Zebra Finch Macarons

10/11/2026

Back once again at NewBo City Market! It's a beautiful day and the vibe at the market is fantastic this morning!

I'm starting spooky season early with s'mores ghosts 👻 and the return of longtime Zebra Finch favorite, Cardamom Pear! 🍐 We're here until 3 (or sell out) today!

Today's menu:

Standard Macarons:
🍒 Fruity Pebbles
🍐 Cardamom Pear

Premium Macarons:
🍈 Matcha Melon
👻 S'mores Ghosts
🦦 Nutella Otters
🐸 Strawberry Matcha Frogs

10/09/2026

Longtime fans of Zebra Finch will know what's coming... we'll be back at NewBo City Market this Sunday at 10am! 🍐 🍐 🍐

10/04/2026

We are (FINALLY!) back at NewBo City Market today! I made lots of mocha conchas and fruity-themed macarons. We got a delicious cantaloupe this week so I made it into a new flavor: matcha melon! This was inspired by a coffee shop special I tried in Seattle this summer and it's one of my favorite flavor combos... highly recommend!🍈

Here's today's menu:

Macarons:

🍓 Strawberries and Cream
🍈 Matcha Melon
🐉 Dragonfruit

🍒 Fruity Pebbles
🫖 Chai

Not Macarons:

☕️ Mocha Conchas

09/26/2026

Due to continuing health issues, we will unfortunately not be selling macarons at AsianFest this afternoon. We are extremely frustrated and disappointed to miss one of our absolute favorite events of the year, but recovery needs to come first right now. Please make sure to support all our amazing Asian-owned business friends from 12-9 today at NewBo!!! Even without us, there will be an incredible amount of food and events today!

09/20/2026

***UPDATE***

I know I posted that I was planning to be back at NewBo today, but unfortunately I am still not feeling well enough to attend today's market. 🤕

I'm really sorry to everyone who was expecting to see us this weekend! I've had to cancel a few markets recently while dealing with some frustrating health issues and extreme fatigue, and I know that's disappointing. I'm doing my best to get myself back on my feet so I can get back to baking and seeing everyone again. (Especially for Asian Fest next week!!)

Thank you so much for your patience and understanding. I really appreciate everyone's kindness and support while I've been dealing with this rough patch. ❤️‍🩹

P.S. - I do have a limited number of conchas available that turned out DELICIOUS. I was going to have my hand here for scale but you can see I couldn't resist and cut it in half to eat during the photo session. 😆

These are mocha, with a yeasted chocolate bread interior mixed with espresso, the good chocolate™️, and a vanilla and espresso swirl topping. They are $7.00 each and I am happy to meet for free pickup on the NE side of Cedar Rapids this evening or tomorrow afternoon. Message if you'd like any and I'm happy to schedule payment and pickup.

09/19/2026

Unfortunately we will not be at NewBo City Market today. I need a little more time for recovery (not contagious!) but am planning on being back at the market tomorrow starting at 10am!

In the meantime, check out what these baby mocha conchas looked like before they went in the oven to expand and bake! We'll have a big batch of these tomorrow along with macarons and possibly another surprise. See you then! 🐚

09/13/2026

Friends, I am unfortunately under the weather so we will not be at NewBo for today's guest vendor market. However, the market will be HOPPING (see what I did there? 🐸) so be sure to check out this jam-packed lineup of vendors!

In happier news, we have been approved for AsianFest at the end of this month so come see us on Saturday, September 26th in front of NewBo! For those of you who have macaron cravings before then, we will be at NewBo on the 19th and 20th as well as potential other markets. Watch this space!

09/09/2026

Our friends at Bread and Buttered Bakery at NewBo have really been through the wringer lately with equipment failure that's made it impossible for them to open for several days this month. As a small business owner, even a couple unexpected days of no sales and wasted food can be devastating to a business. You might remember Nikki and Amber from their dedication to providing food to people affected by the government shutdown when SNAP benefits were paused. Please consider supporting them and donating to the GoFundMe below to help them replace their broken bread oven. ❤️‍🩹

Bread and Buttered Bakery is a small women-run business that has become an important p… Natalie White needs your support for Support Bread and Buttered Bakery

08/30/2026

We got CONCHAS! We got Millionaire's Shortbread! We got macarons! Come check us out at NewBo City Market. We'll be here until 3!

Today's flavors:

🍒 Fruity Pebbles
🫖 Chai
🐥 Vanilla Bean and Chocolate Ganache
🐸 Strawberry Matcha
🐝 Caramelized Honey
🐙 Cherry Orange
🍓 Strawberries and Cream
🟣🟢 Ube Pandan Guava

08/30/2026

What are conchas? One of the most iconic of the Mexican pan dulce (sweet bread), conchas are named for their distinctive crackly cookie-like, shell-shaped coating 🐚

They're a yeasted bun that has sibling pastries in Japanese melonpan and Hong Kong pineapple buns. I love learning about food because two countries on opposite sides of the world with completely different cultures can have food in common... how cool is that?

Like many pastries, conchas can be found mass-produced in grocery stores (kind of like our Little Debbie cakes) or have a trendy, upscale spin with all sorts of different flavors (and everything in between!) We personally love visiting panaderías when we travel and trying all sorts of pan dulce, including conchas!

The conchas I've made for NewBo City Market this weekend are based on caffè mocha, with a vanilla and espresso swirl topping and a chocolate espresso dough. I personally love them heated up with a cup of coffee but they're great cold too 😁 I'll have them today until 3:00 or sellout!