Adorable pumpkin macarons with pumpkin buttercream filling – a quick video tutorial, FREE template and lots of tips are included!!
Table of Contents
Well, now that summer is officially coming to an end (kind of sad, but kind of excited for fall baking!), I think it’s safe to start with all things pumpkin now. Are you as excited as I am? I hope so!
I created this pumpkin macaron recipe exactly 3 years ago. It was a huge hit around here. My mother-in-law loved this flavor the most out of all the macs I’ve made so far.
When I was developing this recipe back then, I remember brainstorming ideas on how to infuse the macarons with pumpkin flavor. As you know, macarons are quite finicky, and the thought of adding pumpkin puree into the delicate batter just didn’t sit right with me. Should I add pumpkin spice in the batter and make pumpkin buttercream with pumpkin puree instead? What if they won’t be pumpkin-y enough? Blah, blah, blah… Different thoughts came and went…
How to add pumpkin flavor to macarons:
I was clueless until I came across this magic little bottle of pumpkin spice baking emulsion! It’s like concentrated pumpkin pie in a bottle, perfect for my delicate macaron batter that hates excess moisture. Yeah, this’s powerful stuff, and a little bit goes a long way.
Note that this emulsion is water-based, which means it’s safe to add to the meringue!
Now, tell me how ADORABLE are these little pumpkins?? And those little chocolate chips complete the look perfectly, right?!!! I have to admit I was pretty proud of myself. 🙂
My main goal for re-sharing this old recipe is to show you the whole process. That’s why I made this quick video. And I hope this inspires you to get in the kitchen and bake some macarons.
FREE macaron template
Macaron 101: A Comprehensive Guide
Master the art of French macarons and create your signature flavors!
Pumpkin Macarons
Ingredients
For macaron shells:
- 100 g almond flour Note 1
- 65 g powdered sugar Note 2
- 70 g egg whites at room temperature Note 3
- 75 g fine granulated sugar Note 4
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar Note 5
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pumpkin spice bakery emulsion
- Orange gel food coloring optional
For pumpkin buttercream:
- 3 tablespoons (40 g) unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup (130 g) powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon pure pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon heavy cream
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
To make the macaron shells:
- Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, or teflon sheet, or silicone mat.
- To prepare dry ingredients, sift together almond flour and powdered sugar twice. (Note: If you have up to 2 tablespoons of chunky dry ingredients left in the sifter, you don't have to replace it. Simply discard those chunky bits.)
- To make meringue, in a clean mixing bowl with a whisk attachment, combine egg whites, granulated sugar, cream of tartar and salt and beat the mixture on medium speed until soft peaks form. (I set it to speed 4 on my KitchenAid stand mixer. It takes 30-40 minutes to whip the meringue, but it's well worth it for nice and full shells.)
- When the meringue reaches soft peaks stage, add orange gel food coloring.
- Continue beating the meringue at the same medium speed until hard peaks form. Visual cues: Meringue should ball up inside the whisk, and when you lift the whisk, the meringue should hold a pointy end and have sharp ribs.
- To make batter, sift almond flour mixture into the meringue. Using a silicone spatula, fold the dry ingredients into the meringue until fully incorporated. Then continue to fold the batter until it’s runny enough to draw a figure eight. To test, take a small amount of batter and drop it into the bowl. If the small peaks dissolve into the batter on its own in about 10 seconds, the batter is ready. If not, fold couple more times and test again. Be careful not to over-fold the batter. (TIP: Making french macarons is all about the technique. This is one of the most crucial step. Let me try to describe the folding motion as best as I can: run the spatula clockwise from the bottom, up around the sides and cut the batter in half. If you’re beginner macaron-baker, I suggest to count every fold. It takes roughly about 50 folds to reach the proper consistency. After 50 folds, start testing the batter, and continue testing after every couple folds.)
- To pipe macaron shells, transfer the batter into a pastry bag, fitted with a round tip. (I use Wilton 12 tip.)
- Hold the pastry bag at straight 90° angle and pipe the macarons in pumpkin shape about an inch apart on prepared baking sheets. (TIP: Download my free macaron template.) Watch the video above for visuals guide.
- Tap the baking sheets firmly on the counter (or slap the bottom of the baking sheet with one of your hands) a few times to get rid of any air bubbles. You can also use a toothpick to burst some large air bubbles. This step ensures smooth tops.
- Let the macarons rest on the counter for 15 minutes before baking.
- To bake, bake the macarons for 15-18 minutes, one baking sheet at a time, on the middle rack. It’ll take longer for larger macarons. To test for doneness, touch a macaron lightly and try to move it. If it slides and wobbles, bake a minute or so longer. The cooked macarons should be firm to touch and the base shouldn’t move.
- Cool the macarons complete and then remove the shells from the baking surface. (TIP: Don't remove the shells while warm, you may risk breaking the shells, or the bottom might get stuck to the baking surface.)
To make buttercream filling:
- In a mixing bowl with whisk attachment, beat the butter until fluffy. Add powdered sugar, heavy cream, pumpkin puree, salt and cinnamon. Beat until well combined.
- Transfer the buttercream into a pastry bag and fill the macarons.
To assemble macarons:
- Pair the macaron shells by size and arrange them on a wire rack. Line them up so that bottom shells are upside down.
- Pipe the filling on bottom shells. Place the top shell over the filling and press lightly so the filling spreads till the edges.
- Refrigerate the filled macarons in an airtight container for at least 24 hours to mature, which allows the filling to soften and flavor the shells.
- To serve, bring the macarons out about 30 minutes prior to serving.
Tips & Notes
– Store the filled macarons in airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
– You can also freeze the filled macarons in airtight container for up to 5 months.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published on September 17th, 2014.
I love how the emulsion gives the shells an extra pop of pumpkin spice goodness. The buttercream was a bit too sweet for me though. I think I will try a cheesecake filling next time to balance the sweetness.
Thank you for the recipe, Shinee!
In my brain a macaroon is only egg white with grated coconut
Hi! Thanks so much for sharing your recipe. It’s super cute! I love the pumpkins and the detail of adding the chocolate chip for a stalk. Adorable! In the shells ingredient list, there’s no salt listed, but in the written instructions it says to add cream of tartar and salt… how much? A pinch? (I’m midway through making them so I figured I should ask… I’ll check out your other Mac recipes to see if there’s a clue there).
🙂
Hi, Adriana. I apologize for confusion. And thank you for letting me know. Hope it turned out well. I corrected the recipe now.