Tips and Tricks

Macaron Troubleshooting: Mottled Macarons and 10 Ways to Prevent Them

November 10, 2020 // by Meggan Leal// Leave a Comment

Why are my macarons mottled and stained on top? Learn what causes it and ten ways to prevent mottled macs.

If you’d like to see other installments in the Macaron Troubleshooting Series, click here!

And for more mac fun join our vegan macaron community on Facebook!

WHAT ARE MOTTLED MACARONS?

Mottled macarons whose tops have darker colored spots and blotching. They look stained, like they’ve had water sprayed on them.

WHAT CAUSES MOTTLED MACARONS?

Macarons become mottled when either there is excess liquid (either oil or water) in the batter, or they were not baked high or long enough to sufficiently evaporate it out.

EXCESS OIL

Excess oil can come from three sources, and will make your macarons not only mottled, but hollow and the tops will be very fragile.

OILY ALMOND FLOUR

If your almond flour contains a lot of oil, there are a couple of things you can do to try and save it:

1. Dry it out in the oven. Spread your almond flour out on a clean baking sheet and pop it in the oven at around 200F (just under 100C). Bake it for 20 minutes and turn the oven off, and let it hang out in there for another 10 minutes before pulling it out and letting it cool.

2. Pulse it with your powdered sugar. This is less reliable than #1, but might help if you already have your oven preheated for the macarons or you don’t have time to wait for the almond flour to bake.

Simply put the almond flour and powdered sugar for your recipe in a food processor or blender and gently pulse until everything is combined well.

MAKE SURE TO USE VERY SHORT PULSES! If you hold that button down, you’ll release *more oils* and turn it into almond butter. Almond butter is delicious, but doesn’t make good macarons.

ADDED OILS

Many times the flavors people try to add to their macaron batter contain oil. Whether it’s lemon oil, peppermint oil, or something with naturally occurring oils like cinnamon or cocoa, these additives can wreak havoc on your macs.

The same holds true for colors. Make sure you are not using colors that contain oil! Candy colors made for chocolate will destroy your batter. Some natural colors like yellows that contain turmeric and greens with matcha can also cause problems.

If you’ve never made successful macarons before, you should leave out the flavors and colors until you can consistently make great batches. That way you know it’s the additive that’s causing the issues!

OIL FROM YOUR EQUIPMENT

If you use your silicone mats to make cookies, or your mixing bowl for buttercream, there’s a chance that some oil may have hung around on your equipment and sabotaged your macarons.

You should always wipe down all of your pans, mats, spoons, whisks, bowls, etc. with some vinegar prior to beginning the recipe to get rid of any residual grease that might deflate your meringue and doom your macarons.

Also beware of bits of buttercream falling from your mixer into the bowl!

EXCESS MOISTURE

If either your batter contains too much moisture, or it doesn’t have a chance to escape during baking, you could get mottled macarons.

INCORRECT MEASURING

One reason for this could be that the batter is too wet. This happens when your ratios are off.

Maybe you tried to estimate instead of measuring, or you’re using cups and spoons instead of weighing out the grams with a kitchen scale.

Even the best of us sometimes mess up too, though. It’s possible you accidentally added too much aquafaba (or water for folks who make potato protein macarons) or not enough dry ingredients.

This will also happen if you are making Italian macarons and didn’t heat the sugar up enough (which leaves extra water in it), or added too much color.

The result of way too much color being added to macaron batter. They are mottled on top and the feet oozed out from the bottom. — I added waaaaay too much color to this macaron batter. The mottling just got worse and worse as they sat, too.

MERINGUE AND MIXING ISSUES

If your meringue is underwhipped or your batter is overmixed, it could also cause your macarons to be too saturated with moisture.

When you whip the meringue to stiff peaks, what you’re doing is creating billions of teeny tiny bubbles. It makes the batter light and airy, and allows it to dry out in the oven. If you don’t whip the meringue stiff enough, the bubbles aren’t there to allow moisture to escape easily.

Likewise, if you overmixed your batter during macaronage, you’ve popped all the bubbles you made during the meringue stage and the same problem arises.

Whip your meringue well and be sure you do not overmix your batter. It’s better to be too stiff and undermixed than to have mottled puddles for macarons.

HEAT PROBLEMS

Even if you did everything else right, when your oven is not hot enough it will cause your macarons to be too moist.

The oven temperature needs to be high enough to evaporate the moisture in the macarons before it has a chance to soak the outer shell of the cookie. It also needs to be hot enough to dry out the macaron before the meringue has a chance to deflate.

Anything lower than around 210F (100C) and sometimes even hotter than that depending on the batter and the weather will not dry out your macarons fast enough.

Chances are that if your tops are mottled, the macarons have no feet, and your macarons stick to your mat or paper, your oven wasn’t sufficiently hot.

BAKING TIME

Not baking long enough will also cause these problems.

Even if you vaporize the moisture in the outer parts of the shells with sufficient heat, if you don’t bake long enough the liquid will spread and settle on the surface. This will give them a mottled, stained appearance.

Under-baking will also leave your macarons raw on the inside, and they will be very fragile. Another sign that this is what has occurred is that they will stick to the mat.

If your macarons stick to the mat, become mottled AFTER baking, are raw inside, but have great feet, your oven was probably hot enough but the baking time was too short or you opened the door too much during baking.

CHECK YOUR FILLINGS

If your macarons baked perfectly with no problems, but become mottled after maturing, the culprit is your filling.

When you fill macarons with something very wet like jam or curd, the shells will absorb the moisture and become soaked and soggy.

Either switch the filling for something fat-based like buttercream or ganache, or give the bottoms of your macs a swipe of melted chocolate or frosting to make them waterproof before filling them.

MATURATION

If you mature them at room temperature, they can also over-mature after about 6-12 hours depending on the filling. Room temp maturation is good if you’re in a rush, but otherwise – keep it in the fridge.

TEN WAYS TO PREVENT MOTTLED MACARONS

Here is your checklist to make sure your macarons don’t come out mottled:

10 Ways to Prevent Mottled Macarons

Mottled macarons can be caused by plenty of different things, but here are 10 ways you can avoid them:

Instructions

1. Wipe down all of your equipment with vinegar before you begin.

2. Measure everything accurately by the gram with a good kitchen scale.

3. If making Italian macarons, make sure you bring your sugar syrup to the correct temperature.

4. Whip your meringue very well.

5. Do not add color or flavor with oils or meringue-deflating ingredients (if in doubt, leave it out!)

6. Do not let your batter sit for too long before piping (two hours max).

7. Make sure your oven is hot enough.

8. Make sure you bake them long enough and don't open the oven door.

9. Do not use very wet fillings without sealing your shells first.

10. Mature them in the fridge.

Notes

Find my vegan Italian macaron recipe here.

Find the ingredients and equipment I use for macarons here.

Join our vegan macaron community on Facebook here.

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Macaron Troubleshooting: Burning Bottoms

November 3, 2020 // by Meggan Leal// Leave a Comment

Why are my macarons burning on the bottom? Learn why the bottoms burn, and easy ways to fix it.

Burning Bottoms

Your oven is spot on, you’ve confirmed it with eight different thermometers. The meringue was perfect. Your macaronage is on point. but your macs are spreading and coming out crispy and brown and burnt!

What the heck?!

Ask yourself these questions:

Macaron Pans

What color is your pan?

Dark, heavy pans (like many used in Germany!) hold on to heat. Imagine talking a walk on a sunny day in a black t-shirt. Like you, your macs are going to feel a lot more toasty than what the thermometer says!

Most (dare I say all?) macaron recipes are written for shiny silver colored aluminum pans.

Aluminum pans (like these) conduct heat efficiently. The only way they’ll burn your macs is if you have them too close to the bottom heating element.

So is all lost if you only have dark colored pans?

NO!

Just turn your oven temperature down about 10-15°F to account for it and you should be fine! AND! This goes for all the recipes you make with it, not just macarons. You’ll experience a lot more success this way in all your baking ventures!

Macaron Mats

What kind of mat are you using?

Silpat style mats (like these) are what I prefer to use because the macarons hold their shape (on parchment, they go kind of oblong).

These mats also protect your macarons a bit from the heat on the bottom. My macaron recipe is written for these mats, but you can totally adjust for parchment if that’s what you’ve got!

Parchment paper: if you’re using parchment paper and your macarons are burning on the bottom, adjust your oven temperature about 5°F lower.

Using a dark pan with parchment paper? Just add the degrees together! Lower the temp 15-20°F and you should be good!

Thick silicone mats (like these) can either hold on to heat or shield heat depending on their color. Darker = hotter. Play with the temp accordingly and find your sweet spot.

Personally, I hate these mats so much. Lol. But my friend Eggless French Mac Master Deepa Jha uses them like a pro, so I suppose all hope is not lost. 🤪

Teflon and copper mats (like these) transfer heat more like parchment paper, so try turning the thermostat down a few degrees if you use them.

BONUS: Two More Things to Try

Are the bottoms of your macarons still burning even though you’re using silpat style silicone mats and a silver aluminum tray? Here are some things you can try:

Double up your pans! You can stack a second pan and it will help shield the macs’ bottoms from the heat while the rest can still bake nicely.

Raise the rack! If the heat in your oven comes from bottom coils, you can try baking the macs in the middle or even upper rack. Just don’t put them too close to the top of the oven or they might not get enough air circulation to dry out properly.

That’s it for today! Hopefully these tips will help you in your baking adventures!!

If you’d like more help with your macaron making, I’d love you to join our thriving Facebook community!

Do you have any other tips? Share them in the comments below!

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Silk Vegan Heavy Whipping Cream Review

January 3, 2020 // by Meggan Leal// 33 Comments

Wondering if the new dairy-free, vegan heavy whipping cream alternative from Silk is perfect? I asked the questions and found the answers.

First of all, this post is NOT sponsored by Silk or any brand other than myself – Cooking on Caffeine. What you’ll find here are my own personal, honest opinions, based on how I use the product and my own tastes.

I stumbled on this product at my local Walmart today while looking for my favorite oat milk creamer (which they didn’t have, and I am upset). It was next to the dairy whipping cream, and was flanked by their new dairy-free half and half (which I didn’t purchase).

Of course it caught my attention, and of course I bought it. I have so many questions! I have so many recipes to test! Does it go well in coffee like cream? Does it actually whip up (and stay whipped)? Does it make perfect, luscious ice cream? How does it cook? Does it give a silky mouthfeel like dairy cream? Does it separate like dairy cream? Can I overwhip it?

Whew. So many questions.

The most important question is obviously whether it’s good in coffee or not.

And I’m sure you have the same questions I do, so I’ve decided to do all the testing and post the answers here because we all need answers!

Let’s get the dairy-free whipping cream party started!

What’s it made of? Is it safe for my allergy or diet?

According to the packaging, it’s certified gluten-free, so that’s the one allergen you can be 100% sure you’re safe with here.

Unfortunately, there is a cross-contamination warning for dairy, soy, and tree nuts. What does that mean? It means this product is made in the same building that houses those allergens – they aren’t included in the whipping cream, but they can’t give a guarantee that particles haven’t found their way into it.

Super special thanks and shoutout to Raechel Carr from the Deliciously Dairy Free Facebook group for sharing the screenshot below of her email response from Silk regarding cross contamination with us!

Silk's email response regarding cross contamination risk

If you are extra sensitive and risk anaphylaxis if you consume dairy, tree nuts, or soy – this isn’t the product for you. if you are allergic to coconut, this is not safe for you as coconut is a main ingredient. It also contains fava bean protein, which is a legume – so avoid if you’ve got a legume issue. It also contains guar gum and sunflower seed oil and lecithin – so avoid if needed. See the email above for more info.

The bottom line is that if you’re avoiding animal products, this is safe. If you’re dairy-free by choice, you’re safe. If you’re only mildly intolerant of dairy, tree nuts, or soy, you make the call but you should be ok.

If you don’t have to avoid cross contamination, this is an exciting product because it’s made without soy ingredients! It has historically been very difficult to find whipped cream alternatives that are soy-free – so now the soy-avoiders can rejoice!

It’s also sugar and carb-free, so the keto/low carb community will rightfully be dancing for joy when they find this product!

You will also notice a complete lack of carrageenan – which is nearly unheard of for dairy-free alternatives.

Beyond just ingredient items, this vegan whipping cream is Non-GMO Project Certified, which will put a lot of minds at ease who are concerned about that sort of thing.

Guess what’s also missing? Palm oil. It’s pretty much a win win win win.

What does it look like?

It’s pure white and thicker than milk.

How does it pour? What’s the viscosity like?

It isn’t as thick as I imagined it would be – more like a half and half type consistency than heavy whipping cream – but definitely better than any plant milk I’ve come across, except for super fatty canned coconut milks.

What does it taste like?

It tastes like.. nothing really. It’s not sweet at all, but there are no bitter or sour notes either. It’s completely neutral.

Is it great in coffee?

Um, YES. I absolutely loved it in my coffee!

Back in my dairy days, I drank my coffee with half and half – and this is exactly like it.

I was afraid it was curdling as I poured it into my hot coffee (which I brew quite strong) since most plant milks separate right away. It looked like it was doing it, but as soon as I stirred it all smoothed out.

And guess what? It stayed that way! It didn’t separate at all over the 45 minutes I had it sitting. Huzzah!

Does it whip?

This answer is a little more complicated.

Yes, it whips. But not well. I used a cold bowl and cold beaters and cold whipping cream, and I added some pure powdered sugar since whipped cream should be a little sweet, but could only get it to very soft peaks. It would be perfect for dolloping over hot pie or fresh fruit. (Note: I was using my humble four-speed Kitchenaid hand mixer. Something more powerful may have been able to get to stiff peaks)

After mixing for a little more than five minutes on high speed, it started to separate – badly. Just like dairy whipping cream (which I guess could be considered a good thing? It’s like dairy except that I couldn’t get it to stiff peaks).

HOWEVER! I drained off the liquid “whey” (I poured the contents of the bowl into a fine mesh sieve and stirred it around with a rubber spatula, pouring out whey as I could) and whipped what was left AND IT WAS GLORIOUS. It was super stiff, fluffy, smooth, creamy, and delicious. I put some on my coffee and it was amazing.

The only issue here is that there is the faintest aftertaste of coconut since it’s concentrated, now. It isn’t bad though. I dislike coconut and it’s not enough to bother me. Other than that, it’s just like fresh dairy whipped cream!

So does it whip? Yes, no, yes.

As for the “whey”, I’m going to try using it as milk in a cake recipe. (Update: I ended up using it in my coffee as creamer and it was darn delicious)

It’s kind of disappointing that half of the whipping cream is going towards “whey”, but the quality of the concentrated whipped cream is high enough that I may just keep buying it for things like flavored butters.

Can I overwhip it?

Yes, yes you can. See the above paragraph. 😉

Does it stay whipped?

It will if you fridge or freeze it immediately. Within an hour, the room temp whipped cream was already super soft and melty. Because of this I don’t recommend trying to put it between cake layers unless the cake layers are absolutely frozen, going straight into the freezer, and going to be served while cold. To see the before and after freezing, check the paragraph below – but here is a before and after of the room temp whipped cream:

And here is a before and after of my refrigerated whipped cream, two hours between photos:

Does it freeze well?

After being whipped, YES! Here is a before and after photo of it being whipped, separated, and whipped again (as outlined above) as a small sample:

**I have a bit of un-whipped in the freezer overnight and I’ll test it in the morning and update here with results** I’ll also be testing homemade ice cream with it in the near future. (Update: it whipped up fantastically!)

Does it heat/cook well?

Oh, does it.

It’s a thing of beauty, y’all. Even if you have zero interest in trying to make whipped cream, you’ll love cooking with it! I made a five minute alfredo to test if it would 1) heat without curdling, and 2) tolerate an acid (lemon juice) being introduced and still hold up. It also has salt, and a handful of other seasonings for testing.

I’m happy to report that it passed with flying colors! And it was delicious. I’ll get the recipe up soon!

Does it curdle/separate?

In coffee it does not (YAY!) but it does while whipping after soft peaks. You’re safe to cook with it, though!

Is it everything I’ve been dreaming of?

Well, maybe not everything. I wish it whipped up stiffer right out of the carton, but apart from that I am super impressed! I’m having visions of all kinds of pasta sauces, flavored vegan butters, and of course – delicious coffee.

If you want whipped cream though, you’ll have to work for it and chill it right away. And if you don’t want to do all that work, I suggest trying my American meringue buttercream recipe and letting it whip for 15 or so minutes. You’ll get a light and silky faux whipped cream that’s much more stable than this one.

Overall, I think this is a quality product and I will definitely be purchasing it again. I hope that they can get rid of the cross contamination risks so more folks can enjoy it. Despite its shortcomings though, it’s exciting that we have things like this becoming commercially available, and I can’t wait for them to get better and better!

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21 Amazing Vegan Chickpea Recipes

October 6, 2019 // by Meggan Leal// Leave a Comment

The secret ingredient for many vegan cooks, chefs, and bakers is beautiful, thick aquafaba (bean water). It is used as an egg replacer in many amazing recipes such as macarons, meringues, cookies, royal icing, and so much more. This amazing vegan nectar leaves us all with a common problem: we are drowning in a surplus of chickpeas (garbanzo beans).

Knowing that I’m not alone in my overwhelming supply of chickpeas, I have compiled a list of the internet’s best vegan recipes starring them so that you may finally reclaim your fridge and freezer back from the garbanzo overlords!

Psst… don’t miss my super chickpea tip at the bottom of the list!

1. Easy Buffalo Chickpea Wraps

Photo Credit: www.karissasvegankitchen.com

These Easy Buffalo Chickpea Wraps are a tasty vegan lunch idea you can prep ahead of time.

2. Spiced Chickpea Smothered Sweet Potato

Photo Credit: www.goodlifeeats.com

Spiced Chickpea Smothered Sweet Potato is an easy and hearty meal that is perfect for winter.

3. Avocado Chickpea Salad with Vegan Pesto {Gluten-Free, Vegan}

Photo Credit: avocadopesto.com

Avocado Chickpea Salad with Vegan Pesto makes for the perfect lunch recipe that is ready in minutes. Super simple 5 ingredient recipe packed full of flavor and protein. Lunch or grill day appetizers don’t get easier than this!

4. Air Fryer Falafel with Creamy Tahini Sauce

Photo Credit: www.ohsweetmercy.com

Are you sitting down? You should, because crispy-outside, soft-and tender-inside Falafel without deep frying is enough to make you weak in the knees.

5. Chana Masala (Indian Chickpea Curry) Recipe

Photo Credit: simmertoslimmer.com

This vegan one-pot curry can be made in an Instant Pot as well as a stovetop pressure cooker. Get all the deets on how to make this delicious curry at home!

6. Maple Walnut Sweet Potato Hummus

Photo Credit: cupcakesandkalechips.com

Perfect for an appetizer or snack that’s also a naturally gluten free and vegan recipe, and you can even pack it in the kids’ lunchboxes. Get your apples, carrots, and crackers ready, and blend up a batch of Maple Walnut Sweet Potato Hummus.

7. Vegetarian Chickpea Salad Recipe

Photo Credit: www.savoringthethyme.com

A flavorful and healthy salad that comes together in mere minutes, with minimal effort.

8. The Best Vegan Egg Salad Sandwich With Chickpeas

Photo Credit: veggiefunkitchen.com

This plant-based version of the traditional egg sandwich uses chickpeas instead of eggs, vegan mayo, breadcrumbs and black salt along with all the other classic egg salad sandwich ingredients.

9. Easy Vegan Red Thai Curry with Roasted Butternut Squash & Chickpeas

Photo Credit: fussfreeflavours.com

Make your own quick and easy vegan red Thai curry paste and cook this delicious version in next to no time. Prep ahead cooking at its best. Make as fiery or as mild as you like.

10. Easy Homemade Almond Hummus

Photo Credit: asprinkleandasplash.com

Easy Homemade Almond Hummus is a tasty switch up to a traditional hummus, using almonds instead of the usual tahini. Serve with toasted baguette slices, pita chips or fresh veggies for a healthy, nutritious snack.

11. Chickpea Potato Soup

Photo Credit: cookingmydreams.com

Here’s a recipe to comfort you on cold winter nights. If you’re not a fan of chickpeas, you definitely need to try anyway! It’s so simple yet so flavorful - the perfect winter soup.

12. The Ultimate Vegan Chickpea Burgers

Photo Credit: makeitdairyfree.com

You don’t have to be vegan to enjoy these classic chickpea burgers. Simple ingredients, really easy to make, and an incredibly delicious under 30 minute vegan dinner idea!

13. Spanish Chickpeas and Spinach

Photo Credit: www.carolinescooking.com

This Spanish Chickpeas and Spinach is a classic tapas dish that’s easy to make and wonderfully versatile. Simple, hearty vegan comfort food.

14. One-Pot Red Lentil, Squash and Chickpea Dhal

Photo Credit: www.supergoldenbakes.com

This hearty One-Pot Dhal Curry is packed with red lentils, chickpeas, butternut squash and spinach and ready in just 25 minutes.

15. Creamy Chickpea Soup with Squash and Rosemary

Photo Credit: theclevermeal.com

This Creamy Chickpea Soup is so easy to make and it makes a perfect meal prep lunch. Simply, healthy, and flavorsome, this recipe is a super simple way to get your protein and vegetables on the table in no time!

16. Vegan Chickpea Tacos with Peach Salsa

Photo Credit: swirlsofflavor.com

Vegan Chickpea Tacos With Peach Salsa is an easy vegan recipe that's packed with the protein of chickpeas and topped with a lime-scented fresh peach salsa!

17. Pasta e Ceci

Photo Credit: www.simplyhealthyvegan.com

This Pasta e Ceci one-pot recipe is simple to prepare, yet packed full of satisfying flavour it is one of the ultimate comfort foods.

18. Quick and Easy Mediterranean Rice

Photo Credit: www.knowyourproduce.com

This Vegan Rice Dish can be made in less than 20 minutes if you have leftover rice or even quinoa!

19. Beetroot Hummus

Photo Credit: shivanilovesfood.com

An easy and healthy recipe for vibrant beetroot hummus made in a blender. This hummus is a great protein-packed vegan dip!

20. Sloppy Pineapple Chickpea BBQ Sandwich

Photo Credit: www.veggieinspired.com

Sweet and mildly spicy, hearty and delicious, this sloppy sandwich is husband and kid approved! It comes together quickly and easily. You’re gonna want seconds!

21. A Vegetarian Passover: Potato, Tomato, and Olive Stew

Photo Credit: www.allwaysdelicious.com

This vegetarian Passover entree includes hearty Mediterranean and springtime ingredients like tomatoes, olives, potatoes, and artichoke hearts. And the entire dish can be made in one single pot—a critical quality for one of the kitchen's busiest nights of the year.

More than just recipes...

So, there you have it! You are now armed with 21 amazing recipes to try against your stash of garbanzo beans - and they're not all hummus and curry!

One option remains, and it’s not even a recipe: farm animal sanctuaries and shelters. Give your local sanctuary a call or shoot them a message on Facebook and see if they'd like a delivery of your surplus beans. Most of the time, they will be thrilled with the gift - and the animals will be too!

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Insert Change Now

May 10, 2019 // by Meggan Leal// 2 Comments

I have a tale to tell. It’s a tale about the dark place I was at (and I know many of you are, too). But it’s a story with a happy ending, so you should stick around for this one.

This woman right here. This giant of the baking world. This champion of Food Network’s Cake Wars and Cupcake Wars. Owner of world famous The Cake Mamas bakery. This amazing woman is my mentor. Her name is Janelle Copeland, and God moved heaven and earth to make sure I sat at her feet.

A little back story for you.

I have always had issues with self-esteem and self-confidence. I have always felt small. I have always felt like an outsider. I’m the weird one. I felt I repelled people. Always felt less-than and unworthy. I cheer people on and celebrate their wins, but I never believed that I deserved my own. I thought it was called humility, but I was wrong and I was suffering.

I started baking about two years ago because of my daughters’ food allergies. We had allergies to milk and eggs and wheat, as well as a host of other things and I felt like a bad mom that they couldn’t have cakes and cookies and all the goodies that other kids get to enjoy, so I set out to make them myself.

And I got good at it.

And I started getting orders to make them for other people.

And then more people.

And then the local vegans heard about my eggless and milkless treats, so they started ordering. And I felt so blessed, and so busy, but still not making any money, and I was dying of exhaustion. But that was ok, because I was staying humble and being thankful that at least my kids had safe treats and I was keeping myself busy.

See those dark circles? Probably because I was working up to 80 hours a week making macarons that I was selling for 65¢ each. #iwasdumb

Somehow a few months in, by the grace of God I found Janelle’s Facebook group called “Cake Cents”, which deals with the BUSINESS side of running a bakery, and I knew I needed it. I joined and right away, Janelle gave a free five day video series on what keeps home bakers broke, and since I was a home baker and I was broke, I took it.

It covered a ton of stuff, from pricing to creating a strategy for my business, to tracking numbers, and so much more. Then she released a bonus video inviting me to join her eight-week mastermind course called Passion to Profit, and I knew it was for me.

And then I learned the price.

Oof. Too much. Waaaay too much. Not because I didn’t think it was worth it, but because I didn’t think *I* was worth it. I didn’t think my business was worth it. Why would I invest so much into something or someone I didn’t believe in? So I sat that round out. But one of my friends didn’t;

I saw her grow. I saw her business grow. I saw her open a bakery storefront and everything about it was perfect. I watched videos of her ribbon cutting and speeches from her Chamber of Commerce. And I was filled with jealousy and regret.

I decided I needed in. I needed that change. Now.

But (there’s always a but, isn’t there?) then I got bad medical news. And bad medical bills. And then there was that surgery that was coming up that would be in the middle of the course. So doubt started creeping in about not just my financial abilities but my own personal abilities to succeed. And then of course the question of whether I was worth investing in in the first place.

Janelle reached out to me. Personally. This person I admired so much, whom I had watched on TV and whose pages I have followed on Facebook and Instagram for forever. She messaged me and called me and talked me through everything. She calmed my fears about my ability to go through the course at my own pace during my surgery and in terms of the finances she told me that if it was meant to be and I really needed it, God would give me a way to make it happen. I knew that already but I had forgotten it. It was a good reminder.

Then that same morning I got a message from a dear friend offering to pay for my medical tests. Then I got an email from PayPal offering me a line of credit. Then I applied. Then I was approved. Then I paid for the enrollment fee to Passion to Profit and I WAS IN!

My official Facebook announcement post that I joined Passion to Profit — The first day of the rest of my life.

And then I learned real quick that this wasn’t a bakery course. Not in the sense I was expecting, at least.

Janelle broke me. She broke us all. You see, week one of the course is about changing your mindset and figuring out why you’re keeping yourself from succeeding. It’s about taking responsibility for your own life and your position in it. It’s about owning your words and realizing that everything is a self-fulfilling prophecy – and boy did I have a lot of them.

I cried so much that week. As did all my classmates. And then from the bottom of that pit, Janelle helped us realize that we’ve had these glorious wings this whole time and why the heck were we not flying with them?! And I flew. And I’m flying. And it’s amazing, y’all.

So yes, the rest of the course was amazing. We learned all about pricing, about profit margins and ROIs and email marketing campaigns. We learned branding and systematizing and all of that and it was AMAZING – but honestly, those last seven weeks were basically a bonus. They helped me earn back every cent I spent on the course within a couple of months. But everything about that first week – just that first week – gave me life and gave me permission to live it.

Thanks to this woman and her passion to elevate the whole world of baking and empower women around the planet, I now know that I am worth it. I am deserving of all the good things. I have it in me to succeed. My success doesn’t take away from my family. Me pursuing my dreams doesn’t make me a bad mom or a bad wife. And did I mention that I deserve it?

So here I am now. I’ve actually retired from the bakery and am pursuing blogging full time – and succeeding at it. I’m rubbing elbows with celebrities, I’m learning from foremost experts in different fields, I’m getting phone calls from international companies who want to collaborate with me and talking to CEOs about how I can help them and add value to their products.

I’m full of confidence and I’m ready and willing to receive what is available to me – knowing I’m deserving of it and that I have the knowledge and skills to do it. I’m continually investing in myself.

I’m no longer small. I’m not longer fearful or timid. I’m no longer undeserving or less-than. I am worthy and amazing and I have so much to offer the world. I’m no longer hiding in the shadows, afraid of the public eye – but shining for everyone to see.

I’m still weird, though. And I don’t plan on changing that. 😉

Janelle’s mantra is “When the student is ready the teacher appears”. I’m so glad my teacher appeared, and I can’t wait to see how high I’ll fly.

So thank you, Janelle. Thank you for believing in me and teaching me how to believe in myself. <3

Meggan

If you’re interested in taking Janelle’s course yourself, she has graciously given me a coupon code for my readers – just use COOKINGONCAFFEINE150 at checkout for $150 off the price of the course. I earn a small commission when you do, and will also be one of your coaches in class! Enroll here

Hollow vs Full Macarons

April 25, 2019 // by Meggan Leal// 2 Comments

So many times, seeing people post their macaron-making results, they comment on how they look good and have good feet and smooth tops and are perfect circles and are perfect.. EXCEPT THEYRE HOLLOW.

They weep, they cry, they beg for advice: “How do I get full macs?! How do I make them perfect?? I just want to get rid of the cursed hollows!”

This breaks my heart.

For those worried about their macarons being hollow:

Even the finest macaron bakeries in the world have hollow macs. 99% of the 1% of macs that come out of the oven full do so because of additives like starches or gums, anyway. Not that that’s bad (my macs have tapioca starch in the sugar and I’ve used xanthan gum on stormy days), but you shouldn’t be striving for that because it’s a mystical unicorn.

Sure there are varying techniques in making the meringue or temp spikes and drops, or triple sifting and baking your almond flour, or pulsing it all in a food processor, but honestly? It doesn’t really matter. I promise. And there’s a reason.

If yours are hollow when they come out of the oven? Ain’t no thang. Fill em and pop em in the fridge to mature (this is a vital part of the macaron making process). They get better and better every day for about a week as the filling becomes one with the cookie.

Here’s a look at one of mine opened on the same day vs one of my yellows from three days ago that I just took a bite of; it has filled in considerably and is the yummiest I’ve tasted so far:

So stop crying over your “otherwise perfect” macs that have hollows. Heck, even if they came out lopsided, celebrate that at least one side has a foot! Maybe they don’t have feet, but you made circles? Celebrate that! Maybe they look like amoebas but they taste amaaaazing? CELEBRATE IT! If you’re not celebrating your small victories, maybe that’s whats keeping you from making progress. 😉

Then one day when your macs come out full, look back and celebrate the journey you’ve been on to get there (and teach me how you did it).

May you and your coffee both be strong,

Meggan

Want my recipe for vegan Italian macs? Here ya go!