Nothing quite says I love you like spending months figuring out how to make something safe for someone with allergies they otherwise wouldn’t be able to have. And honestly, I have yet to meet someone who does NOT like macarons, allergies or not. Once you have the method down they really are not difficult and no other cookie is quite so satisfying to master!
If you want to make these with almond flour you would just substitute that in place of the homemade pumpkin seed flour. I’ve also made them with sunflower seed flour but these are my favorite and the most mild if flavor (so you can pair them with a variety of fillings).
Macarons are best enjoyed the day after they are made after a rest in the refrigerator. I like to keep some in the freezer as well, just take out 20 minutes before serving.
If you want some more help making them read this post here with lots of pictures of the different steps to help walk you through it.
Ingredients
- 275 grams pumpkin seeds
- 250 grams powdered sugar
- 50 grams cocoa powder, preferably dark cocoa
- 210 grams egg whites, at room temperature (approx. 7 large eggs)
- 210 grams granulated sugar
For Filling:
- Cherry Jam
For whipped chocolate ganache:
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 12 ounces chopped chocolate (about 2 cups chocolate chips)
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
Instructions
- Grind pumpkin seeds in a blender or with a food processor. Sift with a fine mesh sifter. If you have more than a Tablespoon or two of clumps left regrind.
- Sift pumpkin seed flour with powdered sugar and cocoa powder into a large bowl.
- Set aside.
- Beat egg whites until frothy, then add the granulated sugar. Continue beating to stiff peaks.
- Add stiff egg whites to bowl with dry mix. Mix together until combined.
- Now comes the “macaronage” step. Using a bowl scraper or spatula, push the mixture against the side of the bowl for several minutes. The idea is to deflate some of the meringue. You know it’s done when you can do the “figure 8 test”. When the batter flows off of the spatula allowing you to make a figure 8. If it falls off in big clumps and doesn’t “flow like lava” you need to continue the macaronage step.
- Fit a pastry bag with a round tip (or do as I do. Just use a disposable pastry bag and snip the end off, no tip.) Fill the bag and pipe onto parchment lined trays (no silicone here!). I usually make smaller macs, so hold your pastry bag straight and push some batter out until you make a circle about 1 1/2 inches across (or make larger ones if you desire). Continue to fill tray, leaving a couple inches between each cookie.
- Once you have a full tray tap on the counter 3-5 times. Continue with additional trays until done. Let rest on the counter for 15 minutes.
- Bake at 250 degrees for 15 minutes (If you have convection you can bake at 275).
- Add a couple minutes for larger macs. Until you get the hang of it break one open before removing tray and make sure it isn’t liquidy inside. Overbaking slightly is better than under baking. They shouldn’t be browned but you want to see little “feet” where the macs have risen up.
- Let cool.
- Pipe a dam of frosting on half the macs, put a small dollop of jam in the center, then top with another. Place in covered airtight container and chill for at least 24 hours. This allows the filling to soften the macs just a little and they will have a much chewier texture.
To make the whipped chocolate ganache:
- Place cream in a medium pot and bring just to a simmer. Remove from heat, add chocolate, and cover. Let sit for about 3 minutes off the heat then add butter and stir until smooth.
- Place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Chill for 1-2 hours in the fridge then whip until lightened.
- If desired drizzle with melted colored candy melts. I sprinkled these with black onyx chocolate sugar from Savory Spice as well.
