Why it works: Almond and egg are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 25% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 12,645 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓
Macaroons
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a moderate oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
Make a paste with the almonds, essence of noyau, and egg whites.
Shape
Using a tablespoon, scoop small amounts about the size of walnuts onto sheets of wafer paper, keeping them 2 inches apart.
Dip a finger in cold water and press it in the center of each macaroon to flatten slightly.
Bake and serve
Place them on a baking sheet and bake in a moderate oven at 350°F (175°C) until light brown.
Remove from the oven and let cool before serving.
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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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 flavor of the macaroon paste.
- Egg whites
- Bind the almond paste and help the macaroons set and hold their shape while baking.
The step that matters
Bake until light brown. Baking until light brown develops browning flavor and a crisp outside, while the inside stays chewy. Pulling them early leaves them pale and soft, and leaving them too long makes them dry and bitter.
“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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