Why it works: Dates and almond work together. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 217 recipes. Both carry coumarin, which smells sweet, hay. The science ↓
Macaroons
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a very slow oven”. The 300°F (150°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
Stone the dates, then weigh and chop them finely.
Cut almonds lengthwise into slices without blanching.
Make the mixture
Beat the egg whites until foamy, then add the sugar and beat until stiff.
Add the chopped dates and almonds, mixing thoroughly.
Bake
Drop the mixture by teaspoonfuls onto slightly buttered baking sheets, spacing them one inch apart.
Bake for 40 minutes in a slow oven at 300°F (150°C).
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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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Dates + almondtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together217 recipes
Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
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Almond + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,679 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-penten-3-one (fish, pungent).
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Dates + sugartop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together985 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
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Egg + sugartop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Dates + eggtop 23% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together737 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Egg whites
- Whipped to foam and stiffness, they give the macaroons their light, airy structure.
- Sugar
- Stabilises the whipped whites and adds sweetness and browning as the macaroons bake.
- Almonds
- Provide body, chew and nutty flavour that holds the macaroons together.
- Dates
- Add moisture and natural sweetness, keeping the macaroons soft and chewy.
The step that matters
Beating the egg whites until stiff. Egg whites hold air only when whipped to a stiff foam without deflating. Under-beaten whites give a dense result, while over-beaten whites turn grainy and collapse, so the foam needs to be stiff yet still smooth before the dates and almonds are folded in.
Swap the almond
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (dates, egg, sugar):
- Pecansfits about as well
- Almondthe original
- Walnutfits less well
- Chestnutfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against dates, egg, sugar. 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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