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Two different desserts often mispronounced. And yet, they are actually related! Learn the similarities and differences between macaroon versus macaron.
Macaroon versus Macaron, Similarieties & Differences
Similarities
Macaroons and macarons actually have many similarities, including that they both contain egg whites and sugar. Both are flourless meaning they are gluten-free and unleavened. And, both are influenced by the Italian maccarone.
Meaning “fine dough”, this Italian cookie is made from egg whites, almonds, and sugar. It originated from Italian monasteries in the 8th century in southern Italy where almonds were introduced by Arabs.
Italian maccarone almond-meringue cookies made their way to France in the 16th century by either Catherine de Medici or traveling nuns which led to the creation of French macarons.
Later in the 19th century, dried coconut shreds were introduced to the US and Europe, so bakers swapped out almonds for coconut because of its sturdier texture and longer shelf life.
Differences
All About Macaroons
Macaroon, pronounced “mack-ah-roon”, are coconut mound cookies made from shredded dried coconut, egg whites, and sugar. Some recipes call for the whole egg and even the addition of sweetened condensed milk.
From its origins of the Italian maccarone, macaroons were originally made with ground almonds producing an amaretti-like cookie. In the 18th century, a cookbook by Martha Washington, titled Booke of Cookery, had a recipe for mackroons with almond meal, sugar, egg whites, and muske.
Then, in 1871, coconut palms were first planted in Florida. Soon after, the first Jewish cookbook was published by American Esther Levy that detailed the recipe for macaroons in which almond meal was replaced with grated coconut.
All About Macarons
Macaron, pronounced “mack-ah-rohn”, are almond-meringue cookies delicately made with almond flour, egg whites, and confectioners sugar. They come in a variety of colors and flavors like pistachio, caramel, coffee, raspberry, and chocolate. The two light cookies sandwich delicious fillings like buttercream, ganache, caramel, or fruit-based jam.
It was first brought over from Italy to France as the Italian maccarone cookie in the 1500s. In 1651, a mainstream macaron recipe was printed by Chef Francois Pierre La Varenne.
What we know of as today’s macaron with the fillings were first made in the 1890s by Chef Pierre Desfontaines of La Maison Laduree (which still exists today, and even with international locations).
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