[ma-ka-rohn] Is the Online Macaron Delivery Shop That’s ACTUALLY Affordable
If you've ever had a delicately crisp, cream-filled macaron, then you know that they're a delightful dessert to be treasured.
Unfortunately, these elegant treats can be pretty tough to come by—and even when you can find them, they're usually available for $3 to $4 per piece. They're delicious, so it's often totally worth it, but not everyone has that kind of cash to drop.
So when I stumbled across [ma-ka-rohn] on Instagram, I knew I had to give them a look. Not only does the company deliver macarons nationwide, but they come at actually affordable prices. Plus, I appreciate that they're trying to educate people on the correct spelling and pronunciation of macaron—since people calling them "macaroons" is a pet peeve of mine, and I'm totally obnoxious about it.
I reached out to [ma-ka-rohn], who very kindly sent me a "Suprise Me Pack" of two dozen macarons to try and review myself.
The Product
[ma-ka-rohn] is a Florida-based macaron company that ships everywhere in the United States (including Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico). Their ever-rotating menu currently contains more than 20 flavors, including everything from cookie butter and fruity pebble, to butterbeer and rose.
Best of all, their macarons are more affordable than ones I've seen anywhere else. Most of their products cost $1.99 each, with fancier ones still a reasonable $2.49. Even their specialty packs of a dozen macarons cost $27.99 each. For comparison, my local macaron shop sells their standard dozen for $32. They're also made to last, staying good for up to a month in the freezer, or a week in the fridge.
While I assumed that they'd more than make up for that discount in the shipping cost, I was surprised to find that wasn't the case at all. Standard shipping is $10—which is really good compared to other perishables I've had delivered—and there's free shipping on orders over $69.
Of course, the real test would come in tasting them to see if they were any good.
The Flavors
My macarons arrived in a big protective envelope with ice packs to ensure that they'd stay cold and fresh. The pack consisted of two dozen desserts in 12 different flavors, but because my box of macarons was a surprise pack, I had to use the provided flavor guide (and my sense of taste) to suss out which flavors were which. Each time I took them out to taste, I had a tough time waiting 15 minutes for them to soften up to perfection. Still, it was worth it in the end.
Reese's
I've always been a big fan of chocolate and peanut butter together, so I was excited to dig into the Reese's-flavored macaron. The vibrant orange biscuit made me think of the wrapper of a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup, and its peanut buttery flavor reminded me of the crispy filling of a Butterfinger—particularly when a nibble included one of the chocolate sprinkled on the egg-shell crust. The creme itself was delicately flavored with peanut butter, with a little dollop of rich chocolate filling in the very center. While I might have liked more chocolate throughout, the overall taste was still extremely good.
Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Caramel
With a chocolate shell and a chocolate-y ganache filling, this macaron is a winner for cocoa-lovers. The chocolate center has just a little bit of salt, making it all too easy to scarf down, and the rich salted caramel center is like a hidden gem inside of something that's already delicious.
Pumpkin Cheesecake
A few of the macarons in the box have light orange crusts, so I wasn't quite sure which flavor I was biting into at the start, but as soon as the taste hit me, I knew I was eating the pumpkin cheesecake flavor. It had the fragrant smell of pumpkin spice, and the flavor reminded me of a spicy latte. There's a hint of cream cheesy goodness in the filling, bringing the whole taste together.
Fruity Pebble
Biting into this macaron actually put a smile on my face because the shell tasted exactly like a spoonful of Fruity Pebbles cereal. Even the creme in the center tasted like cereal milk, making for a unique and very effective combination.
Crème Brûlée
The flavors in the crème brûlée macaron were soft, but effective. Both the shell and the rich filling on the inside tasted like custard, and the toasty top of the dessert was beautifully simulated with the gold coloring. The flavor may not be bold, but it works.
Vanilla
Vanilla can either be totally boring or an instant classic, and this one is the latter. The shells tasted like an airy, only slightly crisp sugar cookie, and the buttery cream filling was the perfect complement to them. I could eat this flavor all day and never get sick of it.
Butterbeer
Did I mention that [ma-ka-rohn] has multiple Harry Potter-themed items on their menu? While the shop carried Polyjuice Potion, Chocolate Frog and Fizzing Whizbees flavors, I tried the Butterbeer flavor, which comes in Gryffindor crimson and gold. Both the shell and the cream had a strong butterscotch flavor that brought the Three Broomsticks drink to life.
Birthday Cake
You really can't go wrong with a birthday cake-flavored dessert, and this was no exception. The shells were covered in cute, colorful sprinkles and tasted of yellow cake, and the light buttercream filling also had a slight cake flavoring. These were as festive as they were tasty.
Brownie Batter
If you like licking raw brownie batter from the mixing spoon, you'll like this macaron. The combination of rich chocolate with just the right hint of salt perfectly evokes the sensation of eating pre-baked brownies, and you don't even have to worry about getting salmonella poisoning when you eat it.
Salted Caramel
These salted caramel macarons were a little subtler than I expected, but I still loved them. The crusts were lightly caramel-y, with the real flavor coming from bits of salted caramel nestled in the buttercream. The combination of a hint of salt with a lot of sweetness is very successful.
Toasted Marshmallow
I don't quite understand why the toasted marshmallow flavor came in this vibrant blue color, but I did think it was quite pretty. The marshmallow filling even had light toast marks on it. While the shells tasted like the plain vanilla ones, the fluffy marshmallows inside were the real deal, and had the buttery, nutty flavor of toasted marshmallows wherever they were browned. If it were up to me, this would have been all over, but I really can't complain about the taste.
Cookie Butter
As someone who bought myself a new jar of cookie butter just a couple of weeks ago, I was very excited to try this macaron, and it didn't disappoint. Both the shell and the cream tasted of cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg, giving off the effect of a spiced gingerbread cookie. It was the perfect final macaron to try just ahead of the holidays.
Bottom Line
Flavor-wise, I had absolutely no complaints about [ma-ka-rohn]'s offerings. Every flavor was unique and truly tasty, and I think the strong flavors will probably have a wider appeal than the more dainty ones that are traditional of French macarons. The texture was also spot-on—at least after I let them thaw for a little while. If you're impatient (like I was at times) and eat them right out of the fridge, they'll be tougher and more brittle than they are at the optimal temperature.
While they don't offer all of the traditional flavors (my favorite, lemon, is sadly missing from the menu) the ones they do have are all worth trying, and the price is right, too. Ordering a dozen macarons at another shop might set you back $40, rather than [ma-ka-rohn]'s $24—and that's before pricey shipping fees are tacked on to the other places.
If you want to send someone you love (or yourself!) a box in time for the holidays, there are only a few days left to do so. If I had to make one complaint, it's that they were gone in a flash because we couldn't stop eating them at home. At least I already know what I'm ordering when Mother's Day rolls around next year.
The aesthetic of a macaron can be just as important as the flavor. Click HERE for the cutest macarons on Instagram.