Pumpkin macarons are the finest desserts to end up a winter meal: Crunchy, light, and the spiced pumpkin filling, flavored with orange juice, accentuate the taste. This recipe is made with Italian meringue.
Yield: ~36 Macarons (72 shells)
Pumpkin Pie Spice Macarons Shells:
- 150 g ground almond (almond meal)
- 150 g icing sugar
- 55 g egg white, aged
- 1/4 teaspoon orange gel food coloring
- 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- +
- 150 g granulated sugar
- 55 g egg white, aged
- 37 g water
Pumpkin Buttercream Filling:
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup cream cheese
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- A dash of salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon orange zest finely grated
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- 2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
Method:
The Making Of Macarons Shells:
- Sift the “tant pour tant” (almond meal and powdered sugar). Set aside.
- Add the food coloring gel and pumpkin pie spice to the first 55 egg whites. Don’t mix. Set aside.
- In a saucepan, bring the water and caster sugar to the boil. Without stirring, make sure the temperature of the resulting syrup doesn’t go above 240° F (keep watching, use a thermometer)
- When the syrup, reaches 239°F, beat the second 55 g egg white to soft peaks. When the temperature of the syrup reaches 244° F, When the syrup reaches 240°F removes the saucepan from the heat and pour the syrup into the beaten egg whites.
- Continue to beat the meringue and syrup for about 10 minutes, until it cools slightly, and the temperature of the meringue reaches 122° F.
- Using a flexible spatula, incorporate about a third of the meringue into the “tant pour tant” (almond and powdered sugar)and food coloring paste, then add the rest of the meringue, carefully working the batter.
- Fill a piping bag fitted with a 3/8 in the nozzle. Pipe out small, regular, and spaced rounds. Lightly tap the bottom of the trays and allow the Macarons to form a crust, at room temperature, for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 356° F. Cook in the oven for 12 minutes, open the door of the oven, quickly, two times. Make sure to rotate the sheet halfway through, for even baking.
- As soon as they come out of the oven let the shells, to cool for 5 minutes before transferring parchment sheet to a wire rack to finish cooling.
The Making Of Pumpkin Buttercream Filling:
- In a mixing bowl with a whisk attachment, beat the pumpkin puree, cream cheese, butter, and powdered sugar until creamy.
- Add pumpkin pie spice, vanilla extract, orange zest and juice, and salt. Beat until fluffy, then add honey, beat for a few minutes, to aerate the cream and give it lightness.
Assembly:
- Pipe the pumpkin buttercream onto shells, using a plastic storage bag without a piping tip. Cut a small corner off the bag and begin the Macaron assembly.
- Allow the Macarons to rest at room temperature about an hour before serving.
La Dorure’s Tips:
- To get a strong flavor, preferably prepare the filling one day before, and store it in a container, in the refrigerator.
