Twice over the last week I've seen bakery paraphernalia marked Amandine on Sean's desk. He calls it "a bakery for rich people." He keeps talking about their brownie macaron. It's four dollars. I'm usually somewhat opposed to macarons* because I don't like coconut, but this morning, I got to work hungry, so hungry I was willing to eat a macaron even if it had coconut in it, and I texted him to ask where this place was, and before I knew it he'd bought me one and brought it to me, and oh my god this thing is good.

Who makes it? "Sara Naftaly, the longtime pastry chef and co-owner of the revered and dearly departed Le Gourmand." Ah, no wonder.

Is there any coconut anywhere in this thing? "I think there is some in there, but it's under the radar," Sean supposed.

Not true! I called Amandine Bakeshop after he said that and learned that "the brownie macaron is a unique creation" that doesn't have coconut in it, but it does have an "excessive amount of cocoa in the shell, so it develops a chewier consistency." That makes it bigger/thicker/plumper than the other macarons Amandine sells.

It also has "twice the amount of almond content" as the other macarons they make. "And we grind all of our own almonds, instead of bringing in almond meal." I asked if it was true that this little French cookie is four dollars, and she confirmed that it is, adding that "they are our most expensive macarons because they use twice the amount of material that a regular macaron would be, because of the cocoa." It takes them 45 minutes to make a brownie macaron.

If you're looking for a snack to tide you over until lunch, I'm just saying.

* Since this post went up, a reader has alerted me to the distinction between a "macaron" and a "macaroon." Now I feel like a coconut-brain. Thanks for setting me straight, George!