The Conversation
Macarons! We LOVE these dainty French confections around here. With endless flavor combinations — the caramel, candy cane and eggnog macarons featured in recent roundups barely scratch the surface — they are such a great canvas for your imagination to run wild. Plus, they can be made into gorgeous place cards or favors with the simple addition of flowers and baker’s twine.
1. Classic French Macaron with Vanilla Buttercream Filling: Bookmark this page for a detailed how-to guide — and recipe — for making classic, vanilla buttercream-filled French macarons. (via Food52)
2. Harmonie Macaron Cake: Look to this giant almond-pistachio macaron filled with strawberries and whipped cream when you’re in need of an elegant alternative to strawberry shortcake or angel food cake. (via SprinkleBakes)
3. After Dinner Mint Macarons: Vanilla-scented shells are filled with a dark chocolate-mint ganache to created these perfect, “after dinner” macaron. (via A Taste of Koko)
4. Hazelnut Macarons with Chocolate Frangelico Ganache: Hazelnuts and almonds team up in this macaron shell recipe. An added layer of nuttiness is found in the Frangelico-spiked ganache filling — perfect for any Nutella fans out there! (via The Baker Chick)
5. Chocolate Raspberry Donut Macarons: Do these macarons totally remind you of Homer Simpson’s favorite donuts? Simply piping the batter in a circle to create a donut shape, along with a thin royal icing glaze and sprinkles introduces a whole new, absolutely adorable presentation! (via The Blonde Buckeye)
6. Lavender Macarons with Lavender-infused Chocolate Ganache: A chocolate ganache filling tempers the floral, lavender flavor in these macarons. (via Buttersweet Symphony)
7. Coconut Passion Fruit Macarons: Bursting with tropical flavors, these macarons have a touch of shredded coconut in their shells and are filled with a passion fruit curd. (via Gourmet)
8. Lemon-Blueberry Macaron Delight Cake: What a cheerful cake — macarons are not only perched atop the frosted cake, but also hidden inside between the layers of lemon-blueberry cake, buttercream and lemon curd! (via Sweetapolita)
9. Samoa Macarons: Caramel and coconut fill chocolate shells in these Girl Scout Cookie-inspired macarons. (via Barbara Bakes)
10. Pão de mel Macaron: The flavors of a traditional Brazilian gingerbread-type cake are echoed in these macarons. Cinnamon, ginger and cloves provide a warm spice profile to the shells, a lovely pairing with the dulce de leche filling. (via Technicolor Kitchen)
11. Ice Cream Cone Macarons: Not just shaped like ice cream cones, these macarons are creatively filled with a melted ice cream and crumbled waffle cone icing. (via Raspberri Cupcakes)
12. Real Strawberries and Cream Macaron: Pulverized, freeze-dried strawberries lend a delicate strawberry flavor and ballet slipper pink hue to these macarons — no extracts or food coloring here! A fluffy vanilla bean Swiss meringue buttercream completes the strawberries and cream effect. (via Cake on the Brain)
13. Clementine Macarons: This time of year, clementines abound at the grocery store. Put a few of the sweet citrus fruits to use in this recipe; as a bonus, they’re a perfect treat to make for Chinese New Year! (via The Pleasure Monger)
14. Valentine’s Heart-Shaped Macarons: What a heartfelt treat for your sweetie this Valentine’s Day. Italian meringue is piped into heart-shaped shells that are then filled with an indulgent, white chocolate-raspberry ganache. (via Ai Love Baking)
15. Smoked Salmon and Sesame Seed Macaron: These savory macarons are a delightfully unexpected appetizer choice — perfect for New Year’s Eve served alongside glasses of Champagne! (via Martha Stewart Weddings)
16. Pistachio and Grapefruit Macarons: Pretty pink grapefruit zest-enhanced shells are filled with a citrusy, white chocolate ganache with a slight bitter edge courtesy of Campari. (via Cannelle Et Vanille)
17. Cadbury Creme Egg Macaron: Cocoa macaron shells surround a Cadbury Cream Egg-esque filling — yellow yolk and all — to create these simply adorable macarons! (via Tried and Twisted)
18. Pierre Hermes Ispahan Macarons: Rose-lychee cream fills these macarons inspired by the famous Ispahan macarons at Pierre Herme. (P.S. If you don’t feel like baking and find yourself in San Francisco, b. Patisserie’s grande macaron is another gorgeous take.) (via The Baked Road)
19. Blood Orange and Meyer Lemon Macarons: Blood oranges and Meyer lemons come into season soon, these macarons are a terrific way to celebrate these shining stars of the citrus family! (via One Vanilla Bean)
20. Bacon Macaron with Maple Syrup Buttercream: A judicious amount of crumbled bacon lends just enough savory edge to these maple syrup-laced macarons. (via Eat Show and Tell)
21. Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Macarons: The filling for these macarons is surprisingly streamlined, putting a store bought dark chocolate-banana-peanut-butter spread to use! (via Style Sweet CA)
22. Almond Macarons with Almond Buttercream: Almond flavor is doubled down in these macarons, a favorite combination of yours truly (the sweet wedding almond macaron from ‘lette is my all-time-fav). (via Heo Yah Yum)
23. Balsamic Strawberry Butter Cake: Buttery yellow cake is layered with a strawberry-balsamic buttercream, which also serves as the filling for the heart-shaped macarons on top! (via Raspberri Cupcakes)
24. Macaron Milkshake: A great way to use up any crushed or not-so-perfectly-shaped macarons. Use any flavor combo of macarons and ice cream you like! (via Food & Femininity)
Are you a macaron-making pro? Do you have a favorite source — be it a bakery, friend, etc. — for these confections? Don’t be shy, spill in the comments!
Heather Sage is a gluten-free recipe developer and freelance writer living in Orlando by way of the Silicon Valley. When she isn’t playing around with alternative flours in the kitchen, she can be found tackling DIY projects around the house or exploring her neighborhood. Check out her gluten-free recipe blog, A Sage Amalgam.
More From Recipes
You can wear many hats running a business and sometimes some look better than others. Thanks to Office Depot, we're talking with Koyun Fan, co-founder of Sticky Rice Sisters, about finding inspiration along the way and staying organized on the road to success.
<p><strong>B+C: What set you on this entrepreneurial path of Sticky Rice Sisters?</strong><br></p><p>One day I was looking for stickers and cards to use to write to kids for a program I volunteer for when I came across Etsy shops selling products I was familiar with, growing up in Taiwan. I always had easy access to cute stickers and stationery, so I thought I should just bring them to the U.S. myself and also share Taiwanese culture with others. I also thought that if others can do it, I can do it too. I had been a marketing professional for many years before starting the store. I was still working full-time when I first started, and thought this could be something fun to work on outside of work. Also, I thought that with my marketing experience, running and promoting a store shouldn't be too hard. I had no idea what I was getting myself into! </p><p><div id="teads-ad"></div>
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</p><p><br></p><p><span></span><strong>B</strong><strong> + C: What was your most valuable takeaway from <a href="https://tryselfmade.com/" target="_blank">Selfmade</a>?</strong></p><p> I've thought about taking a business course or pursuing an MBA previously, but the cost and commitment made it difficult to. When I saw the 10-week-course on Brit's Instagram, I knew it was right for me. Since everything would be online and recorded with unlimited future access, I knew I would have enough time to consume all the information and refer back to it whenever I wanted.</p><p>I had a great experience with all the coaches. They were amazing and super helpful. I learned so much about the different aspects of business, from ideation, to creating new products, operations, legal, finance, marketing and more! I love how the course started with helping us establish the right mindset. The coaches taught us to not limit ourselves. My coach, Naomi Powell, was always challenging us on our beliefs about ourselves and she would tell us to set higher and bigger goals. It is definitely something I always think about now and I have her voice in my head.<br></p><p><div class="htlad-contentbanner"></div></p><p>All of my classmates were AMAZING. Everyone was so talented and so willing to share. It was truly a community of women who were cheering each other on and rooting for each other. </p><p><br></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
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</p><p><br></p><p><strong>B + C: What's the biggest challenge you face as a small business owner?</strong></p><p>Not knowing if I am doing things "correctly" has definitely been an obstacle. I have tackled this by sending out surveys to our customers and followers asking for their feedback. This is also something Brit would always talk about--we should just ask others what they think instead of guessing. People are pretty good at giving honest and helpful feedback and it really helps with thinking about future plans.</p><p><div class="htlad-contentbanner"></div></p><p><strong>B + C: Who are your role models in the entrepreneurial space?</strong></p><p>Not to sound super cheesy, but I would say it's Brit. She is such a great example of Selfmade. She started the company by herself and continues to innovate and inspire. She always radiates positive energy and in the Selfmade course she made herself available to everyone. She didn't just share what she knows, but also brought in her network to help us. My favorite thing she said is that we are all creative--creativity exists in many different forms!</p><p><br></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
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</p><p><br></p><p><strong>B + C: What's one piece of advice you would give to female entrepreneurs on the brink of starting?</strong></p><p><strong></strong>You will never be 100 percent ready so just start now and learn and improve as you go. You will make mistakes, things won't go as planned, you might not have customers to start, but you will learn. If you keep waiting for the "right moment," or wait until "you're ready," you have already lost time that you could've used to learn on the job or make mistakes. In the beginning, not a lot of people will know you, so it doesn't matter what you do--you can try anything you want and figure out what works and doesn't. As you start to have more customers and followers, you will start to get better and they will help you, encourage you, and support you. </p><p><div class="htlad-contentbanner"></div></p><p><strong>B + C: What's one female-owned business that you absolutely love and support?</strong></p><p><span></span>There are so many I love and support. To name a few fellow stationery stores: A Jar of Pickles, Occasionallish, AnnSunn, and fellow Selfmade businesses Evening Star Baby, Summer Space Studio, and The Ponnery! They are all amazing women running their own businesses.</p><p><div class="htlad-contentbanner"></div></p><p><br></p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
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</p><p><br></p><p><span></span><strong>B + C: How do you stay motivated?</strong></p><p>I look at stores I want to become. I try not to think of them as competition but as inspirations, so when I see them working hard on their businesses it motivates me to do so as well. I also listen to motivational audio books or podcasts where they interview other business owners like <a href="https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510313/how-i-built-this" target="_blank">How I Built This</a> and <a href="https://www.theskimm.com/skimmd-from-the-couch" target="_blank">Skimm'd from the Couch</a>.</p><p><strong>B + C: How do you stay organized? What tools or apps help you stay productive?</strong></p><p>I think I'm a very organized person. I use Dropbox for photos and Google Docs for everything else. My tip would be to always name your files and have a system for it so it's easy to search and find easily when you need them.</p><p><div class="htlad-contentbanner"></div></p><p><em>We're inspired! Thanks Koyun for sharing your story and your organizing tips! You can find Sticky Rice Sisters at <a href="http://sticyricesisters.com/" target="_blank">SticyRiceSisters.com</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/stickyricesisters/" target="_blank">@StickyRiceSisters</a>, or email at koyun@stickyricesisters.com.</em></p><p><strong><em>Office Depot OfficeMax has the solutions to help you <a href="https://www.officedepot.com/cm/marketing/save-time-and-organize?cm_mmc=bl-_-aq-_-url-_-bc&cm_mmca1=earned&cm_mmca2=uf&utm_source=blog&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=bc_sm_url_earned_engt_aq&utm_content=org_na&utm_term=eff" target="_blank">organize & save time</a> & create the <a href="https://www.officedepot.com/cm/multi-category/work-from-home?cm_mmc=bl-_-aq-_-url-_-bc&cm_mmca1=earned&cm_mmca2=uf&utm_source=blog&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=bc_sm_url_earned_engt_aq&utm_content=wfa_na&utm_term=pro" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">perfect workspace</a> to help craft your story. From <a href="https://www.officedepot.com/a/browse/tul/N=5+971469?cm_mmc=bl-_-aq-_-url-_-bc&cm_mmca1=earned&cm_mmca2=uf&utm_source=blog&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=bc_sm_url_earned_engt_aq&utm_content=org_na&utm_term=eff" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">journals</a> to , Office Depot OfficeMax is your go-to for all business solutions.</em></strong> <em><em><strong></strong></em></em></p><p><em><em><strong><em><em>Head to </em><em><a href="https://www.officedepot.com/cm/marketing/selfmade-promo?cm_mmc=bl-_-aq-_-url-_-bc&cm_mmca1=earned&cm_mmca2=lf&utm_source=blog&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=bc_sm_url_earned_prch_aq&utm_content=tea_na&utm_term=tea" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Office Depot's Selfmade page</a></em><em> to check out even more amazing business resources (and discounts!) to help you accomplish more on your entrepreneurial journey. These offers are available for a limited time only, so be sure to take advantage of all this goodness while supplies last.</em></em></strong></em></em></p>
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