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Photo of bright orange Pumpkin Spice Macarons made with almond flour and pumpkin spiced creamy filling in a bowl
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Pumpkin Spice Macarons

Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword macarons, pumpkin pie spice
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
1 hour 5 minutes
Servings 24 macarons

Ingredients

For the Shell

  • 90 grams egg whites
  • 90 grams granulated sugar
  • 95 grams powdered sugar
  • 95 grams blanched almond flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon Wilton orange gel food coloring

For the Filling

  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup (120 grams) powdered sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

For the shells

  • Start by placing a heatproof bowl over a small pot of simmering water.
  • Add the egg whites and granulated sugar to the bowl.
  • Whisk until the sugar has completely dissolved. This will take about 2 minutes.
  • To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, transfer the egg whites.
  • Whisk at medium speed until stiff peaks form. This will take about 3-4 minutes. Don’t rush with this step - you really need stiff peaks.
  • Then place a fine-mesh sieve over the mixing bowl with the egg whites.
  • Add the powdered sugar and almond flour. Give it a few stirs so it's combined a little better.
  • Sift half of the powdered sugar + almond flour into the egg whites.
  • Carefully fold the sifted powdered sugar + almond flour into the egg whites by making a J shape with your spatula.
  • Carefully fold, about 25x, in the dry ingredients until no large lumps remain.
  • Then, sift in the second half of the powdered sugar + almond flour and the food coloring.
  • Continue folding until the meringue reaches the lava stage, after about 1-2 minutes. The lava stage means the meringue is thick and flowing slowly and resembles lava. You’ll know the meringue is ready to be piped once you can draw a figure 8 without the stream breaking.
  • Transfer the meringue to a piping bag that has been fitted with a small round tip.
  • Pipe 1” circles, making sure to pipe them at least 1.5” apart on a parchment- or silpat-lined baking sheet.
  • After you’ve piped a full tray, hold the tray 6” off the counter and drop it straight down to release any air bubbles. Do this about 4-5 times, or until it looks like any large air bubbles have popped.
  • Let the macarons dry at room temperature for 30 minutes, or until they have developed a skin. While the macarons are resting, preheat your oven to 325 °F (163 °C).
  • Bake the dried macarons in the preheated oven for 12-14 minutes, or until the macarons are just starting to turn golden brown around the edges.
  • Remove the tray from the oven and allow the macarons to cool fully on the tray.
  • Once the macarons have completely cooled, place them in similar-sized pairs and prepare the filling.

For the filling

  • To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter.
  • With the mixer at low, gradually add in the powdered sugar.
  • When the sugar is fully incorporated, add the pumpkin spice and vanilla.
  • Turn the mixer to medium-high speed and then beat until the icing is totally smooth and fluffy.
  • Transfer the icing to a piping bag fitted with whatever tip you'd like.

To decorate

  • To the center of one of the macaron shells, pipe a small dollop of filling. Place the other macaron shell on top. Repeat with the remaining macarons shells and filling.
  • Store the macarons in an airtight container and place them in the fridge to age overnight.
  • Before serving, bring the macarons to room temperature. No more than 2 hours before serving, decorate the macarons.
  • Draw on the jack-o-lantern faces or whatever you'd like. Remember, it can only be done up to 2 hours before serving. This is because they'll start to bleed.
  • Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to three days.