Macaron Mania

For the longest time, I planned on becoming a pastry chef. I worked in a French bakery during my undergraduate degree and moved to an apartment in Scottsdale, AZ right across from the culinary institute. Honestly I can't remember why I changed my mind. There is so much about baking and cooking that makes my heart flutter. It truly is a delightful mix of science and art. Alas, I didn't not pursue my culinary dream, but I do enjoy the time to play with it. I love the idea of mastering the more difficult delicacies like French macarons. They are light and melt in your mouth with such pleasure. You can change the flavors quite easily and they look so decadent. 

I have not mastered them, not even close. But I am having fun while I experiment. You absolutely do need a a super large round tip. On my first attempt all I had was a star tip. Those pumpkin spice meringue cookies were delicious, but hardly macaroons. I immediately bought a new tip and scoured Pinterest for some technique assistance.

I found this delicious pumpkin spice recipe over at Foodie Misadventures.

And then I made these bits of heaven using the recipe from Delicious Everyday.

There are some incredibly great tips at Not So Humble Pie. Are they difficult to create? Yes, Ma'am. Are they impossible? No, of course not. And even the ones that look awful will taste divine -- my kids are pretty happy scampering off with one or two duds to enjoy. Maybe try making a few for the holidays this year!