What is a macaron?
A macaron or French macaroon is a sweet meringue-based confection made with egg white, icing sugar, granulated sugar, almond meal, and food colouring
Wikipedia
I still get confused when these treats are referred to as macaroons because I’ve always thought macaroons are coconut cookies. In researching the history, the original macaroons originated in France (hence the name French macaroons) made with ground almonds/almond paste. Ultimately, a new version was born (circa 1890s) which replaced the almonds altogether with coconut. So to summarize, macaroons are gluten-free sweets leavened by meringue/egg whites only.
In all honesty, I didn’t see the appeal of either version until this past year (2020)! I’ve had a couple store-bought ones before I started experimenting with them myself & my initial reaction was, “meh.” 😐 So I began to think that all macaroons were overrated & over-priced for a mediocre tasting small cookie. 😳
It turns out that I completely misunderstood these delicate treats. If you eat a perfect macaron, it changes your whole perspective. To me, a perfect macaron has the lightly crispy shell with a chewy inside & paired with the right buttercream/filling for that delicate & delicious satisfaction. My favorite macaron so far is the Oreo macaron because it has the perfect cookies & cream combo without the denseness.
Love/Hate Relationship
So even though I love enjoying these goodies, I sometimes hate the process of how these are made. Even after a ton of research before attempting, I remember that the first time batch I tried making were over-mixed & so runny that they spread all over the the pan. After making over 50+ batches, I still get cracks from time to time. It is the most frustrating experience to stiffen the egg whites, color, “macaronage”, pipe to the right shape & wait for the shells to dry only to have the shells cracked in the oven. And when you look to the internet to try to find out why oh why, the answer is:
But really, this is the most finicky recipe I’ve ever encountered. Ingredients need to be weighed, eggs need to be “aged”, whipping the egg whites need to be timed, almond flour mix needs to be folded into the meringue just right, air bubbles need to be popped from the batter, piped shells need to dry until a “skin” forms, oven can’t be too hot & they have to bake just long enough to be cooked thoroughly but not too long to make shells crunchy. So to make the perfect macarons, EVERY thing needs to be just right… like the Goldilocks of desserts.
But the silver lining is that when you do get it right, not only is it such a satisfying feeling, you have a delectable treat to enjoy!
Getting Cute
Much like all my other creations, I mostly enjoy the art of it. I love being able to play with food & create things that look like other things with sugar & flour. From tacos for Cinco de Mayo to baby Yoda for Star Wars day, these are super fun to make. Check out what I’ve made so far!
If you like my french macaroon art & you want to see all the new macarons on my journey to make the cutest macarons, follow my Instagram page
Want some?
If you’re interested in ordering macarons, please complete the form on the bottom of the page with your info & I will contact you to get details. If not in the Chicago area, I ship across the continental US via 2day shipping.
