I’m just going to get straight to the point: coconut macaroons (two o’s) and French macarons (one o) are not the same cookie. Sure, they’re both meringue-based, gluten-free, and sweet as a candy store, but that’s about where the similarities end. To st…
I’m just going to get straight to the point: coconut macaroons (two o’s) and French macarons (one o) are not the same cookie. Sure, they’re both meringue-based, gluten-free, and sweet as a candy store, but that’s about where the similarities end. To start, we need to talk basics: French macarons (pronounced MACK-uh-rons) are essentially the chicest sandwich cookies in the schoolyard. Two thin meringue cookies no wider than an inch or two are layered with a ganache, buttercream, or jam filling. Macaroons (pronounced mack-uh-REWNS), on the other hand, are made with flaked coconut, whipped egg whites, sugar, and vanilla extract.
According to The Atlantic, French macarons aren’t exactly who they say they are. “The cookies were born in Italy, but made their way to France in the 1530s—by way of, some scholars believe, Catherine de’ Medici,” wrote staff writer Megan Garber in 2014. “They wouldn't become widespread outside of court, however, until 1792, when two Benedictine nuns, seeking asylum during the French Revolution, supported themselves by baking and selling treats made of ground almonds, egg whites, and sugar. The ad hoc pastry chefs came to be known as ‘the macaron sisters.’”
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