This little french confection seems to be the new cupcake, making it’s mark on the dessert world in many ways that we cannot help but take some notice. Spelled in French as “macaron” and English as “macaroon”, these almond-air cookies have taken the wedding world by storm. The English word “macaroon” and French macaron come from the Italian maccarone or maccherone. This word is itself derived from ammaccare, meaning “crush” or “beat”, which is an important part of making macaroons. We’re not sure about you, but we’ve been finding these chill desserts everywhere! They’re used in decor, in place of cakes, as favors… they are so universal that we cannot help but love them. It leads us to ask, where did they come from? It seems as though these sweet treats will be around for awhile, so we might as well learn a little bit about them. Let’s throw us back to the 9th century, shall we?
THE MACAROON
Culinary historians claim that macaroons can be traced to an Italian monastery of the 9th century. The monks came to France in 1533, joined by the pastry chefs of Catherine de Medici, wife of King Henri II. Later, two Benedictine nuns, Sister Marguerite and Sister Marie-Elisabeth, came to Nancy seeking asylum during the French Revolution. The two women paid for their housing by baking and selling macaroon cookies, and thus became known as the “Macaroon Sisters”.
Well that is one reason to love macaroons! These chill ladies paid their rent by making them! Although we can’t pay rent with them now, we sure can count some other reasons why we love these chill sweets.
- They’re chewy, sweet, & delicious.
- They come in TONS of different flavors.
- If you’re looking for a wedding favor idea, you can even wrap some in cellophane bags (or boxes) & give them to your guests!
- Instead of a wedding cake, you can have a macaroon tower like these:
- Using macaroons in your decor as a design element is a great way to tie together your wedding theme.
- Macaroons are GLUTEN FREE. They are generally made from egg whites, almond flour and sugar, none of which contain gluten.
- Looking for a clever way to display your escort cards? We love this idea!
- One of our favorite reasons to love these tiny french confections – the colors! There are SO many color possibilities! You can’t go wrong here.
Crazy about them yet? This chill dessert idea has endless possibilities, making it one of our favorite chill treats right now. How would you use macaroons for your wedding? We’d love to hear some ideas on this topic, seeing as macaroons aren’t going anywhere any time soon.
We’ve listed some great macaroon recipes below in case any of you are thinking of making some of these at home:
- French Almond Macarons
- Heart Shaped Macarons
- Ferrero Rocher Macarons
- Confetti Macarons (how fun is this?)
- Snickers Macarons
- Orange & Vanilla Macarons
- Raspberry Macarons
- Strawberry & Cream Macarons
Happy baking!
Bridechilla Blog 