A sweet meringue-based confection made with egg white, icing sugar, granulated sugar, almond powder or ground almond.

A typical macaron is presented with a ganache, buttercream or jam filling sandwiched between two such cookies.

The confection is characterized by a smooth top, a ruffled circumference, referred to as the "foot", and a flat base. It is mildly moist and easily melts in the mouth. Macarons can be found in a wide variety of flavors.