Pumpkin Spice Macarons
If you’re looking for a classic recipe for pumpkin spice macarons, you’re in the right place! Full of cozy fall flavor, this recipe features pumpkin spiced macaron shells filled with a silky pumpkin spice white chocolate ganache (that uses real pumpkin puree!).
Lately, I’ve been on a kick adding a few more classic macaron flavors to the blog. Because let’s be honest, we all need go to, trusty flavors we can come back to, or even use as a base for our creative options!
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Why You’ll Love these Pumpkin Spice Macarons
- Simple & easy to find ingredients
- Classic and delicious flavor that’s sure to be a crowd pleaser
- Low fuss assembly
- Will make your kitchen smell better than any candle when baking the shells
Ingredients
Pumpkin Spice Macaron Shells
- Egg Whites (Fresh only, not boxed. Boxed will not whip up as well!)
- Brown Sugar (Adds cozy depth to the flavor)
- Finely Ground Almond Flour (I strongly recommend Blue Diamond brand. They’ve been the most reliable in my experience in recent years)
- Powdered Sugar
- Pumpkin Pie Spice (Of course!)
- Cinnamon
- Gel Food Coloring (Optional but fun! I used Americolor Orange and a touch of Sky Blue for this recipe)
Pumpkin Spice Ganache
- Pumpkin Puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling. We’re going to cook down the puree to reduce the moisture level)
- White Chocolate (Make sure to use true white chocolate, not just vanilla or white chocolate FLAVORED chips. I typically use Lindt or Ghirardelli White Chocolate Bars from the store for an easy to find option)
- Heavy Cream
- Pumpkin Pie Spice
- Cinnamon
- Vanilla Extract (GO KIRKLAND)
- A pinch or two of salt to taste
Key Steps: Pumpkin Spice Ganache Filling
Reducing the pumpkin puree
First up, this recipe involves a cook step for the puree to reduce the amount of moisture. This allows more pumpkin to be used in the ganache without making it too loose from excess liquid.
Heating the cream
Before heating, stir the spices into the cream to help them steep/absorb into the liquid. Doing this before adding it in to the chocolate made a difference in the grittiness/texture as well in my testing.
Avoid overheating/splitting
After pouring the heated cream over the chocolate, you may need to heat it just a bit more to get the pieces fully melted/mixed together. Do this in short 10-20 second bursts in the microwave, stirring after each burst. Doing so allows the residual heat to continue to melt the chocolate to help avoid OVER heating, splitting, or burning the chocolate.
Use an Immersion Blender
For the silkiest, smoothest ganache, I recommend using an immersion blender. Once the chocolate and cream have been melted/combined, and the reduced pumpkin puree and vanilla have been added, blend the ganache to fully emulsify and remove any lumps. An immersion blender is especially helpful for this recipe to smooth out the pumpkin puree.
Allow time to set
Prep the ganache several hours in advance to allow plenty of time for it to set. Too short of a setting time can result in a loose ganache that will slide out of your shells when piped to fill them. Due to the amount of pumpkin puree in this recipe, I do recommend storing/setting the ganache in the fridge for food safety reasons. Once it’s set and firm, set it out at room temperature for 15 minutes or so to soften to a piping consistency before using.
Key Steps: Pumpkin Spice Macarons Shells
First things first, if you’ve never made macarons before or want to brush up on the steps, head over to my Basic French Macarons post for a detailed run down on the process!
Measuring Ingredients
As with any macaron, it’s crucial to measure your ingredients accurately. Be sure to use a kitchen scale to avoid any mishaps with incorrect amounts.
Making the Meringue
With this recipe, I recommend whipping peaks to a SUPER stiff consistency. Your meringue should ball up in the whisk when whipping, and have firm thin peaks that stand upright when flipped upright.
I didn’t get a photo of the meringue for this batch, but the image above is an example from my peanut butter macarons recipe of what the meringue should look like.
Macaronage
Next up, the macaronage. An important note: my macaron shell recipe is thicker than most! Testing by how the batter flows off the spatula can be unreliable for any recipe, but especially those with added flavors or spices.
To test if the batter is ready, scrape it down to the bottom of the bowl, wiggle it back and forth several times, and observe how the surface settles. Here is a photo of how the surface should look with soft subtle peaks and lines.
Basically, if it’s lumpier than this, it needs more folding. If it’s smoother, you may have gone too far.
Baking the Shells
Make sure to bake the shells until they no longer shift when gently pressed on the side just above the foot. I recommend baking for an additional minute or two AFTER they’re sturdy no longer shifting as long as they aren’t getting too brown. Sometimes those extra moments in the oven can result in a fuller interior with less hollows or gaps!
Struggling with macarons?
I created an online course dedicated to simplifying the process from start to finish.
(Even if you’re a complete beginner!)
Assembling Pumpkin Spice Macarons
Pro Tip: Pair each macaron shell with a partner of equal size for a clean bakery quality look
Once the ganache has set, use a 1A piping tip to pipe dollops onto one shell in each pair. Leave space around the edges so when the shell is sandwiched on top, it won’t immediately squish out the sides.
After pairing and filling, gently press the matching shell down until the filling is just short of being flush with the edge of the shell.
Finally, mature the assembled macarons in an airtight container in the fridge for 24 hours. This allows the filling’s flavor and moisture to mesh together with the shells to create a dreamy fall dessert.
And that’s it! I hope you enjoy this recipe for pumpkin spice macarons and it helps you get your cozy fall baking fix.
Looking for more fall recipes? Check these out!
Pumpkin Spice Macarons
Ingredients
Pumpkin Spice Macaron Shells
- 130 grams egg whites (Approximately 4 large eggs, use scale to measure)
- 120 grams brown sugar
- ½ tsp cream of tartar
- 192 grams almond flour
- 192 grams confectioner’s sugar
- 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 20 drops orange gel food coloring (Americolor recommended)
- 2 drops sky blue gel food coloring (Americolor recommended)
Pumpkin Spice Ganache
- 160 grams pumpkin puree
- 90 grams heavy cream
- 2½ tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 300 grams white chocolate (finely chopped)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1-2 pinches salt (to taste)
Instructions
Pumpkin Spice Ganache
- In a small pot on the stove, cook the pumpkin puree over medium heat stirring constantly to avoid burning. Cook for several minutes to reduce, and then transfer puree to a heat safe bowl to weigh. If puree has reduced down to 120 grams, it's finished. If it still weighs more than that, transfer back to the pot and continue cooking for a few more minutes. Then, check again until 120 grams is reached. Set aside.
- In a small microwave safe bowl or cup, stir together the heavy cream, pumpkin spice, and cinnamon.
- Heat the mixture in the microwave for 1 minute and 30 seconds, or until it just starts gently bubbling/simmering (but not boiling). Stir again, and allow spices to steep in the cream for 5 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, stir, and remove any scalded cream off the top. Reheat the spiced cream to just steaming using short bursts in the microwave.
- Place the chopped white chocolate In a medium size microwave safe bowl. Pour the spiced heavy cream over the chocolate, and stir to combine. Allow the residual heat to melt the chocolate for a minute or two, and stir again.
- If the chocolate hasn't fully melted, microwave in 10 second intervals, and stir well each time until fully melted and smooth.
- Stir in the reduced pumpkin puree, salt, and vanilla.
- Use an immersion blender to fully combine and smooth out the ganache. This step is more essential with this type of ganache to smooth out the pumpkin puree. (Use a small food processor or a blender if an immersion blender is not available.)
- Cover ganache with plastic wrap (directly touching the surface of the ganache) and set aside to cool until set in the fridge. This can take a few hours, so plan ahead.
Pumpkin Spice Macaron Shells
- *See notes for Oven Drying Process before beginning. This is what I primarily use currently, but this recipe will detail out a traditional rest method.
- Begin preheating your oven to 300℉, using an oven thermometer ensure accurate temperature readings.
- Line 2 upside down baking sheets with a silicone mat (circle template optional but recommended).
- Place a medium sized round piping tip (like a Wilton 2A) in a large piping bag. Twist the bag right behind the tip and add a clip to seal off the opening if bag is precut.
- Place the bag tip down into either a tall cup with the edges folded over the rim to keep the bag open, or clip it into a bag holder.
- Using a kitchen scale, carefully weigh out and sift the pumpkin spice, cinnamon, confectioner’s sugar, and almond flour into a medium mixing bowl. Whisk well to fully blend the two together.
- Place egg whites, brown sugar, and cream of tartar into a large mixing bowl, and begin beating with a whisk attachment using either a handheld mixer or a stand mixer for 5 minutes on a medium low speed (Kitchen Aid Speed 4).
- Turn up the mixer to a medium speed (Kitchen Aid Speed 6) and beat for an additional 3 minutes.
- Add the gel food coloring (optional).
- Continue on medium (Kitchen Aid Speed 6) and beat for 1-2 more minutes, or until peaks are very stiff and the meringue clumps up in a ball in the center of the whisk. Test stiffness by removing whisk and pointing it upward. (See photos in post) Once the peaks can hold their shape flipped upright, your meringue is ready.
- Pour half of your spice/almond flour/confectioner’s sugar mixture into the bowl with your meringue, and fold 15 times. One fold is scraping all the way around the edge of your batter in your bowl, and then pressing your spatula through the middle. Be sure to scoop around the bottom of the bowl as well so you don’t miss any dry ingredients.
- Pour in the remaining dry ingredients, and continue folding (approximately 30 more folds) until dry ingredients are fully incorporated, your batter is no longer super clumpy. Do not overfold. Please note this recipe stays a bit thicker than most, and should not be folded to the traditional figure 8 test consistency. Start checking your batter’s readiness every 5 folds or so at this point by scraping all batter down to the bottom of your bowl, and then wiggling your bowl back and forth several times. If the batter levels out with few peaks and lines remaining, it should be ready. (See photos of batter surface in post for reference.)
- Pour batter into prepared piping bag, and twist the opening off. Hold your bag at the twist between your thumb and pointer finger. Remove the clip by the tip if using.
- Holding the piping bag straight up and down, apply pressure to begin piping your batter in the center of your circle templates, releasing pressure once you are a few millimeters short of your desired size. After you release pressure, use a small quick circular flick to release your tip from the piped macaron.
- Once you’ve piped a full tray, firmly bang the tray on the counter a few times to pop any air bubbles and smooth out shells. Pop any remaining large bubbles with a toothpick. Repeat with the second tray.
- Set aside shells to dry until they form a skin and are no longer tacky to the touch. Once you can gently run a finger over your shells, they are ready to bake. Use a fan to speed up the process, rotating the tray every few minutes to ensure even drying. This usually takes at least 15-20 minutes for me even with a fan.
- Once shells are dry, and the oven has fully preheated to 300℉, place one tray in the center of the middle rack of the oven. Bake for 18 minutes.
- Quickly open door to check the shell’s doneness by gently pressing on the side just above the feet to see if it’s firm. If it moves at all, rotate the tray and bake for another 2 minutes.
- Check shells by performing the same test, pressing on the side. If they are still unstable, bake for one more minute, and check again. Repeat until shells are firm and do not budge. If no signs of browning are present, bake an additional minute past when the shells no longer wiggle.
- Allow shells to cool completely, and the carefully remove from silicone mat or parchment paper by gently peeling them off.
Assembly
- Before beginning assembly, make sure ganache has set and shells have fully cooled. If ganache is refrigerated and too firm, set out at room temp for 15-20 minutes to soften a touch, and gently stir.
- Match each macaron shell with a partner shell of equal size.
- Using a piping bag fitted with a 1A piping tip, pipe a dollop of the pumpkin spice ganache in to the center of one shell in each pair, leaving at least 1/4 inch of space around the edge.
- Gently sandwich the partner shell on top to complete your macaron.
- Refrigerate in an airtight container for 24 hours to allow the macarons to “mature” and fully develop their flavor and texture. Enjoy!
Notes
- Preheat oven to 275 F
- Prepare and pipe macaron batter.
- Place first tray of macarons directly into the oven, and prop the door open with a wooden spoon.
- Bake for 6-7 minutes with door propped open, or until macarons have begun to form feet.
- Close the oven door. If oven fluctuates up to 300 F on it’s own, don’t manually raise the temp. If oven does not fluctuate high enough, raise the temperature so it reaches 300F.
- Bake for 11-12 additional minutes, and then check to see if macarons are done baking by gently pressing the side of the shell. If it’s firm, it’s done. If it wiggles, rotate the tray and bake for an additional two minutes.
- Check shells for doneness, and if needed bake in 1 minute intervals until shells are finished baking and are no longer wiggly when pressed.
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