Food Nouveau - The whys and hows of cooking and baking success

Hazelnut Pear Macarons

These elegant Hazelnut Pear Macarons are filled with a Frangelico-infused fresh pear filling, which also conceals caramelized diced pear. This tiny package offers complex textures and irresistible flavors that are perfect for cooler seasons! This recipe includes a variety of resources to help you learn how to make French macarons, including a video class. {Jump to Recipe}

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When I get a craving both to make and to enjoy French macarons, classic flavors like dark chocolate, pistachio, and salted caramel always come to my mind. But my most creative macaron ideas are inspired by the seasons: in the spring, I crave strawberry and rhubarb macarons; in the summer I like to highlight berries; in the fall, comforting flavors like apple and spices are my go-tos; and in the winter, all I can think of are citrus fruits!

Every fall, I enjoy baking with pears. Pears are a fruit I very much prefer baking with to eating fresh. Where I live, it’s difficult to find ripe, juicy pears, and properly ripening a basket of pears at home requires lots of attention and time—which I most often don’t have. Baking makes the most out of pears you would have thought were desperate cases. So, this fall, while I was brainstorming pear dessert ideas, it struck me that I’d never made pear macarons. And just like that, a new macaron recipe was born!

These elegant Hazelnut Pear Macarons are filled with a Frangelico-infused fresh pear filling. Frangelico is an Italian hazelnut and herb-flavored liqueur that supports the flavor of the ground hazelnuts used in the shells and complements the delicate flavor of the fresh pears without overpowering it. Because I always like to add a surprise bonus to French macarons, in this recipe the cream conceals caramelized diced pear. This juicy, slightly crunchy addition adds to the complex textures and flavors this tiny package offers. Continue Reading

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