Have you ever seen cookie decorators use parchment paper to create textures on royal icing? I had the crazy thought to try it on macarons, and IT WORKED.

A whole. new. WORLD of possibilities! Macaron shells are well known for being finicky, so I wasn’t sure how well this technique would work. I was literally giddy pulling off the parchment the first time seeing that the shell was still intact.

There are 3 different parchment textures I’d like to go over today. Crinkled, flat, and accordion. If you’d like to see the indented stripe technique, head over to the Imprint Macaron Tutorial!

Alright, back to parchment! Let’s talk about general baking techniques. I made no changes to my macaron batter itself, but I did end up changing the bake temp and time. If you’re looking for a macaron recipe to get you started, head over to my Basic French Macaron recipe!

For the first batch I baked, I set my oven at my normal temperature, but did not have optimal results. The parchment pulled off the top of the shell. The next batch, I upped my oven temp by ten degrees, and added a few more minutes of bake time. The more your parchment covers your shell, the more time I would recommend adding to your bake.

Next, let’s talk about parchment application. I applied the parchment after I had piped and banged my trays on the counter. If the shells dry, the parchment can create cracks in the skin once you place any type of pressure, which I’m assuming is not what you’re going for! If it is, I won’t stop you. 

To avoid bubbles, work from one side of the parchment to the other as you place it down. Or, work from the center out as you slowly curve it down the sides.

For the crinkle design, simply crinkle up a piece of parchment, cut it into your desired size to cover your macarons, and gently press it down so each point of the paper is making contact with your piped shell.

The flat design is pretty self explanatory! I chose to cut my flat parchment in strips to create an indented stripe on the shells.

Last, let’s touch on the accordion shape! This was the design I found myself being the most excited about. Just a tip, I found I had to make my folds back and forth MUCH smaller than I initially thought. It may look small, but once you unfold it and place it on a tiny shell, it definitely feels bigger.

Once your shells are baked, wait until they are completely cool before removing the parchment.

This technique opens up so many options for decorating macarons, and I’m thrilled to be able to share it with you! If you give it a try, I’d love to hear how it goes.

Parchment Texture Macarons

Directions

1. Prepare your parchment by cutting it your desired size. A few texture options are crinkling, accordion folding, or flat. See photos above for examples.
2. Prepare macaron batter as usual, and pipe your shells. Bang trays on the counter to remove air bubbles.
3. Place parchment on piped shells by gently pressing down working to limit air bubbles.
4. Bake shells 5-10 degrees hotter than usual, with a small amount of extra bake time. The more your parchment covers your shell, the more time you may need to add.
5. Once shells are baked, wait until they are completely cooled before removing parchment.