Macaron Madness

Source

 In my humble opinion, food + effort = the perfect Valentine's day gift. My all time favorite dessert is, without a doubt, macarons. I love every flavor from your basic chocolate or vanilla to the more exotic flavors like rose water or lavender. If your feeling a little adventurous this Valentine's day (or any day!) try out this macaron recipe. I've actually tried it myself and they turned out pretty well! I definitely don't have a career as a French pastry chef in my future, but hey, I wasn't really planning on that one anyway. My favorite fillings are the simple butter cream filling listed below, Nutella, or raspberry jam. Or all three if you're feeling crazy!

 Basic macaron recipe: originally from here

• 1 cup powder sugar
• 1 cup ground almonds
• 2 medium egg whites
• Small pinch salt
• ¼ cup fine sugar 

For filling: 

• 1 ½ cups unsalted butter, softened
• 2/3 cup powder sugar

 The preparation is what really is most important. You definitely have to take your time! I watched a few YouTube videos before I dove in for the first time and I highly recommend any kitchen novices like me do the same! This video was especially helpful! Make sure and follow the instructions listed on the original recipe here exactly! I love getting creative more than anyone but save the artistic freedom for the food coloring and the filling and keep it simple with the cookies themselves.

 These boxes are the cutest! I have one in the dark pink shade that I got from Urban Outfitters. I highly recommend them for a cute gift for a macaron lover or just something fun for yourself!

How adorable is this print from Etsy? I need this hanging in my room now! Also, enjoy some more macaron porn from Pinterest:

 source

How amazing do all of those look? What's your favorite dessert? Make me drool in the comments!

xo Sydney