These light and tasty French confections come in just about every color and flavor imaginable, from classics like pistachio, rose, and lavender to more unusual flavors like tomato and peppercorn. I first started to love macarons during a summer study abroad program in France. Upon coming home, I noticed these colorful treats popping up in lots of local bakeries and coffee shops. These sweet meringues make perfect hostess gifts or thank yous, but if you’re going to be gifting (in addition to treating yourself with) French macarons, here are a few interesting facts to keep you in the know.
1. Macarons are gluten free!
Never worry again about sending a box of macarons to a gluten-free friend! I’m not sure why I never even thought about this before – I guess I just always assumed they were made with some sort of all-purpose flour or cake flour. Little did I know that they are actually make with almond powder, which is essentially just ground blanched almonds. You can buy the powder in the grocery store, or grind it yourself. The lightness of the almond powder and the whipped egg whites is what gives the cookies their light and slightly moist on the inside but somehow slightly crunchy on the outside consistency.
2. Macarons did not originate in France.
I heard recently that the first macarons were actually made in Italy. Surprised, given that these are such a classic French dessert, I dug a little deeper. Apparently, the consensus is that they were first introduced in 1533 at the wedding of Catherine de Medicis, an Italian noblewoman, to Henry II, who later became the king of France 1547. They have since evolved from a very simple uncolored and unflavored almond pastry to the exquisite doubled sandwich style cookies we see today.
3. Macaron Day is March 20th
Many bakeries, particularly in Paris and New York City, offer a free macaron to visitors and passersby. This would be an ideal time to sample some of those more obscure flavors that you might otherwise avoid!
The pistachio flavor is always by far my favorite; however, the blood orange (shown on top of the stack) was a fun choice to switch it up.
Side note: macarons are not to be confused with macaroons, which are a much chewier treat, made from sweetened coconut flakes and condensed milk.
Ok those look so delicious! Where did you get them from? Also I didn’t know they had unique flowers like tomato or peppercorn macarons, I’m intrigued! Did you get a new site design too? Something looks different!
x Tali
http://www.typicallytali.com
Those macarons are actually from Whole Foods – they have quite a nice display recently! They’re definitely worth checking out. And yes to the site design – its gotten a bit of an upgrade. Thanks for noticing!