Sweet of the Week: Danny's Macaroons

Chicago isn't lacking in macaroons, so I was a bit trepidatious when I first heard the news that New York City macaroonery (if bootylicious is a word, this should be too) Danny Macaroons was trickling into our fair city via coffee shops and quick service eateries. But trepidation be damned, after trying my first Dannyroon this week from J.P. Graziano, I am a believer. Actually, I had four macaroons, as they come in packages of two or four, and two is obviously not enough. The ones I tried had a chocolate coating on the bottom, and a treacly honey glaze. It tasted like a Mounds Bar that had been dragged through Winnie the Pooh's pantry. No need to address the fact that I inhaled a bunch of macaroons after eating an Italian sub the size of my leg.

The coolness about Danny Macaroons is twofold: rather than operate as a strict brick-and-mortar operation, they supply their wares to coffee shops and other macaroon-friendly settings where customers are likely to crave mounds of shredded coconut. The other thing is that Danny features an array of fascinating flavors, from red velvet and bourbon to rice pudding and maple pecan pie. Egad! How have I been blindly drifting through life never knowing that I needed a variety of macaroon flavors?! Because I do need them. Chicago has plenty of macaroons, sure, but not at the level of this maca-whimsy. Danny is doing to macaroons what so many boutique cupcake shops have done to cupcakes, taken a humble American confection and elevated it beyond our wildest dreams.

Danny Macaroons can currently be found at J.P. Graziano, La Colombe, Belly Shack, The Haute and the Dog, and a few others. Check out their website for more details. 

(Danny Macaroons. Photo: Matt Kirouac)