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
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.
Shinee,
These look delicious! I love any thing pumpkin I am counting down the days until I can pull out all of my pumpkin decorations! These will be a great way to kick off fall! We would love if you stopped by and shared these at our Dream. Create. Inspire. Link! Party that is going on right now. I hope we’ll see you there!
Cat
Thanks, Cat!
I adore the color of these cookies! They are absolutely enticing! Such beautiful shots! Thank you for this recipe! The Step by step looks so fun! 😀
Thanks so much!!
Hello from Totally Terrific Tuesday Link Party! These Pumpkin French Macarons are FABULOUS! I have yet to tackle french macarons, but it is on my bake bucket list. Love these! Pinned!
Thanks, Sarah!
These look delightful! Perfect for fall. Thank you for sharing!
<3
Yes, perfect fall treat! Thanks, Hannah!
These are just stunning!! Pure perfection, I wish I wasn’t allergic to nuts, so I could make them!
I know there are some nut-free macaron recipes out there. Hope you find a good one to try, Annie.
These are gorgeous, and completely perfect for fall – my favourite!
Yes, indeed! Thanks!
WOW! These look AH-MAZING! Great job! 🙂 (visiting via Show + Tell Link Party)
Thank you, Angeline!
I will be making these with my daughter. We keep trying to get macaroons correct but it takes time. Practice Practice Practice!!
Totally agree, Quinn! Have fun baking the macarons! Thanks for stopping by!
This looks awesome. Have to pin it. Where could I buy pumpkin spice bakery emulsion?
Hi, Iryna! You can buy it on lorannoils.com. I’ve also seen them in cake decorating isle in Walmart.
These are beautiful in presentation and I’m attempting to make these tonight just in time for Thanksgiving! 🙂 I’ve looked all over for the Pumpkin Spice Emulsion but no luck. I bought a pumpkin pie spice which I found as a substitute but I’m not sure how much to put. What do you recommend?
Carrie, how exciting! I would suggest to add no more than 1/2 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice. When it comes to macaron flavors, filling is the most important anyway. Have fun! 🙂
I tried it last night and it was a fail..
1. I think I over mixed and it was a bit runny. Does the viscosity thin out the more you mix?
2. When I let the shells sit to dry after piping them, they just wouldn’t dry.
3. Does the oven tray height matter? Mine burned at 5 mins into baking.
Any tips would be greatly appreciated! I’m determined to master the macaron!
Oh no, Carrie! That’s ok though, I had so many failed macarons last few weeks while developing chocolate macarons. These macarons are finicky business! 🙂 I’m glad you’re not giving up.
1. YES! When the batter gets thinner as you mix, you need to pay even more attention to the consistency. They do get runny real fast. Just couple extra fold make a huge difference.
2. It’s probably due to humidity. Was is it raining/snowing where you’re? If it’s humid, it takes longer to dry. Macarons don’t like rain and snow. Maybe you could place a fan next to the macarons, not too close, but just to create a little air circulation and get rid of humidity.
3. I usually bake my macarons in the middle tray. It sounds like your oven temperature was too high. Do you have an electronic thermometer to check your oven temperature? It should not be more than 325°F.
Without knowing how exactly your macarons came out, I can’t offer any other tips. I hope my answers help. 🙂
This definitely helps.
I’ve looked at other videos so I can see when to stop folding the batter and get familiar of what it should look like so I’ll try that again. Also, I didn’t add the sugar into the egg whites when they were beating because there was already the sugar in the dry mix (almond flour and powdered sugar sifted).
I’m located in Northern California so not too much humidity but since its winter, it rains a tad so there’s a bit of moisture in the air. I left them out for over an hour and they were the same gooey consistency as when I piped them. I think the batter overall was no good.
I set my oven to 300°F as listed in the recipe.
Ooooh, that small amount of sugar for egg whites makes all the difference, Carrie! Sugar creates sturdy, fluffy meringue. I would not omit that. Last summer, I was making my lemon macarons with my friend and I was so distracted that I forgot to put sugar in my egg whites. It looked so weak and not right, but I just proceeded making macarons not realizing that I forgot to put sugar. And the macarons didn’t turn out well. I’d also check your oven temp just to make sure. Some people’s oven can vary up to 50°F, which pretty big deal when it comes to macarons. 300°F is perfect.