Sweet Potato Pie Macarons are perfectly spiced and perfectly sweet. A magnificent combination of southern American roots and this European classic–I say they’re the perfect fall dessert idea!
Why make these Sweet Potato Pie Macarons
These Sweet Potato Pie Macarons are quite unique and I believe you’ll really enjoy them! The macaron shells are of course perfectly crunchy on the outside and soft in the middle, paired with the perfect sweet potato pie filling and they’re seriously delicious!
The Fool-Proof Macaron Recipe
Many people have a love/hate relationship with making macarons and I understand that, in fact I used to be one of those people. But mastering macarons is well worth the trouble. Macarons are mostly a touch and feel bake. The eye must be trained to understand when the meringue is stiff enough, the batter is ready and the shells are baked.
Here are a few of my tried and true macaron tips. Let me know in the comments section below if my tips help you on your macaron journey!
- For this recipe, you need to use a scale to measure the ingredients for the macarons. I use this Arboleaf rechargeable scale from Amazon!
- Aged egg whites work the very best. For the best results, leave the egg whites out for about 6-12 hours to age, this changes the composition of the proteins in the whites and makes for a more stable macaron.
- Sift the dry ingredients thoroughly–the powdered sugar and almond flour. Double sifting is a good idea. The more superfine the ingredients are the better.
The Sweet Potato Pie Filling
This no-bake sweet potato pie filling is to die for! It may prove quite difficult to not eat it right out of the bowl with a spoon! We’ll use one whole can (15oz) of sweet potato puree so you don’t have to worry about storing an awkward amount of canned puree after making the filling.
Everything comes together in one pot! The most difficult part of making this sweet potato pie filling is stirring it constantly. You’ll need to reduce it down and let it thicken for about 35-40 minutes. While you’re stirring the filling, the macarons will be resting and baking so your tasks are stacked!
To make the sweet potato pie filling you will need:
Sweet Potato Puree
Ground Cinnamon
Ground Nutmeg
Vanilla Extract
Cornstarch
Granulated Sugar
Brown Sugar
Heavy Cream
- Combine all of ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a bubble, then reduce the heat to low and stir constantly until the mixture thickens, reduces and darkens (about 40 minutes).
- Allow the filling to cool completely before adding it to a piping bag and filling the macron shells.
The Toasted Fluff (Optional but Recommended)
Remember Fluff?! That marshmallow filling of our childhoods? I spread a bit of fluff on top of these sweet potato pie macarons and toasted them with my blow torch for added flavor and decoration.
This step is optional, but definitely recommended.
If you make these Sweet Potato Pie Macarons, be sure to leave a rating and a comment below as well as tag me on Instagram/TikTok @karisscorner
Can Baking be Therapeutic?
I often talk about baking being a therapeutic hobby but I’d like to share more about why I feel that way as well as how it can become a relaxing hobby for you! When I bake, it’s my creative time. I may put on my favorite nostalgic movie or tv show in the background, or a Spotify playlist titled “French café” and leave my troubles behind.
Sometimes I pour myself a glass of wine and light a candle. Then, with the mood set, the mixing of batter, kneading of dough and smoothing of icing is my only care in the world.
When I say baking is therapeutic, sometimes people respond saying “not for me it isn’t!” I completely understand why someone might feel that way. There have been plenty of times where I spend hours on something only for it to fail or something breaks that shouldn’t or I forget to clean as I go and am left with a disastrous kitchen to clean.
So I should in reality, have a caveat to my “baking as therapy” claims…
Baking is therapy when you curate the experience to be relaxing.
How do you curate that relaxing experience for yourself, you ask?
How to make baking therapeutic…
- Prepare your mind–know that it’s okay if the cake doesn’t rise, or the butter wasn’t chilled enough. Shift your mindset from seeing your failures as mistakes to seeing them as opportunities for learning.
- Prepare your space–I cannot and will not bake on top of a messy kitchen. If I were to do this I would be starting from a place of stress! Take an extra 10 minutes to clean any dishes in the sink and wipe down the counters, this small effort will pay you back greatly in brain space and clarity.
- Clean as you go! I’ll tell you the one way to make baking stressful and tiresome, is to not clean as you go! After I use each ingredient that I no longer need, I put it away.
After each major step in the process, I wipe down the counters and put dishes that are no longer needed in the sink. If there is chill time or baking time I don’t sit, I do the cleaning then. Make this shift and you’ll really notice the difference!
By the way, this last tip really helped me when I was on The Great American Baking Show–and the crew that cleaned up behind us made a point to tell me that my workspace was always so clean they didn’t have much to do!
I would reply by saying “it’s how I stay sane in this tent!”
Additional suggestions:
*Maybe try printing off the recipe instead of looking at it on your phone, tablet or laptop and use this time to unplug from technology for a few hours
**Invite friends or family over to share your creation with you. Time spent with loved ones over food is a universally special experience
And that’s how I discovered baking for my mental health. If you try any of these suggestions, let me know how it went for you! I’m really invested in spreading this message to others in hopes that baking will enhance your lives more than it already does!
Sweet Potato Pie Macarons
Ingredients
For the Macarons
- 136 g egg whites room temperature, preferably aged
- 136 g granulated or caster sugar
- 150 g powdered sugar 10x sifted
- 160 g almond flour superfine
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
- few drops of orange gel food coloring
- jar of fluff or marshmallows slightly melted optional
For the Sweet Potato Pie Filling
- 1 can 15oz sweet potato puree
- 1/2 cup 100g granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup 110g brown sugar
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1/3 cup 80ml heavy cream or milk
Instructions
For the Macarons
- Line two baking sheets with silicon mats or parchment paper.
- Place a sieve over a medium bowl and measure 150g of powdered sugar and 160g of almond flour directly into the sieve. Sift the two ingredients into the medium bowl using a spatula to gently help break up some of the larger piece in the sieve. Discard any bits that won't sift through. Set aside.
- Measure 136g of room temperature (preferably aged) egg whites into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. A large bowl and a hand mixer will work fine, but they will take longer. If unsure that the bowl has no grease residue, wipe out the bowl with a tiny splash of vinegar and a paper towel before adding the egg whites.
- Add 1/4 tsp of cream of tartar to the egg whites begin to whip on medium speed. While mixing, measure out 136g of granulated sugar into a bowl.
- Once the egg whites look like a very foamy bubble bath, begin to slowly and in a steady stream, add the 136g of granulated sugar. Do not add all the sugar in at once. Another good method is to add spoonfuls of the sugar in a steady stream.
- Whip until stiff peaks form. Keep a close eye, you do not want to over or under whip the meringue.
- In small batches, add the almond flour and powdered sugar mixture and use a spatula to carefully fold the dry mixture into the meringue. This is called the macaronage. You want to scrape around the outside of the bowl a few times, then a few times down the middle. The idea is to achieve the correct texture to pipe the macarons.
- Continue this process until all of the dry mixture has been added and the batter falls in a continuous "ribbon" off of the spatula. A good test is if you can draw a figure eight with the batter.
- Fit a piping bag with a large round tip and place that bag into a tall cup.
- Scrape the macaron batter into the piping bag and seal with a rubber band or clip.
- Pipe equal (roughly 1 1/2 inch in diameter) circles of batter onto the lined baking sheets. Tap the baking sheet onto the counter a few times to release any air bubbles. Allow the macarons to rest for 30 minutes, or until the outer shell has dried a bit. In total you should have 48 macaron shells. (While the macaron shells are resting, get started on the sweet potato pie filling).
- Towards the end of the resting/drying process, preheat the oven to 310°F (roughly 154°C). If you can lightly touch your finger to the macaron and it feels dry, they are ready to bake. Bake the macarons for 13-15 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the process.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool before carefully removing them from the parchment paper.
For the Sweet Potato Pie Filling
- While the macarons are resting, make the sweet potato pie filling by adding 1, 15oz can of sweet potato pie puree, 1/2 cup (100g) of granulated sugar, 1/2 cup (110g) of brown sugar, 2 tsp of ground cinnamon, 1 tsp of ground nutmeg, 1 tsp of vanilla extract, 1 Tbsp of cornstarch and 1/3 cup (80ml) of heavy cream or milk to a medium saucepan over medium/high heat.
- Stir to combine everything and then bring the mixture to a boil. Once it starts to bubble slightly, reduce the temperature down to low heat and keep stirring.
- Keep stirring the mixture constantly for about 35-40 minutes. In this time the macarons will rest and bake.
- When the filling is done, it will have thickens, reduced down a bit and turned a darker color than when you began.
- If timed correctly, the macarons will be out of the oven and cooling at the same time that the sweet potato pie filling is cooling.
For the Assembly
- Once the macaron shells and the sweet potato pie filling have cooled, add the filling to a piping bag (or plastic bag), snip the corner and fill every other macaron shell, leaving room for the top macaron shell to be pressed down to bring the filling to the edge. I like to leave about 1/4 inch of a border before adding the top macaron shell.
- Optionally, add a small swipe of fluff or slightly melted marshmallow to the top of the macarons once they are filled. Then toast the fluff/marshmallow with a handheld torch.
- Serve and enjoy!
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