Macaron or Macaroon? Well, May 31 is definitely National Macaroon Day and it’s most assuredly an American holiday since the macaroon is definitely an American cookie! However, the confusion is natural. The origins of macaron and macaroon are the same and many of the ingredients overlap. Both use a fair amount of sugar to make these delightful confections. Both use egg whites to make the cookies rise and give them a light texture. However, the French macaron (which actually originated in Italy) uses almond flour at its base while the American macaroon uses shredded coconut to great effect.
According to National Today, we have Mrs. Esther Levy to thank for popularizing the great macaroon. In 1871 Mrs. Levy published the “First Jewish American Cookbook.” She originally published this recipe in the chapter on ‘cakes’ as there was not a chapter on cookies. However, it’s understandable — as the texture of a macaroon isn’t very cookie-like. It is soft and a little chewy, more like a cake than a cookie. However, the bite-size serving is most definitely cookie-like.
Macaroons deserve to be celebrated and recognized for their own characteristics. Coconut was substituted for almond flour when the first coconut palms planted in Florida began to yield fruit. Thus macaroons are not only tasty little delights, they were an early exercise in the locavore movement, eating produce grown close to home. And, they’re naturally gluten-free! Long before gluten was even recognized, macaroons were being made by Jewish housewives for their Passover celebrations. The lack of any kind of leavening agent meant it satisfied the dietary laws that rule Passover. It was just a happy accident that they are so tasty as well.
If you’re not a cook, you don’t worry that you don’t know how to separate your egg whites from your egg yolks, and definitely don’t let that stop you from celebrating National Macaroon Day! Although most commonly seen in stores around spring, you can either buy them at your local grocery or order them online. There are a number of companies that make them in a range of prices and a variety of flavors.
If you do want to bring out your inner Julia Child, macaroons are actually a pretty simple recipe to make and you can have homemade macaroons ready to eat from scratch in less than an hour. If you are making them from scratch, be sure to have a kitchen mixer or hand mixer with a balloon whisk attachment to make the egg whites impossibly light and fluffy. The better you do at this step, the better the overall cookie will taste. Be warned: don’t make these when you are home alone or you may not be able to stop yourself from eating every last one. Here’s a “First-Place Coconut Macaroon” recipe for you to try, courtesy A Taste of Home.
Do you fancy your macaroons dipped in, or drizzled with, chocolate, or BOTH? You’re in luck! June 3rd is National Chocolate Macaroon day, so have at it!
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