What should I do if macarons cracked is still not fixed?

If shells are cracked but cooked through, fill them anyway and let them mature in the fridge for 24 hours — the filling softens the shells and cracked tops are less noticeable once filled and stacked. Crumble cracked shells and fold into ice cream or whipped cream as a meringue crumble garnish.

How can I prevent this problem next time?

Sift almond flour and powdered sugar twice and discard any pieces that don't pass — coarse particles puncture the skin and cause cracks. Rest shells until a skin forms — the minimum time varies by humidity; in humid environments, this can take 90 minutes or longer.

baking 50 min

Macarons Cracked

Cracked macaron shells mean the skin didn't form before baking, or the oven was too hot — here's how to fix the process and get smooth, domed shells.

Part of baking cooking fixes .

cracked macarons macaron shells cracking no feet on macarons vegetarian gluten-free dairy-free

Ingredients on hand

almond flour
powdered sugar
egg whites (aged)
granulated sugar
food coloring

Why it happened

Macaron shells need a dry outer skin before baking so that the steam trapped inside escapes through the bottom (creating feet) rather than cracking through the top. Without resting time, the top is still wet when it hits the oven and the rapid steam expansion finds the path of least resistance — upward through the top, causing cracks. A too-hot oven also causes rapid expansion before the skin can set.

The fix

1 After piping, let shells rest at room temperature for 45–60 minutes until the surface is completely dry and matte — touching it should feel like smooth skin, not wet
2 If shells cracked during baking, reduce oven temperature by 25°F on the next batch — cracking is almost always an oven temperature issue
3 Place an empty baking sheet on the rack below the macarons to diffuse bottom heat
4 Use aged egg whites (separated 24–48 hours in advance and stored uncovered in the fridge) — aged whites are drier and form a stronger meringue

If it's still wrong

If shells are cracked but cooked through, fill them anyway and let them mature in the fridge for 24 hours — the filling softens the shells and cracked tops are less noticeable once filled and stacked.
Crumble cracked shells and fold into ice cream or whipped cream as a meringue crumble garnish.

Prevent next time

Sift almond flour and powdered sugar twice and discard any pieces that don't pass — coarse particles puncture the skin and cause cracks.
Rest shells until a skin forms — the minimum time varies by humidity; in humid environments, this can take 90 minutes or longer.

Substitutions

almond flour → sunflower seed flour for a nut-free macaron (results in a slightly different color and flavor)

Other baking fixes