French Pastry Wonderland

During our trip to the Alsace region of France, we had the oppurtunity to visit many Patisseries and sample some delicious things.  We found these French macarons; I've never seen them in real life before, but I've seen them ALL over the internet for years!!  I was SO excited to see them in person!  We had to buy some; they are so delicious.  Light, delicate, with creamy centers.  My favorite flavors were Salted Butter Caramel, Raspberry-Vanilla, and just Vanilla.  The Raspberry-Vanilla had a real raspberry in the center of the filling!  There were so many flavors and colors; it was hard to choose.  We bought a box of seven and shared them all with each other and the kids. 

Here are some other treats made by the Macaron Pastry shop (below).  Works of art!

Before the macaron place, we hit an old favorite.  We've been to this other shop at least 3 times in the past few years.  They have delicious Eclairs and other treats, and very, very good baguettes and croissants.  Our "old favorite" shop is pictured below.  I have another similar pic on my blog from a few years ago.  Below that, a photo of the eclairs we bought and ate in a park. 

The Eclair shop also featured hand-made chocolates and special cakes made in the Alsace region.  They are baked in special pans that look like mini bundt pans.  We wanted to sample more, but one can only eat so many pastries before one explodes.  :) 

**This post and photos are property of http://dishingwithdish.blogspot.com/ **