French Macarons

These small round cakes are bites of delight. Soft and delicate, crispy outside and smooth inside with a melted filling between both cakes.
Macarons are made with egg whites, ground almonds and sugar. Their hard outer shells are sandwiched together with a soft creamy center that can consist of anything from fruit purée to chocolate ganache.
Macarons, pronounced mack-ah-rohn, typically come in fruit flavors, pistachio, chocolate and sometimes more exotic varieties such as violet, foie gras or even white truffle…
"People think of them like cookies, but they are much more delicate and exciting than a cookie—so crunchy on the outside and so soft in the center, like a little pastry," says François Payard, a third-generation pastry chef from France who owns an eponymous patisserie in a loft-like space in Manhattan.