Pumpkin Pie Macarons
Pumpkin pie macarons combine my homemade pumpkin pie filling with a bit of white chocolate ganache to create a fancy pants cookie that tastes just like my favorite seasonal pie! Whip up a batch of these macarons to celebrate Pi Day or Thanksgiving.
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Pumpkin Pie Macarons
When making anything pumpkin pie flavored, you’re going to want to use some pumpkin pie spice. If you’d rather create your own spice blend, combine 1 tsp ginger, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, and 1/4 tsp cloves. We’ll be adding the pumpkin pie spice to the macaron shells and the pumpkin pie filling.
To capture the flavor of pumpkin pie in macaron form, I looked to my favorite pumpkin pie recipe! I used the homemade filling as the starting point for my macaron filling. The white chocolate adds a subtle flavor, but it’s mostly there to thicken the filling so that it doesn’t splooge all over.
Top Tips for Meringue
- Wipe your bowl and whisk with a bit of vinegar to remove any residual fat or grease.
- Separate your egg whites one at a time into a small bowl before adding them to your big bowl. This is to prevent any stray yolk from ruining the whole batch!
- Acid (like cream of tartar or lemon juice) or egg white powder can help stabilize your egg whites.
- Whip your eggs at a medium speed for longer to create a more stable meringue and minimize the risk of over whipping.
- Room temperature egg whites will whip up faster, but it’s best to separate the eggs while they’re cold.
Macaronage Musings
There are a few steps in the macaron making process that can really ruin a batch if you make a mistake. And macaronage is a big one! Macaronage refers to folding the meringue and dry ingredients until the batter is the correct consistency.
Under mix, and you will have lumpy, hollow shells. Over mix, and you will have flat macs with ruffled feet. The common suggestion is to mix less than you think when you first get started.
Top Tips for Macarons
- Pulse your dry ingredients in a food processor and sift out any large chunks.
- Whip your meringue to stiff peaks. It’s best to whip at a medium speed for longer. Keep an eye on it!
- Fold/ macaronage just until the batter flows like lava. It is best to slightly under mix if you are in doubt.
- If you don’t have a macaron template yet, grab a free one from the Resource Library so that you pipe evenly sized shells.
- Use a toothpick to smooth any nipples and remove any air bubbles on your piped macarons.
- Bake one pan at a time and adjust the temperature and baking time if necessary.
Related Reading: Salted Caramel Macarons
Flows Like Lava
Mixing less than you think is good advice, but I took this advice a little too seriously and became a chronic under mixer. This was becoming a big problem. So for the past month or so, I’ve been doing about another dozen folds whenever I got to the point when I thought I was done.
This kinda scared the poo out of me, but it has been a big help! My shells are more full and my tops are smoother. If you have been in my under mixing boat before, maybe experiment and macaronage a bit more to see if that helps.
The batter should flow easily, but slowly off your spatula and it will hold its shape for a bit before settling into the bowl. This is often referred to as flowing like lava.
Macaron Resources
- 5 Steps to Prep for Perfect Macarons
- All About Meringue: Covering the Basics
- Fun Ways to Fill Macarons
- Macawrong Brownies or 4 Yolk Challah (delicious ways to use up extra yolks)
- Basic Tools You Need to Make Macarons
- Macaron Templates + Macaron Prep Checklist (available to subscribers only)
- Easy Ways to Decorate Macarons
Pumpkin Pie Ganache
It is essential to cook the pumpkin puree, brown sugar, and spices for a bit. This step deepens the pumpkin flavor, evaporates excess water, and melts the sugar. You definitely do not want to skip or skimp on this step!
You also must process the ganache with an immersion blender or food processor. Pumpkin puree is fibrous. Pureeing the ganache creates a silky smooth texture and ensures there are no lumps of white chocolate.
Enjoy!
Pumpkin pie macarons nail the flavor of pumpkin pie! The creamy pumpkin pie ganache is full of pumpkin puree and cozy spices. Celebrate Pi Day like a boss with a batch of these beautiful orange cookies.
Pumpkin Pie Macarons
Ingredients
Pumpkin Pie Ganache
- 6 oz pumpkin puree
- 2 oz dark brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 2 oz heavy cream
- 6 oz white chocolate chopped
- 1 Tbsp corn syrup
Spiced Macaron Shells
- 135 g powdered sugar
- 135 g almond flour
- 1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 133 g sugar
- 133 g egg whites about 4 eggs, room temperature
- 1/8 tsp Pumpkin Master Elite powder color dash
Instructions
Pumpkin Pie Ganache
- In a saucepan, combine pumpkin, brown sugar, and pumpkin pie spice. Place over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Add the heavy cream and stir to combine. Bring the pumpkin mixture back to a bare simmer, stirring constantly.
- Place the white chocolate in a bowl or tall container. Pour the hot pumpkin mixture over the chocolate and let it sit for about a minute. Then use an immersion blender to combine until smooth. If you don't have an immersion blender, you can do this in a food processor. Stir in the corn syrup.
- Pour the ganache into a bowl and press cling wrap onto the surface. Cool to room temperature. If not using the same, day you can cover and place in the fridge. Allow the ganache to come to room temperature before using.
Spiced Macaron Shells
- Prepare 2 baking sheets with silicone mats, teflon, or templates and parchment paper. Fit a piping bag with a round piping tip. Set aside. Preheat oven to 290°F.
- Pulse the powdered sugar, almond flour, and pumpkin pie spice in a food processor and sift into a bowl. Discard any large chunks. Whisk the dry ingredients and set aside.
- Combine egg whites and powdered color.
- In a clean stand mixer bowl, combine the sugar and the egg whites. Whisk to combine and place bowl over a double boiler. Heat, whisking regularly, until the sugar dissolves, about 90 seconds. Remove the bowl from the double boiler and carefully dry off the bottom.
- Place the bowl in the stand mixer and whisk on a medium speed (KitchenAid 4) until you have stiff peaks, about 10- 15 minutes.
- Add the dry ingredients to the bowl and begin folding the ingredients together. Once everything is combined, continue folding until the batter flows slowly like lava.
- Pipe macaron shells onto prepared baking sheets. Let the macarons dry until you can lightly brush the tops with your finger (30 mins for me). Bake for 22- 24 minutes, rotating halfway through. Gently poke shell, if it is firm, remove from the oven to cool. If they wiggle, add another minute or two.
- Let the macaron shells cool on the sheet for 10 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.
Assemble
- Pair up the macaron shells. Fill a piping bag with ganache and pipe a dollop onto one shell, then top with the other shell. Repeat with the remaining macaron shells.
- Place in an air tight container in the fridge overnight to let them mature. Remove 30 minutes before serving.
Notes
- I was able to pipe 60 shells, which made 30 macarons. You could have a few more or a few less depending on how large you pipe your shells.
- For maximum color intensity, mix the egg whites and color powder about an hour before beginning the recipe.
Colleen
Hi there! I’m Colleen, a novice baker with a passion for learning and improving my bakes… and blunders. On Bakes and Blunders, you can find all sorts of tasty recipes that range in difficulty, but most importantly, I’ll try to explain the reason behind important steps. If you know why a recipe works, you can tweak and adapt it to suit your unique tastes, and you’ll be able to reliably produce some very delicious treats. If you love baking and want to expand and grow your skills, or if you are a casual baker and just need some pointers, my blog is right up your alley! Join me on my baking journey and we’ll learn how to make more impressive recipes together.
2 Comments
Marci
My ganache won’t set up. Any suggestions for how to thicken it for piping?
Colleen
Add more melted chocolate to thicken the ganache. If it’s only slightly thin and runny, you could try chilling the ganache for a few minutes, but the best bet is simply to add more white chocolate.