Practicing Macarons

As an avid baker, and lover of all things cute and delicious, I couldn't wait to try making french macarons. These popular treats are so versatile and fun! I had attempted them over a year ago with zero knowledge of their delicate procedure. Needless to say, they turned into a big disaster of purple, sticky mess. I didn't process my almonds, I added wet ingredients to the shells and I baked them on greased baking sheets. Yikes! 
I accepted failure after that and had never really thought of making them again, until A Beautiful Mess shared this French Macarons 101 Crash Course with Holly Neufeld. I purchase the course immediately and studied it word for word. She explains everything so well. It was really easy to follow and came with two sets of instructions, written and video, which is a huge bonus for me because I have trouble learning by just reading. Sometimes I need a visual and then I'm good to go.  I aged my egg whites for a few days in the fridge and then brought them to room temperature for a full 24 hours before making my meringue. That seems a little bit much, but considering the weather we have been having, I didn't want to risk anything. I was hoping to have some macarons for the Luau, so I over shot my aging time. It was a big help. I followed the rest of Holly's instructions to a T. Everything went swimmingly with the almonds and sugar, my meringue was perfect and my macaronage technique was already pretty good considering how much I bake. 
It seemed like everything was perfect. But, the first batch I baked didn't turn out so well. The shell tops cracked, most were hollow and only 3 of them had feet. Was it the ingredients? The sprinkles on top? Did I macaronage too much? Too little? Was my kitchen too humid?
I decided not to let all the questions frustrate me and piped the second half of my batter. This time I smacked the pan more, to let bubbles out, and I let them rest for two hours until the tops were dry to the touch. I also opened the oven during bake time to release moisture like Holly advises for more humid climates. 
This seemed to do the trick! The macarons came out almost perfect. The shells were smooth, the feet were pretty decent and they hadn't browned. I noticed after cooling that I could have baked them longer, as a few had fallen on the inside and I was left with some hollow shells. I wasn't even upset because I couldn't believe how well my (sort of) first batch turned out! Next time I know my oven needs to be slightly cooler and to bake them a minute longer. Trial and error! 

This time I made them completely plain so I didn't tamper the batch, and added chocolate buttercream for flavour. They were okay, but not amazing. A big hit with my family, none the less. I hope to find some powdered food colouring and flavouring before I try my next batch. Although, among my extensive research online I have found that some people don't think you need dry food colouring for macarons. Maybe I should just test that theory on my own. 
To most of you that may have all sounded like baker's jargon, but, I'm hoping it will spark up a conversation with other bakers so we can swap tips and stories! I'd love to know how your first attempt at french macarons turned out, or if you've tried some from your local bakery, what flavours are your favourite? xo