National Chocolate Macaroon Day is celebrated on June 3 every year. Chocolate macaroons are a popular dessert made with chocolate, icing sugar, egg whites, and nut garnishings. Macaroons are available in a range of flavors but chocolate macaroons remain an undisputed favorite among everyone. A rich, creamy chocolate-filled macaroon is an instant mood lifter and deserves a separate day of celebration! The day is celebrated at patisseries, cooking schools, and even at home. Schedule your next cheat day for June 3 to celebrate National Chocolate Macaroon Day with your loved ones.
A macaroon is a small cake or cookie. The chief ingredients in a macaroon are almond powder, egg whites, and ground sugar. Flavors are added as per individual preference. Some dessert lovers also add coconut shavings, condensed milk, and ground nuts for added flavor. The macaroons are baked on edible rice paper in an oven.
It is believed that macaroons originated some time in the 8th or 9th century in an Italian monastery. The desserts were introduced in France in 1533 when monks from the monastery joined King Henry II’s pastry chef. A few centuries later, two Benedictine nuns named Sister Marie-Elizabeth and Sister Marguerite sold macaroons to pay for rent during the French Revolution.
Their macaroons became famous in the French province and the sisters were known by the name of ‘Macaroon Sisters’ throughout Europe. The dessert has now become synonymous with French cuisine and today some of the best macaroons can be tasted in France. The dessert also enjoys great popularity in other European, Asian, and Latin American countries.
We have Mrs. Esther Levy to thank for popularizing the great American macaroon. In 1871, Mrs. Levy published the “First Jewish American Cookbook.” She originally published this recipe in the chapter on cakes as there was not a chapter on cookies. However, this is understandable, as the texture of a macaroon isn’t very cookie-like. It is soft and a little chewy, more like a cake than a cookie. However, the bite-size serving is most definitely cookie-like.
Macaroons deserve to be celebrated and recognized for their own characteristics. Coconut was substituted for almond flour when the first coconut palms planted in Florida began to yield fruit. Thus, macaroons are not only tasty little delights, they were also an early exercise in the locavore movement, eating produce grown close to home.
National Chocolate Macaroon Day celebrates the especially indulgent and rich flavor of chocolate and encourages those with a sweet tooth to try out this flavor. Chocolate macaroons taste best with a cup of tea or a glass of crisp white wine.
