The Worst Mistake You Can Make When Aiming For Perfect Macaron Feet

As is so common when it comes to French pastry, the mistakes you can make in an (oft fruitless) attempt to produce the perfect macaron are near innumerable. From stirring too much, to stirring too little, to stirring too fast, to setting your oven merely five degrees too hot, to having the audacity to attempt the recipe on a day when it might be too humid outside for macarons to properly form a shell, getting a batch just right feels somewhat like a gift from above — and the challenge is, truthfully, enticing. So if you're troubleshooting yet another macaron mistake in pursuit of a better cookie, add this tip to your list: In order to get the perfect feet to form on your delicate and sweet dessert, make sure you let the batter rest long enough to form a protective skin.

Although macarons don't rise in the traditional sense, given their lack of yeast, baking soda, or baking powder (This is about macarons versus macaroons), the oven-baked batter expands from the water inside turning to steam, creating air pockets that lift the cookie up, ever so slightly. If they haven't been left to rest long enough, this steam might escape through the top of the cookie. It's the thin shell that forms on the top with proper resting time, which causes steam to instead escape through the bottom, forming the classic macaron feet.

Success with these cookies comes down to the details. So how long should you rest your delicate beauties? Exact numbers will vary by batter consistency and humidity, but in general, 30 to 45 minutes is a good benchmark. By this point, a thin film should have formed over the batter so that if you touch it lightly, your finger will come away without any batter on it. Don't forget to tap the pan on the counter before resting to ensure any air bubbles that could cause holes or hollowness are popped. If you've done everything right, you can expect a thin layer of frills along the base of the cookies which look firm and upright, rather than spread out. (Added pro: You can also expect a delicious treat.)

Feeling hungry after all this talk about cookies? Thankfully, while the details involved in making macarons are numerous, the actual process is pretty quick; See for yourself with these Parisian-style, decadent chocolate macarons that are absolutely worth the baking — and resting — time it takes to make them.