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Pumpkin Macarons

pumkin jackolantern macaron on orange napkin

Pumpkin Macarons are a seasonal twist on standard macarons and well worth your time. Pumpkin pie spice adds flavor to the shells and pumpkin butter elevates the filling. I made pumpkin treats which take basic macarons to silly-holiday-fun when you add a jack-o-lantern face. Let the kids get involved and decorate their own!

Or keep it simple and elegant with the plain macaron– a pumpkin spice shell with a pumpkin butter filling. These won’t disappoint; they are the melt-in-your-mouth kind of good.

The #CreativeCookieExchange is all about HALLOWEEN this month. Whether you make something spooky, crafty, outrageous or simple, we’d love to see how your cookies celebrate Halloween.

I started with a macaron recipe from Brave Tart, The proportions of egg whites to almond flour, powdered sugar and granulated sugar that she provides work well for me too. It is helpful to use a kitchen scale to weigh ingredients when making macarons. That method is more accurate than measuring cups and you’ll have better luck perfecting your macarons. To make these pumpkin flavored I used a generous amount of pumkin pie spice. You can make your own mixture out of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger and cloves or you can buy it already mixed and ready for purchase in the spice aisle.

Another reliable macaron recipe is shared in National Geographic. It is the Bouchon Bakery’s macaron recipe. Give it a try!

The baking tool I find most helpful when making macarons is a Macaron Baking Mat. The mat has circular indentations that make crafting identical macarons SO MUCH EASIER. When I’ve experimented with that same batch of macaron batter and made one tray with my molded baking mat and the other tray without the mat, I’ve had much better results with the mat.

The molds give the macarons structure and, for me, are an insurance policy for when I may have under mixed my batter. Instead of spreading all over a regular baking mat, my macarons puff up, develop that signature foot around the edge, and bake beautifully.

How to pipe macarons without a macaron baking mat

Before I found the macaron mat (which honestly is the easiest way to pipe macarons), I would trace circles on my parchment which would guide me in making consistently sized macaron shells. Each time I’d trace around a circle cookie cutter or something else that was about the right size in my kitchen. The method worked but was time consuming.

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Yield: 24

Pumpkin Macarons

Stack of three pumpkin macarons

Macarons are a beautiful dessert-- this version celebrates pumpkin flavors!

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 14 minutes
Total Time 44 minutes

Ingredients

  • 4 ounces (115 g) almond flour
  • 8 ounces (230 g) powdered sugar
  • 5 ounces (144 g) egg whites
  • 2 1/2 ounces (72 g) granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 4 ounces butter, softened
  • 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/2 cup pumpkin butter

Instructions

  1. Please find the original recipe from Brave Tart. She provides excellent detail for each step. Add the pumpkin pie spice along with the salt.

For the filling

To make the filling dairy free simply use store-bought pumpkin butter. Or if you prefer, try this:

  1. In a stand mixer beat together the butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar and pumpkin butter.
  2. Pipe small amount onto one shell, top with second shell.
  3. Optional: use food-safe markers or pens to decorate the shells like jack-o-lanterns.

Notes

Pumpkin macarons are a gluten free dessert.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

24

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 146Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 15mgSodium: 100mgCarbohydrates: 18gFiber: 1gSugar: 16gProtein: 2g

This data is provided by Nutritionix and is an estimate only.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram

Miranda @ Cookie Dough & Oven Mitt

Friday 7th of November 2014

Yes! I love macarons! I love the little jack-o-lantern faces. So beautiful!

Hezzi-D

Thursday 23rd of October 2014

Love the pumpkin faces on the macarons! I need to try this version, I have a ton of almond meal and nothing to make with it!

Kathia Rodriguez

Wednesday 22nd of October 2014

Super fun and adorable.

Ansh

Tuesday 21st of October 2014

GORGEOUS Macarons!! And so cute and adorable too! Only you can do it, Holly! Respect!

The Ninja Baker

Tuesday 21st of October 2014

You are truly the consummate baker, Holly! Of course I am pinning your perfect pumpkin macarons =) P.s. Along with your delightful desserts, you must be enjoying the gorgeous Colorado fall foilage.

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