Lavender Rose French Macarons

FEET! FEET! They've got FEET!! I burst into the quiet, little room reserved for yoga, meditation and nothing louder than the all encompassing Ohmmmmmmmm. My screams pierced the silence, almost knocking the Dude over from his Sirshasan (head stand). THEY HAVE FEET!!!

Once right-side-up, he reluctantly climbed the stairs and followed me to the kitchen. We peered through the oven window, and in that moment of silence I felt a foot feetish take form.

If you have been following me long enough to remember these, then my reaction to this success should come as no surprise. Although I tried to make the best of my first attempt, I was terribly disappointed. I followed the steps to the letter and failed.

The experience reminded me of my first Orchid plant. The Dude gifted me beautiful Phalaenopsis in the early days of our relationship - a gift leading to a long-lasting obsession with orchids. They were so stunning, I did not want them to meet the same end as most plants left in my care.

Instead of simply enjoying the plant, its beauty and the meaning behind the gift, I focused solely on keeping them alive - how much water, when to water, temperature, lighting, nutrients. They died within ten days. I learned my lesson and have had great success with orchids since. I basically just let them be, and they thrive.

Macaron Pops

In my second attempt at macarons, I decided to take the same approach. I didn't over-think, didn't age the eggs, didn't let the macarons rest for extended periods, I made my own almond flour and didn't over-sift, didn't open the oven door after five minutes. I'd become so overwhelmed by the many conflicting advice/tips that exist on the web the first time around, I decided to bypass them this try. Two things I did that I felt may have contributed to the outcome - I became fully acquainted with my oven and I invested in an oven thermometer. No-brainer for some, but light bulb moments for me.

I have a gas oven, but only just learned about its convection feature, and finally put it to use. I baked three batches and there was not a single crack. Oh, and I baked them all at once, another no-no, apparently.

I may have just gotten lucky, but I don't believe in luck. I'd like to say it's all skill, but that would be a lie. I am told these little wonders are hit-and-miss. Perhaps the universe felt I deserved this one after such a horrible first attempt. Yeah, I'll go with that!

If you have not yet tried a Macaron, I urge you to. They are widely available, heck, you can even find them at McDonald's McCafés in France.

I used the recipe from my previous attempt, but coloured them purple (5 drops of Americolor Regal Purple). They turned out a beautiful, soft, vintage purple. The baked shells turned out lighter than the batter, something to keep in mind if you are trying to achieve a specific colour.

Once they were completely cooled, I dry-dusted the shells with edible luster dust in Violet. This didn't change the shell colour, but provided a satiny sheen that photographs nicely.

I whipped up some Lavender Rose Buttercream to create the centers of this delicate cookies. Some of them were treated with a little Ultra Violet bling from the India Tree line of sparkling sugars. They come in the most striking colours and are all natural.

I have been trying out my new Nikon Macro lens, an early birthday gift from the Dude. I shot the photos for this and my last post using the macro lens - explains all the close-ups. LOL I have always been interested in photography, but only tackled food as a subject when I started blogging. I see improvement - even had a few shots accepted on foodgawker, still, I have a great deal to learn and improve.

Mac Attack:
Orange Blossom French Chantilly Macarons
Matcha Mojito Macarons

I would love to hear from you, leave a comment below and feel free to share the sweets!

Comments

Paula Kelly-Bourque says

April 15, 2012 at 2:56 pm

I've only made macs once and luckily they turned out. Not sure if I want to push my luck, ha ha! These are just simply beautiful!

Sugar Vanilla Bakes says

April 15, 2012 at 9:11 pm

They look lovely! I've yet to try macarons - they're on my list

Annapet says

April 16, 2012 at 6:03 pm

They are beautiful, Jacquee! Thanks to Instagram, I got to discover your blog! Here's to macarons and sugarcraft. I speak macarons fluently, but a newbie with the latter. Looking forward to your posts!

I Sugar Coat It! says

April 18, 2012 at 4:00 pm

Welcome, Annapet! I follow you on IG as well and enjoy your feed! Thanks for taking the time to visit and comment. Hope to see you here again!

I Sugar Coat It! says

April 18, 2012 at 4:01 pm

Go for it, SVB - no harm in trying. I failed terribly the first time around - all part of learning. Thanks for dropping by. Hope to see you again.

I Sugar Coat It! says

April 18, 2012 at 4:03 pm

Paula, your macarons were lovely! Your success with them encouraged me to try again.

Annapet says

April 18, 2012 at 7:53 pm

I'll be here regularly, you bet! Perhaps we can do sugar flowers together soon ;-).

Dee says

April 19, 2012 at 10:52 pm

I teach others how to make macarons in a French pastry class and I have to say that these are gorgeous! Great job!

I Sugar Coat It! says

May 03, 2012 at 3:12 pm

Thanks, Dee!

I Sugar Coat It! says

May 03, 2012 at 3:12 pm

I am up for sugar flowers anytime, Annapet!!

Namha says

July 27, 2017 at 1:03 pm

Lovely post! I would love to try out this recipe - but I didn't notice it posted anywhere? Did I miss it? Thanks!

- jacquee | i sugar coat it! says
  
  July 31, 2017 at 9:01 am
  
  That is odd! Not sure why the recipe is no longer showing. Will look into it - apologies.
  
  - Allison Voehringer says
    
    April 07, 2019 at 12:00 am
    
    I was hoping for the same thing - I would love to try this recipe
    
    - jacquee | i sugar coat it! says
      
      April 10, 2019 at 9:39 pm
      
      This is the third or fourth time someone has pointed out the recipe is missing and I've fixed it a few times. Something wonky seems to be going on - will try to fix again!!

Lavender Rose French Macarons

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