Almond, Lemon, Pistachio, and Raspberry Macarons

Pretty in pastel macarons are bite-sized French cookies that pair every bit as well with coffee and tea as they do with champagne. They are adored as much for their look that borders on impressionism art--think Monet
Pretty in pastel macarons are bite-sized French cookies that pair every bit as well with coffee and tea as they do with champagne. They are adored as much for their look that borders on impressionism art--think Monet's Water Lilies--as their exquisite texture and taste combinations. A macaron is comprised of two crunchy baked meringue, sugar, and almond flour cookies that sandwich a silky smooth flavored buttercream. The idea of making macarons may be intimidating, but the most difficult thing about them is getting the uniform size (and there is a fabulous silicone baker's mat designed just for that if your kitchen and budget allow for such a luxury). A bit of patience and practice and this may just become the most impressive and requested dessert in your baking repertoire. We opted for some simple, but classic combinations that relied on easy to find liquid extracts for flavoring the buttercream: blue cookies flavored with almond extract, lemon-flavored sunny yellow macarons, pistachio green cookies and raspberry flavored pink tinted macarons.