Why it works: Sugar and almond are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 15,679 recipes. Both carry 1-penten-3-one, which smells fish, pungent. The science ↓
Fancy Macaroons
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a hot oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the mixture
In a bowl, combine powdered sugar and 3 egg whites.
Slice almond paste thinly and add to the mixture.
Rub the mixture until smooth, then add 2 more egg whites to keep it stiff.
Pipe and rest
Use a piping bag with a star tip to pipe the mixture onto parchment paper.
Decorate with fruits and nuts.
Let them sit in a cool place for 24 hours.
Bake and finish
Bake in a preheated oven at 400°F (200°C) until light brown.
While warm, wash the macaroons with a solution of gum arabic and water.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
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Sugar + almondtop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,679 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-penten-3-one (fish, pungent).
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Sugar + eggtop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Egg + almondtop 25% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together12,645 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Powdered sugar
- Adds sweetness and bulk to the dry base of the mixture.
- Egg whites
- Provide structure and stiffness so the piped mixture holds its shape.
- Almond paste
- Adds almond flavor, richness and moisture to the dough.
- Gum arabic
- Forms a glossy, sticky coating on the warm macaroons.
The step that matters
Resting the piped macaroons for 24 hours. Resting lets the surface dry and form a skin, which helps the macaroons rise evenly and keeps cracks and spreading under control in the oven.
Swap the almond
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, egg):
- Pecansfits about as well
- Almondthe original
- Chestnutfits about as well
- Milletfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, egg. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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