MACAROON or MACARON

There are several varieties of macaroon: the original almond macaroon, the coconut macaroon and the French meringue sandwich, or macaron. Some people insist that “macaron” is the meringue-like French cookie sandwich and “macaroon” is the coconut variety; however, the English translation of “macaron” is “macaroon,” so the argument will have to rest. Some culinary historians claim that that macaroons can be traced to an Italian monastery. The first macaroons were almond meringue cookies similar to today’s amaretti, with a crisp crust and a soft interior. They were made from egg whites and almond paste).

MADELEINE

A sponge cake-like cookie baked in a special pan that produces elongated shell shapes. While madeleines are technically cake, the small size enables them to be served with cookies. This French delight is named for Mary Magdalen (the French name for Magdalen is Madeleine). Legend has it that the recipe originated with nuns from a convent once dedicated to her; nuns traditionally raised money by baking and selling sweets. Many people liken the madeleine to pound cake, although it is actually a dense sponge cake (génoise). Madeleines are easy to bake, requiring only a special madeleine pan with shell shaped depressions. Here’s a madeleine recipe made with a touch of orange liqueur.

MALLOW or MARSHMALLOW COOKIE

Mallows are marshmallow cookies; the classic Mallomar from Nabisco is a chocolate-covered marshmallow cookie. The marshmallow is set on a shortbread base or other cookie base; the unit is then covered with chocolate. A layer of caramel can be added between the marshmallow and the cookie.

MANDELBROT or MANDELBROYT or
MANDELBREAD

Mandelbrot, Yiddish for almond bread, is a relative of the British rusk, the Italian biscotto and the Ukrainian kamishbrot—all hard dunking cookies sliced from a loaf. It is believed that Ashkenazi Jews from Eastern Europe brought biscotti back from Italy (it was originally made in Roman times as durable food to take on journeys). The Jews added oil to the fat-free biscotti to make the dough easier to work with and not as hard. (In biscotti, only the eggs bind the dough, and the lack of fat extends the shelf life.) Sometimes the cookies were dipped in chocolate (our favorite!).

MANTECADITO or ALMOND
SHORTBREAD COOKIE

Mantecaditos are a almond butter cookies that are traditional Puerto Rican Christmas fare. They are flavored with almond and vanilla extracts and fresh-ground nutmeg, and decorated with a piece of maraschino cherry.

MERINGUE

Meringues are airy delights made of egg whites and sugar, baked at a low temperature until crisp. Some modern versions add mini chocolate chips or other flavor accents. According to Larousse Gastronomique, meringue was invented by a Swiss pastry chef named Gasparini, who lived in the small German town of Meiringen. Until the early 19th century, meringues cooked in the oven were shaped with a spoon. It was the great French chef Antoine Carême (1784– 1833) who first had the idea of piping meringue through a pastry bag.

MELTAWAY

A meltaway is a butter cookie made with powdered sugar and also dusted with it, this small cookie does melt in your mouth. It is a classic “tea cake.” Mexican wedding cakes are examples of meltaways, as are butter balls and pecan balls.

MEXICAN WEDDING CAKE or PECAN COOKIE BALL

A soft, round butter cookie made with powdered sugar, flour and minced walnuts, and flavored with vanilla. The warm cookies are coated in more powdered sugar. They melt in your mouth.

MIGNARDISES

Mignardises (min-yar-DEEZ), from the French for “preciousness,” belong  to the group of after-dinner cookies called petit fours (French for “small baked pastries”). Friandises (free-yon-DEEZ), from the French for “delicate,” are another interchangeable  term. Nonbaked confections such as glazed or chocolate-dipped fruit, marzipan and nut clusters, among others, are also added to the plate. See petit fours.

MILAN or MILANO COOKIE

A chocolate-filled sandwich cookie; the “Milano” is trademarked by Pepperidge Farm so the style must be referred to a Milan cookie when created by anyone else. The Milano evolved from Pepperidge Farm’s Naples cookie, a single vanilla finger cookie with dark chocolate icing. In warmer climates and seasons, the stacked cookies would stick to each other. The problem was solved by sandwiching two Naples cookies together. The thin, finger-shaped butter cookies are made with powdered sugar and flavored with lemon and vanilla. Gael Gand has a recipe that you can find on the Food Network website.

MOLASSES COOKIE

A simple drop cookie, molasses cookies are sweetened with molasses and light brown sugar, and flavored with cinnamon, cloves and ginger. Depending on the recipe, they can be hard (like gingersnaps) or soft and chewy. Learn more about molasses in our Sugar & Syrup Glossary.

MOLDED COOKIE

One of the eight basic types of cookies, molded cookies are made from a stiffer dough that is molded into balls or other shapes (wreaths, for example, as shown in the photo) before baking. Almond crescents are an example of molded cookies.

MONSTER COOKIE

This cookie is not called “monster” because of its size, but for its lumpy appearance (or perhaps the monster number of ingredients). Take the basic Toll House cookie recipe and add a jar of peanut butter, a half cup of M&Ms and 1/4 cup of raisins.

MORAVIAN COOKIE

Moravian cookies deserve the title “wafer-thin”; they are the thinnest cookies to be had. They surfaced centuries ago in the kingdom of Moravia, located in what is now the Czech Republic. The dough is rolled to an almost-transparent thickness; the baked cookies are very fragile. The cookies are made in any number of flavors.

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