Princess macarons and giftwrapping: cutest project ever.

Purple: cassis. Pink: coffee. Why a pink coffee-flavored cookie? Because pink is pretty, that's why!

I am completely obsessed. Today I baked my fourth and fifth batches of macarons in 3 days, and I can't stop making them. Or eating them. If you've tried these gorgeous little indulgences, you know exactly what I mean. It all started three Christmases ago, when I ordered several dozen from L'Epicerie as a gift for my husband. They were fabulous; a crisp outer shell gave way to a chewy, soft center, and between each cookie, an intensely flavored filling. I chose the classic flavors: coffee, vanilla, lemon, raspberry, and pistachio.

Then last weekend, I stumbled upon a food tumblr that had a pretty photo of colorful macarons. That led to a google images search, which yielded a shockingly beautiful collection of macaron pictures. I never considered trying to make my own, but that was before I searched YouTube for how-tos. Here's the best one I found, courtesy of FoodNouveau.

Naturally, once I made a ton of cookies, I started thinking about how I'd package them. For my friend April, I made a simple Parisian-themed wrapping. Call me old-fashioned, but I like matching the wrapping elements to the cookies.

These are straight-up princess cookies.

Then I remembered my bows-to-go boxes and realized they'd make a cute container for the macarons, too!

I encourage you to try making your own macarons. They might seem intimidating, and the process is a bit technical, but once you get the hang of it, it's a piece of cake. Well, you know what I mean. Valentine's Day is about a month away, so you've got time to practice. Give your sweetheart something beautiful, tasty, and handmade!

Good luck - give pretty!