I have a confession to make about le macaron: for a long time, I didn’t like them. But oh, how I tried! For years, I sampled macarons all over France — at weddings, where they’re often made into a conical tower, resembling a Christmas tree; at patisseries in cities and in the country — and with few exceptions, they were always a disappointment; two soggy cookie outsides with a gooey filling. Bleh.