Caramel Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake Macarons have a pumpkin spice french macarons shell, a cream cheese icing filling, and a dollop of homemade caramel.
I know that the pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks is a big deal during the fall, but I am just not a big fan. I am, however, a fan of pumpkin spice in almost any other setting. These Caramel Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake Macarons are the perfect place for pumpkin spice and they a new fall staple for me! All of the flavors play together so well and the whole thing just melts in your mouth. They truly are a little piece of heaven!
If you've never made french macarons before or you're struggling to get them right I highly recommend checking out my in-depth French Macaron post. You will get step-by-step instructions with pictures and all of my best tips and tricks on how to make french macarons!
Ingredients for Caramel Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake Macarons
Ingredients for pumpkin spice macarons:
- Powdered sugar. This will aid in the flavor and structure of the finished macarons.
- Almond flour. Be sure that you are using almond flour and not almond meal.
- Pumpkin spice. You can find my homemade pumpkin spice recipe here.
- Egg whites. Having your egg whites at room temperature will make it easier to whip them.
- Granulated Sugar. Sugar will give structure to the beaten egg whites.
Ingredients for cream cheese filling:
- Cream Cheese. Make sure the cream cheese is very soft to make for easy mixing.
- Butter. Make sure the butter is thoroughly softened too.
- Vanilla Extract. This will add flavor to the icing.
- Powdered Sugar. This will sweeten and firm up the icing.
Ingredients for homemade caramel:
- Granulated Sugar. Melted sugar is what creates a caramel.
- Water. Water will give us a thinner caramel.
- Heavy cream. This is going to make your caramel nice and creamy. be careful when you add it because the caramel will bubble up!
- Butter. Butter add to the overall flavor and creaminess of homemade caramel.
How to make macarons
Pumpkin Spice French Macarons.
Step 1: Line a cookie sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper. Set aside.
Step 2: Using a food processor, pulse the powdered sugar, almond flour, and pumpkin spice until fully combined and rid of lumps. Sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl. If you don’t have a food processor you can sift the ingredients together.
Step 3: In a medium bowl, prepare the french meringue. You can use a stand mixer for this, but I prefer a hand mixer or an immersion blender with a whisk attachment for a batch this small. Beat the egg whites on low speed until they get frothy. Increase the speed and slowly add the sugar. Beat until stiff peaks form.
Step 4: Add the french meringue into the dry ingredients and begin to gently fold with a silicone spatula. This process is called macaronage. You will know the batter is ready when the ingredients are fully combined and not streaky.
Step 5: Transfer the batter to a piping bag fitted with a piping tip. Pipe 1-inch disks onto the prepared cookie sheet.
Step 6: Firmly tap the cookie sheet onto the counter 3 or 4 times to bring any air bubbles to the surface. Use a toothpick to pop any remaining air bubbles.
Step 7: Let the pumpkin spice macarons rest for an hour. You should be able to run your finger over the top without any transferring to your finger.
Step 8: Preheat the oven to 280 degrees (F).
Step 9: Place the macarons on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 5 minutes, rotate the cookie sheet, bake for another 5 minutes and rotate the cookie sheet again, bake for 5 minutes. 15 minutes in total.
Step 10: Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
Cream Cheese Icing
Step 1: In a medium bowl combine the room temperature cream cheese and butter. Use a hand mixer to beat until fully combined and fluffy.
Step 2: Add the vanilla and half of the powdered sugar. Beat until fully combined.
Step 3: Add the rest of the powdered sugar and beat for about 3 minutes or until the icing is fluffy.
Homemade Caramel Sauce
Step 1: In a medium saucepan combine the sugar and water over medium-high heat. Let cook, without stirring, for about 10 minutes or until the sugar turns a medium amber color.
Step 2: While the sugar cooks warm the heavy cream in the microwave or in a small saucepan. I prefer to use a saucepan for this.
Step 3: When the sugar is ready slowly add the heavy cream. Whisk constantly for 2 minutes.
Step 4: Remove from heat and add the butter. Whisk until butter is melted and smooth. Let cool completely before using.
How to assemble macarons
Step 1: Transfer the icing to a piping bag fitted with a piping tip. Pipe a circle around the outside edge of one macaron shell, leaving a hole in the center for the caramel.
Step 2: Use a spoon to scoop a small amount of caramel into the hole.
Step 3: Sandwich another macaron shell on top and enjoy!
More macaron recipes
- Chocolate Ganache Macarons- A classic french macaron shell filled with a silky chocolate ganache.
- Earl Grey Macarons- A french macaron shell flavored with earl grey tea and filled with a honey-flavored buttercream.
- Bailey's and Coffee Macarons- I LOVE this macaron recipe. The macaron shells are flavored with coffee and filled with a bailey's ganache.
- Rose-Champagne Macarons- Two of the best things combined into one macaron!
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Like this post? Visit my Recipe page to see more like it!
Caramel Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake French Macarons
Ingredients
For Shells:
- 1 ⅔ cup (200 grams) powdered sugar
- 1 cup (110 grams) almond flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon pumpkin spice
- 3 large (100 grams) egg whites
- ¼ cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
For Icing:
- 4 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 4 tablespoons (56 grams) unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups (170 grams) powdered sugar
For Caramel:
- ½ cup (99 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons cold water
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon (14 grams) unsalted butter
Instructions
For Shells:
- Line a cookie sheet with a silicone mat. I highly recommend a silicone mat of some kind, but if you don’t have one then you can also use parchment paper. Set aside.
- Using a food processor, pulse the powdered sugar, almond flour, and pumpkin spice until fully combined and rid of lumps. Don’t do this for too long or you will make almond butter. Sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl. If you don’t have a food processor you can sift the ingredients together.
- In a medium bowl, prepare the french meringue. You can use a stand mixer for this, but I prefer a hand mixer or an immersion blender with a whisk attachment for a batch this small. Beat the egg whites on low speed until they get frothy. Increase the speed and slowly add the sugar. If you add the sugar too fast you will deflate the meringue. Beat until stiff peaks form. This is when you pull the beater out and the meringue stands up with a slight curve. It should not fall or jiggle too much if you move the beater. If you want to add food coloring, do it now, but add it sparingly or you will make the meringue too liquidy.
- Add the french meringue into the dry ingredients and begin to gently fold with a silicone spatula. This process is called macaronage. You will know the batter is ready when the ingredients are fully combined and not streaky. You should be able to hold the spatula above the bowl and draw a figure 8 smoothly without the batter breaking off. A good way to test if the batter is ready is to place a very small amount in your piping bag and pipe it onto your mat. If the batter is stiff and does not spread at all, then it is not ready. If the batter immediately runs out, then you have over folded. The batter should spread slightly and the tops should even out (there shouldn’t be any little tips sticking out), but it should not be runny.
- Transfer the batter to a piping bag fitted with a piping tip. Pipe 1-inch disks onto the prepared cookie sheet.
- Firmly tap the cookie sheet onto the counter 3 or 4 times to bring any air bubbles to the surface. Use a toothpick to pop any remaining air bubbles.
- Let the pumpkin spice macarons rest for an hour. There needs to be a dry layer on the top. You should be able to run your finger over the top without any transferring to your finger. If it is really humid outside this process will likely take longer.
- Preheat the oven to 280 degrees (F). This is the temperature that I have found works well for my oven, but you may need to play around with the temperature to find what works best for your oven.
- Place the macarons on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 5 minutes, rotate the cookie sheet, bake for another 5 minutes and rotate the cookie sheet again, bake for 5 minutes. 15 minutes in total. The macarons should not have any color to them, and they should peel off of the mat easily.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on the cookie sheet.
For Icing:
- In a medium bowl combine the cream cheese and butter. Use a hand mixer to beat until fully combined and fluffy.
- Add the vanilla and half of the powdered sugar. Beat until fully combined.
- Add the rest of the powedered sugar and beat for about 3 minutes or until the icing is light and fluffy.
For Caramel:
- In a medium saucepan combine the sugar and water over medium-high heat. Let cook, without stirring, for about 10 minutes or until the mixture turns a medium amber color.
- While the sugar cooks warm the heavy cream in the microwave or in a small saucepan.
- When the sugar is ready slowly add the heavy cream, whisking constantly for 2 minutes.
- Remove from heat and add butter. Whisk until melted and smooth. Let cool completely.
Assembly:
- Transfer the icing to a piping bag fitted with a piping tip. Pipe a circle of icing around the outside edge of one macaron shell, leaving a hole in the center.
- Scoop a small amount of caramel sauce and fill the hole with caramel.
- Sandwich another macaron shell on top.
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