Description
These Pumpkin Spice Macarons are delicate French cookies featuring a light almond meringue shell flavoured with warm pumpkin pie spice. Decorated with charming jack-o-lantern faces and filled with a creamy spiced pumpkin buttercream, they are perfect for a festive fall treat or Halloween dessert.
Ingredients
Scale
Macarons
- 100 g (about 3 large eggs) egg whites, room temperature
- 140 g (about 1 1/3 cups) fine almond flour, sifted
- 120 g (about 1 cup) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- 100 g (about 1/2 cup) baker’s sugar (caster sugar)
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 drops orange gel food coloring
Decoration
- Black gel food coloring
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Filling
- 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3 tablespoons pumpkin purée, room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups (180 g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Pinch kosher salt
Instructions
- Prepare egg whites: Place egg whites in a small bowl, ensuring no trace of yolk. Cover with plastic wrap pierced with holes and leave at room temperature for 8 hours or refrigerate overnight. Bring to room temperature before using.
- Sift dry ingredients: Sift confectioners’ sugar and almond flour together twice through a fine mesh sieve to remove lumps. Set aside.
- Make meringue: In a clean stand mixer bowl fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk egg whites on medium-low until frothy. Add cream of tartar, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Gradually add baker’s sugar while increasing speed to medium-high, beating until stiff peaks form (about 5 minutes). Add orange gel coloring during the last minute and mix thoroughly.
- Fold dry ingredients: Fold half the sifted dry ingredients gently into the meringue using a silicone spatula, then add the remaining half. Continue folding carefully until the batter reaches a smooth, lava-like consistency. Avoid over-mixing.
- Pipe macarons: Transfer batter to a piping bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round tip. Pipe 1-inch circles spaced 2 inches apart onto a Silpat mat with macaron outlines or parchment paper. Drop the baking sheet onto a counter three times (rotating 180° and repeating) to release air bubbles. Pop any visible bubbles with a toothpick.
- Dry macarons: Let macarons rest at room temperature for 40 to 45 minutes until a skin forms and they are dry to the touch without leaving marks when gently touched.
- Preheat and bake: Preheat oven to 300°F (150°C) about 10 minutes before baking. Bake macarons for 12 to 14 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking. Cool completely on a rack.
- Decorate: Match macaron shells by size, selecting some to be painted with jack-o-lantern faces. Thin black gel food coloring with vanilla extract using a small brush and paint faces onto shells. Allow the paint to dry completely before filling.
- Make filling: In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat butter and pumpkin purée until creamy (about 2 minutes). Slowly add confectioners’ sugar and pumpkin pie spice on low speed. Increase to medium speed and add vanilla extract and salt, mixing until smooth. Add a splash of milk if needed to thin consistency.
- Assemble: Transfer filling to a piping bag and pipe onto the flat side of one macaron shell. Sandwich with the matching shell. Repeat with all cookies.
Notes
- Use superfine almond flour such as Bob’s Red Mill for the best texture.
- Cream of tartar stabilizes egg whites and is essential for proper meringue formation.
- Separate egg whites when eggs are cold and allow them to age overnight for better volume.
- Ensure mixing bowls and utensils are completely clean and free from grease for successful meringue.
- Store macarons in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days; best enjoyed within 24 hours for optimal freshness.
- Macarons can be frozen for up to 3 months wrapped in plastic and sealed in an airtight container. Defrost in the refrigerator before serving.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 macaron sandwich
- Calories: 107
- Sugar: 9 g
- Sodium: 32 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1.1 g
- Trans Fat: 0.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 19 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 10 mg
