jane bakes things: Pumpkin Spice Macarons

Pumpkin Spice Macarons! I love love love Fall for its colours, cinnamon, pumpkins, and hot chocolate.

Side note - exciting event of baking today:
My glass bowl exploded atop the double boiler - apparently it wasn't heatproof. So I made a meringue without heat which took much longer but the macarons came out just fine!

What was left of my poor mixing bowl

Nonetheless, I made Pumpkin Spice Macarons, perfect for the Autumn season!

I also made it with a twist - I replaced half of the regular almond flour with flaxseed meal. The consistency stayed the same and it's the slightest bit healthier.

The macaron shells are also spiced with delicious cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice.

The filling is made with pumpkin and cream cheese. Delish!

Spiced Macaron Shell:

1/2 cup ground almonds
1/2 cup flaxseed meal (you can easily replace this with 1/2 cup of ground almonds, pecans, or walnuts)
1 cup icing sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
Pinch of nutmeg
Pinch of allspice
3 room temperature egg whites
1/2 cup of granulated sugar

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Filling:

1/2 cup of room temperature butter
1 1/4 cup of icing sugar
1/4 cup of pumpkin pie filling (or 1/8th cup canned pumpkin)
1/4 cup cream cheese
Pinch of salt

Grind your almonds in a food processor with 2 tablespoons of icing sugar and sift into your mixing bowl. Grind your flaxseed meal next with 1 tablespoon of icing sugar and sift into the same mixing bowl.

Sift in the remaining icing sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice.

If using a double boiler:

Put about an inch of water into a pot and turn the heat on low-medium (you want the water to just simmer). Clean your heatproof (I've learned my lesson) bowl and egg beater with lemon water to whisk away any oil. Put your bowl on top of your pot and add in your egg whites and sugar.

Using a candy thermometer, beat with an egg beater until stiff peaks. This takes about 6-8 minutes. If you don't have a candy thermometer, take a spoon and scoop a little out. The mixture should feel perfectly smooth between your fingers. Don't dip your fingers in. Oil can ruin a meringue!

No double boiler:

Mix your sugar and eggs in a bowl. Make sure your egg whites are room temperature! I made the mistake of beating them when cold, they don't fluff up nearly as much when cold. Beat them on medium-high speed for about 10-15 minutes until stiff and glossy peaks.

Fold your egg whites lightly into your almond and flaxseed flour mixture. Add any food colouring to change the colour (always test a little first!).

Line your cookie trays with parchment paper and preheat your oven to 325 F. Use a macaron template (like this) under your parchment sheet to help you make even circles. Scoop your macaron shell mixture into a pastry bag and pipe onto your cookie tray.

Set aside for 20-30 minutes until the macaron shells have a matte surface and skin formed. This is super important for getting your macarons to hold their shape and lift up when baking.

Meanwhile, work on the filling!

Beat your room temperature butter, icing sugar, and cream cheese until nice and smooth. Add in your pumpkin filling and pinch of salt! Beat until smooth. Add in more icing sugar if you find the mixture to be too liquid.

I'm actually not a fan of using pre-made pie fillings, ever. But! The grocery store didn't have any canned pumpkin so this was the next best thing. It has a very weird consistency that doesn't mix into frostings well. Still tastes great, but doesn't mix well.

Bake your macaron shells for 12-15 minutes (with my oven, they're perfect at 12 minutes). Make sure you keep a close watch on them - if over-baked, the centres will rise up and crack. Tap one lightly on the top with a chopstick or toothpick. If they're crisp and sound slightly hollow, they're perfect.