Paulette Beverly Hills was one of those finds that brought a smile to my face. Just a short walk from Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, I wandered across a little shop filled with rows of colorful little cookies. Macarons. The French version of what we Americans call macaroons. These are not those processed coconut cookies. Paulette creates handcrafted, delicious little almond cookies wrapped around scrumptious, soft ganache fillings. You can even order them online to enjoy at home!

Macarons from Paulette's Beverly Hills. Photo by Carin Krasner

Paulette is the brainchild of owner Paulette Koumetz and award-winning French pastry chef Christophe Michalak. Made fresh each day, these classic French cookies have become famous for their delicacy and unique character. They are soft with just a little crunch, the ganache in the middle creamy and full of flavor.

Paulette features 12 macarons daily, including classic choices and a selection of seasonal varieties. The macarons are all certified Kosher dairy. The flavors are extraordinary and made even more fun by the beautiful array of colors arranged brilliantly in the all-white retail shop with big glass windows.

The available flavors are:

• Classic caramel
• Caribbean chocolate
• Coconut
• Colombian coffee
• Lemon
• Madagascar vanilla
• Sicilian pistachio
• Sweet wedding almond
• Earl Grey tea
• Violet cassis
• Seasonal rose
• Seasonal pineapple and coconut
• Seasonal passion fruit

My favorite was the rose macaron, with rose ganache and raspberry jam, but you don't have to choose just one flavor.

Rose Macarons from Paulette's Beverly Hills. Photo by Tina Rupp Photos

You can select a flavorful and colorful bouquet of macarons. There are several choices:

• Individual macarons for $1.60 each
• Mini-box of 2 macarons for $4 (minimum mail order of 10 macarons)
• Gift box of 12 macarons for $19
• Gift box of 24 macarons for $36
• 5-tiered tower of 60 macarons for $106 (ideal for a party centerpiece)

I even found the colorful boxes — in the signature fuchsia, chartreuse, taupe, and aubergine — fun and inviting.

Coconut Macarons at Paulette's Beverly Hills. Photo by Carin Krasner

You can stop in the store to shop for your macarons, or go online to http://www.paulettemacarons.com to place your order for either store pick-up or overnight shipping. After you purchase your macarons, pop them in the refrigerator and they will keep for about 3 days. Just bring them to room temperature for about 10 minutes before serving.

I'm completely captivated by these lovely little Parisian cookies I discovered in Beverly Hills. I'm definitely going to be a mail order customer of Paulette Beverly Hills. If you happen to be in the San Francisco area, Paulette has recently opened a new shop there. Located at 437 Hayes Street (415-864-2400), it also serves fine teas and coffees.

Click here for more great things to love about Beverly Hills.

Paulette Macarons Beverly Hills
9466 Charleville Boulevard at Beverly Drive
Beverly Hills, CA 90212
310-275-0023
http://www.paulettemacarons.com
Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.