Day 10: It's a Macaron-y Life

As I type this, it's 11:58 on Friday night. 

Yes, that's right: the second time I've let a day go by without posting.

Both days, I got distracted by my second-favorite pastime: baking. Today it was French Macarons, those oh-so-expensive and ever-so-delicious little cookie sandwiches enjoyed by the rich and fancy.

Like any other human creature with a pulse, I love French Macarons, but can rarely afford them. (Ok, I may be overstating my case, but only a little; if there's any baked good that can topple the Cupcake empire, it's the Macaron.) So I got the idea to try to make my own, because 1. Macarons! and 2. I'm broke and need DIY Christmas gift ideas.

So today I set out, apron on, to try my hand at what is widely acknowledged to by the trickiest kind of cookie to make. I expected poor results, out of the gate. After all, this is a cookie that even trained professionals find "finicky."

My conditions were not optimal. My almond flour was too coarse, my sugar was not "caster" sugar (whatever that means), and, worst of all, it's raining today. Anyone will tell you, when whipping up egg whites, humidity is your enemy. Apparently moist air gets in the air bubbles in the egg and prevents those nice stiff peaks.

Despite my challenges, I pressed on, and made two experimental batches of macarons: salted caramel, and lemon. I went in with low expectations, and a clean kitchen.

Hours later, I emerged from a cloud of almond flour and egg whites, slightly dazed, and more than a little shocked by what had emerged from my oven.

Macarons.

Proper, crispy, delicious macarons. They even have "feet", the little rough area around the base that indicate you made the batter properly. 

Yes, they are uneven, nothing like the perfectly uniform circles I've seen in bakeries. Some are twice the size of others. But once I'd whipped up the filling and squished them together, they looked pretty darn close to actual macarons.

There they are! Sort of like my life: a little misshapen, a little messy, but ultimately delicious, against all odds.

And yes, this post is going up 20 minutes late... but hey, that's just the way the cookie crumbles.

(You knew it was coming.)