG_DATE: [2025-07-01] | CATEGORY: SPEED_LEARNING | STATUS: BURNT

Baking Macarons: First Try

> CHEMISTRY_EXPERIMENT...

The French Macaron. It is the Dark Souls of baking. If you look at the batter wrong, it fails. If the humidity is 51% instead of 50%, it fails.

The "Macaronage"

Step 1: Whip Egg Whites.
Result: Stiff Peaks achieved. I felt confident.

Step 2: Fold in almond flour. This is the "Macaronage". You have to knock the air out, but not ALL the air.
Mistake: I folded too aggressively. The batter turned into soup.

ERROR: BATTER TOO RUNNY

The Drying

You have to let them sit for 30 mins to form a "skin". I waited 20. Impatience is the enemy.

The Bake

I put them in at 300°F.

10 minutes later, I checked.

The Autopsy

They spread out like pancakes. They cracked. They had no "feet" (the little ruffled edge).

Taste Test: They tasted like... very sweet, chewy almond gum. Edible, but ugly.

Conclusion

Baking is not cooking. Cooking is jazz (add a little salt, taste it). Baking is Science. Macarons require a precision scale, an oven thermometer, and the patience of a saint. I have none of these.

I will respectfully buy my macarons from the bakery for $3 each. They earned it.