Ups and down making macarons

For some reason the world seems to be fascinated by these little sandwich cookies... hehehe, i'm one of them :) As a novice baker, i've had a few ups and downs making macarons.
When i first started out, my macarons have lopsided feet.. they even stick to the pan. Not ready to give up, i whipped up another batch. Turned out, my second batch was like rumpled paper. Sad! Sad!

So i google to find solutions. I read at Not So Humble Pie that the lopsided may be caused by strong heat from the bottom of the oven. The lumpy top may due to cooked at too low temperature or not rested long enough. And i have been baking the macaron on baking paper.. not the recommended parchment paper!

This macarons are feet-less, flat, stick to the pan. I suspect the meringue was under-beaten and cooked not long enough.


I'm still doing research on how to avoid my macarons brown while baking. There are few reasons; cooked on too high of an oven rack, strong heat from the top of the oven, top element of the oven turning on (possible! next time i will place and empty pan on a top rack) or cooked too long.

So, don't be afraid to try and fail... maybe you've got beginner's luck? Cheers! (n_n)