Macaron Pops

The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge, but imagination.

-Albert Einstein

 

I think it’s funny how we encourage children to have vivid imaginations, but as we get older there is this notion that having a vivid imagination is, well, a little weird.

A while back I had breakfast with a couple of very special friends. Over the course of our meal, one of these friends explained to me how to break into an ATM with a single tube of super glue. Sounds a little crazy, right? Well it’s actually brilliant. See this person was hired by a national bank chain to see if he could break into their newest model ATM, (and he did at the Kansas City Airport).  They hired him because he has imagination. In fact, this bank, along with many other organizations hire him because he has the best imagination in the world. His name is Frank Abagnale, and he is the man behind Catch me if you Can.

The first time I met with Frank I quickly learned that he looks at the world differently than everyone else.  Instead of concealing imaginative thinking, he employs it like a tool.  He uses imaginative thinking to overcome obstacles and accomplish successes that most people could never conceive or achieve.  It’s that combination of imagination, logic and determination that some of the most brilliant people in the world seem to share.  It’s the idea of using imagination like a tool that I wanted to teach my children. As they grow up, I want them to embrace their imaginative thinking, apply a dash of logic and conquer their dreams.

In order to teach this concept without coming across as a super lame mom, I did the only thing I knew how and brought the kids into the kitchen for some baking.  With our basic macaron recipe, a new heart shaped macaron kit, and an afternoon, these kids broke the proverbial standard of macarooning.  They invented THE MACARON POP!!  You have to try this recipe, y’all.

It was great to have a cool new macaron concept, however we had to be very logical and careful when following the recipe.  After all, macarons are quite finicky!  We did find that when baking macarons, it is best to ensure your egg whites are room temperature before you begin whipping them up as mentioned in the recipe.  Furthermore, you want to let your batter set on the baking sheet for about fifteen minutes prior to baking.  This will help ensure they keep their shape when baked.  Once baked, you can let the macarons cool and fill with anything your heart desires.  Lastly, we used cake pop sticks, paper straws, ribbons and sprinkles (of course) to take these to the next level.  Your family will fall in love with this recipe!

I’m so glad that I let my children use their amazing little imaginations to conceptualize and ultimately conquer this baking project.   These Macaron Pops turned out so delicious, and I would never have been able to invent such a creative take on the coveted macaron on my own.  As their mom, I can only hope that as my kids grow older, they will continue to embrace their incredibly vivid imaginations.  And when that time comes, perhaps I will share the little superglue secret as long as they pinky-promise never to try it on their own!

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