Easy homemade vanilla macaroons with smooth, creamy pumpkin buttercream. Simply irresistible! Simply irresistible!
With pumpkin season in full swing and Halloween just around the corner, these pumpkin buttercream macarons will be a definite party pleaser!
Macarons (also known as French macaroons) are traditional French style pastries resembling round sandwiched cookies made of ground almonds, egg white and sugar. These macarons have real pumpkin pureed buttercream sandwiched between light, moist, delicate vanilla macaron shells. They are French style pastries with an American twist!
I never thought I could make such perfectly shaped macarons. When it comes to macarons, I have had my share of baking disaster with deformed shells, flat hollow shells and runny fillings!
Let me share a few important tips I learned from my macaron baking disaster/adventure!
- I prefer to use Bobs Red Mill Almond Meal/Flour which is finely grounded that saves a lot of time but you can also use regular almonds that you can grind yourself with a food processor. I’ve also made successful macarons using pistachios, cashews or hazelnuts to replace almonds. All 3 nuts can be found in a grounded meal form.
- Always weigh and measure all your ingredients before you start and always sieve the icing sugar and the ground almond to avoid a lumpy mixture.
- You need to beat your egg whites until strong stiff peaks are formed, beat them until they do not move when you turn your bowl upside down.
- To make perfectly round macarons, I like to use a silicone macaron mat and a piping bag with a round tip. You can buy a macaron kit that includes both.
This easy full proof recipe was given to me by my sister who perfected it and have made macarons to every social and family gathering I can remember! They are really good!
These macarons are well worth the effort! You’re going to love them!
Enjoy!
Pumpkin Buttercream Macarons (French Macaroons)
Ingredients
Macaron Shells:
- 6 oz 150g powdered confectioners sugar (icing sugar) sifted
- 4.5 oz 125g ground almonds (almond flour/meal) sifted
- 3 large egg whites
- 2 oz 60g extra fine sugar (caster sugar)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract vanilla essence
- Orange coloring gel as desired
Pumpkin Buttercream:
- ¼ cup butter
- 3 tablespoons pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 2.5 cups powdered confectioners sugar icing sugar
- 1 tablespoon whipping cream
Instructions
Macaron Shells:
- Preheat oven to 300 F (150 C).
- Mix sifted icing sugar and ground almonds into a bowl and set aside.
- Beat egg white with mixer for 30 seconds until soft peaks form then add extra fine sugar (caster sugar) and keep mixing for another 4-5 minutes until very stiff peaks are formed and does not move even if you tip the bowl upside down.
- Add vanilla extract and mix well.
- Fold ½ the almond/icing mixture into the egg white and mix with spatula. Add other half and mix well with spatula making sure to scrape the edge of bowl. Gently bang the bowl on the bench top a few times to remove any air bubbles.
- Spoon batter into piping bag, only half filling the bag, and pipe into wells of macaron baking mat.
- Allow the macarons to sit for at least 15 minutes so they spread and dry out giving it a smooth surface when baked.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until you can cleanly peel shells off the baking mat.
- Remove from oven and cool.
Pumpkin Buttercream:
- Beat butter and pumpkin puree with mixer until smooth. Add vanilla extract, pumpkin spice and mix. Add powdered confectioners sugar (icing sugar) and mix well for 1 minute.
- Scrape down the bowl, add cream and mix about 3 minutes until smooth and fluffy.
- Match up macarons in pairs based on size. Fill a pastry bag with buttercream and pipe a quarter sized of buttercream into half of the shells, then sandwich them.
