When is a macaroon not a macaroon? When it’s a macaron! Americans associate the egg-white-based macaroons with coconut, but the French bake deliciously tender-crisp cookies with ground almonds. French macarons are totally delicious. Stop by Kitchen Conservatory this week and taste a true macaroon.

This delicious treat deserves to be made with the highest-quality ingredients. Valrhona bittersweet chocolate is the best-tasting chocolate I have ever put in my mouth — and well worth the $16 per pound price. Macaroons are made with ground almonds, but grinding almonds at home usually results in almond butter. I like to use almond flour, which is 100 percent almonds, but commercially ground cool so that the oil does not extrude and the almonds are dry. (Oily ground almonds will deflate the whipped egg whites.)

Macaroons must be baked on a lined baking sheet — either parchment paper or a silicone liner. And macaroons must be eaten the day that they are baked. Too bad, we have to eat them all!

Macaron au Chocolat

for the cookie:

• 3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, preferably Valrhona
• 2 egg whites
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup almond flour or finely-ground almonds

In a double-boiler, melt the chocolate on low heat. Set aside and let cool slightly. Whip the egg whites to stiff peaks, then slowly whip in the sugar and continue whipping. Add the vanilla. Fold in the almonds and chocolate. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a plain tip and pipe small rounds onto a lined baking sheet pan. Bake at 275 degrees for 15-20 minutes (depending on the size of the macaroons), until crisp on the outside, but still gooey on the inside. Let cool completely on the baking sheet. To remove, do not use a spatula, but peel the cookie off of the liner. Then make the sandwiches with the chocolate ganache.

for the filling:

• 3 tablespoons heavy cream
• 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, preferably Valrhona

In a small saucepan, heat the cream. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate to melt. Whisk to a smooth consistency and let cool, but do not refrigerate. Put a teaspoon of ganache on the back of a macaroon and sandwich with another macaroon.