What Is The Best Macaron Flavor? - Exclusive Survey
Italy has cannolis, Argentina has medialunas, and France has macarons. The popular Parisian treat looks as good as it tastes. Macarons — not to be confused with macaroons – have risen in the ranks of go-to desserts. In 2014, The Atlantic dubbed the sandwich cookie "the dessert we deserve," meaning that it soared in popularity.
Given the macaron's delicacy of both flavor and appearance, it's easy enough to understand the trend. Macarons consist of almond flour, sugar, egg whites, and various flavors, like rose-champagne. They're a dainty dessert indicative of French patisserie. If finding a Parisian-style macaron fails you, however, you can always make your own macarons from scratch. Making the dessert at home requires some time and technique, but the at-home method allows you to bake as many as you'd like — and choose your favorite flavors. Although macarons provide a general structure for the dessert, they are essentially blank canvases for nutty, chocolatey, or fruity additions.
Tasting Table recently surveyed 588 people about their macaron preferences. The majority of people preferred to keep things classic, with two traditional flavors overpowering even the most unique — and French — of options.
Chocolate and vanilla are classics for a reason
Why mess with a good thing? Nearly a quarter of people who responded to Tasting Table's latest survey prefer chocolate macarons over funkier variations. Roughly 21% of people opt for vanilla macarons: a lighter, but still sweet, take on the dessert. With its subtle flavor, vanilla keeps the focus on the texture of a macaron.
Moving away from the vanilla and chocolate dichotomy, the survey saw another close divide — this time between red and green. Fans of pistachio macarons were plentiful, with 110 people, or 18.71% of voters, in favor of nut-based macarons. Not far behind, 95 people (16.16%) favored red velvet.
Rounding out the list, mango macarons received 63 votes. And despite their pretty pastel hue, lavender macarons received the fewest votes, with only 50 people craving floral flavors.
Such differences suggest that a variety of macarons may be the only way to appease everybody. To truly experiment with variety, try switching up your technique. Italian meringue macarons offer a different angle to the traditional dessert, thanks to a step that calls for a sugary syrupy. This Italian version pays homage to the dessert's potential roots; according to The Culture Trip, macarons likely originated in Venetian monasteries.
A dessert that can appease both chocolate and vanilla lovers — as well as those who'd rather not keep things black and white — is always a win.