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French Halloween Pumpkin Macarons with spooky Jack 'o Lantern faces.

HALLOWEEN PUMPKIN MACARONS


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5 from 8 reviews

  • Author: Denay DeGuzman
  • Total Time: 1 Hour 5 Minutes
  • Yield: 24 Macarons 1x

Description

These Halloween pumpkin macarons with jack-o’-lantern faces are stylish and tasty. Perfect for tea time and parties. Stack them on a cake stand. They’ll immediately become the centerpiece treat!


Ingredients

Units Scale

PUMPKIN MACARONS

MACARON SHELLS

  • 90 grams egg whites, room temperature
  • 90 grams granulated sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 1/2 teaspoon Wilton orange gel food coloring (must be gel, not regular food coloring)
  • 95 grams almond flour
  • 95 grams powdered sugar

BUTTERCREAM FILLING

  • 4 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 1 cup powdered sugar (confectioner’s sugar)
  • 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • Tiny pinch sea salt, if needed

FOR DECORATING

 


Instructions

RECIPE PREP

  • WIPE DOWN EQUIPMENT: Wipe down the metal bowl and whip of a stand mixer with lemon juice or vinegar to remove any grease or residue. For this recipe, all kitchen tools used must be meticulously clean.
  • SEPARATE EGGS: Carefully separate the eggs in a pristinely clean dry bowl. We will only be using the whites. It’s vital that the egg whites have no trace of yolk or water. If they do, they will not whip up correctly.
  • PROCESS FLOUR & POWDERED SUGAR: Add almond flour and powdered sugar to a food processor. Process 1 minute. These ingredients must have a super-fine consistency. If no food processor, sift them through a fine mesh strainer 3 times. Discard any hard pieces or chunks that do not pass through the sieve on their own. Do not force them down or try to break them up.

MACARONAGE

  1. Add egg whites and granulated sugar to metal bowl of a stand mixer. Place the bowl over a sauce pan of simmering water (like a double boiler). The bowl should not touch the water. Whisk constantly for 2 minutes, or until the sugar has completely dissolved and the egg whites look foamy. Add cream of tartar to the bowl.
  2. Connect bowl to the stand mixer fitted with whip attachment. Whip on medium speed until stiff peaks form. This is one of THE MOST IMPORTANT steps. The peaks must be VERY STIFF with a consistency like marshmallow fluff. The process takes about 4 minutes on medium speed. It should not be rushed by increasing the speed.
  3. Add half the processed almond flour and powdered sugar to the bowl. With a rubber spatula, carefully and gently fold (about 25 folds) the dry ingredients into the egg whites by making a “J” shape with your spatula until no large lumps remain. 
  4. Add in second half of dry ingredients and the orange gel. Continue folding about 1 to 2 minutes. Deflate any air bubbles by pressing the batter against the side of the bowl with the spatula. The mixture we want should be thick and smooth, with a silky glossy shine, and a lava-like consistency. Lift the spatula. With a stream of batter drizzling down, draw a number 8. If the ribbon does not break, the process of Macaronage is complete. 

PIPING AND BAKING MACARON SHELLS

PREPARATIONS: Line a baking tray with a re-usable silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Adjust oven rack to center position. After macarons are formed (below), preheat oven to 325°F.

  1. Transfer meringue to a piping bag fitted with a small round tip (Wilton #12). On a prepared baking sheet, pipe 1-inch circles of meringue, leaving 1 1/2 inches between each disk. 
  2. After piping is complete, lift the baking tray 6 inches from the countertop. Rap the tray against the counter multiple times to pop air bubbles. Pop remaining bubbles with a toothpick or scriber needle. 
  3. Set the tray of macarons aside to dry for 30 to 60 minutes. After 30 minutes, lightly touch the tops with a finger. If the surface is not sticky or tacky, then it’s time to bake them. If they’re sticky, they need more time to dry.
  4. Bake dried macarons in a fully preheated oven for 13 minutes. As they bake they’ll form ruffly “feet.”  To test for doneness, lightly touch the top of a macaron with your finger (they’re hot, so be careful) or with the back of a spoon. The macarons should completely set without being wobbly. If the shells move around, then bake another 1 to 2 minutes until set.
  5. Remove baking tray from the oven. Allow pumpkin macarons to fully cool on the tray. Once fully cooled, pair the shells in sets of similar-sized wafers. Prepare the buttercream frosting.

BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

  1. Add softened butter to the bowl of a stand mixer with whisk attachment. With mixer on low, gradually add in powdered sugar a little at a time. Once sugar is fully incorporated, add pumpkin pie spice and vanilla. Turn mixer speed to high. Beat until frosting is smooth and fluffy. 
  2. Do a taste test. If needed, add tiny pinch of salt to balance the flavors.
  3. Transfer the pumpkin spice frosting to a piping bag fitted with a metal tip of your choice. Working with half the macaron shells, pipe small dollops of filling onto the centers. Place remaining shells on top.

DECORATE HALLOWEEN PUMPKIN MACARONS

It’s best to decorate the macarons just before serving. After 2 hours the ink may start to bleed. With edible ink marker, draw jack-o’-lantern faces on the cookies, or write words like: boo, trick, or treat. Cookies can be stacked when the ink has dried (about 30 seconds).

Notes

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT: A kitchen scale. For accuracy, the ingredients for macaron shells must be measured in grams. The only exceptions: cream of tartar and orange food gel.

IF TIME ALLOWS – AGE THE EGG WHITES: While not a must, it is very helpful for creating a stable meringue for the macarons. Place egg whites in an immaculately-clean dry glass. Cover with plastic wrap. Prick holes in top of the plastic. Refrigerate 24 hours to dehydrate the whites. When ready to use, bring to room temperature on the countertop.

DISLODGE AIR BUBBLES: For macarons with beautiful smooth tops, it’s important to pop as many air bubbles as possible. The first opportunity is when folding the batter. The second is after the shells are piped. Rap the baking tray several times on the countertop. Pop remainging bubbles with a toothpick.

  • Prep Time: 20 Minutes
  • Rest Time: 30 Minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 Minutes
  • Category: Cookies
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: French