These Pumpkin Brulée Macarons are filled with a warm pumpkin spice buttercream, a pumpkin creme brulée center, and topped with a burnt sugar shell. Creamy, spiced, and not too sweet, these macarons are a cozy choice to add in to your fall rotation when you want a wow worthy dessert.
Start out by making your shells. For a detailed look at the process, jump over to my Basic French Macaron recipe post!
For this burnt orange color, I used:
-26 drops of Orange
-6 drops of Chocolate Brown
-8 drops of red
-10 drops of yellow
They are definitely a bold color! I think if I were to make them again I would go with a slightly lighter shade of orange to allow more contrast between the shell and the burnt sugar on top.
I popped these in the freezer overnight so I could chip away at this recipe over the course of two days. Fun fact, macaron shells hold up incredibly well when frozen. I also chose to freeze these so I could use the small amount of moisture the shells release as they thaw to room temp to adhere the sugar for the burnt sugar brulée shell. We’ll come back to that later!
Next, preheat your oven to 300 degrees.
For the Pumpkin Creme Brulée, whisk the heavy cream, milk, spices, and orange zest together in a medium sauce pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture begins to boil.
Once boiling, remove from heat and set aside for 15 minutes while the flavors infuse with the cream and milk.
Whisk together your brown sugar, and egg yolks in a medium/large bowl. Once the milk and cream mixture is done infusing, pour a small amount of it into the brown sugar egg yolk bowl while quickly whisking. Continue slowly pouring in the milk and cream while vigorously whisking until fully incorporated.
Next, whisk in the pumpkin puree until smooth.
Strain the Pumpkin Creme Brulée into a large measuring cup, and then pour into your ramekins. My photo shows three glass dishes full, but this recipe will make enough for two 5 oz servings of creme brulée. Plenty to fill your macs and a pinch extra to snack on! Place the filled ramekins in to a larger baking dish deep and fill with hot tap water to the same height as the level of creme brulée. Make sure not to use cold water, because it will drastically increase your bake time. Also be careful to keep the water out of the ramekins.
Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until the cremes have set up slightly but still have a fair amount of jiggle in the middle. Think jiggle, not slosh. Remove from oven to cool in the fridge.
For your pumpkin spice buttercream, use an electric mixer to beat the butter, spices, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Beat in powdered sugar, scraping down the bowl and beater as needed. Next, mix in the pumpkin puree. Be sure to scrape down the bowl and beater as needed to make sure everything is fully incorporated.
Once your creme brulée is done and chilled, we can begin the burnt sugar shells. Be sure to match up each shell with a partner shell of equal size, and cover only one of the shell tops in sugar. If you need to attach the sugar without the freezing option I mentioned earlier, you can also take a SMALL amount of water dabbed on your finger and spread it over the tops. When I say small, I mean SMALL. You don’t want to put too much moisture on the tops or else it will get soggy. Sprinkle on enough sugar to create an even layer.
Using a kitchen torch, evenly torch your sugar shells on a heat safe surface.
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Next, pipe your pumpkin spice buttercream in a ring around the edge of your macarons, leaving about 1/4 inch of space from the edge all the way around. Fill with the pumpkin creme brulée, and then carefully sandwich the burnt sugar shell on top.
Let mature in the fridge for 24 hours in an airtight container. Eat within 3-5 days for optimum freshness. Enjoy!
Servings: 26-30 Fully Assembled Macarons
Prep Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Rest Time: 30 minutes
Bake Time: 1 hour and 40 minutes
Cooling Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 4 hours and 40 minutes
Ingredients
Directions
Macaron Shells
Spiced Pumpkin Buttercream
Pumpkin Creme Brulée
Assembly
1. Match each shell with a partner shell of equal size. Take a SMALL amount of water dabbed on your finger and spread it over one of the tops in each pair. Sprinkle on enough sugar to create an even layer, and then using a kitchen torch, evenly torch your sugar shells on a heat safe surface, and allow to cool.
2. Pipe a circle of pumpkin buttercream on the other shell in each pair, leaving at least 1/4 inch of space around the edge.
3. Stir cooled Creme Brulée until smooth. Fill a ziploc bag with the creme brulée and cut off a small piece of the corner. Pipe it in to the center of your ring of buttercream to fill your macaron.
3. Gently sandwich the partner shell on top to complete your macaron.
4. Refrigerate in an airtight container for 24 hours to allow the macarons to “mature” and fully develop their flavor and texture. Eat within 3-5 days. Enjoy!
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