Make Golden Pumpkin Spice Macarons

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These golden pumpkin spice macarons are the perfect idea if you want to make pretty fall treats! They’re tasty, beautiful, and a fun baking project to tackle.

Gold Splattered Pumpkin Spice Macarons

I don’t know why, but I recently got the crazy idea to make macarons from scratch. I’ve made them before for my 30 by 30 list, but the last time I didn’t really know what I was getting into.

These pretty little cookies can be temperamental to say the least, but I found a few good posts and did some research, and got to work.

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More Dessert REcipes

I’m not a great cook but I love baking! And I have to say, I’ve made some bangers over the years.

I took a second to round up some of my favorite dessert recipes for you. Be sure to pin your favorites so you can find them easily again!

Gold Splattered Pumpkin Spice Macarons

tips for Making Macarons

You’ll notice that the ingredients here are measured by weight. When you’re making macs, my advice is to always, always weigh your ingredients.

It’s kind of crucial for the wet and dry ingredients to be in their exact proportions, so don’t just wing it. Use a kitchen scale and be precise.

Also, you need a good sifter to get the dry ingredients as fine as possible. Be sure to sift your flour and powdered sugar.

The last time I made macs I used parchment paper and got the most beautiful feet. This time, I baked on Silpat mats and I just wasn’t as happy with the feet I got.

For those of you wondering, “feet” on a French macaron are those little bubbly, raised areas on the underside of each rounded cookie. I did a bit of research around the web and found people who swear by both methods, but I think next time I attempt these I’ll make them on parchment.

Coloring Your Batter for PUmpkin Spice Macarons

One addition I made to this recipe was to color half of the batter.

If you want to try the same, separate your batter into two halves partway through the section where you are mixing your wet and dry ingredients. Then use gel food coloring (liquid will make your mixture too wet) to color one half.

This is the gel coloring that I love. Be sure that as you’re mixing in the color, you don’t exceed the number of recommended stirs/folds, because then your batter will be too runny.

Our copper-colored macs were a little runnier than our plain cream-colored macs, and I think I overmixed them a bit. I also think that’s why the feet on the copper ones aren’t as tall. I piped them in two different sizes, which I thought was fun! I love the little tiny ones.

Gold Splattered Pumpkin Spice Macarons

Make Your Macarons Golden

Finally, I added a pretty gold paint splatter! Did you even know that there’s edible gold food paint? We’ve used it before right here.

To get the effect, we used a small fan paintbrush, dipped it in a little bowl of edible gold paint, and flicked it over the top of our finished macarons.

Do this a few times to cover the whole batch and you’ll have a really pretty gold splatter effect that kind of takes them to the next level.

Gold Splattered Pumpkin Spice Macarons

Ingredients You’ll NEed

Macaron Ingredients

  • 100 grams egg whites, room temperature
  • ¼ tsp cream of tartar
  • 110 grams almond flour
  • 60 grams granulated sugar
  • 200 grams powdered sugar
  • ¼ tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • copper gel food coloring, optional
  • edible liquid gold, optional

Filling Ingredients

  • 113 grams cream cheese, room temperature
  • 57 grams unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 240 grams powdered sugar
  • 2 TBSP pumpkin puree
  • 1 ½ tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • healthy pinch kosher salt
Gold Splattered Pumpkin Spice Macarons

Make Golden PUmpkin Spice Macaron Batter

  1. Sift your flour and powdered sugar, and set aside.
  2. Whisk the egg whites on medium speed in your stand mixer until somewhat foamy. Sprinkle in the cream of tartar.
  3. Set mixer to medium-high and add in the granulated sugar bit by bit.
  4. Set mixer to the highest setting and whisk until stiff peaks form
  5. Gently fold in half of the dry ingredient mixture using a spatula, until combined. Repeat with the remaining dry ingredients, just until combined.
  6. If you’d like to color half of your batter, set half aside in a separate bowl. Add a few drops of copper gel food coloring and carefully fold in, just until combined. You don’t want to overmix and have a consistency that’s too wet; your macs won’t properly form feet.
Gold Splattered Pumpkin Spice Macarons

Piping Your Macs

  1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, or a slipat mat if you prefer.
  2. Add batter into a piping bag with a round tip. In a pinch, you can use a ziploc bag and cut the tip off of one corner. Pipe your macs into circles. We did two sizes (1-inch and 2-inch).
  3. Gently pick up a corner of the baking sheet and tap it down onto the counter to bring any air bubbles to the surface; pop these with a toothpick if necessary.
  4. Preheat your oven to 300F. While the oven is preheating, allow the macs to rest at room temp until a very thin skin forms on the surface.
  5. Bake on the center rack for 14 minutes, or until the feet of the macs don’t move when gently touched. Your oven may run hotter or colder, so check the macarons after 12-13 minutes.
  6. Let cool on the parchment paper until the macarons easily peel off.

Make PUmpkin Cream Cheese Filling for Macarons

  1. Cream the butter and cream cheese together in a stand mixer until smooth.
  2. Add the sifted powdered sugar a bit at a time at a time until fully combined.
  3. Add remaining ingredients and mix until smooth.
  4. Pipe the filling onto a macaron shell, then gently top with another shell.
  5. If you’d like to add gold splatters to your macarons, dip a fan brush into edible liquid gold and flick it over the top of your macs.
  6. Macarons taste best to me the next day, but go ahead and have some if you can’t wait! These will keep for 3-5 days in an airtight container.

So there you go! I love the flavor of these pumpkin spice macarons!

The pumpkin pie spice and the pumpkin buttercream frosting in this recipe make them really fall-y and delicious. Hope you try these out. xoxo

Gold Splattered Pumpkin Spice Macarons

Golden Pumpkin Spice Macarons

Yield: 30 cookies
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes

These golden pumpkin spice macarons are the perfect idea if you want to make pretty fall treats! They're tasty, beautiful, and a fun baking project to tackle.

Ingredients

Batter Ingredients

  • 100 grams egg whites, room temperature
  • ¼ tsp cream of tartar
  • 110 grams almond flour
  • 60 grams granulated sugar
  • 200 grams powdered sugar
  • ¼ tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • copper gel food coloring, optional
  • edible liquid gold, optional

Filling Ingredients

  • 113 grams cream cheese, room temperature
  • 57 grams unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 240 grams powdered sugar
  • 2 TBSP pumpkin puree
  • 1 ½ tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • healthy pinch kosher salt

Instructions

  1. Sift your flour and powdered sugar, and set aside.
  2. Whisk the egg whites on medium speed in your stand mixer until somewhat foamy. Sprinkle in the cream of tartar.
  3. Set mixer to medium-high and add in the granulated sugar bit by bit.
  4. Set mixer to the highest setting and whisk until stiff peaks form
  5. Gently fold in half of the dry ingredient mixture using a spatula, until combined. Repeat with the remaining dry ingredients, just until combined.
  6. If you'd like to color half of your batter, set half aside in a separate bowl. Add a few drops of copper gel food coloring and carefully fold in, just until combined. You don't want to overmix and have a consistency that's too wet; your macs won't properly form feet.
  7. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, or a slipat mat if you prefer.
  8. Add batter into a piping bag with a round tip. In a pinch, you can use a ziploc bag and cut the tip off of one corner. Pipe your macs into circles. We did two sizes (1-inch and 2-inch).
  9. Gently pick up a corner of the baking sheet and tap it down onto the counter to bring any air bubbles to the surface; pop these with a toothpick if necessary.
  10. Preheat your oven to 300F. While the oven is preheating, allow the macs to rest at room temp until a very thin skin forms on the surface.
  11. Bake on the center rack for 14 minutes, or until the feet of the macs don't move when gently touched. Your oven may run hotter or colder, so check the macarons after 12-13 minutes.
  12. Let cool on the parchment paper until the macarons easily peel off.
  13. Cream the butter and cream cheese together in a stand mixer until smooth.
  14. Add the sifted powdered sugar a bit at a time at a time until fully combined.
  15. Add remaining ingredients and mix until smooth.
  16. Pipe the filling onto a macaron shell, then gently top with another shell.
  17. If you'd like to add gold splatters to your macarons, dip a fan brush into edible liquid gold and flick it over the top of your macs.
  18. Macarons taste best to me the next day, but go ahead and have some if you can't wait! These will keep for 3-5 days in an airtight container.

Notes

You'll notice that the ingredients here are measured by weight. When you're making macs, my advice is to always, always weigh your ingredients.

It's kind of crucial for the wet and dry ingredients to be in their exact proportions, so don't just wing it. Use a kitchen scale and be precise.

Also, you need a good sifter to get the dry ingredients as fine as possible. Be sure to sift your flour and powdered sugar.

The last time I made macs I used parchment paper and got the most beautiful feet. This time, I baked on Silpat mats and I just wasn't as happy with the feet I got.

For those of you wondering, "feet" on a French macaron are those little bubbly, raised areas on the underside of each rounded cookie. I did a bit of research around the web and found people who swear by both methods, but I think next time I attempt these I'll make them on parchment.

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8 Comments

  1. Nice work Chelsea!! There’s a girl making amazing macas in the market where I have my new location and she’s a straight-up wizard. Makes characters and everything and makes it look so easy and I know it so ISN’T.

  2. These are so gorgeous, Chelsea! I agree, the gold totally takes them to the next level. 😉 Way to go for tackling such a technical cookie!

  3. I am still yet to try pumpkin spice in any kind of food, but these macarons look so good I’m dying to give it a try! I know how finicky macarons can be, but you straight up nailed them in this post. I adore the gold as well, such a beautiful addition to an already perfect treat ?✨?

  4. These Golden Pumpkin Spice Macarons and pancakes are pure autumnal bliss! The rich, warm hues and delicate textures make them a visual feast. The macarons are a perfect balance of crunchy and creamy, while the pancakes exude fluffy perfection. And it’s true that pancakes look very appetizing (pancakes images https://depositphotos.com/photos/pancakes.html ). The golden touch adds an elegant twist to these seasonal treats. Can practically taste the cinnamon and nutmeg just by looking at them!