Christmas baking tomfoolery- The Macaron
So, every year I bake a ton of cookies for family, friends, work, etc, somewhere in the region of 30 dozen, and I usually end up shipping some of them across the country.
Last year I did chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter, spritz cookies (chocolate, strawberry, jam filled, ones with frosting, sprinkles, just a million of these in general), sugar cookies, and some fudge mint brownies.
This year I'd love to do something different (fancy) and have been looking at the ever popular and daunting french macaron.
I'm not too worried about the actual cooking of the macaron itself, I'll figure it out, just that I've never seen one, touched or tasted one.
How do they hold up as far as freshness? Are they very delicate? If I decide to make them and overnight ship across the country, will they arrive as dust?
Also, I've seen a million recipes and guides to make the shell, and so many choices for fillings. What do you think works the best for a filling? Or what are some of your favorite flavor combinations? Also, I don't have a food processor, can I buy finely ground almonds somewhere? I live in southeast Wisconsin if anyone is familiar with the area.
Last year I did chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter, spritz cookies (chocolate, strawberry, jam filled, ones with frosting, sprinkles, just a million of these in general), sugar cookies, and some fudge mint brownies.
This year I'd love to do something different (fancy) and have been looking at the ever popular and daunting french macaron.
I'm not too worried about the actual cooking of the macaron itself, I'll figure it out, just that I've never seen one, touched or tasted one.
How do they hold up as far as freshness? Are they very delicate? If I decide to make them and overnight ship across the country, will they arrive as dust?
Also, I've seen a million recipes and guides to make the shell, and so many choices for fillings. What do you think works the best for a filling? Or what are some of your favorite flavor combinations? Also, I don't have a food processor, can I buy finely ground almonds somewhere? I live in southeast Wisconsin if anyone is familiar with the area.