Why are macarons so expensive

Macarons are made from very high quality ingredients which of course will be quiet expensive. Expensive Ingredients means the cost of producing Macarons will be high. Most of the Expensive Ingredients found in Macarons are:. Since the only ingredient in almond flour is almonds , the price of almond flour goes hand in hand with raw almonds. This combined with the huge expanding export market to China and Asia has driven up the price of almonds, the most significant ingredient in the typical Macaron.

Macarons are made from almond flour which inturn is made from blanched almonds. While eggs are not necessary expensive, Macarons however, require Egg whites that are aged. Aged egg whites are ones which have been separated and left in the refrigerator for a minimum of 24 hours so that the proteins inside can relax.

To build a good foundation for a healthy meringue, start with aged egg whites. Chocolate, vanilla, and other extracts plus spices are all used in creating unique flavors in Macarons. Many bakeries often import the flavorings used for the Macarons as well as their filling. Macaron making requires BOTH patience and practice for them to look and taste perfect. This is another important point that bakers take into consideration when pricing their Macarons. It takes about two hours and fifteen minutes.

Half an hour of prep time, an hour of waiting time, ten minutes of cooking time, twenty minutes cooling time, fifteen minutes of filling and sandwiching time.

Plus ideally you will want the Macarons to mature for 24 hours in the refrigerator, this means you want the filling to marry into the Macaron shells. The time needed to make Macarons will depend on the level of expertise you have in the art of Macaron making and the number of Macarons you are making.

Time is money, people would rather buy Macarons than bake them. Now because of the many potential pitfalls when baking Macarons, most people would rather buy delicious Macarons from a bakery than to take a chance of baking it themselves.

Sometimes bakeries tend to lose money when preparing Macarons because a large number of them have to be discared because they dont look good. As you might imagine, France lays claim to the invention of macarons.

Well, at least the macarons we see produced by haute couture bakeries these days. But the idea of an almond-based cookie likely hails from Italy. There are both French and Italian methods of baking macarons — the difference lies in the way the meringues are formed, but the end results are pretty similar.

The Italian method often results in sweeter, more crumbly macarons, compared to their chewier, less sweet French counterparts. One more thing. You know, the chewy, lumpy things you ate as a kid.

They hail from Italy and contain no flour of any kind. Since they first swept America a few years ago, macarons can now be found in craft bakeries, cafes, grocery stores, and fancy dessert shops all over.

Did you know they are one of the few baked goods that are naturally gluten-free? Macarons feel special. Unlike, say, 10 years ago, macarons are now appealing more and more to the masses. But since American consumers have only recently caught onto this old-world culinary trend, where exactly did macarons get their start?

And is it possible to trace their rise to fame? Legend has it that macarons were first commercialized by two Carmelite nuns in the city of Nancy, France. Seeking asylum during the French Revolution, sisters Marguerite and Marie-Elisabeth sold these almond-based biscuits to pay their rent. During the s and s, macarons made appearances at royal affairs and weddings in France.

Another French gentleman, Claude Gerbert, also lays claim to creating the modern-day macaron. Either way, sometime in the s, innovative folks in France decided to fill these almond biscuits with jellies, spices, liqueurs, creams, and marmalades to create the version of the macaron we know and love. Macarons continued to evolve, becoming more refined and even more desirable among the affluent French.

In , even Starbucks sold packaged versions for a limited time, making the dessert more available to mainstream American clientele. Grocery stores like Whole Foods, along with cafes and coffee shops, began carrying macarons as well. The media is most likely what got Americans to finally take note of these colorful pastries.

It seems no one is immune to these dainty desserts and their Instagram-worthy appeal. The price tag on a laughably small box of macarons might have you wondering if these pastries are mere desserts or culinary status symbols. You can have them delivered or schedule a pick-up at one of their stores. And who can put a price tag on that? The surprisingly high cost of macarons often comes down to three things:. Vanilla beans are often seen in macaron recipes and they're typically pricey as well via Birch Tree Baking.

One final reason that macarons tend to cost so much is that they are quite difficult to make and are a time commitment. While some French pastries can be slapped together even by a beginner, macarons are "delicate and finicky" which helps to justify the price tag via Honest Cooking. The reason behind the macaron's high price tag Shutterstock.