I find it impossible to pass by a bakery selling macarons and resist stopping in for a sample. Or two. Making them at home isn't all that difficult, but there are a few tricks of the trade that can set you up for success. Equal parts enlightening and inspiring, this colorful cookbook from the French blogger Mercotte is all you need to get started making your own crunchy cream-filled confections.
Quick Facts
• Who wrote it: Mercotte
• Who published it: The Taunton Press
• Number of recipes: 22
• Recipes for right now: Salted Butter Caramel Macarons, Fennel and Star Anise Macarons, Mango Passionfruit Macarons, Crunchy Praline Macarons
• Other highlights: Mercotte keeps it simple: a basic recipe, lots of tips, and it's go time. This is as it should be with macarons, which have a reputation for being finicky, but really just need some TLC.
Once you've mastered the basic technique, the variations on color and filling-flavor are nearly endless. If you, like me, tend to freeze in the face of so many possibilities, the variations that Mercotte details in this book are a great place to start. Particularly crave-inducing are the advanced recipes toward the end of the book with multi-colored macarons and painted macaron shells.
• Who would enjoy this book? Bakers addicted to macarons
Find the book at your local library, independent bookstore, or Amazon: Sweet Macarons: Delectable French Confections for Every Day by Mercotte
• Visit the author's website: Mercotte (French)
Apartment Therapy Media makes every effort to test and review products fairly and transparently. The views expressed in this review are the personal views of the reviewer and this particular product review was not sponsored or paid for in any way by the manufacturer or an agent working on their behalf. However, the manufacturer did give us the product for testing and review purposes.
(Images: Emma Christensen)
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I love macarons! The one time I tried to make them it was a disaster!
I'm done trying to make them. I tried 5 times and only got it right once.
Who here can confidently say they can turn out macarons that look and taste right with any degree of consistency? I certainly can't and I consider myself a pretty good cook/baker. For me, nothing has yielded more failures than macarons.
After many failures, I have finally been able to bake them consistently well, but only if I stick to the basic recipe. If I mess with the basic shell recipe at all, they don't come out right.
I read that this book doesn't use weight for measuring ingredients, which makes me a little suspicious.
I'll stick to buying them :)
I made them once, using the brilliant Mad About Macarons cookbook (that uses weight for measuring) and they turned out perfect. Had another baby shortly after that and haven't had time to make them since, but I'd highly recommend that cookbook.