What’s the difference between a french macaron vs macaroon? Ever since those French cookies became the new cupcake, there’s been a lot of confusion around what one actually calls them. They’re often labeled macaroons, a seemingly harmless misnomer. In fact, a macaroon is not an interchangeable word for those French confections; a macaroon is an entirely different cookie altogether, in almost every way.

French Macaron vs Macaroon

The differences far outweigh the similarities, but both macaron and macaroon derive from the Italian word ammaccare, which means “to crush” (as in the nuts that are ground or chopped). They’re both cookies. They’re both gluten free. That’s about it.

What is a French Macaron?

A French macaron (maca-a-RON) requires a bit of finesse. In a multistep baking process, one sifts ground almonds with powdered sugar and folds that into a stiff meringue. Macarons are painstakingly piped onto parchment paper sheets, let to dry for up to an hour, and baked. One then sandwiches them with ganache, buttercream or jam.

What is a Macaroon?

Macaroons (mac-a-ROONZ), like these Chocolate Drizzled Clementine Coconut ones from Unsophisticook, are a traditional Passover dessert, as they contain no leavening, and they’re also made with egg whites. Unlike the French macaron, a macaroon is heavy, dense, and tooth-achingly sweet (but also incredibly delicious). If you go gaga for a Mounds or Almond Joy, macaroons are for you. Sometimes made with condensed milk and sometimes sugar, they’re little lumps of sticky coconut, often dipped in chocolate. They somewhat resemble haystacks, if you know those no-bake confections.

French Macaron Recipes

Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, here’s the good stuff. Twelve recipes each for making macarons and macaroons, whatever your fancy. Click each individual link to visit the blogger’s original recipe.