Who is this lovely lady? This is Queen Consort of France, Catherine De Medici. And it's her fault that you can't decide which flavor macaron you want to order next. The queen brought macarons from Italy in the 16th century. From there, they have gone through numerous reinventions until they became what they are today. The cookies are classically very difficult to make. There are many recipes, but it always comes down to the technique. Without the proper technique, anything and everything can go wrong with the cookies (or as we in the macaron industry affectionately call them: "macawrongs").

So, the next time you open a box of Macs by Belle, perhaps raise a cookie in honor of her majesty over there. We're sure she'd appreciate it.