Macarons

These small, round, sweet meringue-based cookie sandwiches with filling in the middle are light and crunchy on the outside and chewy in the middle. Macarons, which first appeared in Italy in 1533 (albeit without the filling), got their name from the Italian word maccherone, which means fine dough.

They were originally made for the marriage of the Duke of Orléans, who later became King Henry II of France. Food historians credit Pierre Desfontaines as the inventor of the macaron. He was the first to fill the cookies with a creamy ganache and stick them together, turning the humble almond cookie into the versatile treat we know today.

Macarons are the most popular type of cookie in Paris, but they are popular throughout the rest of the world as well, and they appear with different fillings and in various sizes, colors, and flavors.