French Macarons

Written by Becky

On my trip to San Francisco this past weekend I found a cute bakery at the Ferry Building selling the most delicious macarons and was inspired to tell you a bit more about this sweet treat.  Most of you probably already know about this seemingly small yet powerful little treat but if you don’t I hope to enlighten you.

What Wikipedia has to say…
Macarons (the French word for macaroon) is a sweet confectionery. Its name is derived from ammaccare, meaning crush or beat, used here in reference to the almond paste which is the principal ingredient. It is meringue-based, made from a mixture of egg whites, almond flour, and bsbth granulated and confectionery sugar. The confectionery is characterized by its smooth, domed top, ruffled circumference, and flat base. Connoisseurs prize a delicate, egg shell-like crust that yields to a moist and airy interior. The French macaron differs from other macaroons in that it is filled with cream or butter like a sandwich cookie, and can be found in a wider variety of flavors that range from the traditional (raspberry or chocolate) to the exotic (truffle or matcha tea).

My very skilled friend, Tiffany, at foodfinery, taught me how to make macarons and we made a few versions including Lemon with Dark Chocolate and Marion Berry Jam Macarons. When I was in Portland I saw a few Macaron shops. Just as cupcake shops were the craze of last year, I think Macaron shops will be showing up around our neck of the woods soon.

If you want to try one before baking them at home, go to Les Madeleine’s Bakery in Salt Lake City.

Macaron Recipes

Basic Macaron Recipe by David Lebovitz
Blood Orange Butter Cream Macarons by FoodFinery
Cinnamon Roll Macarons by BarbaraBakes
Spiced Chai Latte and Salted Caramel Macarons by What’s for lunch honey?
Lemon Curd Macarons by Gourmeted
Banoffee Macaroons by Cherrapeno
Rose and Basil Seed Macaroons with Cherry Cream Cheese by Fork Spoon Knife
Grapefruite and Anise Macarons by Tartelette
Matcha And Peach Pate de Fruits Macarons by Tartlette

Comments (7)

  1. i am seriously drooling over these photos…even though i've never had macaroons before! they're so gorgeous though 🙂

  2. Oh macarons. This is the one dessert that I am DETERMINED to master… but it hasn't happened yet. Do you have any tips, Becky? I've tried twice and failed miserably both times. After reading several different recipes, I think it may have to do with my almond flour. Do you put yours in a food processor beforehand?

  3. Oh macs are such a sweet treat! How fun to have them in San Fran! It's amazing how different they can be in diffrent places. I had a friend just get back from Switzerland and she brought me a box home. They were no bigger than the size of a nickel!

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