This tasty word confusion macaron vs macaroon are both cookies, however they are quite different when it comes to taste and technique.
A macaron is an elegant sandwich cookie made with ground almonds.
A macaroon is a lumpy looking cookie made with shredded coconut.
I’ve always been confused, thinking that macarons and macaroons were the same thing, just different spellings. Then I was given some macarons — and I hate coconut foods (love the fresh, though!). But I liked the cookies. And I never tasted any coconut. So, my inquiring mind wanted to know.
Word Confusions . . .
. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.
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| Macaron | Macaroon |
|---|---|
 |
 |
| Part of Grammar: | |
| Noun
Plural: macarons |
Noun
Plural: macaroons |
| Noun: [Baking] A delicate, French sandwich cookie made with almond flour and meringue, typically filled with buttercream, jam, or ganache |
Noun: [Baking] A dense drop cookie primarily made with sweetened, shredded coconut and having a chewier texture |
| Examples: | |
| Noun: I made vanilla cupcakes and a batch of strawberry macarons. I was pleased to see a plate of macarons sitting out on the table. The main difference between French and Italian macarons is how they’re prepared. Some people consider them the best dessert due to their unique combination of textures and flavors and their unique preparation process. |
Noun: Dipping a macaroon in chocolate sounds yummy. Macaroons are popular for Passover as they contain no flour. It’s believed that macaroons were brought to Italy, via Sicily, by Arabs, and then Catherine de Medici of Italy brought macaroons to France in the 1500s. |
| History of the Word: | |
| Late Middle English from the French macaron, from the Italian maccarone. | |
C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!
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Resources for Macaron versus Macaroon
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Apple Dictionary.com
Macaroons, Danny. “Have You Ever Wondered Where Macaroons Come From?” Danny Macaroons. 9 May 2017. Accessed 8 Jan 2025. <https://dannymacaroons.com/blogs/macaroons/where-do-macaroons-come-from>. Article.
Pinterest Photo Credits
French Macaron Pastries by pixel2013 is under the CC0 1.0 license, via Free Range Stock, and Macaroons in Detail by georgie_grd is under the CC BY-SA 2.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons.
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