Community Chat

[ILTH]

They're about $2.50-4.50 each where I live. Little ones. So, that seems reasonable.

Trader Joe's has frozen ones for a lot less. 

[ValuSkr]

The price seems reasonable.  Wegmans sells twelve mini macarons (net weight 4 oz.) for $12.00.  QVC sells 36 regular-sized macarons (net weight 2 lbs) for $80.00.  Do the arithmetic - QVC is actually a better deal.

[camelot]

[denisemb]

I didn't know until recently that macaroons and macarons are two very different things.  (What you learn from Hell's Kitchen!)

Never cared for macaroons, but now need to find a bakery where I can get a real macaron.

[Mindy D]

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@cherry wrote:

The ingredients they are made from are expensive. They use almond meal ,instead of flour..price a pound of almonds , they are not cheap

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I make chocolate cake with almond flour I make in my food processor. Expensive ingredient, yes, but $86? 

[Mindy D]

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@camelot wrote:

Why are macarons so expensive? - Because they are extremely tricky to make and many of their ingredients can be expensive and/or difficult to source. Macaron shells are made by folding almond flour (or some other nut flour) and confectioners sugar into a meringue (sugar and egg whites)

French Macarons

Yield: Makes 36 Sandwich Cookies

INGREDIENTS

• 10 egg whites (from large eggs), chilled
• 1 cup + 1 tbsp (9 oz) sugar
• 3 cups (12 oz) almond flour
• 3¾ cups (16 oz) powdered sugar
• 1-2 tbsp flavoring extract or food coloring

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I can do this. I’ve been baking my whole life. I always make French confections. With a little practice this is not difficult. It’s like folding the egg whites into the chocolate when you make chocolate mousse. Once you learn how to fold in, you use a spatula to do this, so that the air isn’t lost, it becomes easy. This is really not that hard for an experienced baker. 

[cherry]

You are also paying for labor @Mindy D ..When we had a farewell party at our church for our former pastor ,we paid $50 for each cake we bought..People don't work for free. Patisserie items are expensive. They are trained  chefs, and are not the same as  buying a cake mix and popping it into the oven

They have to pay for the rent of the building ,and the utilities, and the appliances , of where they are working. This is all figured into the finished product..Don't buy if you don't like the price..make your own

[Bri369]

Macarons are difficult to make.  Plus, each one has to be made by hand and the filling piped into the shells.

Around here, they can be at least $3 for each one.  Whole Foods sells them individually, but they're not very good, IMO.  

[camelot]