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
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Before you start, get all of your ingredients ready. Prepare a large piping bag, fitted with a large round tip. Set aside.
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Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mat.
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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.
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Measure out all of your ingredients.
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Sift powdered sugar and almond flour together. Set aside.
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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.
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Make sure the bottom of the bowl isn’t touching the simmering water.
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Transfer mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer.
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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.
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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.
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Pour the powdered sugar and almond flour into stiff whites.
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Start folding gently forming a letter J with a spatula.
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Add the food coloring at this point, if using.
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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.
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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.
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There’s another test you can do. I call it the Teaspoon test.
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Grab a teaspoon of batter and spoon onto the parchment paper or silicon mat. Wait a minute to see how it behaves.
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If the batter stays stiff, forming a point and doesn’t spread out a bit, start folding a little bit more, about 3 folds.
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Test again.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Transfer batter to a piping bag fitted with a round tip.
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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.
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Once you’ve piped as many circles as you could, bang the trays against the counter a few times each. This will release air bubbles that are in the batter and prevent your macaron shells from cracking.
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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.
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Pre-heat the oven to 325F.
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Bake one tray at a time.
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Bake for 5 minutes, rotate the tray.
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Bake for 15 to 20 minutes.
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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.
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Remove from the oven and bake the other tray.
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Let the macarons cool down before proceeding with the filling.
Pumpkin Cheesecake Filling
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Cream butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer for about 2 minutes.
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Add pumpkin puree and 3 cups of sifted powdered sugar to the bowl with the mixer off.
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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.
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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
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Place frosting in a piping bag fitted with the tip of your choice.
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Pipe a dollop of frosting in the middle of the bottom shells.
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Place top shell on top.
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I decorated the top of my shells by drizzling some orange candy melts on top and topping with some graham cracker crumbs.
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Let macarons mature in the fridge overnight before serving.
Storage
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Macarons will store really well in the fridge for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Recipe Notes
These are the Storage Containers
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.