When people hear the word “macaron” (mack-ah-ROHN), they often think of a sweet, chewy little mound of shredded dried coconut known as a macaroon (mack-ah-ROON). In actuality, a macaron is a French, meringue-based almond cookie. Resembling a minihamburger in appearance, a macaron consists of two brightly colored small cakes with eggshell-thin crusts sandwiching a ganache, buttercream or fruit-jam filling.
