GBBO Just Cleared Up The Macaron Confusion For Good

They share a near-identical name but for a vowel, and to make either of the two cookies calls for the same ingredients — egg whites and sugar, per Food Network. But when we talk about macarons and macaroons, we're also referring to two different cookie types. The former is made with ground almonds and can be found in upmarket Parisian cafes, while the other is a less fussy cookie made with coconut. 

But a third entity has entered the picture, and to clear up any confusion that might linger between the three, the folks at "The Great British Bake Off" decided to do all of us a favor by posting a graphic of the two cookies and the current French President. Captioned "Just to clear up any confusion..." the image featured a pink macaron, a chocolate striped macaroon, and the headshot of a smiling French President Emmanuel Macron, per Twitter.

The cheeky post got a laugh on Twitter, as well as tens of thousands of likes. It even drew a few witty responses from GBBO fans — one felt it might be a good idea to remind the show that in fact, the possible confusion arising from Macron/macaron/macaroon was similar to the one seen between macaroni (the noodle), Marconi, Italian inventor of the telegraph, and Mickey Rooney the actor. Another sought to inform social media that in fact, macaroons looked slightly different in Scotland, where they are made with potato fondant and chocolate before being covered in coconut, per Christina's Cucina. Then there is the Lebanese Maa'croon, as a commenter pointed out, which is flavored with anise and made with flour and yeast, per Cooks.com.

But there were those that went with it, including one social media user who tweeted, "I work for Ladurée, this is my daily ordeal!" Then there was the user who decided that the confusion lead to a lifelong preference for one pastry over another as she said, "I started eating macarons because I heard they were good for Crohn's disease. Then I found out it's actually macaroons but I don't like them so I just eat the macarons and pretend they're good for me."