# Macaron
A **macaron** is a small round French confection made from pounded almonds, egg white, and sugar, with a lightly crackled surface[1](https://www.dictionnaire-academie.fr/article/A9M0009). In its modern Parisian form it is a sandwich of two smooth-domed almond meringue shells joined by a filling such as ganache, jam, or buttercream[2](https://laduree.com/en-us/pages/history-of-the-macaron). The word should not be confused with **macaroon**, the English name for a chewy coconut cookie, although the two share a common ancestry[3](https://lemacaron-us.com/blog/macaron-vs-macaroon-whats-the-difference).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Core ingredients | Pounded almonds (almond flour), egg white, and sugar; no flour, no chemical leavener, and no whole egg[1](https://www.dictionnaire-academie.fr/article/A9M0009) • [4](https://bakehq.app/troubleshooting/macarons-hollow) |
| Etymology | French word attested from the 16th century, borrowed with a shift of meaning from southern Italian *maccarone*, a word for pasta[1](https://www.dictionnaire-academie.fr/article/A9M0009) |
| First French mention | Rabelais's *Le Quart Livre*, 1552[2](https://laduree.com/en-us/pages/history-of-the-macaron) |
| Nancy macaron | Sold from 1793 by two nuns expelled from their convent in the French Revolution; the recipe remains secret and is sold only by the dozen[5](https://agriculture.gouv.fr/les-secrets-du-macaron-de-nancy) |
| Parisian sandwich macaron | Filled macarons appeared in Paris as early as the 1830s; Ladurée credits Pierre Desfontaines with its double-shelled version in the mid-20th century[2](https://laduree.com/en-us/pages/history-of-the-macaron) |
| Macaron vs macaroon | A macaron is almond-based; a macaroon is a coconut-and-egg-white cookie, sometimes dipped in chocolate[3](https://lemacaron-us.com/blog/macaron-vs-macaroon-whats-the-difference) |
| Macaron Day | 20 March, an international day proposed by the pastry chef Pierre Hermé that raises funds in France for the fight against cystic fibrosis[6](https://www.letemps.ch/culture/20-mars-celebrons-macaron) |
## Composition
The classic recipe is short: almonds, sugar, and egg whites. The Académie française's dictionary defines the macaron as a small dry cake, round or oval, with a slightly crackled surface, based on pounded almonds, egg white, and sugar[1](https://www.dictionnaire-academie.fr/article/A9M0009). A macaron contains no wheat flour, no chemical leavener, and no whole egg; the whipped white supplies every bubble the shell will contain, which is why the confection is unusually sensitive to technique[4](https://bakehq.app/troubleshooting/macarons-hollow).
The Parisian macaron is assembled from two shells with a garnish in the center, in flavors from chocolate and pistachio to rose, yuzu, and salted combinations[5](https://agriculture.gouv.fr/les-secrets-du-macaron-de-nancy). At [Ladurée](https://www.edgepedia.org/laduree), the Paris house most associated with the confection, the shells are made with an Italian meringue: a syrup of water and caster sugar heated to 120 °C (248 °F) is poured into beaten egg whites, a method the house says gives the finished shells their glossy appearance[7](https://ladureeireland.com/pages/our-history).
## Macaron versus macaroon
The two words cause persistent confusion in English. A macaron is made with almond flour, egg whites, and sugar, and the sandwich version has a smooth, shiny surface with a ruffled base; a macaroon is made with shredded coconut, egg whites, and sugar, often in a mound shape and sometimes dipped in chocolate[3](https://lemacaron-us.com/blog/macaron-vs-macaroon-whats-the-difference). The two are pronounced differently as well, mah-kah-ROHN, and mah-kah-ROON[8](https://chef-source.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Chefs_Source_Catalog_2026_WEB_021126.pdf). The Québec terminology board's entry for *macaron* still gives "macaroon" as its English equivalent, reflecting older usage in which the two names overlapped[9](https://vitrinelinguistique.oqlf.gouv.qc.ca/fiche-gdt/fiche/8887637/macaron).
The two are genuinely related. The coconut macaroon descends from the same family of European cookies made of grated nut, sugar, and egg white; the coconut version became the popular branch in the [English-speaking world](https://www.edgepedia.org/english-speaking-world) and took the two-o spelling[10](https://parade.com/food/macaroon-vs-macaron). Italian Jewish communities adopted macaroons as a flour-free treat for Passover, and the filled "sandwich" style macaron rose to prominence in the 1930s[3](https://lemacaron-us.com/blog/macaron-vs-macaroon-whats-the-difference).
## History
The macaron's origin is uncertain. The word likely traces back to the Italian *maccarone* or *maccherone*, meaning paste, and almond-based sweets circulated across Italy and Europe from the Middle Ages; some historians also point to possible medieval Middle Eastern almond-and-sugar confections, though no clear line runs from a single such sweet to the modern macaron[2](https://laduree.com/en-us/pages/history-of-the-macaron).
**The Catherine de' Medici legend.** According to the best-known story, [Catherine de' Medici](https://www.edgepedia.org/catherine-de-medici) introduced the macaron into France in 1533 when she wed the future Henri II. Ladurée's own account calls the tale appealing yet unverified: sweets made from almonds were present in France prior to Catherine's coming, and no record from the era identifies exactly when the macaron was first introduced[2](https://laduree.com/en-us/pages/history-of-the-macaron).
What is certain is that the word appears in French texts by the mid-16th century, notably in Rabelais's *Le Quart Livre* (1552)[2](https://laduree.com/en-us/pages/history-of-the-macaron). In the 16th century the term could designate small sweet cakes as well as food pastes; only in the following century was "macaron" reserved for the cakes, the pastes becoming "macaroni"[11](https://www.lopt.org/carte/pays-de-nancy/specialites/macaron-de-nancy).
**Regional traditions.** By the 17th and 18th centuries, distinct almond-biscuit traditions had emerged across French towns, including Nancy, Saint-Émilion, Amiens, Reims, Pau, Melun, Boulay, and Niort, each with its own style[12](https://www.lorrainemag.com/art-et-gastronomie/le-macaron-une-longue-histoire/). Saint-Jean-de-Luz claims macarons were served at [Louis XIV](https://www.edgepedia.org/louis-xiv)'s wedding in 1660; the Amiens version is made from almond paste with fruit and honey; and the Boulay macaron, dating to 1854, pairs a hard crust with a soft center[12](https://www.lorrainemag.com/art-et-gastronomie/le-macaron-une-longue-histoire/).
**Nancy.** The best-known regional tradition is the macaron de Nancy. According to the account promoted by the Maison des Sœurs Macarons, two nuns of a Nancy convent, whose diet forbade meat, baked macarons; after the [French Revolution](https://www.edgepedia.org/french-revolution) suppressed religious congregations, Marie-Élisabeth Morlot and Marguerite Gaillot found refuge in the town center and opened a small shop selling the biscuits from 1793, earning the nickname "Sœurs Macarons" (Macaron Sisters)[5](https://agriculture.gouv.fr/les-secrets-du-macaron-de-nancy). The recipe has been kept secret ever since; the biscuit is round and crackled, sold only by the dozen on its baking paper, and the house still produces more than 1,000 dozen each year[5](https://agriculture.gouv.fr/les-secrets-du-macaron-de-nancy). Historians note that the evidence for the sisters' story is incomplete[2](https://laduree.com/en-us/pages/history-of-the-macaron).
**The Parisian macaron.** The single almond biscuit is the older form; the filled macaron that dominates today emerged in Paris as early as the 1830s, when two shells began to be assembled with a garnish in the center[2](https://laduree.com/en-us/pages/history-of-the-macaron) • [12](https://www.lorrainemag.com/art-et-gastronomie/le-macaron-une-longue-histoire/). Ladurée, founded as a bakery in 1862, credits Pierre Desfontaines, a cousin of founder Louis Ernest Ladurée, with putting the shells together two by two and garnishing them with ganache in the mid-20th century[7](https://ladureeireland.com/pages/our-history). The classic Paris macaron, created in the 1930s, has become a cultural icon[13](https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/where-to-eat-the-best-macarons-in-paris).
## Making macarons
The macaron is regarded as one of the most technique-sensitive items in the pastry canon[14](https://scientificbaking.com/atlases/cookies/). The batter is made by folding sifted almond flour and confectioners' sugar into a whipped meringue, a technique with its own name, **macaronage**. The folding deliberately deflates some of the air in the batter while preserving enough bubbles to keep the macarons light; the baker stops when the batter flows in a slow, glossy ribbon that dissolves back into itself[15](https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/blog/2026/04/16/mixing-macarons-macaronage).
A representative home recipe illustrates the process. King Arthur Baking's French macarons call for 75 g egg whites, 75 g granulated sugar, 100 g confectioners' sugar, and 85 g almond flour; the whites are whipped with the sugar and a quarter teaspoon of cream of tartar to a thick, glossy medium peak, the dry ingredients are folded in by macaronage, and the batter is piped into 1¾-inch rounds[16](https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/french-macarons-recipe). The piped shells rest uncovered at room temperature until a skin forms, typically at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours in a humid environment, then bake at 320 °F for 15 to 20 minutes[16](https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/french-macarons-recipe).
Two visual signatures mark a successful shell: the smooth dome and the **foot**, the ruffled edge that forms around the base during baking[14](https://scientificbaking.com/atlases/cookies/). Frequent problems stem from the meringue or the mixing stage: hollow shells typically arise when the meringue has been whipped too much or lacks stability, the batter is under- or overmixed, the oven runs so hot that the shell puffs up and then falls, or the macarons are not baked long enough.[14](https://scientificbaking.com/atlases/cookies/) After baking, filled macarons are traditionally allowed to mature in the refrigerator for 24 to 48 hours, which softens the shells and melds the flavors; they are best eaten at room temperature[16](https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/french-macarons-recipe).
## The macaron today
The confection has enjoyed a strong revival since the 2000s, with tea rooms devoted to it and chefs competing to renew its flavors[12](https://www.lorrainemag.com/art-et-gastronomie/le-macaron-une-longue-histoire/). Since roughly the mid-2000s, the Journée internationale du macaron on 20 March has collected funds in France for the fight against cystic fibrosis; the day was proposed by the pastry chef and chocolatier Pierre Hermé, who advised the house of Ladurée for two years[6](https://www.letemps.ch/culture/20-mars-celebrons-macaron). Regional styles persist alongside the Parisian sandwich: the Nancy macaron remains a dome-like biscuit closer to Italian amaretti, the Amiens version is puck-shaped with honey-infused sweetness, and the Paris macaron is the plump, colored sandwich filled with ganache, jam, or buttercream[13](https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/where-to-eat-the-best-macarons-in-paris).
## References
1. [macaron, Dictionnaire de l'Académie française, 9e édition](https://www.dictionnaire-academie.fr/article/A9M0009)
2. [History & Origin of the Macaron, Maison Ladurée](https://laduree.com/en-us/pages/history-of-the-macaron)
3. [Macaron vs Macaroon: What's the Difference? Le Macaron French Pastries](https://lemacaron-us.com/blog/macaron-vs-macaroon-whats-the-difference)
4. [Macarons are hollow inside, BakeHQ troubleshooting](https://bakehq.app/troubleshooting/macarons-hollow)
5. [Les secrets du macaron de Nancy, Ministère de l'Agriculture](https://agriculture.gouv.fr/les-secrets-du-macaron-de-nancy)
6. [Le 20 mars, célébrons le macaron! Le Temps](https://www.letemps.ch/culture/20-mars-celebrons-macaron)
7. [The History of Ladurée, Ladurée Ireland](https://ladureeireland.com/pages/our-history)
8. [Chef's Source Catalog 2026, macaron vs macaroon pronunciation](https://chef-source.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Chefs_Source_Catalog_2026_WEB_021126.pdf)
9. [macaron, Grand Dictionnaire Terminologique, Office québécois de la langue française](https://vitrinelinguistique.oqlf.gouv.qc.ca/fiche-gdt/fiche/8887637/macaron)
10. [Macaroon Vs. Macaron: Differences Between the Cookies, Parade](https://parade.com/food/macaroon-vs-macaron)
11. [Le Macaron de Nancy, L'Observatoire des Produits du Terroir](https://www.lopt.org/carte/pays-de-nancy/specialites/macaron-de-nancy)
12. [Le macaron, une longue histoire, Lorraine Magazine](https://www.lorrainemag.com/art-et-gastronomie/le-macaron-une-longue-histoire/)
13. [Where to eat the best macarons in Paris, National Geographic](https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/where-to-eat-the-best-macarons-in-paris)
14. [Cookies, Macarons & Petits Fours, Scientific Baking](https://scientificbaking.com/atlases/cookies/)
15. [The secret to mixing macarons, King Arthur Baking](https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/blog/2026/04/16/mixing-macarons-macaronage)
16. [French Macarons Recipe, King Arthur Baking](https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/french-macarons-recipe)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Food, customs, and everyday culture › Food, cooking and hospitality › Dishes, foods, and foodstuffs › Desserts, cakes, sweets, and confectionery › Cakes and sweet baked goods › Cookies, biscuits, and small sweets*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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