Why it works: Almond and sugar 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 ↓
Macaroons
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a slow oven”. The 300°F in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the almonds
Blanch the almonds.
Wash the almonds.
Dry the almonds in a towel.
Chop the almonds very finely.
Spread the chopped almonds on a dish to dry for 2-3 days.
Spread a sheet of paper on an oven tin without greasing it.
Pound the dried almonds.
Make the macaroons
Beat the egg whites until very stiff.
Quickly mix the beaten egg whites with the pounded almonds and sugar.
Drop teaspoonfuls of the mixture onto the paper, spaced apart.
Lightly touch the tops with a wet brush.
Place a strip of blanched almond on each.
Bake and release
Bake in a slow oven (300°F/150°C) until hard.
Remove the paper from the tin.
Turn the tin upside down.
Wet the back of each macaroon with cold water to release them.
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.
-
Almond + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,679 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-penten-3-one (fish, pungent).
-
Sugar + eggtop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Almond + eggtop 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
- Almonds
- Provide the main body and nutty flavour of the macaroons.
- Egg whites
- Whipped into foam, they trap air and give the macaroons their light structure.
- Fine sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps the mixture set and brown as it bakes.
The step that matters
Quickly mix the beaten egg whites with the almonds and sugar. Whipped egg whites hold air in a fragile foam. Overmixing or mixing slowly deflates it, so the macaroons spread flat and turn dense instead of light.
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.
More macaroons recipes
You might also like
Almond Sponge Cake26 recipes
Almond Custard22 recipes
Almond Wafers22 recipes
Coconut Almond Cake17 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.