Walk into any high-end pastry shop in Soho or a neighborhood bakery in the Midwest, and you’ll likely see a small, round, colorful sandwich cookie sitting behind the glass. You might point and ask for a "macaroon." Technically, you're probably wrong. But also, kinda right. Language is messy like that.
The question of how do you spell macaroons isn't just about a typo or a missing letter. It’s a linguistic battleground involving French history, Italian roots, and a lot of shredded coconut. People get really heated about this on food blogs. They’ll tell you that if it has two "o"s, it’s a lumpy coconut cluster, and if it has one, it’s a delicate French almond meringue.
It’s not that simple.
The Etymology Trap: Why Everyone Is Confused
Both words actually come from the same Italian ancestor: maccarone or maccherone. This basically meant a paste made of crushed things, usually flour or almonds. It’s the same root word that gave us macaroni pasta. Imagine that. A pink strawberry pastry and a bowl of cheesy noodles are distant cousins.
In the 16th century, Catherine de' Medici supposedly brought these almond cookies from Italy to France. At that point, they were just simple, rustic biscuits. No filling. No vibrant food coloring. Just almond paste, sugar, and egg whites. As the recipe evolved and migrated, the spelling started to diverge based on where the cookies landed.
When the recipe crossed the English Channel, the British started calling them "macaroons." In France, they stayed "macarons." For a long time, the English spelling was used as a blanket term for any cookie made with that specific base of egg whites and nuts.
How Do You Spell Macaroons When There’s Coconut Involved?
If you are talking about the dense, chewy, haystack-shaped cookie dipped in chocolate, it is always spelled macaroons. Two "o"s. Every time.
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These became a staple in Jewish American communities, specifically during Passover. Since they don't use flour or leavening agents, they’re kosher for the holiday. In the late 1800s, an enterprising company called the Franklin Baker Company in Philadelphia started Shredding and drying coconut to make it easier to ship. They included a recipe for a coconut macaroon on the back of the box.
It blew up.
Suddenly, the "macaroon" in the American mind was no longer a smooth almond biscuit. It was a coconut powerhouse. The double-O spelling became permanently tethered to the tropical fruit. If you’re writing a grocery list for a bag of Manischewitz or a homemade batch of toasted coconut clusters, you need that extra "o."
The French Macaron: The Single-O Aristocrat
Now, let’s talk about the macaron. This is the one you see on Instagram. Two shells, one filling, a million flavors like lavender or matcha.
In France, they never added the second "o." It remained the macaron (pronounced roughly like "mah-kah-ROHN," though the French 'n' is nasal and barely there). In the early 20th century, the famous pâtisserie Ladurée decided to take two of these shells and stick them together with ganache. This "Parisian Macaron" changed everything.
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Today, if you use the double-O spelling for these, foodies will definitely correct you. It feels pedantic, but in the culinary world, the spelling acts as a categorization tool.
- Macaron (One O): Smooth, almond-based, sandwich-style, colorful, French.
- Macaroon (Two Os): Lumpy, coconut-based, drop-cookie, often chocolate-dipped, American/British.
Wait. There’s a catch.
In the UK, many people still use "macaroon" to describe the French version. Even Martha Stewart has, at various times, used the terms interchangeably or referred to the almond version with the double-O. You isn't crazy for being confused. The dictionary actually lists "macaroon" as a valid English translation for the French "macaron." However, if you want to rank well in a search engine or avoid a lecture from a pastry chef, keep them separate.
Why the Spelling Matters for Your Kitchen (and Your SEO)
Precision is a virtue. If you're searching for a recipe and you type "macaroon recipe," you are going to get pages and pages of coconut instructions. If you actually wanted to spend three days aging egg whites and sifting almond flour to make a delicate rose-water treat, you’ll be disappointed.
Basically, the "macaroon" spelling is the "generic" version in the English language, while "macaron" is the specific French loanword.
Think about it like "whisky" versus "whiskey." That extra 'e' tells you exactly where the spirit was distilled. That extra 'o' tells you exactly what nut (or drupe) is in your cookie.
Common Misspellings and Regional Quirks
You’ll occasionally see people write "mackeron" or "macarone." Those are just wrong. Don't do that.
Interestingly, in Scotland, there is something called a "Macaroon Bar." It’s not a cookie at all. It’s a super sweet confection made from mashed potatoes (seriously), icing sugar, and chocolate, then rolled in toasted coconut. Even there, they use the double-O. It seems that once coconut enters the building, the second "o" follows closely behind.
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The Final Verdict on How Do You Spell Macaroons
If you’re typing a text to a friend about those cute pink sandwiches you bought at the mall, spell it macarons.
If you’re talking about the chewy coconut things your grandma makes for the holidays, spell it macaroons.
Honesty, most people will know what you mean either way. Context clues are powerful. If you say, "I love the pistachio macaroons at that French bakery," no one thinks you're eating a green coconut ball. But if you want to be technically correct—the best kind of correct—stick to the one-O for the sandwich and two-Os for the coconut.
Actionable Takeaways for the Curious Baker
- Check the ingredients. If the first thing you see is shredded coconut, use two "o"s in your captions or labels.
- If you are starting a food blog, use the term "macaron" for French recipes to ensure you reach the right audience. Searching for "macaron" usually indicates a higher level of culinary interest.
- Listen to the pronunciation. If someone says "mac-a-ROON" while pointing at a French cookie, they are using the anglicized version. It’s not "wrong," but it’s less precise than saying "mac-a-RON."
- When shopping, look for the "double-O" on the blue cans of coconut and the "single-O" on the fancy boxes from Paris.
Keep your vowels straight and your egg whites at room temperature. Whether you're team almond or team coconut, at least now you know exactly which keys to hit on the keyboard.