Springtime_In_Paris_MacaronsWho doesn’t love the idea of Springtime in Paris? The tree lined avenues dotted with blooming lavender and tulips, the smell of freshly baked loaves, the artists who line the pebbled streets of Montmartre, the elaborate architecture, the serenity of the winding river Seine and of course the incredible cafes and patisseries! I was lucky enough to take a trip to Paris recently with my girlfriends and I wanted to share with you a snippet of my time there. I have always enjoyed the work of David Lebovitz and was lucky enough to discover a baking class at the La Cuisine Paris via his website. I’ve always wanted to learn to make great macarons – as you know I don’t eat gluten so a macaron is the perfect naughty but nice treat for me!

MacaronBakingClassAnd so, I spent a glorious afternoon learning to make French and Italian meringue plus three delicious fillings – a rich chocolate ganache, a ‘light as a feather’ cream and a sweet, fruity jelly – yum! The class gave me the confidence to try making them at home and so, inspired by Michaels Springtime in Paris collection we whipped up a batch, chez moi, and surprised our friends with a little box of freshly made Parisian treats. At Michaels we picked up these delightful black and white ribbons which reminded us so much of the work of french fashion designer Coco Chanel. We purchased a selection of cute little gift boxes which are perfect for tucking a few macarons into. We also picked up the beautiful pastel colored cake stands and that fab Eiffel Tower jewelry stand which we are utterly in love with. To complete the look we have designed a range of labels, paper bows and belly bands to print, cut and add to your treat boxes – perfect! You and download and print these at the end of this post. At Skip to My Lou you can find a great post on how to make macarons and on the Michaels blog you can find a fool proof recipe for French macarons if you should want to have a go yourself! And I am a huge fan of this macaron mat for getting equal sized meringues.

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