Macaroon Kiss Cookies Recipe - Creations by Kara (2024)

FAQs

What's the difference between a macaron and a macaroon cookie? ›

A macaron is a meringue-based sandwich cookie that is tinted with food coloring. A macaroon is a drop cookie made with shredded coconut. The preparation for these two cookies is also very different. Macarons require multiple steps and painstaking precision, while a batch of coconut macaroons is very easy to prepare.

Macarons are made with finely ground almonds, confectioners' sugar, and egg whites. They are the most delicious soft cookies with crispy edges. I finally perfected the technique and wanted to share it.

Most historians are inclined to believe that the macaroon originated in Italy, probably Venice, and was transported to France by sailors where it was further refined by French pâtissier techniques. The consensus is that the word “macaroon” comes from the Italian word ammaccare which means to crush.

The coconut macaroon was first discovered in the 1890s by a French company that added shredded coconut to the macaroon to help the macaroon from spoiling during long shipping processes. The same issue happened in the US, too, when a North American baker received a shipment of coconuts from a Cuban businessman.

Macaron Ingredients Are Expensive

Instead, they're made with almond flour, which costs more than nine times as much—and that's at Costco. “Finely ground almond flour gives structure, texture and mild flavor to macaron shells,” says Taste of Home food stylist Josh Rink.

French macarons are softer with chewy shells and more subtly sweet taste, giving you more of that distinct almond flavour. Whereas Italian macarons are more crisp, even powdery at times and have a more pronounced sweet taste. A trained eye may even be able to tell the difference simply by looking at them.

Macarons can help you stay within your recommended daily calorie intake if they're eaten in moderation. A single macaron may contain less than 90 calories, and snacking on only a couple of these treats at a time shouldn't add to your waistline.

Even with the tasty fillings, macarons are still healthier desserts when compared to other sweets, such as cupcakes. For instance, three macarons have around 210-300 calories compared to a single cupcake with around 400 calories.

There are basically three methods you can use to make macarons: French, Italian, and Swiss.

Making macarons is not like making many other cookies because they are not made with regular flour and need to be piped, so you may find them more complicated until you have made them a few times and are used to the process.

What are macaroons called in France? ›

The macaron as it is known today, composed of two almond meringue discs filled with a layer of buttercream, jam, or ganache filling, was originally called the "Gerbet" or the "Paris macaron." Pierre Desfontaines, of the French pâtisserie Ladurée, has sometimes been credited with its creation in the early part of the ...

The first recorded use of macaroon was in 1605–15, and it originated from the Middle French word macaron via the dialectal Italian maccarone (“cake or biscuit made of ground almonds”). So the macaroon comes from the French version of a cookie that originated from an Italian treat.

Macaroons are larger, denser and chewier that macarons, and definitely easier to make. Coconut macaroons are flavored with sugar and vanilla, but their main flavor is the coconut itself.

Macarons last for 7 days at ambient temperature and for up to 7 weeks in the fridge, so they do have quite a good shelf life. However, when storing them at ambient temperature, it is probably best to keep them in an airtight plastic container, to keep as much air out as possible so that they don't dry out.

That said, because macaroons are high in sugar and offer little nutrition, eating too many of them regularly could be problematic, especially if they replace more nutritious foods in your diet. If you do decide to try them, track your symptoms closely to determine if they have any effect.

Macarons are the French adaptation of the Italian macaroon, and according to Food Network, they were first created in France after the King's Italian wife brought over a chef from Italy. Therefore they can be traced back to the same origin: that Italian maccarone “cake or biscuit.”

Why do so many people mispronounce the French confection called “macaron” as “macaroon”? Probably because there are two cookies with almost identical names, and very similar ingredients. If you don't speak French, the two words look very similar.