Pumpkin French Macarons

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   For the shells:

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   1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl, whisk together confectioners' sugar and ground almonds/almond flour. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip egg whites with salt on medium speed until foamy. Increase speed to high and gradually add granulated sugar. Add pumpkin pie spice and a small amount of food coloring if using. Continue to whip until stiff glossy peaks form. With a rubber spatula, gently fold in the confectioners' sugar mixture until completely incorporated.

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   2. Line baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. Fit a pastry bag with a 3/8-inch #4 round tip, and fill with batter. Pipe 1-inch disks onto prepared baking sheets (or ovals with stems for pumpkins), leaving 2 inches between cookies. The batter will spread a little. Let stand at room temperature until dry, and a soft skin forms on the tops of the macarons and the shiny surface turns dull, about 15 minutes.

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   3. Bake in the preheated oven, with the door of the oven slightly ajar, until the surface of the macarons is completely dry, about 15 minutes. Remove baking sheet to a wire rack and let the macarons cool completely on the baking sheet. Then gently peel them off the parchment. Their tops are easily crushed, so take care when removing the macarons from the parchment. Use immediately or store in an airtight container, refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 1 month.

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   Adapted from Martha Stewart

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   For the filling:

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   Beat all ingredients until smooth. Put the filling into a pastry bag and pipe it onto the bottom of half of the macarons; then top the filling with another macaron in a sandwich fashion.

* Per serving · 4 servings · Values may vary.