Best French Macarons In Wisconsin- Almond And Ivy Bakery In De Pere

Where can You find the best French macarons in Wisconsin?

Does Almond And Ivy Take The Prize?

I could probably stop my search for the best French macarons in Wisconsin right here and now, I won’t of course, but seriously I found a winner! Almond And Ivy, a tiny bakery, located right in downtown De Pere, just south of Green Bay, has some of the best macarons I have had so far! Maybe it’s the fact that Karli Franzke, owner and master macaron baker, focuses only on these tasty French treats and cookies in her bakery. Maybe it’s because you can just taste the passion that goes into each one.  In any case, I’m sold! No need to take a trip to Paris to enjoy these little treats, they are here right in Wisconsin.

Finding macaron gold

When I began my search for macarons in Wisconsin, Almond And Ivy popped up in my search results. Given the fact that the reviews were outstanding and the fact that it was located in De Pere, which is only an hour away, it would be an easy destination for me.  The best part was they have a stand at the Wednesday night Broadway Farmers Market in Green Bay.  This farmers market is one of my favorites in Wisconsin! I made the trip to Green Bay in early summer.  I was able to sample a couple flavors then and was sold right then and there.  The flavors were sensational, and biting into the crunchy shell with soft inner cookie and yummy filling, took me back to Laduree in Paris!

After that first bite I knew I had to make another trip to De Pere to see the bakery and meet Karli. Oh, and of course treat myself to more macarons!

At the end of summer I finally got the chance to head to De Pere one afternoon. I almost missed the brick building on George Street where Almond and Ivy is located.  It’s a small space, with a counter, macaron display, a cold case, and the kitchen area.  Karli says that on a typical production day, she makes between 300 to 400 macarons. On my visit this day, it was just Karli, her Mom, and her adorable son in the bakery.  Her Mom recognized me instantly from the Farmers Market. Karli was busy piping vanilla bean macarons on a sheet for baking.  I choose 3 macarons to sample, nutella, peach champagne, and bourbon.  I didn’t wait to try the bourbon! Oh goodness!! It was delicious! I was in macaron heaven! I ate the nutella on the way home. Only one made it home for my hubby to sample. Oops!

I have had macarons from several places. not only in Wisconsin, but Chicago too.  Plus, I have tried making them myself after taking a class at Sur La Table in Milwaukee.  Trust me, they are not easy to make! I can tell you they are worth the $2.00 price! These are some of the best I have tasted.  The cookie shell should be crunchy biting into it with a melt in your mouth interior and a tasty filling. These are spot on!

Why macarons?

I asked Karli why she decided to focus on these little French cookies.  She said ” I learned to make macarons while in pastry school at The French Pastry School in Chicago. I loved the fact that there was a bit of a challenge to making them. The fact that their flavor possibilities are almost endless was another draw! On top of that, they were becoming very popular in larger cities and I thought it would be fun to bring them back “home.” They are absolutely my favorite thing to make!”

In business for herself since 2013, Karli got her start in Milwaukee, after pastry school in Chicago, at a bakery making wedding cakes and other bakery items. She did that for about a year and moved back to the  Green Bay area with her now-Husband working part time at another bakery making wedding and birthday cakes until she decided to open her full time business in 2013. She offers 19 flavors of macarons (with typically 10+ flavors available for purchase at the bakery) plus seasonal favorites like pumpkin and pecan pie for fall.  For a short time this summer she had available lavender flavor using lavender from Fair Isle Lavender Farm on Washington Island. (which I was extremely disappointed to have missed)

Of course we compared notes on which macarons were our favorite in Paris. While hers are Pierre Herme for the experimentation with different flavors (sadly I have not tried these yet! Next Paris trip, I swear!), I love Laduree for the classic flavors and pretty packaging.

Looking for something different for your wedding/event? How about macarons!

How beautiful would a tower of macarons in your wedding colors look? I’m considering instead of a cake for my 55th birthday next year to have macarons instead. Almond And Ivy will take custom orders. Any questions, just visit their FAQ page or you can contact Almond And Ivy.

I love the fact that you can custom order flavors and shell coloring. The possibilities ARE endless!

I am so happy to have found this little bakery. Being a certified Francofile anytime I can experience something that takes me back to Paris, I’m all in! Finding little ways to enjoy life a la Francaise is something I am passionate about. Macarons is just one of the ways to do this.

Thank you to Almond And Ivy for the best macarons in Wisconsin!  I will be back when I need my French fix. I’m patiently waiting for the chance to try the pecan pie and pumpkin!

Flavor list

• key lime
• pistachio
• salted caramel
• peach champagne
• spiced chai
• lemon poppy
• chocolate ganache
• white chocolate raspberry
• vanilla bean
• almond
• passion fruit
• strawberry
• toasted coconut
• earl gray
• espresso
• minty chocolate
• bourbon (my personal favorite)
• blackberry
• nutella
• seasonal flavors

Almond And Ivy

518 George Street De Pere, Wisconsin

Phone:  920-619-5275

www.almondandivy.com

Please visit Almond And Ivy’s page for bakery hours

Almond & Ivy takes orders for pick-up. Please call and place you order no matter how small!

More French macarons in Wisconsin here and here

Au revoir

Lori

I received no compensation for this post. As always all opinions are honest and completely my own. Thank you so much for reading and if you like what you’ve read, please share!