Are these not some lovely cookies?

Yes these are some lovely cookies. Lovely cookies, lovely cookies . . .Isn't there a German drinking song like that? Ist den nicht eine distlefinke? Yay, den ist eine distlefinke! Distlefink, schlaggen dink, liter stein, reisling wine, something, something la la la la. . .

I'm remembering this from fifty years ago. Ring any bells in anyone else's carrilon?

Making the macarons was quite the learning experience! I learned that I need to note which KIND of sugar when I copy down a recipe using both confectioners and regular. 2 tablespoons of granulated is no where near the same sort of thing as a cup and a third of powdered. (frantic pause while Roxie digs out the magazine and looks up the recipe.)

I have never used parchment paper before. We loves it, we does!

I have never used a pastry bag before. I bet it would work much better, next time, if I turn down the top of the bag and spoon the glop down into the bottom. Trying to poke it in from the top down means that it clings to the sides of the bag like a baby monkey to momma's chest, and the bag gets all filled with air pockets on the inside, and it gets impossibly sticky on the outside, and you just have to make up your mind to have dirty hands till you finish piping pan after pan of one inch meringue buttons.

The instructions say that the batter should, "Flow like lava." WTF??? Like pahoehoe or aa or Pele's tears or what? I whipped the whites till they formed softish peaks, then folded in the almond flour and powdered sugar and got a batter not quite as stiff as whipped cream. It left little peaks when I piped it, but a couple minutes later, they were smooth little buttons.

This is not a cookie to bake in a hurry. You gotta let the merengue rest a lot.



I have learned not to put the cookie sheets anywhere that cats might be walking. Not only does it moosh a perfectly good cookie or two, it pisses the cat off royally!





I have learned that if I boldly go where I have never gone before, I can, by carefully following directions, achieve success. My macarons have feet! (that little separation line between the bottom and the top creates the "Feet." If your eggs are too cold or too fresh, the cookie does not separate and you get little flat brittle discs.)

I made a marzipan filling for this batch. It's powerful sweet! Next time, I'm going to make lime buttercream. Tangy!