Pumpkin Spice Macarons

We are ringing in the fall season with some festive pumpkin spice macarons! It's been awhile since my last macaron attempt, mainly because my kitchen scale ran out of batteries and I was too lazy to replace it. This recent gift, the Macaron Cafe cookbook from my co-worker Courtney was enough to get me back into the macaron baking. The best part of all? The recipe doesn't require a kitchen scale! 

Out of all the macaron places we've tried in Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York, we all remember Macaron Cafe's parisian cookies fondly. They were the perfect texture and consistency: crunchy (not crumbly) on the outside and soft and chewy, almost cake-like, in the center. While I can't say these macaroons were a dead ringer for what we tried in NYC, the general consensus was they were pretty darn tasty! I used the basic French macaron recipe and added some Trader Joe's pumpkin spice to the ground almonds. I filled the cookies with chocolate ganache spiced with cayenne pepper.

Pumpkin Spice Macarons
Makes 50 to 60 shells, for 25 to 30 filled macarons
adapted from The Macaron Cafe 

Ingredients
 
2¾ cups almond flour

2¾ cups powdered sugar

1 cup egg whites (from 7 to 8 eggs), at room temperature

pinch of salt

2 teaspoons powdered egg whites, if weather is humid

¾ cup superfine granulated sugar
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

5 to 7 drops orange gel paste food coloring (optional)

Directions: 
Line your baking sheets with parchment paper. Blend the almond flour with the powdered sugar in the food processor to make a fine powder (or sift together, discarding any large crumbs and adding a bit more almond flour and powdered sugar as needed to compensate). Then sift the mixture through a strainer until it’s as fine as you can get it. This keeps crumbs from forming on the macaron tops as they bake.

With the wire whip attachment on the electric mixer, beat the egg whites with the salt and powdered egg whites (if you’re using them), starting slowly and then increasing speed as the whites start to rise. Add the granulated sugar and the food coloring. Beat until the egg whites form stiff peaks and your meringue is firm and shiny.

Pour the beaten egg whites onto your almond flour mixture and gently fold them in, using a rubber spatula. Move your spatula from the bottom of the bowl to the edges with one hand, using your other hand to rotate the bowl. Now hit the spatula against the rim of the bowl until the batter falls in a wide ribbon when you raise the spatula. When you can’t see any crumbs of almond flour and the mixture is shiny and flowing, you’re ready to start piping.

Fit your pastry bag with a number-8 tip to fill with batter. Start by squeezing out a small amount of mix onto a parchment-lined baking sheet to form a 2½ -inch circle. Be sure to leave 1 inch of space between macarons so they will not touch each other while they bake. If the peak that forms on the top of the macaron does not disappear after piping, it means the batter could have been beaten a little more. To eliminate the peaks, tap the baking sheet on the tabletop, making sure to hold the parchment paper in place with your thumbs.

Let the piped macarons rest for 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 300°F (325°F for a non-convection oven). Bake for 14 minutes. After the first 5 minutes, open the oven door briefly to let the steam out. Let the macarons cool completely on a rack before taking them off the parchment paper. Press the bottom of a cooled baked macaron shell with your finger; it should be soft. If the bottom of the shell is hard, reduce the baking time for the rest of your macarons from 14 minutes to 13 minutes.