Ladurée Sorbet & Macarons

I can't stay away.  I can't help but LOVE Ladurée and everything inside.

Since New York was sweltering hot, I decided to try their strawberry sorbet topped with a strawberry macaron.  It was very good, but not sure it's worth $9.  Fruity and refreshing but not much different than any other Madison Ave sorbet.

Of course I had to get a box of 6 in the special 150th anniversary rounded package.  Coconut, pistachio, salted caramel, vanilla, chocolate and raspberry.  

Bottega Louie

A friend brought some treats back from Bottega Louie that were all so amazing! This was a Tiramisu, which was so beatifully decorated with powdered cocoa and fruit.

These French macarons were also so pretty and delicious.

An finally a hazelnut brownie torte, which was the epitome of every sweet I love.

Vanilla Bake Shop at Century City

I have been a big fan of Vanilla Bake Shop for a while now (see HERE), so I was happy to find their Century City location is open! I tired three mini cupcakes: Vanilla with Chocolate, Vanilla Bean and Chocolate with Sea Salt (New Flavor). As always they were fantastic, especially the Vanilla Bean, and not just because it's pink.



They also have a great selection of French macarons! I chose the Hazelnut, which is basically stuffed with Nutella and therefore the best thing ever, and the Salted Caramel, which was also great.

Ladurée in New York!

I never thought this day would come! Finally, the world's best French macarons have landed on American soil, right on 70th and Madison. This Ladurée location shares the same decor as those in Paris, which fits in perfectly on the Upper East Side.

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Although there was a line, I had so much to look at in the store beyond the realm of sweets.


The most beautiful boxes.


Various Animal Chocolates.



Macaron Scented Candles.


And finally, the Macarons!


Although I bought several boxes on this day, here is my cute pink box of six.


Blackcurrant & Violet


Vanilla


Pistachio


Orange Blossom


Strawberry & Mint


Chocolate



I'm madly in love with this store, and can't wait to go back...

Sucré

While in New Orleans, I stumbled into this adorbable sweet shop, Sucré on Magazine street. They had everything from stuffed cupcakes and gelato...


To colorful cakes...


And elaborate mini's...


But of course, I got the french macarons!


I chose the Strawberry (because it was pink and glittery), and the Chocolate Caramel (because I'd never seen a chocolate coated macaron). They were both great, a perfect little pick me up.

The Dessert Bloggers' Great American Bake Sale

Last week I went to The Great American Bake Sale, which sold desserts baked by various bloggers to benefit childhood hunger.

There were SO many things to drool over...








I chose these:


Macarons by Daydreamer Desserts - Mojito, Coconut and Cake Batter


Nutella Handpie by ShowFood Chef


S'Mores Cookies


Apple Pie Pop by Adventures In The Kitchen



The Couch Potato Cookie by Budget Foodie - Chocolate Chip, Pretzel and Caramel


And best for last... Salted Caramel Chocolate Bars by Kitchen Runway.

Paulette's Again

Until LaDurée opens in America, I'll keep eating Paulette's macarons. I really can't get enough..


And when getting a box of SIX, I have to nibble at them all first so I can figure out which I like best. I'm a passionfruit junkie, but in this box the coconut may have been the winner!

Payard

Payard is one of the great French bakeries of New York City, and since they just opened a small cafe in the Plaza, I had to try something...This was a very decadent triple chocolate mousse. Despite the high price, it was one of the best things I've ever had. First of all, anything topped with a mini macaron has me sold, but the actual quality of all the chocolate layers were beyond amazing.


In the center of all the mousse was a thin caramel crisp, a mini cookie and an mini brownie. This brownie alone was incredible! It was all topped with a chocolate ganache. YUM.


One of the best things about the Holidays is gift baskets of food! My father received this as a gift, so clearly I needed to claim it as my own. I tried every flavor, which ranged from Cinnamon Ganache to Earl Grey to my favorite Praline... Can't go wrong with any of them!

Macaron Café

I think I can officially say French Macaron's are my favorite little treats, so when I stumbled upon the Macaron Café I was very excited.

It's a very small but adorable space, fully decorated in pink and white.

They had one of the largest varieties of macaron flavors I'd ever seen.

I loved all of their boxes and packaging, it's very girly, and their modernized Marie Antoinette is the perfect logo.

These macaron's are not as amazing as Ladurée's or even Paulettes, but they were great! I liked the raspberry a lot.

Paulette Macarons

These are so pretty! Sarah found this place, right near our house. I've always loved French Macarons, but have never seen a whole store dedicated to them.




This was great, there are so many flavors, and interesting ones I've never seen in a macaron before! They had the typical Raspberry, Chocolate, Lemon, Coconut, as well as new flavors like Praline, Earl Grey, Columbian Coffee, Pumpkin and Passion Fruit!




I tried the praline and the passionfruit. They were both amazing. The first thing I noticed about them is that they were so soft, which I loved because I feel like sometimes macaroons can be hard and dry, which mutes the flavor. These were so flavorful, especially the passion fruit. I am obsessed with the this one - it was unreal! So juicy and sweet. I even loved it more than the praline, which says a lot, because praline aka Nutella is my favorite thing in the world.


Although they are kind of pricey, they are really great, and pretty unique. This would make a great gift, and the gift boxes are very cute! Here's her website, check it: Paulette Macarons