You guyssss! I did it! At first, I admit, I was a bit intimidated to try to make these. My first taste of macarons was straight from a Parisian bakery, so I had a pretty high standard to reach. Parisian-style macarons are known to be finicky and I just knew I’d mess them up. Well, right and wrong. Turns out all you need to make these gorgeous little bites is a rock-solid recipe and a lot of patience. You have no idea how many different flavor combinations and colors I’ve imagined, but since it’s fall, I had to start with the obvious- pumpkin pie macarons!Despite the horror stories I’ve heard and read from other about their macaron attempts, it only took me 2 tries to make these beauties. Turns out when I’m sleep deprived, I’m impatient… which makes me think macarons are crusted enough when they really aren’t. Rookie mistake. BUT despite the fact they looked like they’d survived an earthquake, the first batch tasted amazing–the perfect blend of crispy, chewy and spicy–but they weren’t the least bit cute. So I tried again. Resounding success!
I mean, hellooooo! Gorgeous! I really have Ms. Dorie Greenspan to thank for her infallible Parisian macaron recipe. It was so easy to follow and worked like a charm, even when cut in half… and spiced up a bit! You guys should know by now I can’t help but to add my own twist to things! (Side note: If you’re in the market for a truly wonderful pumpkin pie spice blend, you probably already have the ingredients in your spice cabinet.)
All that to say, it really isn’t a difficult process, just a meticulous one. But man is it worth it in the end! A few lessons learned here:
Lesson #1: Don’t attempt macarons for the first time on only a couple hours’ sleep. Totally undermines your patience.
Lesson #2: Don’t underestimate the value of a good piping bag and #12 round tip! A resealable plastic bag with a snipped corner just isn’t the same.
Lesson #3: Gel food coloring gives the best, richest color. And there are so many options!
Lesson #4: When you think they’re dry, go do one more thing and check again afterwards. The longer the better!
I should also note I baked these on a Mastrad silicone macaron mat. It has the ridges right there to guide you so you know exactly how much and how far apart to pipe. They worked flawlessly. I invested in 2 so that I could get everything done relatively at the same time (except the baking). This recipe filled up both sheets perfectly (53 mini macarons!!!)
Honestly, these are the perfect little treats that give you all the pumpkin pie flavor with just a fraction of the guilt… Unless of course you eat them all… Sharing is caring, friends!
I’m excited to try more flavors and colors very soon! What should be next?
- 100 grams almond flour
- 100 grams powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- 75 milliliters egg whites, left at room temperature overnight
- Copper gel food coloring
- 100 grams organic cane sugar
- 30 milliliters water
- ⅓ cup pumpkin puree
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Place silicone macaron mats (or parchment paper with traced 1½ inch circles spaced about 1 inch apart) onto baking sheets and set aside.
- Be sure to measure all ingredients accurately with a kitchen scale!
- Press the measured almond flour through a sieve and into a large bowl, removing any lumps. Do the same with the powdered sugar and pumpkin pie spice. Once everything is sifted, whisk together to blend.
- Pour half of the egg whites into a the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.*
- Take the remaining egg whites and add food coloring, as desired. Pour the dyed egg whites over the almond flour mixture and use a rubber spatula to bring the mixture together into a smooth, thick batter. It doesn't seem like enough liquid, but it is, trust me. Just keep stirring and smashing, being sure to incorporate all of the flour. When there are no dry crumbs left, set the bowl aside.
- Add the cane sugar and water to a small saucepan placed over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a boil and insert a candy thermometer. Allow the mixture to cook until it reaches 243-245 degrees F.
- While the sugar syrup is cooking, whip the egg whites at medium speed until medium-firm peaks form. Then, drop the mixer speed to low and keep stirring until the sugar syrup is ready.
- When the sugar has come to temperature, remove the saucepan from the heat and take out the thermometer. With the mixer stirring on low, carefully pour the sugar syrup into the mixing bowl between the side of the bowl and the moving whisk. If any of the syrup spatters on the bowl, just leave it. It will get crunchy and hard and you don't want to try to incorporate it into the meringue (Yes! You're making a meringue! Amazing!). Once the sugar syrup is all poured in, crank the mixer up to high and whip the meringue (!!!) until it comes to room temperature (you'll be able to tell by touching the bottom of the bowl).
- When the meringue has reached room temperature, lift the whisk out and see how the meringue falls (by that I mean see if the swirl on the end of the whisk sticks up or if it droops when you detach the whisk and hold it up. If it sticks up, it's ready. If it droops, keep whisking til it doesn't. But don't overmix!) When it's good to go, give the almond flour mixture another stir and then scrape the meringue over the top. Using the same method as you did to incorporate the dyed egg whites into the almond flour, mix the meringue into the batter, stirring and smashing to get it all incorporated. Keep going until you get a really thick "molten lava"-like batter (think super fudgy brownie mix...). PS: Now's the time to add more food coloring, if you'd like.
- Spoon the batter into a piping bag fitted with a #12 round tip. Holding the piping bag straight up and down, pipe the batter onto the macaron mats, filling the rounds evenly. Once all the cookies are piped, firmly tap the baking sheets on the counter or table a few times to release any air bubbles (aka macaron ruiners).
- Allow the cookies to sit out until they've developed a "crust." You'll know they're ready when you can gently poke them with your finger and leave an indent without getting any batter stuck to you. Trust me when I say, better to give them an extra few minutes than not enough! Total game changer!
- When your macarons have crusted, it is then time to preheat the oven (a little extra drying time!). Preheat to 350 degrees F. Bake the macarons, one sheet at a time, for 12 minutes, rotating the pan 180 degrees midway through (or bake until the nearest one peels off the mat without leaving its bottom behind!). Allow the cookies to cool to room temperature before peeling them off the mat and pairing them up for filling and sandwiching.
- Stir the maple syrup and vanilla into the pumpkin puree until thoroughly mixed.
- Pipe the mixture onto the center of the flat side of half of the macaron shells. Then gently press an unfilled shell on top until the filling just reaches the edge.
- Line all the macarons up in an airtight container and refrigerate at least 24 hours before serving.