Pumpkin Spice Macarons have a classic french macaron shell flavored with pumpkin spice and a sweet pumpkin spice buttercream.
Macarons are one of my favorite things to make, but they are definitely tricky. They have a mind of their own and one wrong step in the recipe can totally change the end result. BUT they are also so fun to make, a major win when you get them right, and delicious no matter how they end up looking.
That being said, it is so possible to master macarons. I compiled a Step-by-Step Macaron post with all of my best tips and tricks for making the best macarons possible. It has all of the steps and tools that I use every time I make macarons and I can promise you it will get you closer to being a macaron master!
What is macaronage?
In order to make french macarons, you have to do a process called macaronage. This is where you fold the wet and dry ingredients together in order to achieve a smooth, shiny, and flowing mixture. A good way to tell if you have done the macaronage stage correctly is if you can hold up the spatula and draw a figure 8 with the mixture without it breaking off.
Ingredients for Pumpkin Spice Macarons
Ingredients for Pumpkin Spice French 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 Pumpkin Spice Buttercream:
- Powdered Sugar. This will sweeten and firm up the icing.
- Unsalted Butter. Make sure the butter is thoroughly softened too.
- Pumpkin Spice. See above note.
- Heavy Cream. This will make the buttercream extra creamy and pipable.
Macaron tips
- If possible, make your macarons on a less humid day. You will need to rest the macarons for longer and they might not turn out as well on a humid day.
- Don’t over mix the batter. You only need to macaronage until you can make a figure 8 with the batter. If you over mix the macarons will spread too much.
- Wipe the bowl down with vinegar before adding the egg whites to whip. Even a speck of leftover dish soap or fat (egg yolk, butter, etc.) will inhibit the egg whites from whipping up properly.
- Let the macarons rest before eating. Macarons are best when they have matured for 12 or so hours. So after you fill the macarons, let them rest overnight for the best flavor.
How to make Pumpkin Spice Macarons
French Macarons
STEP 1: Line a cookie sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
STEP 2: In a food processor add the powdered sugar, almond flour, and pumpkin spice and pulse 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 just sift the ingredients together.
STEP 3: In a medium bowl, prepare the french meringue. 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. You should be able to hold the spatula above the bowl and draw a figure 8 smoothly without the batter breaking off. Transfer the batter to a piping bag fitted with a piping tip. Pipe 1-inch disks onto the prepared cookie sheet.
STEP 5: 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 6: Let the 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.
STEP 7: 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.
STEP 8: Place the pumpkin spice 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 9: Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. They should peel off the mat easily.
STEP 10: When the macarons are cooled peel them off of the mat and match each shell to another that is the same size.
Pumpkin Spice American Buttercream
STEP 1: In a medium bowl with a hand mixer, beat the butter until it is very soft and creamy.
STEP 2: Add half of the powdered sugar. Beat until fully combined.
STEP 3: Add the rest of the powdered sugar and the pumpkin spice. Beat on medium speed for 5-6 minutes.
STEP 4: If the buttercream is too thick add the heavy cream or milk, 1 tablespoon at a time until it reaches the desired consistency.
How To Assemble Pumpkin Spice Macarons
Step 1: Transfer the icing to a piping bag fitted with a piping tip. I use this bag and this tip
Step 2: Pipe your desired amount of icing onto the inside of one macaron shell.
Step 3: Sandwich another macaron shell on top and enjoy!
Can I make macarons ahead of time?
For sure! I make macarons ahead of time pretty often and they always still taste amazing. If I am making macarons more than a day before I want to serve them I freeze them. They will freeze well for about two weeks. Just pull them out of the freezer about an hour before you are ready to serve them and they will thaw out perfectly. These Pumpkin Spice Macarons are no exception!
More Macaron Recipes
- Cookie Dough Macarons- a chocolate dipped shell filled with brown sugar and chocolate chip buttercream.
- Chocolate and Vanilla Swirled Macarons- the perfect swirl of chocoalte and vanilla.
- Maple Pecan Macarons- Swiss macarons filled with maple buttercream and sprinkled with pecans.
- Cinnamon Apple Spice Macarons- Cinnamon and apple spice macarons filled with cinnamon buttercream and salted caramel.
More Macaron Recipes From Kitchen 335
- Peanut Butter and Jelly Macarons- a classic french macaron shell drizzled with peanut butter and filled with peanut butter American buttercream and a dollop of jelly.
- Coffee Nutella Macarons- a coffee flavored macaron shell filled with Nutella.
- Earl Grey Macarons- a french macaron shell that is flavored with earl grey tea and a honey-flavored American buttercream.
- Birthday Cake Macarons- a macaron shell topped with sprinkles and filled with a cake batter American buttercream.
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Recipe
Pumpkin Spice Macarons
Ingredients
For Pumpkin Spice Macaron 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 Pumpkin Spice Buttercream:
- 4 tablespoons (56 grams) unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup (113 grams) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream or milk
Instructions
For Pumpkin Spice Macaron 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.
- If the macarons were baked correctly they should easily peel off of the silicone mat.
For Pumpkin Spice Buttercream:
- In a medium bowl with a hand mixer, beat the butter until it is very soft and creamy. The butter needs to be really soft or your buttercream won’t be as fluffy as it should be.
- Add half of the powdered sugar. Beat until fully combined.
- Add the rest of the powdered sugar and the pumpkin spice. Beat on medium speed for 5-6 minutes.
- If the buttercream is too thick add the heavy cream or milk, 1 tablespoon at a time until it reaches the desired consistency.
For Pumpkin Spice Macaron Assembly:
- Transfer the American buttercream frosting to a piping bag fitted with a piping tip.
- Pipe your desired amount of icing onto the inside of one macaron shell.
- Sandwich another macaron shell on top.
Alex says
This recipe came out amazing. I didn’t have any almond flour but I did have pumpkin seeds and pumpkin flour is a good substitute for almond flour. So I made pumpkin flour for these. It was perfect! Easy to follow and they came out amazing for my first time making macarons. I will note it took an added 10 minutes at the suggested temp. in my oven. Thank you for another wonderful delicious recipe!
Ellie Haley says
Wow pumpkin flour! That’s so cool! Glad you enjoyed