Name: Pumpkin Macarons
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 16 min
Total time: 56 min
Yield: 24 macarons
Ingredients: For the Shells; 1 vanilla macaron shells recipe; Orange food gel coloring; 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice for sprinkling on shells; 4 tablespoons (2 ounces) unsalted butter, softened; 2 tablespoons cream cheese, softened; ¾ cup pumpkin butter, divided; 1 teaspoon pumpkin pies pice; 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

Pumpkin Macarons

For this recipe, use my vanilla macaron recipe to make the macaron shell. My trick for extra seasonal flavor in this pumpkin spice macaron is to dust the top of the unbaked shells with pumpkin pie spice and then filling them with both pumpkin pie spiced buttercream and pumpkin butter.

Yield: 24 macarons
Prep Time: 40 minutes 40 min
Cook Time: 16 minutes 16 min
Total Time: 56 minutes 56 min

Ingredients

For the Shells

1 vanilla macaron shells recipe
Orange food gel coloring
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice for sprinkling on shells

For the Filling

4 tablespoons (2 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons cream cheese, softened
¾ cup pumpkin butter, divided
1 teaspoon pumpkin pies pice
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

Instructions

Prepare the vanilla macaron batter. Using a pastry bag, pipe the batter onto a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. Dust top of unbaked shells with pumpkin pie spice. Bake the shells.
Prepare the buttercream: In the bowl of a stand mixer, whip butter and cream cheese until light in color. Add ¼ cup pumpkin butter, 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice and vanilla to the mixing bowl. With mixer on medium-low, slowly add the confectioners’ sugar. Whip to combine. Spoon the buttercream into a piping bag fitted with a #10 plain tip.
Pipe buttercream in a circle on the flat surface of half of the shells. Leave an area free in the center of the shell. Using a small spoon or a piping bag fitted with a small tip, pipe a small amount of pumpkin butter in the center of the spiced buttercream.
Top with the remaining shells. Refrigerate for 24 hours. Remove from the refrigerator for 2 hours before serving.

View Mary's Tips

French Vanilla Macarons

Discover the secrets to perfect vanilla French macaron shells—the ideal base for any flavor macaron. Master macaronage and before you know it you’ll be making a whole macaron tower!

Yield: 24 macarons
Prep Time: 40 minutes 40 min
Cook Time: 16 minutes 16 min
Total Time: 56 minutes 56 min

Ingredients

Macaron Shells

⅔ cup ground blanched almonds/almond flour
1½ cups confectioners’ sugar
3 large egg whites, room temperature
5 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
Food coloring gel, optional

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Using a sheet of parchment paper, draw 48 one-inch circles on the paper, spacing them at least an inch apart. You can use the wide end of a large pastry tip for the circles. Lay this paper on a baking sheet, with the drawn circles face down. You can also use a preprinted macaron mat.
Place the ground almonds and confectioners' sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Process until you have a fine powder. Sift the almond flour mixture through a fine-mesh sieve twice. Transfer the dry ingredient mixture onto a clean piece of parchment paper.
Place the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer. Whip on high speed until the egg whites are foamy. With the mixer on medium-high, gradually add the sugar to the egg whites. Add your vanilla, If you want to color the shells, you can add a few drops of food coloring gel at this point. Beat on high speed until stiff peaks form, about 1 minute.
Pick up the parchment paper that has the almond mixture on it. Using a wide spatula, carefully fold half the mixture into the whipped egg whites. When the first batch of the almond mixture is incorporated, add the remaining dry mixture, scooping it up from the bottom of the bowl.
Once the almond mixture has been incorporated, press and spread out the batter against the sides of the bowl. Using the macaronage method, scoop the macaron batter from the bottom and spread it on the sides of the bowl, pressing with the spatula. Repeat this step 10 to 15 times. The batter should form ribbons into the bowl when lifted with a spatula. A good method of checking the batter is to form the ribbons and count to 30. If the ribbons fade into the batter, it is ready. If the ribbons are still present, do a few more macaronage turns. It is better to err on under-folding the batter. If the batter is too loose, the macarons will be flat and not have their distinctive “foot.”
Place a ¼-inch round tip in a piping bag. Fill the bag halfway with batter. Squeeze the batter into the center of the traced circles. The piped macaron batter tends to spread slightly, so avoid filling the circle in completely.
Firmly tap the tray on the countertop several times to remove air bubbles. Allow piped macarons to dry out at room temperature, uncovered, for 15 to 30 minutes. A slight crust should form on top of the macarons. If the batter does not stick to your finger when you touch them, the drying process is complete. If they are still a bit wet, allow them to dry a little longer.
Nest the tray of macarons onto another baking tray. Doubling the trays helps prevent the macarons from over-browning on the bottoms.
Using the middle and bottom racks of the oven, bake until cookies are slightly crisp, about 14 to 16 minutes. Tap on the side of a cookie. If the top of the cookie moves and the bottom is still tacky, they are not done. If the inside of the macarons is still soft, cover the tray with foil and continue to bake for an additional 2 to 3 minutes so the tops do not brown.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 1 minute on the pan. Carefully move the parchment with the macarons on it to your countertop and allow them to cool completely. After the macarons are cooled, finish with the filling of your choice. The macaron shells can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for 2 days. They can also be frozen for up to 4 months.
Prepare your buttercream of choice (see below). Using a pastry bag fitted with a small round tip, pipe a circle of buttercream on the flat side of half of the shells. Top with another shell and press lightly.

Ingredient Tips

There's a specific technique used when folding the batter for macaron shells, and it’s called macaronage. Macaronage is a specific process that involves whipping your egg whites, sifting your almond flour and sugar, and then folding the dry ingredients into the egg whites. And then there's the drying process that has to be done before those shells hit the oven.

Tip: If making two different colored shells, do not add the gel coloring when whipping the egg

Because I use this with so many different macaron fillings, I don't use vanilla bean paste or a vanilla bean pod. Instead, I use clear vanilla extract for an immaculate macaron shell. You can learn to make your own homemade vanilla extract, our purchase it. I sell a pretty great one!

Once you’ve mastered the basic vanilla shell (which is delicious all on its own, by the way), the possibilities really are endless: Pumpkin Spice for fall, and for Christmas, you can make this Gingerbread Buttercream tower!