Macarons vs. Macaroons

Readers of this blog will know that I adore macarons, French cookies consisting of almond meringues surrounding a creamy filling. I recently made a bunch of my best ones -- lavender orange (courtesy of Cannelle et Vanille) -- for a cousin who had invited me to dinner. As it's still Passover, these flourless delicacies are appropriate as well as delicious.

Lavender Orange Macarons 

But what we grew up with were Passover macaroons, a whole 'nother thing. These are confections made of syrupy grated coconut, often flavored with chocolate, formed into little mountains. They come in cans, and are really not great, at least for adults. A recent post by David Lebovitz gave a recipe for pineapple coconut macaroons, so I made a batch to see if homemade ones would be worth eating. They came out quite beautiful, if I say so myself, and have an interesting taste as a result of the pineapple's sweet/tart notes. By the way, these are French, too, called rochers à la noix de coco, or rochers coco for short.

Pineapple-Coconut Macaroons

So macarons or macaroons? For me, it's easy (the former), but there is room in the world for both.

Bobby Jay