If you promise to bake macarons for a bake sale and show up with chewy mounds of shredded coconut, you’re sure to draw some surprised reactions. That’s because most people routinely confuse macaroons for macarons. The two words are so similar that it’s no wonder. So, here’s everything you need to know about how to say them, what they are, and how they're made. The cookie “macaron” is pronounced “mack-uh-RAHN” — the last syllable rhymes with the word “on.” The cookie “macaroon,” however, is pronounced “mack-uh-ROON” — the last syllable rhymes with the word “soon.” Aside from the fact that both cookies couldn’t look more different, there’s a definite difference in taste and texture. A macaron is a meringue-based sandwich cookie that's tinted with food coloring. A macaroon is a drop cookie made with shredded coconut. The easiest way to remember the difference is to remember that macaron has an O sandwiched between the R and N, just like a macaron has one layer of filling sandwiched between two cookies. Macaroon and coconut both have two O’s. No matter which cookie is your favorite, both macarons and macaroons are delicious in their own way.
