Macaronimo bars…..not!

Prologue

I had it all worked out….

IMG_2918The world’s first Macaronimo bar…..cousin, sibling and friend to the Canadian Nanaimo. I didn’t care much for finding feet….as long as the macarons worked, it would be fine.

IMG_2329The macarons would replace the graham crackers….and all would go swimmingly well…..or not as things turned out.

IMG_2985My base was fine….the middle was not and so the solid top did nothing to save it! It all quietly…..flowed away! Note, this post could be titled ‘When disaster came’.

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The whole story

We have a funny relationship….
Sometimes I think I’m the master….and he’s not…..
And at other times, I know he is fickle, for sure…..
When he triumphs and……I am left spinning with confusion

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And though our encounters are few and far between,
Each one leaves me more confused than the last
I run through the whole gamut of emotions
Exhilaration and success. And then…..doubt follows swiftly

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Our first meeting is a veritable delight…..
Everyone leaves happy….and fulfilled
And our second meeting is more good than bad….
He shows some of the traits I find so appealing
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But he is not his usual self….there’s something missing.
I think to myself, that it is my late planning, and my desire to try new things
But still, we find a lot to do together.
Its our third encounter that throws my tail in a spin
My best laid plans…..up in the air with nary a warning.

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What should have been an outpouring of ♥….
A celebration of knowing each other….
…..is not
He refuses to give up himself…..on many counts
His feet are well, rather…non existent.
Miniscule at best

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As for his smooth, shiny top – that doesn’t make an appearance….at all.
Broken and cracked is a better description…
But ok, that’s not at all an issue,
I am determined we will make it work
Reuse, Reduce, Recycle…..and so the Macronimo is born….
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But barely so….
Everything works out well at the base….
But then the centre will not hold.
And my mind is taken to Chinua Achebe and his ‘Things fall apart’!
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It must be a combination of using half-fat/half arsed butter…..
Procured by mistake but the creamy centre filling….
never becomes creamy…..though it attempts to fill.
The chocolate topping, goes on all right and I…vainly hope
As I slide the plate into the refrigerator that all will be well.
The centre will thicken and the maconimo will be born!
But that will not be on this occasion.
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As soon as it is ready, I have a look…..and then a taste…..
And while the base is yummy, the rest pays it no heed
And so it doesn’t end up in tummy…..but in the bin!

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And so goes my MacTweets Valentine challenge………………..


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Better luck next month!

Epilogue

I ‘think’ I know where things went wrong….and why I ended up with Bitterkoekjes aka almond macarons

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I used vanilla sugar – which was powder/icing/confectioners….but I’m not sure it was pure!

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I made my sugar syrup on another hob…..and somehow the whole process went wrong. By the time I was set to drizzle the syrup in, it had caramelized in bits and those came back to haunt me….

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And because this failed, I went on to make spectacular….rather delicious meringues…..a first. To be continued…..

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[wpurp-searchable-recipe]Macaronimo bars…..not! – – – [/wpurp-searchable-recipe]

49 Comments

  1. I can’t even understand what you were trying to do?? Or how or why the center melted? Would have been so much better if you had written out what you were doing without the prose so we could learn from your experience! 🙁

  2. Fantastic post!! I love that you turned the failures into Nanaimo Bars, although to me, NOT a failure. They look delcious! You want to see failure, pop on over to my blog LOL

  3. How I love this post. Great try though, it just makes the success that much sweeter. Btw, I love that remark about half-arsed butter!!

  4. I love your posts, Oz. I’ve tried macs once, and they were a spectacular failure. I have a hard time getting motivated to try them again, because I can get wonderful ones just down the street. However, your post is making me think about trying them again…danger zone!

    I lovelovelove that last photo, with the ghost of a heart. BRAVA!

  5. Love, love your post. 🙂
    Wish I could see all my Mac Failures in such a funny light! LOL
    Don’t think Chinua Achebe was quite thinking of macs when he wrote the book, though he doesn’t know how apt the title is! 😀

  6. Well, you got lemons but ended up making lemonade. And still, your valentine cookies LOOK good, even though you threw them out.
    Frankly, I’m scared to death to make macarons.

  7. Well, the great things about hybrids is that no one knows what they are supposed to look like in the end! had you not told us it was a disaster I would have thought otherwise! – well, I actually still do – they do look pretty darn edible to me!

  8. This is why I’m still running away for Macarins. Everyday i tell myself, i should try them today … n then …. errr it never happens … lol
    But i really enjoyed your post, and i bet they taste great anyways !

  9. Oh hun, sorry this didn’t work this time for it was a wonderful idea. Aside from the feet, it looks like your custard cream layer was too runny, mine was more consistency of buttercream icing so maybe you need more icing sugar in it next time.

    At least you’ve invented a new word! Macaronimo… sounds like Geronimo!

  10. Gosh, I feel your pain. I had many a macaron disaster in my early attempts. I must say it gets easier, with practise. Often it’s just the small things – oven temperature, mixing – that have a big impact. I have managed to conquer the Italian method, and just had my first success with French. So pretty happy with that. Oh, but that’s after making almost 30 batches, driven by an obsession that started a few years ago!! 🙂

  11. Gosh, I feel your pain. I had many a macaron disaster in my early attempts. I must say it gets easier, with practise. Often it’s just the small things – oven temperature, mixing – that have a big impact. I have managed to conqueur the Italian method, and just had my first success with French. So pretty happy with that. Oh, but that’s after making almost 30 batches, driven by an obsession that started a few years ago!! 🙂

  12. A very creative uses of macarons. I’m sure that you will find success. I’ve only made macarons a couple of times, but I used ground almond (almond flour) and had great success.
    Mimi

    • Mimi….and its not as if I really like macs, I guess its the thrill of the challenge. I also use almond flour but the italian method calls for mixing in egg whites beore adding to the meringue…which is why that looks like almond paste.

  13. As you read, I’m a walking mac disaster. I had many like yours, and finally found feet on my 6th attempt again. Loved your tale of woe, and will gladly take a macaronimo bar!! I think we are alternate bakers LOL!
    You, me & Sarah could write a book on macfailures, and how to ‘dessert’ them!!
    {HUGS}

  14. I am so glad that you are my friend because you are just so clever and funny and whimsical! I am so sorry for your, um, disaster shall we say? But it did lead to a wonderful tale that was gripping all the way to the end. And though the bars may not have been tasty they were awfully pretty. I will be waiting for next month’s installment….

  15. You aren’t the only one. I have mac failures many times too. From the pic, I see that your almond is a paste. From what I know, the almond has to be ground and dry. I love your creation and I can hear you as if you are sitting right besides me. 🙂 U are a gem!

    • The cooking Ninja….:-). Yes it is paste – but that’s a mixture of the almond flour and the egg white…as per the Italian method….

  16. I read somewhere that macs crack if the oven is too hot. I love the way you say that you are not sure if the vanilla sugar was pure… lol, sounds like u are talking about crack daaaaaaahling LOL! Cant wait to hear what happened on the next post.
    *kissese* HH

  17. I love your take on the nanaimo bar/ macs! I, too made a hybrid mac this time – Macingtons a cross between lamingtons and macs. Yours are just sheer genius!! I love how we’re all making up new recipes with our feetless macs!

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