Macaron Mania

The Macaron trend does not appear to be fading.  In fact, macarons are hotter than ever. Bakers are even making macaron cakes and macaron topped cupcakes. What exactly are these colorful creations?  Well, first of all they are not to be confused with macaroons, which are dense coconut confections.  Macarons are French sweet meringue based cookies. Ganache, buttercream, or jam in a variety of flavors and colors is placed between two cookies for a sinfully sweet little sandwich. I decided to take a tasty tour and visit some of Houston's hottest spots for Macs.

Common Bond Cafe & Bakery $2..25 each

Common Bond Cafe and Bakery has mouth watering delictable desserts and seasonal savory dishes.  The bright and open space is perfect for sipping a latte while noshing on pastries. They rotate their macaron flavors and usually only carry six flavors at a time.  I found their macs to have a great texture and just the right amount of sweetness.  My favorite flavors were the Mexican Chocolate and the Matcha Lychee.

Macaron by Patisse $2.25 each

Macaron by Patisse is an elegant little cafe with a charming decor that will transport you to France.  They serve tea, coffee, french desserts and lots of French macarons. I found the macs here to be smaller with a crumbly texture.  The delicate cookie cracked as soon as I bit into it.  The flavor selection here offers some unique combinations as well as traditional flavors.  Rose is apparently one of the original mac flavors, but I was definitely not a fan.  I did like the fig and goat cheese combination.

Petite Sweets $2 each

This cute shop has it all - macarons, cake balls, cake pops, cupcakes, whoopie pies, and gelato. Everyone here was super friendly and happy to answer questions about their many products. They have tons of macs here in just about every flavor imaginable, even a Margarita flavor, which immediately caught my eye!  The macs were larger and slightly sweeter than ones I had from other bakers.  However, the cookies had a nice shape and texture and the flavors were tasty.  My favorites were the red velvet and mocha.

Sweets by Jewel $20/dozen

Sweets by Jewel is a cottage baker business in Spring, Texas owned by Jewel Reyes. She is a self-taught macaron maker and has been in the business for just two years. Not only are Jewel's macs the most economical, but of all the places I visited I found hers to be the best.  She has some creative flavors which include combinations like fruity pebbles, almond joy, blueberry pancake, and cookie butter. My personal favorites are Chocolate Fudge Brownie, Blueberry Cheesecake, Mango Sorbet, and Pina Colada. Her macarons sell for $20 a dozen for up to two different flavors.  She also sells mixed flavor dozens once all her orders have been filled and will post that on her Facebook page.  Orders can be made by messaging her through Facebook or emailing her at hjewel08@gmail.com. Jewel's newest creation is a macaron cake.  A moist and delicious cake that is sandwiched between two large macaron cookies in your choice of flavors.  Get one today!