Oh, Yummy Yummy Macarons in My Tummy

I LOVE a good macaron. These little treasures are pretty, delicate, flavorful and delish. Many places sell them, but most places don't get it right. I've been to Paris, the motherland of macarons and tried many wonderful ones at Pierre Hermes and Laduree. I've also had some amazing macarons in NY, LA, and SF. I love that there are so many flavor combinations. It's impossible to leave a store without getting a bunch of them. They are usually brightly colored and matched with a surprising buttercream flavor in the middle.

The crazy thing about these little delights is that so many things can be wrong with them. They look deceivingly simple to make and you certainly can't judge a macaron by its cover.

• The outside can be too hard and crack. 
• The inside can be dry and a pocket of air.
• The inside can be undercooked. 
• The buttercream to cookie ratio can be off. 
• The buttercream can be too soft and just ooze out of the cookie. 
• The buttercream can be too hard. 

There are so many books, blogs, and classes that attempt to make the perfect macaron. These cookies are very fidgety and the success depends on the moisture in the air, the right ingredients, the proper techniques, etc. I would love to be able to bake these successfully and consistently. 

Take 1: Amateur Sur la Table class [FAIL]

The pattern for the cookies they gave us were too small. The circles should have been bigger. 

Since it was Valentines Day we made heart shaped ones. Doing this was pretty stupid. The hearts were way too hard to get right so they all looked pretty messed up. UGLY!

The instructors baked the cookies for us, and they were not careful with the baking times. A lot of them were overcooked or undercooked. Then when they took them off the parchment, they were not cooled enough so the bottoms tore off. Lots and lots of fails!!!

We made chocolate buttercream and caramel fillings. Both of these fillings were a success.

In the end, there were only a few cookies that turned out decent. Maybe I'm being overly critical. I took home the best ones and saved them in the fridge since they are supposed to be better the next day. Then I gave them to my Valentine and he loved them! That's all that counts...at least for Valentine's Day.