Macarons are taking over the world

Just another spot of evidence...



(Or should we say "spots"?)


Chantal Guillon
Hayes Valley, San Francisco

Miette's inspiration

I have found what I want to do next. Open a candy store.

Could you imagine if this was the environment you surrounded yourself in every day?

So long cubicles and crappy florescent lights.

Hel-lo, cakes and cupcakes!






Candy bars, wrapped beautifully, from all around the world.



Jars of bright, colorful, sugary bits, there to cheer you up, to cheer you on, every minute of the day.


This is Miette, in San Francisco.



I think the world would be a happier place if we were all surrounded by such whimsy and deliciousness.

Don't you??

Sweet chocolate cupcake

Last time I was in San Francisco, I didn’t make it to Kara’s Cupcakes. (Only SusieCakes and American Cupcake. Not to mention Tartine and Smitten and Christopher Elbow and Cocoa Bella).

But hours after landing this time, I was on the hunt.

I made my way to Kara’s, where banana caramel, s’mores, java, carrot, vanilla coconut, raspberry, meyer lemon, chocolate velvet, and many other beautiful flavors beckoned.


I chose a sweet chocolate.

Topped with a dainty little flower.

But I put that aside and bit right in.

Needless to say, it was delicious.

I have three more days of eating in San Francisco. What do you think my must-eat-sweets should be?

Happy macaron day

Le Jour du Macaron. It's a glorious (busy) day in Paris. Get ready to queue up.

Make your way around to all of Pierre Hermé's boutiques.

Indulge in three free double-decker beauties at each stop.

And, if you're tenacious (and gluttonous) enough, you'll get an entire boite du macaron at the end of your spree.

Of course lovely macarons are everywhere in Paris.

At the contemporary Acide in the 17eme.

From my favorite chocolatier, Jean-Paul Hévin.

Japanese patissier Sadaharu Aoki also makes beautiful macarons.

You can civilized and sit for tea with your macarons at Carette.

Or bring a whole plate back, chez-toi.

How will you celebrate Macaron Day?

Heaven help me Hope's Cookies

I’m often asked what my favorite dessert is. Which is next to impossible to answer. There are just so many amazing possibilities. It depends on my mood, my company, the time of the day, the season… it’s complicated business, this sweets obsession.

Unless we’re talking about cookies. Then it’s frighteningly easy and clear. Cookies are my favorite.

But then the question becomes, what kind?

You can never go wrong with a classic chocolate chip cookie, but then sometimes you’re confronted with an amazing selection of omigod options.

Like I was at Hope’s Cookies inside Philadelphia’s Reading Terminal Market.

From chocolate raspberry to caramel pecan…

Oatmeal raisin to apricot almond….

Peanut butter to snickerdoodles…

I have to say, they looked so over-the-top ridiculous that I had low expectations. But I was blown away.

Each cookie was moist, sugary and buttery.



Every flavor was unique.


They were generously sized but not obscene.


And, well, I’m in trouble. Because I now know that Hope’s delivers.