Pumpkin Cheesecake Macarons (plus video)
Hello dears, let’s bake some Pumpkin Cheesecake Macarons today, to celebrate the beginning of fall! Plus a video! So make sure you watch the video!
These Pumpkin Cheesecake Macarons are filled with a Pumpkin Cheesecake filling, decorated with orange candy melts, and graham cracker crumbs.
One of my favorite fall flavors is pumpkin, of course! And the spices that go along with it, such as cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and allspice, the famous pumpkin spice.
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I actually didn’t add cloves to the Pumpkin Cheesecake filling this time, but feel free to add a pinch. My husband can’t stand cloves (go figure) and I wanted him to enjoy these macarons.
The good thing about these macarons is that you can actually make them all year long, not just during fall. And that’s because there are some awesome canned pumpkin brands you can find at the store all year long. Make sure the pumpkin puree you are getting is actually made of exclusively pumpkins. The ingredients should read: pumpkin. And that’s all.
If you are an experienced macaron baker, you will notice that my macaron feet look slightly broken at the edge, and I will explain to you exactly why that is.
Why do my macaron feet have cracks? What causes cracks in the macaron’s feet?
So, while I really wanted to start over and make new macaron shells, I figured I’d use these macarons anyway, but here is the lesson that I still want to talk about. If your macarons have a crack in their feet like mine do in this case, your oven temperature is probably a bit high.
I have a couple of thermometers in my oven, and they were reading the temperature I recommend here on the recipe 325 Fahrenheit. However, next time I bake macarons, I will lower the temperature by 5 degrees to see if I can fix this broken feet issue. I’ve had this happen a bit with my last batches.
My oven is fairly new, so I am re-learning how to bake macarons in them. And lots of things come into play when it comes to ovens.
Some ovens hold temperature better, so there’s less fluctuation in temperature while baking. Since the oven is trying to keep the average temperature close to what you’ve set it to, sometimes the temperature might oscillate a lot trying to meet that average.
So, that means that if your oven is losing a lot of heat (thin walls, cracks in the door, doors that won’t close properly, faulty thermostat), the temperature is going to fluctuate a lot in order to try to keep the average temperature close to what you’ve set.
And this fluctuation in temperature might affect your oven tremendously. My last oven had issues with the door not closing properly, and had a faulty thermostat, which is why my last few batches in that oven were complete disaster. This oven does a better job at keeping the heat in, so I think I might have to lower the heat in order to not have cracked feet anymore. I will keep you posted, since I am baking some more macarons tomorrow! So stay tuned!
And I also want to let you know that even if your macarons have cracked feet, pointy tops, are hollow, misshapen, just enjoy the process of baking them! It can be so fun and rewarding to bake them. See each mistake you make, and each faulty batch, as an opportunity to learn something.
Before I would get so frustrated, I would even cry in the kitchen so many times. Anytime I would make a mistake, or come out with some baked goods that didn’t work like my expectation, I would feel defeated.
Whereas now, I say to myself: Ok, this is good. This means I have an opportunity of learning something awesome! Something that will help me become a better baker.
The Pumpkin Cheesecake Filling tastes like pure heaven, friends! I almost want to make a cake right now to make this filling again and frost the cake with it!
If pumpkin cheesecake is one of your favorite desserts of this season, you will fall in love with this filling and with these Pumpkin Cheesecake Macarons.
If you like baking macarons, if you want to become a better macaron baker, I invite you to check out some of my Macaron recipe posts. I have lots and lots of macaron posts on my blog. They are filled with tips, macaron filling ideas, different macaron flavors, videos, pictures, tutorials.
Are you trying to master macarons? I recommend you watch lots of videos, and read blog posts with tips on how to bake macarons. I don’t have a lot of videos yet, but I have some, on my Youtube Channel, and on my blog posts as well.
And don’t forget to watch the video in this blog post, which will be very helpful in order to get a visual on how each stage of baking macarons is supposed to look like.
Here are some more macaron flavors you might want to try:
- Brownie Macarons
- Peanut Butter and Jelly Macarons
- Dulce de Leche Pecan Macarons
- Chocolate Macarons
- Coffee Macarons
- Pumpkin Macarons
And how about some more Fall dessert ideas? Specially Pumpkin related!
I wish you a really fabulous day! Thank you for reading my blog!
Pumpkin Cheesecake Macarons
Ingredients
Macaron Shells
- 100 grams egg whites
- 100 grams white granulated sugar
- 105 grams almond flour
- 105 grams powdered sugar
- Food coloring I used the following colors: red, yellow, and a touch of brown
Pumpkin Cheesecake Filling
- 1/4 cup cream cheese softened 56 grams, 2 oz
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter softened 28 grams, 1 oz
- 2 tbsp pumpkin puree 28 grams, 1 oz
- 3 cups powdered sugar sifted 382 grams, 13.5 oz
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp ground ginger
- 1/8 tsp ground allspice
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Macaron Shells
- Before you start, get all of your ingredients ready. Prepare a large piping bag, fitted with a large round tip. Set aside.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mat.
- I use a baking mat with the macaron template already in it. You can make your own or print it from the internet, and just place it under silicon mat, or parchment paper. I recommend using a silicone mat.
- Measure out all of your ingredients.
- Sift powdered sugar and almond flour together. Set aside.
- Place egg whites and granulated sugar in a heat proof bowl or in a double boiler. Over a pan of simmering water, whisk the whites and sugar until frothy and sugar completely melted. It will take a couple minutes. You can test by touching the mixture between your fingers, and if you feel any sugar granules just keep whisking mixture over the water bath.
- Make sure the bottom of the bowl isn’t touching the simmering water.
- Transfer mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer.
- With the whisk attachment, start whisking mixture on low for about 30 seconds, then gradually start increasing speed to medium. Whisk on medium for one to two minutes, until mixture is white and starting to become fluffy. Raise speed to high for a few minutes until stiff peaks are formed. Best way to check this is to keep your eye on the whites. Once they get glossy and you start seeing streaks formed by the whisk, it might be time to stop.
- Whisk until stiff peaks have formed. When you pull your whip up, the peak should be shooting straight up, it shouldn’t be falling to the side.
- Pour the powdered sugar and almond flour into stiff whites.
- Start folding gently forming a letter J with a spatula.
- Add the food coloring at this point, if using.
- It’s time to stop folding when the batter is glossy and has a thick and flowing consistency. There are several ways to test this.
- First, pick up some batter with the spatula and try to draw a figure 8 with the batter that is dripping off the spatula. If you can form several 8 figures without the batter breaking up, that’s one indication that it might be ready.
- There’s another test you can do. I call it the Teaspoon test.
- Grab a teaspoon of batter and spoon onto the parchment paper or silicon mat. Wait a minute to see how it behaves.
- If the batter stays stiff, forming a point and doesn’t spread out a bit, start folding a little bit more, about 3 folds.
- Test again.
- Once the batter spreads out a bit and starts to look glossy and smooth on top, on the baking sheet, transfer it to the piping bag.
- You don’t want your batter to be too runny either. So be careful not to overmix. It’s always best to undermix and test several times until the proper consistency has been achieved.
- The best way I can describe this stage being perfect is when you hold the spatula with batter on top of the bowl and the batter falls off the spatula slowly but effortlessly. The batter will keep flowing off the spatula non-stop, but not too quickly.
- Transfer batter to a piping bag fitted with a round tip.
- Place piping bag directly 90 degrees over the center of each macaron template. Apply gentle pressure and carefully pipe for about 3 seconds, and then quickly pull the bag up twisting slightly.
- Once you’ve piped as many circles as you could, bang the trays against the counter a few times each.
- Let your trays sit for a while so the shells will dry out a little bit. I usually leave about 20-40 minutes, depending on how humid the day is. You’ll know they’re ready when you gently touch the surface of a macaron and it seems dry.
- Pre-heat the oven to 300°F.
- Bake one tray at a time.
- Bake for 5 minutes, rotate the tray.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes.
- When baked, the macarons will have a deeper color and formed feet. If you try to move a macaron, it shouldn’t feel jiggly. If the macaron is still jiggly, keep baking.
- Remove from the oven and bake the other tray.
- Let the macarons cool down before proceeding with the filling.
Pumpkin Cheesecake Filling
- Cream butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer for about 2 minutes.
- Add pumpkin puree and 3 cups of sifted powdered sugar to the bowl with the mixer off.
- Mix on low until powdered sugar is incorporated. Then whip mixture on high for 1 minute or so. Add cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and vanilla. Mix until combined. If frosting is too runny, add more sifted powdered sugar, as needed. If frosting is too stiff, add a bit of milk, one teaspoon at a time, mixing to check for consistency.
- STORAGE: Store any leftover Pumpkin Cheesecake Filling in the fridge for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
To assemble
- Place frosting in a piping bag fitted with the tip of your choice.
- Pipe a dollop of frosting in the middle of the bottom shells.
- Place top shell on top.
- I decorated the top of my shells by drizzling some orange candy melts on top and topping with some graham cracker crumbs.
- Let macarons mature in the fridge overnight before serving.
Storage
- Macarons will store really well in the fridge for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Notes
I use to freeze my macarons. I also use them to store my macarons in the fridge, since they are air-tight and keep them so well.
Food coloring: Make sure to use gel food coloring. If you are a beginner macaron baker, I recommend going easy on the food coloring, as it can alter your batter a lot, and it can take extra mixing time, especially if you continue to add the food coloring as you do the macaronage.
Scale: Please use a scale when measuring the ingredients for accuracy. Macaron amount: it will vary greatly depending on how big you pipe the shells, and on how runny or thick the batter is.
Baking time/temperature: Baking time and temperature will vary according to your own oven. I recommend experimenting with your oven to find out the best time, temperature, position of the baking tray.
Oven thermometer: Make sure to have an oven thermometer to bake macarons. It’s one of the most important things about making macarons. Home ovens aren’t accurate at all at telling the temperature, and even a slight 5 degree difference can make or break your whole batch.
Tray rotation: Lots of bakers don’t have to rotate the trays 180 degrees in the oven every 5 minutes, but I do have to with my oven, or I will get lopsided macarons. Please adjust this according to your oven.
Que coisa gostosa, gosto muito de abóbora!!!!
eu tambem!!🎃
Ooohh!! We have our macaroon queen right here! I love the shape of these, beautifully done!
thank you so much!!!
I dint see where in your recipe you add the pumpkin?
Heyy so right with the powdered sugar!! seems like Ive missed that step. I just added it. thanks so much for pointing it out to me!!!
Thank you. Giving it a try today.
Is the pumpkin just in the filling or do you add pumpkin pie spice to the shell too?
you can definitely add it to the shells. Add about 1/4 tsp to the dry ingredients: almond flour and powdered sugar.
Oh my goodness! I made these for the first week of fall, and they were incredible! Definitley fall in macaron form.
thank you Kaia!!! 🙂
Hi there! What did you use to decorate these macarons?
drizzle of white chocolate and graham cracker crumbs
The recipe says French Macarons. I am new to Macaron making but have been researching recipes and tips. I thought when you dissolve sugar in egg whites with double boiler type method on the stove this is a Swiss Macaron?
Macarons are French, but there are several ways to make them. The French method doesn’t heat egg whites at all, and many say it’s the most persnickety method. With the Italian method, you make a syrup out of granulated sugar and add it to egg whites while your mixer’s on low. It’s said to create a very stable meringue and cause you to have fewer problems in the long run. This *is* the Swiss method of making French macarons – combining the egg whites and sugar over a double boiler. It makes the egg whites safe for consumption AND it makes for a nice, stable meringue. Hope that helps!
What is the drizzle on top and what dust is on yours? Thank you!!!
it was orange candy melts and graham cracker crumbs. You could use melted white chocolate too instead of candy melts if you want.
Beautiful, full macarons. Again! I opted for a little dark chocolate on the top to anchor the crumbs and they turned out very pretty. Awesome recipe!
Thanks for this recipe and I can’t wait to try it! Is it absolutely necessary to use a stand mixer? I only have a hand electric mixer- will that be ok for the meringue step?
absolutely. in some of my videos on youtube, I do use a hand mixer in some of my videos on youtube.
With a hand mixer, the whipping time will likely be higher than with a stand mixer, but it’s still completely attainable.
Update- my macarons were pretty good up until the actual baking- but I think 325 is too high for my oven and they were all overbaked and dry 🙁 I will try 300 next time. Your video showing the mixing and folding was really helpful! Also, do you think adding spices to the shells would change the mixture too much? I want to add a bit more flavor to the shells themselves.
yes you can add about 1/2 or 1/4 tsp of pumpkin spice to the batter along with the dry ingredients.
And yes adjusting oven temperature takes a bit of experimenting. Hope you figure it out. Thank you!
Could I leave out the pumpkin and spices to make regular cheesecake macarons?
yes, you’ll need less powdered sugar tho because you won’t have the pumpkin in the filling.
Hi, I made this recipe and it tasted delicious but my macarons didn’t have any feet. I watched the video to see if I missed a step and I don’t think I did. Any tips? I am going to try again.
It takes a lot of tries, sometimes even years of practice to perfect and master macarons. I recommend you reading the troubleshooting guide to try and figure out what could have happened to the macarons, it’s hard to advise without seeing them https://www.piesandtacos.commacaron-troubleshooting/
Thank you 😊
My first attempt at macarons and they were perfect. Thank you so much for the quality information.
That’s wonderful to hear thank you!
Hi! In your video it says 96 grams and 90 grams of almond flour and powder sugar when the recipe calls for 110 grams of each? I made them following the recipe and the batter was way to thick?
The video is old and it’s the old recipe I used to use before, it’s much better with more flour and more sugar. The fact that the batter came out too thick is either because the meringue was over whipped or you just didn’t fold enough. I’ve been using the second measurement (105 grams each, not 110) for years and it’s much better.
Everyone loved them at Thanksgiving! Mine didn’t have perfect feet and had a few crack but taste and texture was spot on!
Awesome thank you so much!!!
Adorei a receita!!
Obrigada mamãe.
Que delícia 😋 😋 😋 😋 😋 adoro abóbora, cheesecake e macarons!! Ficaram perfeitos!!
Hi, can’t wait to make these! How big would you say you piped them?
about 1.75″
My 16+ grandson and I are making these for Thanksgiving. We are in .U.S, so use ounces, lbs, etc. Your filling is shown that way, but not the macaron ingredients. To BE SURE we are using correct amts, could you tell us conversion for:
• 100 grams egg whites
• 100 grams white granulated sugar
• 105 grams almond flour
• 105 grams powdered sugar
Also, I notice you don’t use cream of tartar in your egg white mixture. Is there a reason?
This will be our 2nd macaron-adventure! We made recently and while they weren’t “perfect,” (the shells were a little flat, not many feet) they still had great texture and tasted wonderful.
Thank you!
That’s so sweet that you are making that with your grandson. so I dont use cream of tartar in my recipes. Just in a couple of them here to show people how to do it, but I dont use it often.
And I recommend you use a scale when making macarons, because you really need to be precise. there’s a lot of variables when it comes to making macarons, so you have to try and minimize them by controlling what you can, which means the ingredients should definitely be weighed with a scale. I am not sure how much 105 grams of almond flour and powdered sugar is in cups. the white sugar will be 1/2 cup and the egg whites should be around 3, but even then lots of times I will crack 3 egg whites and they dont amount to 100 grams, and I’ll need more or less. And i do live in the US, and grams is a good measurement for me to use in my recipes because all scales do have grams, while most scales around the world wont have ounces. Also, it’s you can easily convert grams into ounces and the other way around by using any free online measurement converter.
Thank you so much and have a Happy Thanksgiving!!
I’ve been practicing Macarons recently and your recipe had them come out PERFECT! Perfect feet and perfect shell. It was like magic. LOL I took them to a Friendsgiving and everyone raved about them telling me I should sell them. I wish I could share a picture of them. Can’t wait to try some of your other flavor combos for Christmas. Thank you for all your information and detailed instructions.
That’s so awesome I am so happy!!! Great job!