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 (150°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the mixture
Work together almond paste and powdered sugar on a smooth board or marble slab.
Gradually add egg whites and mix until the mixture is perfectly smooth.
Shape and bake
Shape the mixture using a pastry bag and tube on a tin sheet covered with buttered paper, placing them ½ inch apart.
Alternatively, drop the mixture from the tip of a spoon in small piles.
Bake in a slow oven at 300°F (150°C) for 15 to 20 minutes.
For softer macaroons, bake them slightly less.
Finish
After removing from the oven, invert the paper and wet it with a cloth wrung out of cold water to easily slip off the macaroons.
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 + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,679 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-penten-3-one (fish, pungent).
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Egg + sugartop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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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
- Almond paste
- Provides the main body and chewy, moist interior of the macaroons.
- Egg whites
- Bind the paste into a smooth mixture and help the macaroons set as they bake.
- Powdered sugar
- Sweetens the mixture and helps give the macaroons a smooth, fine texture.
The step that matters
Mixing in the egg whites until perfectly smooth. Adding the egg whites gradually and mixing until smooth keeps the batter even. Lumps or overly wet batter can spread unevenly or crack, so the macaroons may not hold their shape.
Swap the almond
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, sugar):
- Pecansfits about as well
- Almondthe original
- Chestnutfits about as well
- Milletfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against 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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