Macarons are a favorite treat in my household. This meringue-based dessert features jam, ganache, or buttercream filling sandwiched between two pastry pieces. Macarons look like a fancy sandwich cookie, and it’s believed macarons originated in France during the Renaissance in the 15th or 16th centuries. The pastry or sandwich cookie portions of a macaron have a distinct rounded top with a ruffled bottom or “foot.”
Macarons have a reputation for being difficult or fussy to make at home, although they’re not impossible to create from scratch if you’re patient and conscientious. While I enjoy baking and cooking, I prefer to save myself the work and simply buy store-bought macarons. I typically buy macarons from Aldi or from Trader Joe’s, which is a cousin to Aldi. Both stores stock imported macarons all year, and they’re quite good — better than some I’ve purchased at bakeries that don’t necessarily specialize in macarons.
Additionally, in the spring, Aldi sometimes sells limited-time seasonal macaron flavors that are different from the flavors that are usually available year round.
Specially Selected Spring Assortment Macarons cost $4.59 for a 4.65-ounce package that contains 12 macarons at the time of publication. The macarons are a product of Belgium.
These are an Aldi Find, so they’re only in stores for a short time. Aldi does not offer online ordering for specials that aren’t in stock at your local store.
Flavors in this package include two each of:
- blueberry
- raspberry
- blood orange
- coconut
- pistachio
- lemon
Some of the spring macaron flavors are identical to the flavors found in the classic Regular Buy Aldi macarons, including raspberry, pistachio, and lemon. However, this spring assortment is the only time you’ll find blueberry, blood orange, or coconut macarons at Aldi.
They should be kept frozen. When ready to serve them, remove your desired number of macarons from the packaging and arrange them on a serving dish. Allow them to defrost for about 30 minutes at room temperature, or for optimal taste sensation, defrost them for about 45 minutes in the refrigerator and then 20 minutes at room temperature. Once defrosted, store these in the refrigerator and eat them within 5 days. (As if they’ll last that long.)
Specially Selected Spring Assortment Macarons nutrition information and ingredients. (Click to enlarge.)
If you’re looking out for allergens, these contain tree nuts (almonds, hazelnuts, pistachio nuts), eggs, and milk. They may contain wheat, peanuts, and other tree nuts.
One package of these macarons contains 4 servings (3 macarons each). Three macarons will net you 150 calories, 7 grams of total fat (9% DV), 2.5 grams of saturated fat (13% DV), 19 grams of total carbohydrates (7% DV), 18 grams of total sugars, 14 grams of added sugars (29% DV), and 3 grams of protein.
Flavors from top to bottom: raspberry, lemon, blood orange, coconut, pistachio, and blueberry.
As mentioned earlier, my family loves macarons, and this special flavor assortment is no different. We usually have a hard time letting these defrost before we begin enjoying them.
In terms of texture, these are just what macarons should be: a light, crispy outer layer and soft and chewy on the inside.
All of the flavors are distinct and easy to identify by taste, although you should choose carefully from the tray if you’re looking for a specific flavor because the colors aren’t always obvious indicators of flavor at first glance.
I like the citrus flavors in this collection, including the lemon (which is nice and tart) and the blood orange. They’re light and remind me of spring. The coconut flavored macarons also impart some thoughts of spring and warmer weather to come. Some family members really liked the blueberry flavor, while others didn’t care for that one as much. Raspberry is always a crowd pleaser, while the pistachio flavor was good but probably not a big standout. (As a gardener, I also noted with irony that blueberries and raspberries are summer fruits rather than spring fruits, but oh, well.)
Really, there are no bad macaron flavors from Aldi. I love the flavors in the Regular Buy macaron assortment at the discount grocer, but this spring assortment is a nice changeup.
The Verdict:
Specially Selected Spring Assortment Macarons include raspberry, lemon, blood orange, coconut, pistachio, and blueberry flavors. Some of the flavors — raspberry, lemon, and pistachio — are available in the macaron package Aldi sells all year, while the rest of these flavors are unique to this limited-edition springtime assortment. Favorites in my household include the lemon, blood orange, coconut, and blueberry. But honestly, there’s not a bad one in the box.
