I am usually really good with directions.
And 99% of the time, really good with common sense.
So when my coworkers said there was this really cool and beautiful nature walk just down the street that wrapped around the building and could be easily walked during lunch, I was intrigued to get hiking.
My work BFF Layla and I had spotted some people walking the trail every so often and finally one day we decided to do it. We headed that direction, flats on our feet, determination in the air around us, and the desire to see beautiful nature in the middle of our hectic day.
Everything was fine and dandy as we walked the trail until… until it ended. The little path just straight up stopped abruptly and beyond it there was slight foot-traffic trail embedded underneath all of the overgrown weeds and shrubs. Layla and I kinda looked at each other confusedly, but decided to continue on.
Well, I don’t know what people’s definitions of “cool” and “beautiful” entail, because if this trail was considered beautiful in their eyes, their brain would probably explode when they saw a topless picture of Ryan Gosling. Now that’s beautiful. This trail.. or lack thereof.. was not.
First of all, the shrubs were all overgrown and prickly — those kinda shrubs that stick to you when you walk, no matter what you’re wearing. Second of all, the “view” was basically a yellow, dead field with little snake holes dotted throughout, so it was more like a playing field for a crappy, real-life game of whack-a-mole… except instead of whacking moles, rattlesnakes were biting your ankles which meant you were sorely losing.
And third, it was basically a place where dragonflies came to die, as I spotted more dragonfly carcasses than I could count. I figured the dragonflies were probably told by their friends that this was a cool place to check out, so they went and were like “dude, WTF, those people are insane and I’m never trusting their judgment again” and then they straight up keeled over and died because the trail was so lame.
Anyway, Layla and I ended up hoofing this trail in about a half hour and returned to work dripping with sweat, stuck with weedy stickers, the smell of dead dragonflies on our clothes. We both made a mental note to never listen to exercise advice from our coworkers again, because clearly we were missing the beauty and coolness from the ever-so-popular trail.
I can think of one thing that pretty much everyone unanimously thinks is beautiful and cool: macarons. Whether you think they’re too pretty to eat, too complicated to make, too special to have every day, special enough for everyday, or whether or not you’re human, you probably enjoy consuming macarons like I do. I had my first macaron at Bouchon in NYC, and since then I’ve been dreaming of these crunchy, elegant cookie sandwiches.
However.. have you tried making macarons? Duuuude, they are like rocket science. Or maybe I’m just really stupid. Whatever you think, it involves a precise science — measuring things to exact amounts, baking at a finite time and temperature. Very exact. And I am very… all over the place, the antithesis of a patient macaron. So I just daydream of them.. and dream of stuffing them inside of brownie bombs.
You had to know this was coming.
- 16 mini macarons, frozen (Trader Joe's makes frozen macarons--I used their chocolate & vanilla variety, but feel free to sample other flavors)
- 1 (9x13") pan fudge brownies, baked and cooled
- 1 pkg vanilla Candiquik
- 2 Tbsp each powdered sugar/cocoa powder
- Cut the pan of brownies into approx. 1" sized squares. Flatten one square gently in the heel of your hand.
- Wrap the flattened brownie around a still-frozen macaron, gently rolling the brownie around the macaron to seal it in. Roll out the bumps with your hands and place on a foil-rimmed baking sheet. Repeat with remaining bombs.
- Freeze the bombs for approx. 15-20 minutes or until firm. While freezing, prepare the Candiquik according to package directions until melted.
- Dip each bomb into the Candiquik, coating it completely and allowing excess to drip off. Return the bombs to the baking sheet. In a sifter, gently sift the cocoa powder/powdered sugar on top of the bombs.
- Store airtight, at room temperature, for a couple days. Or likewise, store them covered in the freezer for several weeks, thawing before consuming.
I love the combination of textures in this bomb–the soft, chewy brownie surrounding the crispy, crunchy macaron and the smooth coating of white chocolate on the outside. It tastes so sumptuous and decadent!
Macarons come in all kinds of flavors (personally, I’m partial to pistachio or the Fruity Pebbles kind from Dana’s Bakery), so feel free to experiment with different kinds stuffed inside of these fudgy, rich brownie bombs. Orange and raspberry would be SO yummy, or try pistachio-stuffed bombs with a cherry-white chocolate coating for a fun twist on spumoni, one of my fave ice cream flavors. You can find the miniature macarons in the frozen section at Trader Joe’s, or try picking up a dozen at specialty bakeries or supermarkets like Whole Foods and freezing them briefly before filling your bombs.
Have a delicious day!!
xo, Hayley
Stacy | Wicked Good Kitchen says
LOVE this post and recipe, Hayley! Can you just imagine what old-school French pastry chefs think? Ha! Would love to hear them rant in French. Thanks for sharing, girl!
thedomesticrebel says
Oh, I KNOOOOW I definitely pissed off some French people! 😉
Tonette Joyce says
Oh,Hayley, this is so funny! Esp about the dragonflies.Pity the poor souls who don’t know nature.I was dragged tot he desert of southeast Idaho many years ago.I complained tot he neighbors that I missed seeing trees.They said,”We’ll take you to Hot Springs; you’ll see all the trees you want.” When we got there I asked,”Where are the trees?” The man said,”Well, right there.” I looked where he pointed, up a hill. There was a line of pines, that you could see through. I yelled,”Don’t you people know what a forest is?”
I’m also laughing because I tell people that cooking isn’t rocket science! Macaroons that are made with whipping the egg whites over hot water and drizzling hot syrup into them are complicated, I will concede.
Take care!
thedomesticrebel says
Hahaha oh my gosh, that WOULD happen of course! And I think it’s in my DNA to never go anywhere without trees! Eeeek.
Pamela @ Brooklyn Farm Girl says
I could just take a bite (or 12) out of these bombs! YUM YUM YUM. Also I went to Dana’s Bakery website and oh my, I want every single kind now.. look at those flavors!
thedomesticrebel says
Right?! DYING over the caramel apple! And in the summer they had banana split! 🙂
Sarah @ Miss Candiquik says
Hey! The first time I tried macarons was at Bouchon also! Only in the Napa valley area…
And these bombs?! These look awesome! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Sophia @ NY Foodgasm says
Wow these look soooooo good! YUMMMMMM!
Nancy P.@thebittersideofsweet says
I have never tried to make macarons before. You did a beautiful job with these!
Emily @ Life on Food says
Hiking in the middle of the day is not my cup of tea. these macaron brownie bombs are. They would make my tummy very happy!
Kelly Senyei | Just a Taste says
Oh my heavens! Where do I even begin?! These look absolutely incredible!
Kayle (The Cooking Actress) says
HAYLEY! OH MY WORD! I just….I love it!!! Macaron brownie bombs…just….of course. Of course you did. *sigh* so wonderful
Nicole @ Young, Broke and Hungry says
Macaron’s are one of the few things that are better store bought because when made at home, the fail rate is like 99 percent. Love how you stuffed them into brownies!
Charley says
That story leading into the recipe was really lame. However, the macaroons are cool and you are beautiful. Does that count?
thedomesticrebel says
Fair enough 🙂
Julie @White Lights on Wednesday says
O-M-G Hayley!! I mean I’m always swooning over your bombs, but wow. This is a whole new crazy I have to try one or 5 right now combo. Love it!!
Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust says
I really, really want to make macarons. Maybe we should try it together! But we’d get distracted by sparkly things, lol. 🙂 LOVE these bombs!
Jennifer @ Not Your Momma's Cookie says
I totally scared of macarons too. It’s like some food blogger rite of passage though, so I think I’ll try it eventually! I love the idea of using TJ’s macarons -they are yummy and I bet these bombs taste fabulous!
Zainab @ Blahnik Baker says
You are AMAZING. That’s all.
Ashley @ Kitchen Meets Girl says
I think this is my favorite photoshoot of yours to-date! So awesome, Hayley!!
Nancy @ gottagetbaked says
Omg that paragraph about the dragonflies made me laugh so hard I snorted. Truth. Your photos are gorgeous and they make me want to slam my face into my computer screen in the hopes that one of these brownie bombs will end up in my mouth.