Description
Delightfully festive Halloween macarons featuring vibrant orange shells, luscious buttercream filling, dark chocolate drizzle, and spooky sprinkles. Perfect for party treats or a seasonal dessert to impress your guests with colorful, delicate flavors and a fun decorative twist.
Ingredients
Scale
Macaron Shells
- 200 g icing sugar
- 100 g ground almonds
- 100 g egg whites (roughly 3 medium eggs)
- 75 g caster sugar
- orange gel food colouring
Decorating and Buttercream Filling
- 75 g unsalted butter
- 200 g icing sugar
- orange gel food colouring
- 50 g dark chocolate
- Halloween sprinkles
Instructions
- Prepare Dry Ingredients: Sieve the icing sugar and ground almonds into a large bowl and set aside. If sieving is difficult, pulse both in a food processor to finely grind the almonds, then sieve again to ensure a smooth mixture.
- Whisk Egg Whites: Using an electric whisk, whisk the egg whites until they are thick, foamy, and starting to form soft peaks.
- Add Sugar Gradually: Gradually incorporate the caster sugar 1 teaspoon at a time, whisking thoroughly between each addition until all sugar is dissolved.
- Whisk to Stiff Meringue and Add Colour: Continue whisking for 3-4 minutes until the meringue is smooth, light, and thick. During this process, add orange gel food colouring gradually to achieve a vibrant hue.
- Fold Dry Ingredients into Meringue: Gently fold the almond and icing sugar mix into the meringue with minimal mixing, about 20 folds, maintaining the airy texture.
- Pipe Macarons: Transfer mixture to a piping bag with a round nozzle and pipe 1-inch wide rounds onto baking trays lined with parchment. Be cautious as mixture is runny to avoid spreading.
- Remove Air Bubbles and Rest: Tap the trays firmly on the countertop several times to release air bubbles. Let the piped macarons rest for 1 hour to form a skin.
- Bake Macarons: Preheat oven to 130ºC. Bake macarons for 18 minutes until they develop characteristic feet and begin to lift from the tray. Allow to cool fully before removing.
- Prepare Buttercream: Beat unsalted butter, icing sugar, and orange gel food colouring together until smooth and fluffy, ready for filling and decorating.
- Decorate Shells: Carefully remove cooled shells from trays. Melt dark chocolate and drizzle over shells, then sprinkle with Halloween sprinkles. Allow to dry fully.
- Assemble Macarons: Pipe or spread orange buttercream onto half of the shells, sandwich with remaining shells, then chill assembled macarons in the refrigerator for 1 hour before serving.
Notes
- Store assembled macarons in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
- Unfilled macaron shells can be frozen for up to 3 months to make ahead.
- Use a large piping bag and round nozzle for shaping consistent macarons.
- Tap baking trays well to eliminate air bubbles and ensure smooth shells.
- Resting time before baking is crucial to develop the signature macaron skin and feet.
- Orange gel food colouring provides vibrant colour without affecting texture.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 macaron
- Calories: 90 kcal
- Sugar: 9 g
- Sodium: 5 mg
- Fat: 4 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 12 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 10 mg
