Baked by Melissa macarons

Discover Melissa’s tricks for creating fudgy, foolproof macarons, plus a sneak peek behind what sets Baked by Melissa macarons apart from their conventional French counterparts.

What are Macarons?

Macarons are a timeless dessert, a unique confection that’s distinctly French. Egg white meringue is what makes macarons an airy, crunchy treat, and almond flour means macarons are naturally gluten free. They’re a traditional staple at tea time, cute and tiny, and oh-so-hard to get right.

Still, as a person who is obsessed with flavors like cookies & cream and will include Marshmallow Fluff in any recipe, I can’t help but find macarons a bit stuffy. At the very least, they’re a little too dainty and delicate for my taste.

At first, I found macarons intimidating. The French stick to classic flavors like rosewater when I’m more of a red velvet or dulce de leche kind of gal. Patisserie chefs are very precise in their measurements, while I like to bake from the heart. Plus, almond flour is more expensive than good ole AP.

Don’t get me wrong, these French goodies are très chic. When we decided to branch out beyond our signature bite-sized cupcakes, however, we decided to catapult the macaron into the 21st century the Baked by Melissa way.

Where did we begin? With the flavor combos, of course.

What Makes Baked by Melissa Macarons Different

I couldn’t find macaron flavors that made me feel like a kid, so we invented our own, like snickerdoodle, which has a sugar cookie and cinnamon shell topped with cinnamon sugar. Or double chocolate, which is filled with a rich dark chocolate ganache sandwiched between two chocolate rainbow nonpareil cookie shells.

Then, we tackled texture and filling to mix things up a little.

Baked by Melissa macarons are fudgy to the max. We love a fudgy macaron in our test kitchen, and prefer our chewy consistency to the dry and sometimes flaky traditional.

What You Need to Know About Making Macarons

We also double-stuff them (because who doesn’t love double-stuffed anything? I’ll take a double-stuff Oreo or cupcake any day over a single-stuff). Sometimes, more is simply more.

Still, there are a few secrets to the elusive, temperamental macaron, and perfecting them at home can be a beast.

Here’s what you need to know:

  • Keep eggs at room temp before you start the baking process. This is a good tip for pretty much any recipe, not just for macarons. 
  • Break out your food processor to pulse your almond flour and confectioners’ sugar together into a super-fine texture. Sift out any remaining clumps! You want as few lumps in your almond flour as possible. 
  • Leave about an inch of space between each cookie shell on your baking sheet. 
  • This is integral for a good macaron: the batter must sit out in its cookie form until it develops a “skin,” which begins to puff up. That’s how you know the macaron cookie is ready to be baked in the oven. 
  • Let the macaron shells sit on the baking sheet for at least 30 minutes to an hour before popping them in the oven. You’ll know they’re ready when the meringue turns from shiny to matte. When you touch one of the shells, your finger will no longer leave an imprint on the cookie.

Not ready to try making your own macarons at home? Whether you’re planning your next park picnic, family hang, or outdoor gathering, we’ve got the perfect treats for you.

Order Baked by Melissa macarons online or in store.

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