Vanilla Bean Macarons

Day five of my Advent holiday delights is the ever-elusive French macaron.  I have made my fair share of macarons–enough to last more than a lifetime, surely.  But something about these little pastries is whimsical, and the vanilla bean macaron recipe I’m sharing below is packed with the flavors of potent, fresh vanilla beans from the world’s highest quality producers–Madagascar, Tahiti, and Mexico.

Day 5: Vanilla Bean Macarons

Difficulty: Impressive Challenge

Anyone can make macarons.  Like most things in life, the more you do it, the better you become at it. It helps if you have a steady hand, as you’ll need that steadiness when you are piping the macaron shells.  Using a piping bag can be tricky and takes practice, but eventually, you’ll get the hang of it.

I was inspired to make these somewhat daunting desserts back in 2011 when I was living in France.  My roommate came home with a macaron cookbook, and even though she had practically no baking experience, she was able to successfully follow the recipe and make some decent-looking, excellent-tasting macarons.  I made up my mind then that if she could do it, I could too.

After much trial and error, and using a book completely in French and the metric system (including strange oven settings such as, “mark 1”), eventually, I mastered these. There is more than one way to make a macron–such as which type of meringue to use for the shells. But, they all contain the same ingredients: pulverized almonds, sugar, egg whites, and a filling.

If you are a perfectionist who is devastated by mistakes, this recipe is not for you!  If you aren’t afraid to try new things and enjoy spending half a day in the kitchen, then step out of your comfort zone, challenge yourself, and try this recipe!