Friday, November 18, 2011

MAC ATTACK #25 THE LAST OF THE YEAR: SEASONS & HOLIDAYS

THE END OF THE YEAR: SEASONS & HOLIDAYS


‘Tis the season to be jolly….. In fact, ‘Tis the season to be busy! Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas with New Year’s Eve dashing in before the door of 2011 shuts closed with a bang, we are up to our ears in baking, cooking, visiting, shopping, making list upon list of guests, gifts and recipes. The season turns chilly, summer has already faded into a gorgeous gold and red autumn and soon winter will blast in, bursting open the door on gale winds or fluttering in on the first gentle snow. And as the holiday spirit takes over, as our visits to our local markets leave us wide eyed in wonder at the spectacular cornucopia of fruits and vegetables in shades of burnt orange, golden yellow, musty creams and chocolaty browns, jade and garnet, as the aroma of cinnamon and caramel float through the air, our thoughts turn to macarons.

Late as usual, Deeba and Jamie have decided to turn it around and make our lateness our holiday gift to you! Instead of the usual 3 weeks to make your fabulous, stunning Macarons, you have 6 weeks to come up with as many as you please! But what, you wonder, scratching your head, no doubt leaving traces of flour in your hair from all the holiday baking, what is the theme? Well, let the seasons and her holidays inspire you… and make as many as you please!

Think COLOR: from the golds, oranges, yellows, reds and all the gorgeous shades of violet of Autumn to stunning Winter White. From the colors of a Thanksgiving Table to Hanukkah blue & white to Christmas’ cheery red and green.

Think FLAVOR: Pumpkin, citrus (yes, as summery cool as lemon and orange are, citrus is winter fruit!), pomegranate, fig, chestnut, apple or pear or any other fruit or vegetable star of the Autumn or Winter season! Be creative! Make it delicious! Or go celebratory with a kiss of cognac, a splash of Champagne, the sweetness of candy canes, the surprise of foie gras!

Think HOLIDAY! Need I spell it out for you? Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day! Any I am forgetting? Theme it, baby, make it work! Surprise us! Holiday nibblies, fun snack for the kids while baking Christmas cookies, elegant hors d’oeuvres while sipping Champagne, and gifts galore!


This is the season of office parties, school parties, parties at home and cozy family gatherings around a roaring blaze. Large, rambunctious, festive meals with family or sophisticated soirées with friends. Platter of cookies and milk morph into platters of macarons and milk placed out for Santa or a special snack filled with jam to be shared with those you love in the glow of the Hanukkah candles. Put on a party hat and wait for the fireworks while enjoying a multi-colored platter of macarons! Or bake away the same old same old Thanksgiving pies and turn those flavors into light, delicate, ethereal French macs!

So, dress in your seasonal colors, put on your holiday hats and let the festivities begin! Your Mac Attack challenge lets you use your creativity and imagination, slip into the season and get in the holiday spirit and MacBake!


You know the rules…they never change!

1. When you post your Mac Attack macarons on your blog, make sure that you mention the Mactweets Mac Attack challenge in your post and link back to the Mactweets blog. Please make sure that your Mac Attack #25 Seasons & Holidays Macarons are inspired by the theme!

2. Please link back to this challenge on your post.

3. Feel free to promote the Mactweets blog by proudly displaying the Mactweets badge in your Mac Attack post as well as in your sidebar! It isn't mandatory but is a nice way to get the word out!

4. Have your Seasonal or Holiday Macarons posted on your own blog by January 1, 2012. And being just a little bit late never hurt anybody...

5. Once your post is up, simply leave the link to the post as a comment to this Mac Attack Challenge post!

The round up will be posted on or about January 5, 2012!

And have a very sweet holiday season!


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38 comments:

  1. I have egg whites in my fridge right now :)

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  2. To celebrate Winter (the first snow has already fallen here !) I made these white macarons. Instead of almond I used coconut powder to make the macarons very white... like a fresh falling show..

    enjoy !

    http://maminicuisine.blogspot.com/2011/11/macarons-la-noix-de-coco.html

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  3. I'm super excited. I can finally enter the challenge!! I have 2 holiday posts:

    Thanksgiving:
    http://themacaronqueen.blogspot.com/2011/11/thanksgiving-mac-tower.html

    &

    Christmas: http://themacaronqueen.blogspot.com/2011/11/velvety-christmas-organic-natural.html

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  4. Mac attack! Oh my...I 'm thinking, I'm thinking ;D

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  5. Wonderful! With so many occasions/macarons to make at this time of year, this challenge is perfect!

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  6. So excited!!

    This is my christmas snowman macarons :)
    http://macaron-fetish.blogspot.com/2011/11/snowman-macarons-cinnamon-anise.html

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  7. Orange Macarons with Aperol Buttercream! http://tinyurl.com/7yfoug3

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  8. I have some Halloween macarons here;

    http://www.craftstorming.com/2011/10/halloween-macarons-scream-versus-jack-skellington

    I've got some Christmas ones to post soon too :)

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  9. These are my Christmas Pudding macarons;

    http://www.craftstorming.com/2011/11/christmas-pudding-macarons-with-italian-meringue-brandy-buttercream

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  10. Festive macarons for the Holidays... :)

    http://maminicuisine.blogspot.com/2011/11/macarons-bonhommes-de-neige.html

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  11. Pumpkin pie macarons :)

    http://www.eatlivetravelwrite.com/2011/11/pumpkin-pie-macarons/

    Happy Thanksgiving to all those who celebrate. I will hopefully get some Christmas ones up too!

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  12. Yet another super inspiration, Jamie and Deeba. Let's see...

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  13. Galanga Macarons with Crunchy Speculoos Filling! http://tinyurl.com/77bdyy8

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  14. Macarons that looks like christmas candies

    http://maminicuisine.blogspot.com/2011/12/macarons-bonbons-de-noel.html

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  15. Mine's up! Happy X'mas beautiful people!

    http://kitchenguardian.blogspot.com/2011/11/macadamia-nut-brittle-caramel.html

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  16. It's been a very long time, but here is my entry: cinnamon apple, peppermint chocolate, strawberry'n cream macarons :) Enjoy!

    http://faceyourbatter.blogspot.com/2011/12/tis-season-to-be-jolly-christmas-macs.html

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  17. It has been a while but Christmas Macarons just had to be done.

    Mince Pie Macarons

    http://theartofbeingperfect.blogspot.com/2011/12/christmas-baking-mince-pie-macaron.html

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  18. How to use up failed macarons - Festive Macaron Rocky Road posted on the blog here:

    http://bubbleandsweet.blogspot.com/2011/12/festive-macaron-rocky-road-or-things-to.html

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  19. Enjoy some French marrons glacés - sweet vanilla chestnut macarons for Christmas. Sure beats a carrot this year for Santa, hehe. Thanks so much to Jamie and Deeba for hosting another fun macaron event! Happy preparations, everyone.
    http://madaboutmacarons.com/2011/12/marron-glace-chestnut-macarons-holiday-season/

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  20. Aha! Gingerbread (Pain d'Épice) Macarons filled with Chocolate Chestnut Cognac Ganache. Yum!

    http://lifesafeast.blogspot.com/2011/12/macarons-pain-depice-gingerbread.html

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  21. Gingerbread Man Macarons with White Chocolate and Gingerbread Ganache

    http://www.craftstorming.com/2011/12/gingerbread-man-macarons

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  22. Ok last one, I promise! Thank you Jamie and Deeba for the holiday macaron magic and Happy holidays to all Mactweeters! Vanilla Spearmint Macarons http://tinyurl.com/6m4tgpa

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  23. Ladies - I have been a terrible friend and fellow baker! Hate that we all have lost a bit of touch, and have not skyped at all this year! I am going to surprise you with this post, and in 2012!! Looking forward to baking together - very soon!!

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  24. The ultimate sugar-sweet treat!

    White chocolate & peppermint candy cane macarons for a festive feast http://thelittleloaf.wordpress.com/2011/12/21/white-chocolate-peppermint-candy-cane-macarons/

    Whatever you're celebrating, have a happy holidays mactweeters :-)

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  25. Happy holidays and merry christmas my fellow mactweeters!

    I made some simple candy cane macarons for the challenge : http://testwithskewer.blogspot.com/2011/12/sweet-wishes.html.

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  26. I whipped up another batch of fun mac's RUDOLF macarons with little red nose mac's. Blogged here http://bubbleandsweet.blogspot.com/2011/12/rudolf-macarons-ginger-spice-latte-macs.html

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  27. Thank you for the gift of time with this challenge! I was inspired by my favorite coffee drink, Peppermint Mocha Macarons. Happy Holidays to all.

    http://ailovebaking.com/2011/12/24/thankful-to-get-a-post-out-the-big-50-and-some-meaningful-giveaways/

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  28. A simple Holiday decoration to do with macarons...

    http://maminicuisine.blogspot.com/2011/12/la-buche-du-reveillon.html

    Merry Christmas to all !

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  29. My second round for this Mactweets:

    Merry Macarons for the Holidays!

    http://www.eatlivetravelwrite.com/2011/12/merry-macarons-for-the-holidays/

    Hope everyone is enjoying a wonderful holiday season!

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  30. 1st entry for Mactweets... I need to get my act into gear if I'm going to submit another post!

    http://ladymacaron20ten.blogspot.com/2011/12/salted-vanilla-caramel-macarons.html

    Some pretty awesome entries so far.

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  31. Yay ...finally got a foot in the door! Lebkuchen and Garam Masala Macarons with a salted butter caramel buttercream {http://www.passionateaboutbaking.com/2011/12/baking-lebkuchen-garam-masala-macarons-and-the-failings-of-my-sourdough-experiment-blame-scrooge.html}

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  32. I am in, I am in, this time. Can you believe it?
    And it is not even past deadline too...
    here are my Chestnut and Pistachio macarons, very festive: http://foodblog.paulchens.org/?p=5282

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  33. Sparkling macarons for 2012, and a Happy New Year !

    http://maminicuisine.blogspot.com/2011/12/macarons-etincellants-du-nouvel_31.html

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  34. I've been a very bad, bad girl...

    http://ladymacaron20ten.blogspot.com/2012/01/donna-hay-almond-macaron-with-chocolate.html

    Happy New Year!

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  35. OK, today I've been very good!

    http://ladymacaron20ten.blogspot.com/2012/01/3-macaron-flavours-in-one-day-violet.html

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  36. Here's my Choco Cran for Xmas:
    http://pattyanddavid.blogspot.com/2011/12/chocolate-cranberry-macs.html

    Here's my pumpkin for Thanksgiving:
    http://pattyanddavid.blogspot.com/2011/11/pumpkin-spice-macaron.html

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  37. Oops.. I might be a little late but really hoping I can make it for it's my first Mactweets challenge.

    Here's my Hazelnut macarons with peppermint white choc ganache
    http://j0annesim.wordpress.com/2011/12/19/merry-macaron-making/

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