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Caramel Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake French Macarons

A classic french macaron shell flavored with pumpkin spice and filled with cream cheese icing and caramel
Course Dessert
Cuisine French
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Resting Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 55 minutes
Servings 25 macarons
Calories 146kcal

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.

Nutrition

Serving: 1macaron | Calories: 146kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 1.6g | Fat: 6.3g | Saturated Fat: 2.9g | Cholesterol: 13mg | Sodium: 35mg | Potassium: 43mg | Fiber: 0.5g | Sugar: 20.9g | Calcium: 16mg