Piping Basic Shapes - Macaron Video Tutorial

After coming up with my first macaron video tutorial on some macaron making basics, the natural progression would be for me to make video tutorials on how to pipe different shapes since I have been asked many times how I manage to pipe different shapes so nicely. This post focuses on the technique to pipe basic shapes like oval, triangle, narrow rectangle and broad rectangle. You may refer to my first video tutorial for piping circles. I will show you how to pipe complex shapes over here. Making video tutorials are much more time consuming than still photos! But they show much more information! I am sure you agree :)

Oval, broad rectangle, triangle and narrow rectangle shells

A Wilton #10 tip was used for all the demo. If you would like a smaller corner radius for shapes with corners, use a smaller tip.

I generally use a trace-and-fill approach for the various shapes and use a toothpick to pull the batter where necessary. Remember to keep the piping tip perpendicular to the baking tray. Do note that pulling the batter with a toothpick may affect the feet formation of the shells so don't be too alarmed if the feet aren't so pretty for fancy shaped macarons. Your final product will still taste the same :).

Oval shells
These are perhaps the most common fancy shape that I encounter as many character macarons require this shape. They happen to be the easiest to master too :). Simply trace a small oval within the boundary of the template as you apply pressure to the piping bag. End off your piping by lifting the tip off from the center of the shell. Remember not to fill the template all the way as the batter will spread a little. Bang the tray hard on the table a few times to flatten any peaks after piping.

Narrow rectangular shells
Pipe a straight line. If you want rounded edges, skip pulling the batter with a toothpick like the second rectangle that I piped. Bang the tray hard on the table a few times to flatten any peaks after piping and pulling the batter with a toothpick.

Broad rectangular/ square shells
Trace a small rectangle/ square within the boundary of the template as you apply pressure to the piping bag. Fill the center of the rectangle/ square with batter after tracing the outline. Remember not to fill the template all the way as the batter will spread a little. If you want rounded edges, skip pulling the batter with a toothpick as shown in the second rectangle that I piped. Bang the tray hard on the table a few times to flatten any peaks after piping and pulling the batter with a toothpick.

Triangular shells
Trace a small triangle within the boundary of the template as you apply pressure to the piping bag. Remember not to fill the template all the way as the batter will spread a little. If you want rounded edges, skip pulling the batter with a toothpick as shown in the second triangle that I piped. Bang the tray hard on the table a few times to flatten any peaks after piping and pulling the batter with a toothpick.

I hope you find this helpful :). These videos are linked to my Creative Baking: Macarons book!


With love,
Phay Shing