Mary Lincoln Extra Credit Questions

[L Verge]

In the process of enjoying this thread, I learned that there are macarons and macaroons -- two separate treats. Macarons are actually two almond cookies held together (a la Oreos) by a sugary middle. Macaroons are a single almond (and usually coconut) cookie. Do we know whether Mrs. Lincoln's pyramid was made from macarons or macaroons? I would suspect macarons.

https://fearlessfresh.com/what-is-the-di...macaroons/

Be careful - you will gain weight just reading about the history of these two items before you even get to the recipes. Macarons are considered French via Italy (brought to Paris when a Medici lady married a French king). They are thought to have originated with two nuns as one cookie and later adapted to the sandwich style. Both the "rons" and the "roons" take their names from the Italian word for "meringue."