Summer is finally over in Southern California as the temperatures drop and we prepare for our first Fall rain. Although I love warm weather, I'm excited for all the cooking and baking to come... To kick things off, I decided to bake some macarons. But not just any; one of my favorite flavors: salted caramel or fleur de sel caramel.

I've used a few different recipes for macarons over the years, some with greater success than others. Since it's been a while since I last made these little bites of heaven, I decided to turn to the Queen of Macarons, Helene Dujardin, whose blog Tartelette I've been reading for 4-5 years. If it's possible you don't know what I'm talking about, you have to check it out! It will change your life...


IAnyone who has ever tried to make macarons will tell you how exciting it is when you see feet. Add the absence of cracked tops and I'd say my macarons turned out perfect. I actually jumped up and down and did a little happy feet dance while singing: "They've got feet! They've got feet!". In my defense, I hadn't made macarons in a year, so I wasn't sure how they'd turn out. If you're scratching your head wondering what I'm going on and on about, as the shell bakes the heat causes it to rise and, if done correctly, develop a foot at its base.


Armed with a renewed confidence, I can't think of a better way to celebrate Fall than to bake some Pumpkin Pie flavored ones next week! The house is going to smell sooo good...