photos by Paul Ferney
When I was out shopping for food for the Easter Egg Hunt, my sister Jordan sent me an email that said, we’re leaving Paris in an hour and heading to your house, should I bring anything? So I asked her to stop at Ladurée on her way out of town and pick up macarons for the party.
A purchase from Ladurée, whatever the size, always feels like an event. So my brother-in-law Paul, took photos while we set out the cookies. They’re so pretty!
Have you ever had a Ladurée macaron? Do you have a favorite flavor? (I like caramel and vanilla.)
P.S. — More party posts coming. I’ll tell you about the invitations and show you where we hung the ribbon tomorrow.
{ 87 comments… read them below or add one }
When my granddaughter was three years old her favorite word was “scrumptious.” I think that is an excellent word to describe the look (and I imagine the taste) of those lovely macaroons.
You’re right, Mary. Scrumptious is the perfect word.
Stunning! I love the colours, the packaging and the display. And I agree with you on just how yummy they are.
The colors look so Easter-y!
They are almost to pretty to eat! Almost…
You can bet I thought the exact same thing. : )
They are so pretty! I can’t wait to see the rest of the party.
I’m excited to share more photos. Watch for a couple of posts tomorrow.
Never have, but my word! They are beautiful!!
Seriously, they feel like such a treat, partly because they’re so fun to look at.
I just looked at their website and my goodness how adorable! Some of the cutest web design I’ve encountered.
I agree. The little sound effects are charming as can be.
Buying from Ladurée IS a special event, the macaroons look and taste divine (as are the boxes and bags they come in) but the prices are high, in comparison to macaroons from a local patisserie.. I LOVE the fact that you bought a 100.. for a special occasion, they look gorgeous, but my experience is they are not for children. We like PAUL (www.paul.fr) for their giant chocolate, vanilla and pistachio macaroons.. more bite for your money and they are soooooo good too. For us it is the occasional weekend treat and they are so fresh, they melt in your mouth.
Good to know, Nichshee. I keep seeing Paul bakeries around, but have yet to try one. Another fun thing to add to my must-try/see list.
I love the Paul bakeries. They make delicious pastries and sandwiches, but NOTHING compares to a Laduree macaroon. They started the trend and set the standard and I haven’t found anything as good as the original. YUM! (But yes, all I could think as I read this was, “Holy Cow! That’s a bloody fortune!”)
YES! And I dream about them now that I’m back in the U.S.! Pistachio and raspberry are my favs. It’s the perfect combination of crunchy and gooey yum!
The pistachios are especially pretty, I think. The perfect shade of green. Very French.
Glorious macarons! Since Paris is 20 hours travel away, I may need to make some brightly colored homemade macarons very soon. They are so Spring-y looking!
How fun, Marina! I’ve never tried to make macarons at home. Sounds like a lovely idea.
100 macarons from Ladurée is a BIG DEAL! I bet they went fast!!
Be on the lookout for the Ladurée Sucré recipe book–it’s beautifully bound and almost too pretty to touch, let alone follow recipes in the kitchen with it! And it has the irresistible macaron recipe in it… Great mother’s day gift, too.
Thanks for the recommendation. I’m sure any book by Ladurée must be beautiful.
I personally don’t like macaroons! I know *gasp* haha but I do find them aesthetically pleasing =) So pretty & colorful!
I hear you. For me, many of the colors are prettier than the flavors. : )
Laduree macaroon’s are my favorite! They were the first macaroons I tasted in Paris and I have been ruined for any other macaroon since. We love the caramel, too, but also the pistachio, raspberry and lemon. Yum! I want one…now!
Why do these photographs make me want to clap my hands and dance around the macarons in Peter Pan fashion? They are so pretty!
After many visits to Laduree for macarroons, I think I am done. They are pretty, but they aren’t actually THAT good, unless you are a huge macaroon fan. I think their lunch is pretty good, if you can snag a table upstairs (Madeleine location). I second the Paul comment. But really, I would take a cone from Amorino before any pastry around town!
Chocolate! I’m really not a huge chocolate lover but their chocolate macaroon is just the right touch of chocolate.
Beautiful colors!
When hubby and I visited Paris several years ago, a trip to Laduree was on my list of must do’s. On the second to last day, running out of time, we had an encounter with a local couple. We were all seated at a tiny resturaunt and they overheard us dissecting our less than stellar day and planning our last day in Paris. I was sad, hubby was confused. The couple interrupted our conversation and helped us plan the rest of our visit. They encouraged us to go to Laduree right then, at 10 pm, and gave us directions by bus. So we went. We had hot chocolate, and macaroons and bought a bunch to bring home. I think the raspberry were my favorite. I’ll never forget that visit.
Oh, stop the madness. Francophile porn! ;)
I LOVE macarons. Baking and eating them! I cannot wait for the day I eat one so gorgeous and perfect as those!!!
I made my own macarons this past summer and while they were delicious, they were not anywhere near as beautiful or as uniform as those. that’s real food porn!
I haven’t tried it again, but with the humidity in FL, I might wait until next winter to try it again
Praline is my favorite — but they don’t have them in the summer, so you will need to get some soon! I saved the sturdier boxes that they sometimes come in and my 3-year-old uses them now to store her little dollhouse people. It is a nice reminder of our two months in France, right before she was born! We are having a Madeline party this weekend for her birthday and are planning on having lots of macarons…
I have fond memories of Lauduree macaroons on the Pont des Arts in Paris with my 2 young children. Our favorite flavor is caramel with sea salt. These pictures make me swoon and want to return as soon as possible.
oh my stars… those look amazing!! Can’t wait to see more party pics!
kisses
heather
Do I dare even attempt to make them – I keep seeing *do-able* recipes? The eye candy alone is killing me!
*gasp!*
I could weep. Truly adore Laduree. Have even eaten them past their prime, couldn’t bear the thought of throwing away any of those jewels,.
Que vous avez de le chance!
I love all the flavors, but lean toward cafe, caramel and the occasional delight of stumbling upon violet!
That would be like therapy in a box. Amazing.
vanilla and lemon. divine!
They look beautiful AND delicious. Never had one…I’ll add that to my “next time I’m in France list”.
Oh I love these! My favorites were pistachio and rose.
As a good parisian that I am I LOOVE La Durée ‘s Macarons, especially the packaging they have been developing those last years.
It’s true they are pretty good (and gorgeous ;-).For your information, La Durée & PAUL are owned by the same group ; HOLDER ..and apart from the packaging and the service, macarons look alike and sometimes taste alike ;-)…Paul has a very good bread , you should try it ;-)))
Laduree never disappoints, they’re good but it’s the packaging that’s the real winner (and smaller boxes are completely reusable for little treasures on your nightstand or travel jewelry boxes). On your sister’s next visit from Paris, have her bring you some macaroon goodness from Pierre Herme for some unconventional, intense flavors and funky colors. You won’t regret it.
I’m so lucky that there is a small family-owned and -run bakery in my town (in the US) that makes macarons. They make at least 8 yummy flavors a day. My favorites are the blackberry, pistachio, and lemon, but all are delish…
I am so.excited for tomorrow’s photos. You’re killing me with this one day at a time stuff!
I’ve heard macarons are super hard to make…I wonder if any of your readers have ever tried to make them for themselves…?
And what exactly is the difference between macarons and macaroons? Are macaroons those chocolate coconut things?
amy @ glass confetti
Oh! I just saw now that several readers have tried to make them before…maybe I will try this out, despite their “proceed with caution” disclaimer…
Awh I’ve never tried Macarons!
Yes, I have favorites. Lemon, and more lemon. Followed by the raspberry and caramel. Goodness, I can taste them just typing this.
Oh, just another reminder of something I missed out on during our trip to Paris last year! You can’t do it all in one go, I guess, but a visit to Laduree is definitely on the list for next time. They look divine.
I’ve always said in my next life I am going to live in a Laduree pastry box! I am eagerly awaiting all of your Easter celebration posts. I’m following them on your sister’s blog too! Each post is more intriguing than the next! So fun!
We always split the box 50/50.
The children’s dentist is just around the corner from the Champs Elysee store so we head there afterwards, full of giggles that France’s first family tweet beside us in the salle d’attente.
As for the 50/50 split – standard chocolate, and to die for ‘Caramel au beurre salé’!!!
I have never eaten a macaron… anywhere. I need to change that!
Raspberry and the pistachio.But also their scented candles are divine and mine is still going after a couple of years!. Pauls is a fabulous eatery with the children and also for bread on the run if you are near.Being a chain they are all over the place so nice and handy too.The comment about Amorino made me remember that we ran out of time : ( I just love that you are living somewhere that enables you to ask your sister to swing past Laduree and pick something up on the way!! How wonderful
I love the vibrant colors!
Is there anything more beautiful!!!
Those look amazing! I love the colors. I don’t think I have ever seen any cookie quite like that. I think you must be having such a grand time! I hope the days don’t fly by too fast. It is almost summer!
Those are the most beautiful little macroons I’ve ever seen! I love the saturated colours!
Well, let’s pause for a second to talk about the PACKAGING… That was what got me when I went to Laduree years ago — the fabulous packaging! I had no idea what was up with all the pretty cookies, but I just simply had to have a box. So that was that — cookies were purchased in order to get the box.
And just to think… you got BIG boxes. What a score!! Fingers crossed that you’ve saved them and will use them for storing something special… children’s artwork? Baby June’s Sunday best? Tickets, brochures, and little souvenirs from weekend adventures? However you use them, it’ll be such a smile just to pull out those fabulous boxes every time! Call it another great souvenir of France. :-)
Wow, those look dreamy. I feel like hopping on a plane to Paris right this minute to experience that yumminess (and the pretty packaging!).
That’s almost too beautiful to eat. I’d have to be blindfolded.
I got excited and thought this was a giveaway :) They look heavenly! I would want to taste every color.
We had Laduree macaroons this summer while in Paris and were really blown away by them. My favorites were vanilla and chocolate. They were one of the best treats I ever had!
Surprising to me, my favorite flavor was Rose. Very light, sweet, slightly fruity.
I.Want.All.of.Them. :) :)
My neighbor brought some from Paris and I could only eat one, because I felt bad raiding her stash. They sure are pretty!
Oh yummy! I so enjoy reading your colorful blog. Thanks for sharing!
Pistachio no doubt! They are delicious aren’t they. Laduree has published a book featuring their best macaron recipes. It has been on my wish list for a long long time…
I love their chocolate and pistachio flavor best. When we stayed in Paris in December our landlord left us a huge box of Laduree macarons to apologize for some renovations which were happening in the apartment below. We didn’t hear a thing as the works happened while we were out during the day :). It gave us a great opportunity to try all the flavors though. It was an extremely generous gesture!
Can’t wait to see more photos of the Easter Hunt!!!
I think I’m obsessed with the macaron pictures! I keep coming back over and over again to look at them! I’ve never had one, but they look fantastic. I think it’s the awesome color combinations that I’m loving.
You know … I have never eaten a macaroon. But they seem to be THE THING these days. I’m going to have to find a place that sells macaroons in Denver. I love how these look kinda like Easter eggs in their boxes.
We love, love, love macaron over here and my sons *do* think of them as a snack. They also get offered free macaron all over the place when we are buying other stuff. I really like cassis from Laduree (and their Isphahan macaron cake is amazing), but overall I prefer Pierre Herme (esp. vanilla-olive, but they have a lot of lovely flavors and glittery tops). In Batignolles near where I live there is a lovely hipster macaron-erie called Acide and they also offer atelier for making macaron. And my favorite tea house/chocolate shop La Petite Rose has a delicious eponymous rose-flavored macaron.
Thanks for sharing the photographs–they are lovely.
my sister just went to paris to celebrate her 40th birthday, and brought a box back for us. i kind of feel bad for any other macarons i will ever eat- they will never compare!
What perfect Easter-looking treats — almost too pretty to eat! I’ve never had a macaron. Might have to save my first experience for one at Laduree. :)
For a lot of people I would’ve gotten Paul’s too, esp. for kids.
I love Laduree (salted caramel, nice boxes and colors), but I prefer Hevin (“only” chocolate flavors but many) and dalloyau for having extremly good yet expensive macarons… heavenly tastes. (www.dalloyau.fr and http://www.jphevin.com)
Lovely! My favourite flavour is Pistache, but my REAL favourite is the BIG macaron aux pistache from PAUL, have you tried those yet? Big as a cinnamon bun and bursting at the seams with goodness. Quite the treat, more like a minor lunch. I think you’ll like it :)
And thanks for posting such lovely pictures from the garden, the ribbons look wonderful!
I love macarons, these are beautiful..Oh the colors, I bet they were sweet as can be! Great idea for Easter!
Best macarons ever! A photographer’s delight.
OMG I LOVE almond macaroons.
gorgeous and delicious! caramel is my favorite too :)
Wonderful ! Ohh, we love them so much. Any occasion is a good one. We had a little box for May 1st (after all this easter chocolate ….) and our favorites right now are pomme verte (green apple), réglisse (liquorice) and citron (lemon). Such wonderful flavours.
I am discovering your blog. Thanks for sharing.
And Anna, I think I don’t make a mistake in saying there is a link between boulangeries PAUL and Ladurée (I don’t remember which bought the other one) ;)
so beautiful! i just bought 10 macarons at laduree on the champs elysee last week. it was beautiful and so exciting to be there…and then i forgot about them and didn’t eat ANY of them. they were all stale when i remembered i even had them! i’m so mad at myself.
You’re so right when you say that buying macarons from Laduree feels like an event. Recently my folks were in Paris on a holiday and my Mom got us a box of Laduree macarons, on my request. Having them 2 days later in Mumbai, India, I was instantly transported mentally to Paris.
And yes, caramel is by far the best flavor for me. The full bodied sweetness being offset by that slightly salty caramel flavor. Heaven.
O.M.G……….Memories of yumminess!!!!!!!!!!
Wow! So many macarons… Im so jealous :O
When i was in the Ladureé first (and maybe last) time, i could buy just 6 macarons :S My favorite were green apple and lemon macarons ;-)
those are gorgeous! such pretty colours and i’m sure they all tasted as good as they look, if not better! i’ve adored macarons since before they became *trendy* in the past few years, and Laduree macarons are my favourite! i got my parents to hand-carry some back on the plane for me from Paris to Vancouver. :) my faves are caramel and pistachio. thanks for sharing those beautiful photos.
I love all the exotic flavors you find at Laduree, flavors that we don’t see here in the US; violette, rose, fleur d’orange, passion fruit… But the best one I ever had was a few years ago, griotte, which is apparently something akin to a morello cherry. It was delicious.
Thank you! What a beautiful vision: your lovely home and yard. Loved the cobbled wall. The macaroons made my eyes widen and my mouth water. What a feast for the eyes. I love France.