I am a huge fan of macarons, and haven’t been able to get enough of them in the past few months! It’s been said that the macaron is the new cupcake, now that the cupcake craze is dying down (even I had started getting a little tired of cupcakes, despite how much I love baking and eating them!) — and I admittedly have caught macaron fever. These delicate French confections are both eye-catching as well as palate-pleasing, and biting into one of those little sandwich cookies transports me to cloud nine! I love the light-as-air shells that yield to the generous dab of ganache — smooth, rich, and creamy — perfectly complimenting each other.
The thing about macarons, though, is that they’re pretty expensive to buy in bakeries (I’ve seen them go for $2-3 each or more), but they are also finicky little devils that are really difficult to make yourself! I asked my friend Stephanie (who is a seasoned macaron-making expert) for some tips before my first attempt at making macarons, and she warned me not to get discouraged the first few times because she says it literally takes most people 4-5 times to get a decent-looking batch! Truth be told, my first few attempts were complete botches — there was always something wrong with them, whether it was a cracked or splotchy surface, lack of pieds (feet), or being flat and sticking to the baking sheet. I grew more and more disheartened with each try and put off making macarons for a while.
I decided to rise to the challenge once again this past weekend, though, especially since my friend Tarrin had bought me a lovely macaron-making book for my birthday! I followed the general directions in the book and tweaked the recipe a little to add my own flavoring, to create these almond vanilla macarons with matcha buttercream filling! I’d say this is definitely my best batch yet — the surface is smooth, domed, and glossy, the feet formed well, and they have that airy crunch that I’d been longing to recreate. I’m feeling a little more confident now, and hope to try out more variations of colors and flavors! Oh capricious macaron, I have finally tamed thee!
miwa
January 24, 2012 @ 5:00 pm
They look so good!
They look like store bought macarons!
Misono
January 26, 2012 @ 3:58 pm
Thanks Miwa! 😀
We should make some next time we’re together!
bestest
January 25, 2012 @ 11:25 am
yay i love macarons! i used to dislike them until i realized i’d only ever had badly made ones. i had my first macaron epiphany at a french bakery and the rest is history. will probably never attempt to create them in my kitchen though, because good macarons are so difficult to make! and otherwise they’re just so awful. yours look pretty appetizing though!
so actually, i had the most intense craving for macarons during work yesterday, i think because i was in nyc this past weekend and wanted to visit the new laduree that just opened there. alas, there wasn’t enough time to do so. so i’ve been craving them ever since i arrived back home and actually left work early to go get some at my favorite bakery in bethesda. soooo good… crunchy yet fluffy and chewy… a juxtaposition of textures. yum. might have to get some more today…
Misono
January 26, 2012 @ 4:00 pm
Yea, they’re not that good if they’re not made perfectly! My last few tries were definitely not very good, but I think these came out pretty awesome! 🙂
Mie Smith
January 25, 2012 @ 12:07 pm
OOOooh! That looks so good! I have have never tried one! Do you know and good places to get one in DC?
Misono
January 26, 2012 @ 4:01 pm
I don’t really know of any places in DC that have good ones. I know Miyoung brought me down some delicious ones from a bakery that is run by a BC sister in New Jersey. I’ll let you know if I hear of any good places in the DC area, though! 😀
hyo
January 25, 2012 @ 5:01 pm
I haven’t been initiated into the world of Macarons but these look pretty dang good! Do you have a special mold to create these? And you’ve got me interested in these so-called “feet”.. who knew Macarons had feet.. how cute is that 😉
Misono
January 26, 2012 @ 4:03 pm
Thanks Hyo! 🙂 There’s no mold — you pipe the circles onto the baking sheet with a piping bag, so it can be hard to get the right roundness, shape, and size! The “feet” are the little ruffles that form at the base of the cookies — sometimes the feet don’t form, and that alone is a sign of a failed macaron. 🙁
yoonie
January 30, 2012 @ 5:01 pm
roomie, these look just as good as the ones i had at laudree! 🙂
i am sure they tasted awesome too! you have always been the baker in our apartment, i miss those days. hope you and the family are well- love and miss you!
Misono
February 1, 2012 @ 10:32 pm
I’m jealous that you’ve had the original Laduree ones! I’ve wanted to try those… they must be delicious!
I miss baking for my sweet roomies, too! Miss you… xoxo