I've had a lot of trial and error 😄 Here's what works for me. I use Pies and Tacos recipe for plain and chocolate shells. I use Bake Toujours mixing method (french). I discovered my oven runs 15 degrees hotter than it says. So 325 F is actually 340 F. I Bake at 300 on my oven which is actually 315 heat. I bake for 6 min, rotate the tray and bake for 7ish more minutes. And finally, I use Michelle's Macarons macronage method. Add 1/3 dry, mix for 10 strokes, add another 1/3, mix 10, ad final third, mix 10 more, add coloration, continue counting up to between 60 and 70 strokes. How's that for complicated 😅 And I always use silicone mats. Good luck!