The Contenders

Acide – A young upstart founded in 2009 by Jonathan Blot. Does he have what it takes to go toe to toe with the titans?
Arnaud Lahrer – A home-town hero, Arnaud Lahrer shows that you don’t need high rent real estate and doilies to dish out the macarons. Find out how they fare stepping up into the big leagues.
Jean-Paul Hévin – This chocolatier brings cacao to all his cookies. Will his worship at the altar of theobroma be his savior, or his downfall?
Laduree – Laduree is the NY Yankees of macaron making. With over 150 years ruling the game, it will take a miracle to dethrone the king.
Pierre Herme – This forth generation pâtissier carried Laduree to international fame… until things got ugly. Now out on his own, can he triumph over his erstwhile masters?
McCafe by McDonalds – It’s um… McDonalds. They sell macarons here. Spoiler alert: they don’t win.

The Criteria

As with diamonds, the true worth of a macaron is governed by the 5 C’s.
Cookie: Moisture, flavor, and mouthfeel.
Crust: Flakiness, crunch, and structural integrity.
Cream: Flavor, flavor, and flavor.
Color: The most subjective of categories. General macaron appearance.
Cost: How many hard earned euros do you have to fork over for a cookie.

Each category is scored 1-5, with 5 being the highest. Thus, the score for the platonic ideal of macaron is 25.  Tiara and Ian scored each patisserie (plus McDonalds) independently, then took the average.

Fight!

Honorable (?) mention: McDonalds – Score: 15.5

Cookie: 3, Crust: 2.5, Color: 2, Cream: 3, Cost: 5 (€1.2)

Pistaccio (left) and Raspberry (right). To McDonald’s credit, these are not as bad as you would expect

In a result that surprised no one, McDonalds places dead last.

5th Place: Arnaud Lahrer – 16.5

Cookie:3, Crust: 2, Color: 3.5, Cream: 3, Cost: 5 (€1.6 for a large cookie)

Apricot was head and shoulders above the pistaccio

Pistachio/Cherry. Nice brushwork does not save a mediocre flavor

We really wanted to like these guys. The shop isn’t full of pretention like the big boys, and the price was more than fair (for a macaron). But the two cookies varied widely in ability. Pistachio was dry and artificial, while the apricot cookie was bright and moist. In the end, they fell to the bottom of the pack.

4th Place: Pierre Herme – 16.5

Cookie: 3, Crust: 3.5, Color: 5, Cream: 3, Cost: 2 (€2.2)

Citrus tea (left) and pistachio (right). A+ on presentation, C+ on everything else

In what surely amounts to an upset, Pierre Herme tied for last place among patisseries. In the event of a tie we award to the cookie with a lower price score (given that the other cookie attributes were thus higher).

Presentation/color was excellent, but otherwise scores were very average across the board.

Bronze Medal: Jean Paul Hevin – 19

Cookie: 3, Crust: 4.5, Color: 4, Cream: 2.5, Cost: 5 (€1.3)

It looks like a thin mint, but it’s actually pistachio chocolate.

Framboise on the outside, chocolate on the inside. Tiara was… disappointed.

Clocking in at almost a full euro less than Piere Herme, Jean-Paul Hevin definitely was the biggest bargain in macarons.

Scoring was contentious, as Ian’s love for chocolate squared off against Tiara’s ambivalence. If you’re a chocolate lover, move these cookies up a rank, if you’re not, maybe down.

Silver Medal: Laduree  – 19

Cookie: 3, Crust: 3.5, Color: 4.5, Cream: 3.5, Cost: 3 (€2)

pistachio (left) and framboise (right). Notice the uncanny similarity to McCafe’s offering

Laduree was our most divisive cookie, with Tiara rating higher on fully three attributes.  Even with all the hate from the Ian corner, Laduree still delivers first-rate cookies at (near) top of market prices. The biggest complaint was subdued flavors that took a back seat to the sugar content.

Biscuit d’Or: Acide Macaron – 21

Cookie: 3.5, Crust: 3.5, Color: 5, Cream: 5, Cost: 4 (€1.4 for a smallish cookie)

Yuzu and earl grey (left) and passion fruit (right)

Pistachio and orange blossom (left) and strawberry mint (right)

These were the only macarons that were so good we immediately went back for seconds. While cost, cookie and crust were merely above average, the presentation and bright cream flavor carried the day. The introduction of more exotic flavors and combinations also helped set Acide apart from the pack.

Traditionalists might be put off by the splashy colors and flavors, but the Wander Europe team is willing to recognize a genre bending masterpiece.The passion fruit macaron was hands down the best macaron we had the pleasure of eating, and earned Acide the coveted Wander Europe Biscuit D’Or.