Pumpkin Macarons
Hello friends! Let’s make Pumpkin Macarons today!
They are filled with a Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting, and the best is that they are shaped like pumpkins!
Down below I have two Pumpkin Macaron templates available, so you can download, print, and place under your silicone mat, or parchment paper and make the cute pumpkin macaron shapes at home.
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One template has 5 sections in the pumpkin, and the other has only 3. Pick the one you like the most and get to making your pumpkins.
Let’s start with the pumpkin templates!
The pumpkins on the 5 section template are about 2.45″ in width and height.
Click on the link below to download the 5 section Pumpkin Macaron Template, so you can print it and place under your baking mat and pipe the beautiful pumpkin macarons!
Click below to download the 3 section Pumpkin Macaron Template. The stem is a bit swerved to the side, so you can print both sides and pipe the reversed stem, or you can just pipe the stem upright instead and just have one template.
And make sure to watch the videos and read the instructions to know exactly how to pipe the shapes.
Both videos are available on Youtube: 5 sections, 3 sections.
It’s important to pipe the macarons in two phases, so that the sections of the pumpkins aren’t blending together, and you have the “bumps” in the pumpkin shape.
And the way you do that is by piping every other section, leaving a space in between sections. Then let that piped batter dry for a few minutes before piping the rest.
Since my template has 5 sections, I piped the outside sections, and then the middle section first, leaving room between the first and the third, and the third and the fifth sections.
Just like that:
Then, after a few minutes that those sections were dry, I piped the middle ones.
Don’t forget to watch the video here on this page or on YouTube, and you can see how this was done!
When I first made these Pumpkin Macarons, a couple of years ago, I made them into a completely different shape, but they were still kind of shaped like pumpkins.
Instead of piping the macaron batter in the pumpkin shape, I had piped the macarons round, then airbrushed the shells with some orange, and made fondant decorations for the top, which had taken me hours if I recall correctly. You can check out the design below.
I made the decorations on top because I was going to use these macarons to top these Pumpkin Cupcakes that I was making for a friend. And I wanted over the top cupcakes. So, these pumpkin macarons had to be dressed up.
For the curls, I simply rolled pieces of green fondant very thin, then wrapped around toothpicks. I let them dry over a foam mat for a few minutes before placing on the macarons.
I used a small piece of brown fondant to make the stem. And a small leaf cutter to cut the leaves.
Here is the Youtube video I used as an inspiration to make this pumpkin decoration.
So, which is your favorite? The macarons shaped like pumpkins, or the macarons with the fondant decoration? Let me know because I’d love to hear your thoughts!
I myself prefer the macarons shaped like pumpkins, I think they are super cute and adorable!
Anyway, both times I’ve filled the pumpkin macarons with a Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting. And I use pumpkin spice in the filling.
However, if you don’t have pumpkin spice, or can’t find it, you can use a combination of the following flavors: cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, cloves.
For this specific recipe, you need 1/2 tsp of pumpkin spice, so I recommend using 1/4 tsp of cinnamon, mixed with another 1/4 tsp of a combination of any of those spices. You don’t have to use all of them, you can choose your favorites, or whatever you have in the cupboard.
Can I use pumpkin spice on the pumpkin macarons shells?
Yes! You can use pumpkin spice on the pumpkin macarons shells! However, I recommend keeping it to up to 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon.
To decorate the shells, I made green royal icing, and placed it in a piping bag fitted with a number 2 tip to make the curled stems, and then I switched to the smallest leaf tip I had to make the leaves.
I’ve used Sally’s Baking Addiction royal icing recipe, it’s easy to make, but you will need less than 1/4 of her recipe to make the green leaf decorations.
Here are some more macaron recipes you may enjoy:
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Macarons
- Caramel Apple Macarons
- Apple Macarons
- Honey Macarons
- Peppermint Macarons
- Gingerbread Macarons
- Cinnamon Toast Crunch Macarons
- Cranberry Orange Macarons
- Vanilla Bean Macarons
- Eggnog Macarons
- Salted Caramel Macarons
- Chai Macarons
- Banana Macarons
- Pear Macarons
- Champagne Macarons
I have a HUGE list of macaron flavors and ideas on my blog, this are just somewhat related ideas, or macaron flavors I like to bake during fall!
Click here to check out all of my macaron flavors.
And click here to read my posts on Macaron School, a place where I’ve gathered a lot of knowledge, tips, troubleshooting, and everything else to help you up your macaron game!
I hope you liked today’s recipe, if you make these Pumpkin Macarons please tag me on instagram, I’d love to see your creations!
Thanks for reading!
Pumpkin Macarons
Ingredients
Pumpkin Macaron Shells
- 100 grams egg whites
- 100 grams white granulated sugar
- 105 grams almond flour
- 105 grams powdered sugar
- 4 grams egg white powder (optional)
- food coloring (I used orange, watermelon, and brown)
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1/4 cup cream cheese softened 56 grams
- 2 tbsp cup unsalted butter softened 28 grams
- 2 tbsp pumpkin puree 28 grams
- 2-3 cups powdered sugar sifted 255 grams-382 grams
- 1/2 tsp pumpkin spice
Instructions
Pumpkin Macaron Shells
- Before you start, get all of the ingredients ready.
- Line one piping bag with the tip number 3 (or 4) for the orange batter, and another piping bag with the tip number 3 for the brown batter for the stem. For the pumpkins with the three sections I used tip 8 for the pumpkin sections, and tip 3 for the stem.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mat, and place the pumpkin templates underneath.
- Measure out all of the ingredients.
- Sift the powdered sugar and almond flour together. Set aside.
- Place the egg whites, granulated sugar, and egg white powder in a heat proof bowl or in a double boiler. Over a pan of simmering water, whisk the whites, the sugar, and the egg white powder until frothy and the sugar is 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 the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer.
- With the whisk attachment, start whisking the mixture on low for about 30 seconds, then gradually start increasing speed to medium. Whisk on medium-low (speed 4) for one to two minutes, until mixture is white and starting to become fluffy. Raise speed to medium (speed 6 of KitchenAid) and finish whipping for a few more 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 peaks should be shooting straight up, not bent down. Also you should notice soft but defined waves on the bottom of the meringue that has been collected by the whisk.
- Pour the sifted powdered sugar and almond flour into stiff whites.
- Start folding the batter.
- Fold the dry ingredients with the meringue until just incorporated.
- Once you can see no more streaks of dry ingredients in the batter, remove some of the batter and put it in a small bowl, this batter will be colored brown later and will be used to pipe the stems. The amount of batter separated to pipe the stems should be about 1/3 cup.
- Work with one batch at a time, and cover the other bowl with a towel so the batter doesn’t start drying.
- Let's make the orange batter for the pumpkins first. Add orange food coloring to the batter. I also added a bit of watermelon color to deepen the orange. Fold the batter until it reaches the proper consistency, flowing effortlessly off the spatula.
- Read below on tips for identifying the right consistency.
- Then, transfer the orange batter to a piping bag, fitted with the #3 or #4 tip. Secure the top so the batter doesn’t leak out, and set it aside.
- Next, it’s time to color the remaining batter. Add brown food coloring to the small bowl with the leftover batter, and fold until the proper consistency is achieved. Transfer that batter to the piping bag fitted with the #3 tip, and set it aside.
- 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 the batter to be too runny either. So be careful not to over mix. It’s always best to under mix 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.
- It’s time to pipe! Begin piping the pumpkins.
- Pipe some batter on every other section of the pumpkin template. My pumpkin template has 5 sections. I started by piping the outside sections, and the middle section. Leaving the second and fourth sections empty for now.
- After piping the first, third, and fifth sections, tap the trays against the counter lightly and use a toothpick to pop any remaining air bubbles. It's important to do that now because the batter will start to dry.
- Let the trays sit for about 5 minutes, then begin piping the second and fourth sections of the pumpkin. Make sure to watch the video on YouTube, or on this page, above, to see exactly how this is done.
- It's important to pipe in sections, and leave the adjacent sections empty until the batter dries slightly, so that the batters don't blend together, and you can have the pumpkin "bumps" in your shells.
- It will really help if you watch my video on YouTube showing this piping technique.
- After piping the whole pumpkins, again tap the trays against the counter.
- Pipe the stems and use a toothpick to help spread the batter if necessary, and to pop any visible bubbles on the surface of the macarons.
- Let the 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 310ºF. Bake one tray at a time.
- Bake for 5 minutes, rotate tray, not all bakers have to rotate the trays, but I have to otherwise my macarons will be lopsided due to uneven heat distribution in my oven. I bake each tray for about 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 Cream Cheese Frosting
- Cream the butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer for about 2 minutes.
- Add the pumpkin puree to the bowl and cream for one minute to combine.
- Add 2 cups of the powdered sugar and the pumpkin spice to the bowl with the mixer off.
- Mix on low until the powdered sugar is incorporated. Then whip the mixture on high for 1 minute or so. If the 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. This type of frosting is not only made of cream cheese but also with added pumpkin puree, so it tends to be a frosting on the soft side, so adjust the powdered sugar consistency as desired. The more powdered sugar you add, the stiffer it will become.
To assemble
- Place the Pumpkin Cream Cheese frosting in a piping bag. Pipe on the bottom shells of the macarons. Top with another pumpkin macaron shell.
Storage
- Let the macarons mature for 24 hours before serving.
- Store the macarons in the fridge for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
Notes
is not the same as meringue powder, though some people use it interchangeably. Egg white powder is made of only egg whites. They help with getting fuller shells, and specially when adding a lot of food coloring to the batter, because they make the shells dry faster. I recommend experimenting with it if you can find it. I use 4 grams for each 100 grams of egg whites.
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, but I do have to with my oven, or I will get lopsided macarons. Please adjust this according to your oven.
Pumpkin spice: If you don’t have pumpkin spice, simply mix 1/4 tsp of cinnamon with another 1/4 tsp of either nutmeg, ginger, allspice, cloves, or a combination of those spices.
I’ve made these multiple times because they are delicious!! Possibly my favorite flavor of macarons. I always come back to this recipe. It was one of the first batches of macarons I’d ever made and it made it very simple and easy for me to know how to do it.
thank you so much Kelsi! That’s so nice to hear!!
Maravilhosos, perfeitos!!!!!!’
I want to say to you THANK YOU, THANK YOU and THANK YOU. For sharing your recipes with the hole world. You explain very good and easy.
I like to entertain too
Thank you so much Magdalena!!!! You’re the best!!!!
Hello! Can I use egg whites from the box or do you recommend sticking to egg whites from a whole egg? Thank you!
you can, I give instructions for carton egg whites here https://www.piesandtacos.comcarton-egg-whites-macarons/
Thank you. I love your macaron template. You have amazing skills.
Adorei os macarons de abóbora 🎃 parabéns pela receita maravilhosa!! 👏👏👏👏😍
Uau!! Maravilhosas abóboras 🎃 deliciosas!!