They’re petite, delicate, colorful and come in endless varieties that melt in your mouth. Yes, I’m talking about macarons! Macarons seem to make any occasion more special, and we’ve certainly found that to be true due to their popularity at our Passport to Paris, Holiday Cookie Exchange, and New Year's Eve Extravaganza events.
Passport to Paris Macarons
While macarons have been around since the 8th century in Italy, they arrived in France in the 16th century. However, it wasn’t until the 1800s that macarons began to be served as we know them today - two cookies sandwiched with a filling. Today, macarons are popular in countries all over the world.
A frequent point of confusion for people is the difference between macarons and macaroons, so let’s start there! A macaron is a French meringue based cookie made with almond powder, egg whites, sugar, and food coloring. A macaroon, of similar name, is in actuality very different. Macaroons are a sweet chewy coconut (though it was also originally almond based) treat somewhere between the texture of a cookie and a cake. Macaroons are delicious too, but we’re focusing on macarons here.
Until recently, it seemed to me that finding the perfect macaron would send me on another search throughout the city (or world) to find which French bakeries made the best, but I soon realized I need not look any further than our own kitchens at The Chopping Block. Our expert pastry chef, Erin Patsiopoulos recently lead our Macaron Workshop class, and I picked up some fun tricks of the trade. I finally think I might stand a chance of successfully making some myself!
First, if you’re thinking about venturing into the world of macarons, here are the weapons, I mean tools, that may not have (you’ll need bowls and utensils too, of course):
Lastly, head to the grocery store and make sure you have the macaron staples:
Now that you have the tools you need, and the lingo down, here’s what you’re looking for. The perfect macaron will have a smooth, shiny top, and ruffled edge.