macaron

American  

[mah-kuh-rohn, ‐-ron] / ˌmɑ kəˈroʊn, ‐ˈrɒn /

noun

1. a round, colored cookie consisting of a ganache or buttercream filling between two halves made from beaten egg whites mixed with sugar and ground almonds.

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Usage

What’s the difference between a macaroon and a macaron? A macaron is a round, colored sandwich cookie made with egg whites, sugar, and often ground almonds, with a buttercream, ganache, or jam filling. Macarons are known for coming in many different flavors and colors. A macaroon is a kind of drop cookie made with egg whites, sugar, and often coconut—and sometimes with ground almonds and maybe a little flour.The two cookies are made with some of the same basic ingredients, including sugar and egg whites, but they have very different appearances and textures.Macarons look like this:https://twitter.com/bouchon_bakery/status/1204038118069944322Macaroons look like this:https://twitter.com/FoodalBlog/status/1387467462736756739However, the sandwich cookie properly known as a macaron is sometimes called a macaroon. (The reverse is not the case—it’s not common for the simple drop cookies usually made with coconut to be called macarons.)Making macarons requires quite a bit of skill. They’re delicate and often expensive. Macaroons, on the other hand, are much simpler to make—you basically just mix all the ingredients together and then drop balls of the mix onto a cookie sheet. Macaroons are sometimes dipped in chocolate.To remember the difference (and which spelling to use for each word), remember that macaroon is spelled with two O’s, as is coconut, a common ingredient in macaroons.Here’s an example of macaron and macaroon used correctly in a sentence.Example: I asked my mom to make macaroons for my birthday, but she misunderstood and spent all month learning how to make several different flavors and colors of fancy French macarons. Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between macaron and macaroon.

Etymology

Origin of macaron

From French, dating back to 1995–2000; macaroon ( def. )

Example Sentences

Mastercard has also released various sensory products exclusive to cardholders, such as custom fragrances and macaron cookies bearing its logo’s signature red and orange coloring.

From The Wall Street Journal

Brown has several whimsical items in the primary bedroom, including crystals and treasures from her thrifting, like the Ladurée macaron box she purchased in France for $15 and a tea tin that holds her curlers.

From Los Angeles Times

Proud of myself, I sat down to enjoy a treat: the macaron on the bedside table that housekeeping must have left in the room we were filming in.

From Los Angeles Times

But he’s also wowed his star-studded guests with his decadent chocolate bonbons and plated sweets, which once included a truffle-flavored macaron.

From Salon

But if you think about it, there are many iconic sweet sandwiches: ice cream sandwiches, cookie sandwiches, French macarons, and whoopie pies — all sandwiches.

From Salon