Hello! Today is just ugh. Tuesdays are the worst aren’t they? I woke up late this morning, and to chase my dog around because he ate. all. the. spiced. sugar. cookies I made this past weekend. Yep. Just swiped them off the table like they were his. I could have murdered him, but then I would have had to clean that up too. Little jerk. *deep breath* anyway, so then I was late to work and work is work is work — so you know how that goes — so I am ready to chat about something else entirely! Let’s start with these pumpkin spice macarons.
Now I originally wasn’t going to post this recipe because, hey I wasn’t super pleased with how these macarons *look* but you know what?! I just don’t care how they look right now because they are freakin’ delicious and if you have had a morning like me, then you need some delicious in your life.
So to the macarons we go. I thought I was being clever in trying to shape them like pumpkins, and I *guess* they kind of look like pumpkins. If you turn your head and squint at them real hard, that is. But! They taste like all your pumpkin dreams rolled into one sweet little cookie and they weren’t hard to make. Like at all.
Spicy and sweet, these little pumpkin spice macarons — no matter what shape you make them in — will turn out great if you follow the right technique. (check out the recipe box below). So while I’m over here hoping that today will get a little bit better — and hoping that my dog doesn’t have a huge stomach ache (although the little sh*t deserves it) — I hope you will enjoy these little pumpkin butts — err….macarons!
Happy Baking!
XO,
Danielle
Pumpkin Spice Macarons
Ingredients
Ingredients:
For macaron shells:
- 1 cup almond flour super fine if you can find it, if not — buzz it up in your food processor — the finer the better
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 3 large egg whites
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¼ teaspoon pumpkin spice
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
- Orange gel food coloring optional
For pumpkin buttercream:
- 3 tablespoons 40gr unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup 130gr powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoon pure pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon heavy cream or Milk
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon pumpkin spice seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
Directions:
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In medium bowl, sift together almond flour and powdered sugar. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl with whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on medium speed until foamy. Add cream of tartar and continue to beat. Slowly add sugar one tablespoon at a time. Increase the speed to medium high and beat until stiff peaks form (the egg white will hold a stiff peak without falling over). Add orange gel food coloring. Beat on medium speed for one more minute, or until the color is evenly distributed.
- Sift the almond flour/powdered sugar mixture over the whipped egg whites. Gently fold the mixture running the spatula clockwise from the bottom, up around the sides and cut the batter in half. The batter will look very thick at first, but it will get thinner as you fold. Be careful not to over mix it though. Every so often test the batter to see if it reached the right consistency. To test the batter, drop a small amount of the batter and count to ten. If the edges of the ribbon are dissolved within ten seconds, then the batter is ready. I repeat, do NOT mix again. If you still see edges, fold the batter couple more times and test again. This step is so crucial, so please make sure to test often to ensure not to over, or under mix the batter.
- Transfer the batter into a pastry bag with a round tip. (I used Wilton 14 round tip here — recommend a smaller tip (12 round tip) for smaller macarons).
- Pipe the macarons in pumpkin shape on prepared baking sheets. Or if you’re not that fancy, just 1 inch circles works.
- Tap the baking sheets firmly on the counter a few times to get rid of any air bubbles. If you don’t release the air bubbles, they will expand during baking and crack the beautiful macarons shells.
- Let the macarons rest and dry for 15-30 minutes. On a humid day, it might take an hour or so. To see if it’s ready to be baked, lightly touch it. If the batter doesn’t stick to your finger, then it’s ready. Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C).
- Bake the macarons one sheet at a time for 18-20 minutes. To check the doneness, remove one macaron. If the bottom does not stick, they are done.
- Transfer to wire rack to cool for 15minutes, and then remove from the baking sheets.
- While macarons are drying, prepare the pumpkin buttercream. In a mixing bowl with whisk attachment, beat the butter until fluffy. Add powdered sugar, heavy cream, pumpkin puree, salt, pumpkin spice and cinnamon. Beat until well combined.
- Transfer the buttercream into a pastry bag and fill the macarons.
- Macarons will keep in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
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