Best Macarons In Baltimore
Macarons, if you've never had them, are little meringue-like cookies that melt in your mouth, and they make for good eating with coffee or as a dessert with a nice cafe meal. Unlike traditional cookies, they are made of ground nut flour, so they are a great gluten-free treat. Italian in origin, the recipe has been somewhat commandeered and modified by the French with unique style and flavorings. Whether Italian or French, macarons offer a mouthful of deliciousness. And since Baltimore is crammed with bakeries and has its own Little Italy to boot, you're likely to find a macaron to fit your cravings.
Patisserie Poupon
225 N. Charles St.
Baltimore, MD 21201
(443) 573-4620
www.patisseriepoupon.net
Patisserie Poupon keeps the cakes and pastries rolling out of the ovens with a variety of convenient sizes while maintaining affordable prices. If you aren't in the mood for sweets, grab one of the savory baked goods, such as the tasty quiche. This bakery also offers quality coffee, which can't be said for every similar establishment. Grab a double espresso shot, and then once you have loaded up your cup with some Joe, make sure you load up your mouth with one of the amazing macarons that have put the name Patisserie Poupon on the map.
Afters Cafe
1001 S. Charles St.
Baltimore, MD 21230
(410) 244-0909
www.facebook.com/Afters-Cafe
Afters Cafe is a small cozy spot to stop in and grab any one of a number of beverages, frozen yogurts or pastries, all of which are quite creative. You might consider trying a flavored spice latte, one of the ingenious house-made juice drinks or something like the passion fruit bubble tea.
Once you've made your drink selection, heading straight for the pastries, specifically, the macarons. Afters makes its macarons French-style, and they are uniquely flavored with such tastes as cassis and passion fruit.
Hamilton Bakery
5414 Harford Road
Baltimore, MD 21214
(410) 254-0797
www.hamiltonbakery.com
Hamilton Bakery is a great place to go for a meal or just to hang out, with free WiFi and $1 refills on its home-blend of coffee if the customers bring their own mugs. The bakery serves breakfast and lunch, and if you are just there for a treat, it offers fresh artisan breads, hand shaped pastries and custom cakes and desserts. If you happen to be in the market for gluten free baked goods, Hamilton Bakery has you covered as well. The baekery has three specific items that will fit the bill: peanut butter cookies, frangipane tarts and macarons. The macarons are made with almond flour and are absolutely delicious, making the trip well worth it for these goodies alone.
Bonjour
6070 Falls Road
Baltimore, MD 21209
(410) 372-0238
bonjourbakerycafe.com
With a name like "Bonjour," you kind of know what you're getting into when you stroll into this place. And as you might have guessed, Bonjour is, in fact, a French bakery and cafe. The place is actually owned and run by a French chef. It serves artisan breads, baked goods and traditional French-roasted coffee, which you may enjoy along with any of the traditional French-made pastries and sweets. One such sweet is its signature French macarons, which were actually included in a "Best of Baltimore." Bonjour sells its macarons by the dozen, so double down and dig in!
Flavor Cupcakery
10253 York Road
Cockeysville, MD 21030
(410) 891-8220
flavorcupcakery.com
Cupcakes have really begun to come into their own as an independent baked good. So much so that entire businesses have sprung up centered around these miniature frosted cakes. Flavor Cupcakery is a great example of this. Founded by Shelly Stannard, this entire business exists because she loves cupcakes. But macarons also take up an impressive part of her cookbook, since Flavor Cupcakery has an entire section devoted just to them on the menu. Shelly serves up a variety of delicious French macarons in every color of the rainbow, and she fills hers with ganache, buttercream or jam.
Related: Best Banana Bread In Baltimore
Joel Furches is a freelance writer and researcher for The Examiner and Logos Software, and also manages his own catalog of writing on Hub Pages. Joel is on the board of directors for Ratio Christi. He has a bachelors in Psychology and a Masters in Education.
