macarons vs. macaroons

i'm learning a lot about cooking lately...mostly that i never seem to like the recipe as it is written and always find myself changing it. also that nothing cooks quite right at this ridiculous utah altitude. but just for the record (mostly for natalie), let's get one thing straight.

these are macaROONs.

they usually have some coconut and condensed milk in them and are flaky and easy to make. they only take about ten minutes and come out looking pretty sweet.

these are macaRONs.

you usually put two of these together to make a yummy cookie sandwich with creme in the middle. they have egg whites in them and are super-hard to make (trust me -- mine obviously didn't turn out quite like the ones in the picture). also you can make them different colors.

i guess technically you could make the macaroons different colors too, but they are not traditionally colored. both of the recipes are gluten-free, so they don't have flour in them, but that is basically where their similarities end.

...besides the fact that their names look very much alike as well.

and now you know. macarons and macaroons are two different things.