Customer Reviews

Macarons: Authentic French Cookie Recipes from the Macaron Cafe

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have two Macaron books, this one and the one by Hisako Ogita. I like to make bullet points:

* Hisako's book looked slightly complicated. I've been baking for 25 years but never did a macaron. I knew they were harder than my usual cupcake so for some reason Hisako's book made me not try it right away. This book is VERY small, but in a good way. First, you can read the whole thing in 10 minutes to learn how to make a macaron. Second, it's easy to understand what she is telling you to do. Third, her pictures of her bakery look nice.

* She tells you how to make a basic French or Italian macaron shell. No frills. Good for a beginner macaronist like me. Essential. However, since it has no frills, I'm glad I have Hisako's book because Hisako actually tells you how to flavor a shell. Even with no extra flavor, the basic shell is crazy tasty though! Let me repeat, good for a beginner first time macarooner!

* What I don't like:
1. she calls for 2.5" circles. I made templates. Puzzled when I couldn't get the large number of macaron shells on a half sheet like she said, I pressed on. I believe this is a typo in the book. My macarons were HUGE. I like big cookies so it wasn't a big deal, but frankly, I think 1.5" is too small, 2" is just right, and 2.5" is too big. My husband found a true to scale picture of her macarons from her cafe and they are 2" in size...(three fingers thick). Hisako's are 2.5 cm large, so did she get her units wrong since she is French? I don't know. Her oven timing and temperatures were perfect for my extra large 2.5 " macarons though.
2. I added too much egg white powder since I live in Houston Tx. Perhaps, adding how much you should put in based on relative humidity would be helpful? That sounded nerdy. I think I will accept the blame for this oops :P
3. Other reviewers are right: she does not tell you how to decorate the macarons as nicely as she does. Nuts :(
4. I made my macarons pink with a dark chocolate ganache. It was VERY tasty. However, my ganache did not solidify in 30 minutes like she says it would. I had to pop it in the fridge. She also never mentions to double boil it. I prefer double boiling (putting it in a glass bowl over a pot of semi-boiling water) because it doesn't burn the milk or chocolate. That's just me. I was surprised she didn't mention that trick. It does taste extremely good though :)
5. Over and over she says use a Pastry 8 tip. I have the Ateco complete large round tip set and the Wiltons like 60+ tip pack. I don't have a number 8! Anyways, for a 2.5 " circle, I had to use my biggest tip. I don't know if others had that problem.
6. NEW ADDITION TO REVIEW: Just made macarons again with 2" circles. Oven baking time was way too high this time. I think 9 minutes works better but I can't say for sure because I kept lowering my time with each batch. I made the chocolate orange ganache. I believe the recipe is OFF. I put in the recommended 1 tsp of orange extract and 1 orange peel zested and my macarons now have a bitter initial taste to them that I hate. I'm quite unhappy with today's batch :(. I'm guessing it's best to use 1/4 a teaspoon of extract to be safe. 2" macarons are better :)

I'm adding a picture to my review of my first attempt at macarons. Check it out. Hope this was helpful.

I'm very glad I bought the book, even with the "flaws". Who knows if it was her book or me... It's still a wonderful beginner macaroner book.

ANOTHER NEW ADDITION TO REVIEW (7/17/2011)
* Hey guys, I found a book that tops this one for a basic recipe. With Macarons I could never get the cookie perfect. I suggest trying Mad About Macarons! for your after-beginner book. It still took me 5 tries to get the cookie perfect but I just did it today. The book is by Jill Colonna. I mix recipes from the Macarons book with this book, for fillings and stuff. But for the cookie part, I use this new book. The ingredient ratios are different, you need a few more tools, but it tells you how to get perfect macaron circles and I no longer get cracks or oil stains or burnt shells! I'll write a sep review for that book so please see that. THANKS!

The book begins with a short overview of the ingredients and equipment used in the recipes. Then, it moves on to the shells. There is a recipe for a French meringue and an Italian meringue shell. Both of the shell recipes are spread over a few pages, and several of the steps in the shell recipes are pictured. The ingredients in the recipes are listed both by weight and by volume. There is also a problem and solution section.

The second chapter has fillings. There is a chocolate ganache filling recipe and a buttercream filling recipe, each with about 10 flavor variations. The other main filling recipe is for a homemade jam filling.

The third chapter consists of three main decoration ideas: macaron lollipos, tower of macarons, and sugar decorations for macarons. There are many, many colorful pictures throughout the book, though the book is quite small (about the size of a baby board book). The type in the book appears to be about an eleven or twelve point font.

Just a couple notes - there are some designs pictured on the macarons, but there are no explanations as to how to acheive those designs, which is too bad. Also, all of the recipes call for piping the shells and the fillings with a pastry bag and a #8 tip.

Over the last month I have perfected the french meringue macarons. I think the ratio that is used for the french meringue is incorrect and needs to be more like 1.2/2.35 grams almonds/sugar for every gram egg white. I also use a hand mixer or whisk as it is much easier to see the meringue and ensure you do not over beat the mixture.
I would also recommend that you invest in a copper bowl. I have the Mauviel Copper 10-Inch Bowl with Ring which I bought on amazon when it was on special. Also I recommend a lower heat for the french macaron say 290F for 16 minutes.

Although I feel there are issues with the meringue recipe I certainly enjoyed experimenting with the different buttercreams and ganache that are in the book. That being said there are some issues with these recipes. For example with the ganache I recommend that you don't heat the chocolate but rather the cream and pour it over the room temperature chocolate. Also go easy on any of the essence or oils! Put in a drop or two, then mix, then taste and then a few more if needed.

The book itself has some wonderful ideas and beautiful clear pictures. The different buttercreams and ganache are yummy, but the macaron shell recipes need some fine tuning.

I really like macarons and always thought it would be too hard for a novice like me to make them. Not true. The author provides great advice which allow you to avoid several pitfalls. For example, regarding the humidity - drying out your dry ingredients in a warm oven prior to using them; Also, letting the circular batter "rest" for at least 15 minutes on the parchment prior to baking worked well for me. I read and re-read the recipe about 3 times before I attempted. It also helps if you have the following, stand mixer, digital scale, and food processor. I used the food processor to mix the dry ingredients together before I put them in the oven to dry-out as the author recommended.

Also I found the right kind of food coloring locally at a Sur La Table store - it was "Wilton Icing Color." The Almond flour was harder to find - only 1 organic food store in my area carried it - Earth Fare. I used Bob's Red Mill finely ground Almond/Meal Flour. All the items you can buy on Amazon - but I wanted to make these right away.

The pictures in the book also assist - especially the one on page 30 which shows the batter falling off of a spatula. It helped me look at hers - then mine - and realize I probably had it right.

I have not yet tried the fillings.

Each recipe makes alot more shells than I initially expected, so I started adding more macarons to each sheet. Big Mistake - referring to the authors problems and solutions on page 43 I was letting too much humidity accumulate in my oven. The remedy was to open the oven door briefly after around 4 minutes (per author). It worked! I recovered from a batch of cracked ones to make un-cracked.

If you have a young baker, this is a great test. I think it would be a great gift.

Seriously Great fun for less than 10 dollars!

Not only am I French, but I am Parisian, meaning outstanding macarons are a constant part of my quest for gourmet food. For this very reason, I have been a loyal customer to Macaron Cafe for years, enjoying every time I can a bite of their rainbow.

I couldn't believe it when I heard Cecile would launch a book with her very own recipes. I mean, now I could have a piece of paradise at home! I am not a good cook (as I said, I'm French, but I'm Parisian), and the perspective of cooking macarons in my tiny kitchen was kind of a challenge... But I tried anyway, meticulously following Cecile's pieces of advice.

My conclusion? Cecile managed the impossible: have you making the most DELICIOUS macarons in the EASIEST WAY! The recipes are very clear, the tips go straight to the point, the pictures make it even more simple to understand, and the result is AMAZING!! I baked my favorite flavors first: the rose macaron and the dark chocolate macaron. My husband was the first to try this first batch and he says they are the best macarons he has ever eaten. I know he loves me very much, but I still believe him. ;-)

Anyway, be ready to impress your family and friends with Cecile's recipes. Either with your own macarons, or just with this cute little book that makes the perfect gift for Christmas! And for this price?? That's the best holiday deal ever!!

My next production: the chocolate / ginger macaron tower!

I have made macarons several times with various recipes and just have absolutely no idea how so many other reviewers have successfully made macarons with this book. Despite my misgivings upon initially reading through them, I decided to go ahead and try the recipes exactly as written. I'm a glutton for punishment and just love wasting endless hours in the kitchen and tossing loads of money out the window for almond flour.

The size of the cookies is huge if piped at 2 1/2 inches and the measurements are definitely off for the recipe. All the numbers are just plain wrong. However, if you do decide to pipe them that large for whatever reason, just know you will have to increase the baking time immensely.
Also, the #8 tip is totally non-existent and, if it were, would not be the correct tip as it is much too small. Something in the range of of #11, around ½ inch, is actually what you're looking for.

It seems other people are a lot more forgiving than me because, despite the inaccuracies some have given the book a pretty decent rating. Personally if I'm spending my money on something thats sole purpose is to give me directions, especially in regard to something like macarons which must be exactly, perfectly done, I at least expect accurate measurements. If I have to totally re-write the thing than what is the purpose of buying the book in the first place?

I feel very badly for those who have never made a macaron and used this book. The book itself is cheap enough but, money aside, these cookies are difficult enough to pull off without having to bumble through poorly written recipes. For macarons, you really need to start with a good recipe so you can focus on your technique. This book makes that impossible and just sets one up for failure. I can imagine a few becoming completely discouraged after trying these recipes, blaming it on their own technique and thinking they would never be able to make a good macaron. Not true!! Please believe me...if you are having problems with making macarons using this book, it is not you! Find another recipe and keep trying! Once you get it, you will be on a roll!
I'm hoping this review will save some the ego blow, time and trouble. I mean, I love a challenge and consider myself to be a fairly expert level baker....but baking should be fun after all, not so frustrating that you want to blow up the oven at the end of the day!!

If it's just a matter of the conversions being done wrong than that is very sloppy publishing and I would be livid about my recipe being so horribly misrepresented if I was the author. I would give it one star but, as the creams are good, tacked another one on.

The book is cute, there are a few good tips (although not really explained as thoroughly as I think they should be) and the creams are nice. However, I would sincerely recommend another book, or even to just find a good recipe on the internet. There are many very good ones. I'm sure the Macaron Café makes wonderful cookies but they don't make a good book.

The small format surprised me (I saw a book on Macarons in the airport before a flight and thought I would remember to buy it on the way back..guess what?) When I looked in bookstores there were no books on macarons. I bought this on Amazon on a whim..bought 2, one for a friend in Japan. It tells ALL you need to know and the recipe works, but, but you need to read it through carefully several time to get the whole picture. It took me 5 1/2 hours to make my first batch, but they were fabulous. Even better than the ones we had in a French restaurant here in Chicago a couple of weeks later. Next try, maybe Easter, I'll try again and it won't take me so long I'm sure. Almond flour is the same as almond meal..just put it in your cuisinart to ground it a bit more with the xxx sugar. And best to bake (14 minutes each batch) one cookie sheet at a time. Great book, really.

I am thrilled to own Cecile Cannone's Macarons. Over the past several months I have tried recipes from other books, blogs, and even taken a class--but when I attempted at home what I'd learned, I felt very unsuccessful. Her recipe for macarons using the French Meringue method has provided me the most successful macarons so far--she offers tips I'd not learned anywhere else. Using her recipe helped me to make macarons that are the closest to the perfect little circular gems I love purchasing from my favorite bakeries. I told friends in our Christmas letter that my culinary goal for 2011 was to make the perfect French macaron. Thanks to Cecile's easy-to-understand book, I'm nearly there!

Priscilla Moynihan

I do not own a scale yet this book helped my get great frensh macarons by following the measurments provided. I have never eaten macarons before so I do not know what they really taste like but these were really good.
The only details that I did not find in the book is how to store macarons and for how long and if it is possible to freeze them with the filling or without it.

I have tasted awesome authentic french macarons and what I make is pretty much dead on. The problem is that I have stuck to my simple and quick vanilla shells and chocolate ganache. I need more than this so I thought this book would help. I was a little dissappointed as there are no extra secrets or tips for the shells and the fillings are mostly "americanized" rather than the authentic and unique french ones I have had.

Pros:
Both shell recipes
Nice photos
A good number of filling recipes
Recipe for creme brulee (use the yolks!)

Cons:
Nothing on flavoring the shells
No unique or exotic filling recipes
Not always the clearest of instructions
No information on the decorative appeal

In my opinion, the shells are too big. I make mine 1/1.5", just like the ones I had from France. The size of the book is not a big deal really. I don't know why people complain about this. The recipes are what really matter and I actually appreciate a book that doesn't take up a lot of space in my kitchen and on my book rack.

Overall a good book for someone who is interested in learning. For someone looking to take their current macarons to the next level, just Ok.