Macaron or Macaroon?

I made macarons this week for the reddit 52 weeks of baking challenge. The task? Bake for an allergy or dietary restriction. I knew I needed to get better at making macarons.

But wait. Is it macaron or macaroon?

three purple macarons with green filling on a plate

Lots of people get confused about the two. While both are flourless cookies, the macaroons I remember from my childhood – the post choir practice snack at the temple – were dense, heavy on the coconut, and very sweet. These ube macaroons are an example. So very different from French macarons.

About a year ago, I made cocoa macarons for the first time. They stuck to the silicone lining in my baking sheet, had hollow centers and no feet, and looked horrible. Filled with a chocolate frosting they had delicious flavor, which friends reassured me was the only metric.

That’s why I’m the uglyducklingbakery, right?

misshapen macarons on a plate and in a plastic container

 

A month or so later I tried again with caramel buttercream-filled macarons. This time they baked through, but the centers were still hollow and they had no feet.

I share these with you as proof that people aren’t always perfect on the internet.

a plate of caramel macarons

What was I doing wrong? Did I overbeat the egg whites? Fold them in too aggressively? Wait to long for a skin to develop? Was my oven too hot? Was my oven too cold? I gave up. There are so many other things to bake that aren’t as frustrating.

But then I joined the reddit challenge, and this week rolled around. I knew I would try again. I’m not the kind of person to give up, and I’m doing the reddit challenge to learn new baking skills. Never stop learning.

A supportive friend recommended I join the Everything Macarons Facebook Group. You know how some groups are nominally about one thing, but everyone goes off topic? Not this one. Everything about Everything Macarons is … macarons. All macarons. All of the time.

The group gave me a starting place for this week, which was the basic recipe from Indulge with Mimi. I followed the instructions. This recipe made me whip egg whites by a hand mixer instead of my stand mixer. It took a long time. I turned the bowl upside down over my head to confirm that they had reached firm peak stage.

That’s how they do it on the Great British Bake Off. That’s how you tell, right?

They developed a skin much more quickly than macarons in the past, and I baked them on parchment instead of a Silpat. They had feet!

I don’t know which, if any, of those things made the difference. They’re far from perfect. But, without a doubt, filled with a peanut butter buttercream, they are delicious.

Do ignore the colors. The kiddo likes her colors.

a plate of weirdly decorated macarons

I still need to work on my piping skills to get better rounds and flat tops. But whether it’s macaron or macaroon, I’m confident that I passed this challenge.

On to the next one!

What’s next?

If you want to share tips, questions, or frustrations with making macarons, please feel free to comment below or tag me on Instagram.

Make some easier cookies from the recipe archives.

You’re an adventurous home cook looking for inspiration in your weeknight meals and weekend baking. Get that inspiration here:

a Tyrannosaurus rex cookie jar and a plate of purple macarons

4 Comments

  1. I know this journey. I baked a dozen times before I was happy with the result. Nice feet on these. Did you double sift the dry? Like you, I would not quit until I had success. Oven temp-baking time—many factors, but worth all the effort when you see how pretty they can be. Thanks again for posting regularly and sharing your culinary adventures.

    1. Hi Gale. Thanks so much for your comment and encouragement! I did double sift on these – first to sift the almond flour and powdered sugar into a bowl, and then again in the macronage (the mixing of the almond flour/sugar into the beaten egg whites) in order to minimize deflating the beaten whites.

  2. These are macarons, 100%. Macaroons are the coconut things you eat on Passover. I have been working on my earl grey, orange zest, chocolate chunk macaroons this year! And green peanut butter? Whoa!

    1. Hillary, those sound divine. If you want feedback, the Everything Macarons facebook group seems to be full of experts who can help problem solve. re: the colors, kiddo decorates the same way she dresses. Combinations of patterns and bright colors. If only I were so bold!

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