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Yes it’s Fall, tis the season. Pumpkin everything season! These macarons are made with a pumpkin spiced latte custard buttercream and lightly spiced shells.
My niece is a coffee fan so I figured I’d create a macaron of THE Fall coffee for her birthday.
To make sure that spicy seasonal flavor comes through, I added some pumpkin spices to the shells. Otherwise, it’s the basic macaron recipe.
The filling is inspired by the Starbucks pumpkin spice latte. The custard has pumpkin puree, spices, milk and espresso. Strongly brewed coffee can be substituted. The amount of pumpkin can be altered as well, depending on how much you like that flavor. Anywhere from 1/2 tbsp to 2 tbsp.
Whip the custard until cooled, mix in butter and vanilla. Taste filling and adjust by adding more spices or you can add confectioners sugar if not sweet enough.
Fill the cookies and chill overnight for best results! Eat with a coffee, yum.
Pumpkin Spice Latte Macarons
Ingredients
MACARON SHELLS
- 3 egg whites
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 ⅔ cup confectioners sugar
- ¼ tsp cream of tartar
- 1 cup almond flour
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ginger
- ⅛ tsp cloves
- Food coloring optional
FILLING
- 2 tbsp espresso or strong coffee
- 3 tbsp milk
- 3 egg yolks
- ½ cup butter softened
- 1 ½ tbsp pumpkin puree
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ginger
- ⅛ tsp cloves
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 1 tsp cornstarch
Instructions
MACARON SHELLS
- Grind up almond flour in a dry food processor and sift through a sieve. Do not force it through the sieve.
- Sift confectioners sugar into almond flour with a sieve and a whisk.
- Beat egg whites and cream of tartar on medium / high. Slowly add in granulated sugar.
- When the soft peak stage is reached add food coloring and vanilla. Mix till stiff peak stage.
- Add about ¼ the dry ingredients to the egg whites. Fold with spatula till combined.
- Then add the rest of the dry ingredients and gently macaronage (fold) till “lava” texture is reached. The batter should make ribbons that don’t break when you lift the spatula. Try making a figure 8.
- Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment, using a tiny dab of batter on each corner as glue.
- Add batter to a piping bag using a plain round tip.
- Pipe about 1 ½” circles, holding the bag perpendicular to the cookie sheet. To break off batter, make a little swirl motion on top.
- Bang sheet on counter to get rid of bubbles and to help tops get smooth.
- Let sit for 45 – 60 minutes on the counter uncovered. You should be able to touch the macarons, there will be a skin formed on top.
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
- Bake for 10 – 15 minutes. You should be able to see the “feet”.
- Let cool completely before piping in the filling. Make little macarons sandwiches by matching up with the same sized tops and bottoms.
FILLING
- Add espresso, yolks, milk, pumpkin, sugar, cornstarch, and spices to a small saucepan. Mix well.
- Turn heat on medium and bring to a simmer while stirring. Make sure to turn heat down to low after the mixture starts to bubble. Cook for about 3 minutes or until thickened.
- Take off heat. Pour hot pumpkin custard into mixer with a whisk attachment. Whip until airy and cooled enough to not melt butter.
- Add butter and vanilla. Mix on high until a fluffy and smooth texture is formed.
- Pipe filling on one shell and top with matching sized top.
- Store in the fridge. Cookies taste best the next day.
