Trader Joe's macarons - any good?

[hhc]

On the TJ website there a mention of frozen macarons. Anyone try them? Worth buying?

"Trader Joe's Macarons
Ooh, aah, ooh-la-la. Small, round cookies sandwiched together with chocolate ganache or vanilla buttercream. Ooh, aah. 12 frozen Macarons are $4.99. Ooh-la-la..."

[swiftbanderilla]

I was pleasantly surprised. They were good semi-forzen but really lovely once they had thawed. They didn't make it much longer than that!

[yrpopqueen]

To me, they were delicious, but with minor caveats. Don't get me wrong- I ate the whole box and will be getting more, post-haste. Also, I've never had a proper French one, and have only tried my own hand at them twice with varying success. Here's what I thought of Trader Joes' macarons:

1. The vanilla ones were good, but powerfully sweet. The chocolate ones rich and less buttercream-y.

2. Their taste gave me the impression of astronaut ice cream, but in a good way. Is this how actual ones are supposed to be?

[jsaimd]

I think the textire thing is what people are saying when they say say dry. I thought they were fine, but haven't been tempted to buy anymore of them. A good macaron IMO has a thin crisp shell with a moist slighty chewy interior and a smooth flavorful filling (some have gelee too). I prefer ganache to buttercream, but have had some nice buttercream.

[Erika RollerGirl]

I just tried them. These are definitely going to be a "once in a blue moon" purchase for me because I enjoyed them wayyyy too much for my own good. I agree with the others who stated the vanilla was better than the chocolate but I certainly wouldn't go so far as to say the chocolate were bad by any means. Yum. I'm almost kind of sad that there's only one layer of cookies in the box at this point, ha.

[lexicaljewel]

I agree with your EXACT comment. The vanilla was heavenly, yeah, but it's not like I kicked the chocolate out of bed. ;)

[emily]

I quite like the vanilla ones directly out of the freezer. Chocolate seem a bit dry.

[gnomatic]

I thought the texture of the vanilla one was better than the chocolate one, but the flavor of the chocolate one was better. Overall, good for a quick, "cheap" macaron fix.

[hhc]

Thanks everyone for your comments & gnomatic for the pics. I'll have to buy some next time I'm at TJ.

[hhc]

I got a box & agree w/ gnomatic. The vanilla one was lighter & shattered & melted into my mouth. The chocolate one was more tough & chewy, chocolate filling a bit bitter for me. Overall, still recommended. Would still get a box if they have some after the holidays.

[chez cherie]

i feel pretty sure these will be holiday0only, so if you want them around in june, i'd stash a few boxes in the freezer. sometimes ya gotta hoard, with tj's!

[LGD]

Yum, Yum had a box over Thanksgiving

[chez cherie]

thank you, hhc. because of your post, i looked for them yesterday. i am a macaron fiend, so i was quite excited about this new product. while they do not reach my mac nirvana, they are quite good, especially for having been frozen. the texture is a little bit crisper throughout than my perfect macaron--i like them best when your teeth crunch through the outer part and then sink into a little bit of chew...but the filling is nice, and the cookies in the package i bought were all perfect--no cracks, dents or crumbles. there are six chocolate and six vanilla, and they would look very pretty on a petits fours or cookie platter.

[Hapa Dude]

I have yet to try them because the box I bought was filled with macarons that were completely shattered to smithereens. When I finally get a chance to return these, I'm going to open the box in the store to check on their condition!

[chez cherie]

you should have no trouble exchanging those for a better package. usually a receipt will do (rather than returning the package), but even if you dont have that, i think they'll happily give you another intact box! tjs is great about returns!