Macarons Vs Macaroons: What Makes These Cookies Different? Let's Find Out

The world of baking offers endless dessert recipes for us to explore. While some become our go-to options, there are others that we often hesitate to try. Macarons and macaroons are two such sweet confections that often fall into this category. You must be wondering why we're referring to them as separate desserts. Well, surprise, surprise, there's nothing similar between them. Many people think that it's just the difference in the alphabet 'O' and that they can be changed interchangeably. But that's not all. If you explore further, you'll find that these French cookies have nothing in common instead of just sounding the same. If you're a baker or someone who is intrigued by the world of baking in general, these differences between the cookies will certainly benefit you.
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What Is A Macaron?

A macaron is the one that we most commonly spot at bakeries and cafes around us. They come in a variety of different colours, ranging from pastel to vibrant. It has a crispy outer crust and reveals a soft and crumbly interior as you take the first bite. Macarons are basically a sandwich, but in cookie form. The crust is prepared using a mix of egg whites, powdered sugar, and almond flour, while the fillings include buttercream or ganache.

What Is A Macaroon?

Unlike macarons, which are considered fancy and exotic, macaroons are quite basic. The ingredients of a macaroon remain the same, but the addition of coconut is what sets it apart from a macaron. They have a light brown colour and are a lot more dense in texture. It's somewhat like what we expect a coconut cookie to be, but in a tear-drop shape instead. Macaroons also do not have any fillings inside them.

Macarons Vs Macaroons: Here Are Some Key Differences Between The Two:

1. Both are made using different ingredients:

Macaron and macaroon differ greatly in the type of ingredients used to make them. A macaron has almond flour, egg whites, and powdered sugar as its key ingredients. It also requires food colouring and the use of different types of fillings, such as buttercream or ganache. On the other hand, a macaroon has no almond flour in it but is instead made from shredded coconut. The other two ingredients remain the same.

2. They do not have a similar texture:

It's not just the ingredients; the texture of these cookies is also quite different from each other. Macarons have a much more delicate texture than macarons. The former has a crispy exterior and a soft and chewy interior. It feels quite light. Whereas the latter is comparatively denser and does not have any soft interior. It just has an overall crispy texture to it.

3. Difference in appearance:

Macaron and macaroon may sound similar, but they do not look the same at all. Macarons come in a variety of different colours, ranging from pastel shades to vibrant ones. They look quite appetising to eat and always catch the eye. Macaroons, on the other hand, do not have a vibrant appearance to them. They are golden brown in colour and have an irregular drop-like shape.

4. Difference in flavour: 

Last but not least, we need to place emphasis on how these cookies differ in taste. Since macarons contain additional flavourings and colours, they obviously taste much more flavourful. Macaroons have coconut as their main flavour and taste somewhat like regular coconut cookies. They are usually considered less indulgent in taste as compared to macarons. However, there are some versions that are made using chocolate and almonds as well.

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The Bottom Line:

To sum it all up, we can say that macarons and macaroons are indeed quite different from each other. Many people confuse the two or use the words interchangeably, but it's important to know these striking differences between them. From differences in ingredients to texture, appearance, and flavour profile, there are many things that set these cookies apart.