Everywhere we travel, I am always on the hunt for macarons. Ladurée still holds the title for best macarons, but It’s hard to even compete with its macaron perfection. I have thought about attempting to make my own macarons, but It seems like an intimidating process and that the stars and moon have to be perfectly aligned to get them to have the right consistency and look. Ladurée was my very first macaron and I’m not a picky eater, but their macarons spoiled me and I now hold all macarons up to their standard.
So what makes a perfect macaron? The cookie-to-filling ration should be 1:1 and 2:1. I hate biting into a macaron that has a glob of filling in It that squishes out of the side. Also, the texture and surface of the cookie should be smooth, and the crust should be thin. The texture of the crust should be just a little chewy. And the flavor and sweetness needs to be balanced and not overly sugary.
While in Dallas I searched for their top macarons. I still haven’t gone to all of the locations listed in a very helpful article that ranked all of the macarons in Dallas (Check It out here!), but I did manage to go to top 3 listed on Google: JOY Macarons, Haute Sweets Patisserie, and Chelles Macarons.
First, we went to JOY (@joymacarons) in Lower Greenville (1927 Greenville Ave.). Several people had mentioned this place so I had to check It out. The store was little and so fun! They had several flavors and I got a (super cute) box of 6 for $12 I believe. I always get a pistachio for Mike and vanilla for myself for a true test. This time I got French Vanilla, Pistachio, Lavender, Salted Caramel, Lemon, and Raspberry. Now, I was most excited to try Raspberry because It is my favorite at Ladurée, but I must say the jam was a bit too tart. The others had great flavor, but the cookies were all hollow. Also, they were all different sizes (which seemed weird to me).
Next, we went to Haute Sweets Patisserie (@hautesweetspatisserie) (10230 Northwest Highway). This shop actually won Best if the Big D 2016 for Best Bakery. The customer service was incredible and everyone was so nice! They really nailed the flavors and the consistencies were really nice! They have some pretty great chefs and some have been featured on Food Network and TLC! I would definitely recommend going here!
Finally, we checked out Chelles Macarons (@chellesmacarons) in the Dallas Farmer’s Market (920 South Harwood Street), and we unknowingly saved the best for last. They were out of the cute boxes, so we only got 2 (Pistachio & Earl Grey). Let me just say that Chelles NAILED It. The flavor, consistency, and texture were perfect. These honestly are ranked after Ladurée on my list now. The Earl Grey was absolute perfection–they were thin and light, and the flavor hit the mark! I highly recommend checking Chelles out. I believe they have another location, but if you go to this one then you can also spend several hours at the awesome Dallas Farmer’s Market!
I still need to check out the rest of the bakeries in Dallas, but It seems like Chelles takes the trophy for being the best macaron bakery in Dallas!
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