Macaroon Madness

No, I didn’t say March Madness. This is not a post about NCAA basketball. I may not be crazy about basketball, but I definitely can get behind the idea of macaroons. I decided to bust out all my favorite macaroon recipes for a little comparison baking.

French Macarons (It is spelled with only one “o”). This is a little variation I did to coincide with spring. Most French macarons that I have seen have a similar color creme filling that matches the cookie part. Instead, I decided to make a yellow cookie with a pale blue, green, and pink buttercream in each sandwich cookie.

This is a very basic macaroon. Because it was St. Patrick’s Day, I dyed half the batch green. These were outstanding the first day I baked them. They seemed a little too moist the second day.

This was an older macaroon recipe that I adapted by adding 3/4 cup of melted chocolate. These tasted okay the first day, but after they rested one day they were absolutely fabulous. These were all eaten before the vanilla ones.

Bailey’s Chocolate Macaroon. Like the standard macaroons it is spelled with 2 O’s. The texture of the cookie portion reminds me of an italian cookie. If you like Bailey’s and chocolate ganache, you’ll love the filling.

Here are links to the recipes that I used:

Beth’s Foolproof French Macaron Recipe – YouTube

Baileys Chocolate Macaroons

Basic Macaroon Recipe:

1 egg white, 1 c. sweetened condensed milk, 1 tsp vanilla extract, & 16 oz shredded coconut; Bake in preheated oven on parchment-lined cookie sheets at 325 for 15-20 minutes (until golden brown). Allow to cool on pan for at least 10 minutes before removing.

Older Macaroon Recipe:

3/4 sugar, 2 1/2 c shredded coconut, 2 large egg whites, 1 tsp vanilla, 3/4 c melted chocolate chips; Bake in preheated oven on parchment-lined cookie sheets at 350 for 15 minutes. Allow to cool long enough that the macaroons can be removed by hand and not with a spatula.