It seems like every other food blog out there has a picture or entry about these colorful pastry delicacies. Sure, French Macarons are a food photographer’s indulgence. Even a polaroid photo of these pretty little things will make your mouth water.

I love cooking but I’m baking-challenged. Cooking is a flexible improvisational exercise. Baking is a precise no-room-for-error business. But life is full of challenges, right? So I attended a “How To Make French Macarons” hands-on class at The Grove’s Sur La Table yesterday.

And the French Macaron marathon started. I’m still exhausted from the almost 3 hours that it took to make 30 chocolate Macarons…and all prep work was done for us…and I had a partner.

My quick take on it is that I don’t feel right about aging egg whites for 3 days in my counter or expending a mini-fortune buying essential items to make these little baking nightmares.

Although the class was fun and it’s always a blast to meet new people especially in the kitchen,  I was relieved to come home and share the experience with my family. The kids enjoyed the colorful treats and enthusiastically asked: “Can you make more for us tomorrow?”

“No”, I said. “But we can certainly buy them.”