Salted Caramel Spiced Apple Macarons #appleweek
Happy Thanksgiving to my Canadian friends! Hope you all had a great weekend.
Thanks to Mr. Columbus, it’s a three-day weekend and it does not feel like Monday today. I’m going to keep this post very short so I can carry on with my lazy Monday plans which includes waking up after 10 am (check), sharing these salted caramel spiced apple macarons with you (almost check), and meeting my mother-in-law at the mall at 2 pm for a girls’ date!
I went to our annual apple festival this Saturday to enjoy more apples. I may have a problem which is why I am dedicating an entire week to apple recipes! Get ready for some great apple creations to celebrate my favorite fall harvest. Starting with these scrumptious salted caramel spiced apple macarons.
One of the first things I made with my 15-pound haul of apples was a big batch of applesauce and I used some to fill these salted caramel spiced apple macarons. There is nothing like homemade spiced applesauce. It makes your house smell heavenly and is much better than store-bought. I always can my applesauce to enjoy it year long.
The macaron shells are perfectly spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg and are filled with homemade applesauce and topped with salted caramel sauce to give you a delightful fall sandwich. Just make sure you have a glass of milk to go with these cookies.
Macaron Update: Since I made these S’mores macarons, I have acquired a kitchen scale (thanks LTP!) and this is reflected in the recipe below. Using exact measurements has helped me make more successful batches of macarons and I would strongly suggest you get a scale if you are having difficulties with macarons.
Salted Caramel Spiced Apple Macarons
The macaron shells are perfectly spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg and are filled with homemade applesauce and topped with salted caramel sauce to give you a delightful fall sandwich.
Ingredients
Spiced Apple Macarons
- 4 ounces (115g) almond flour
- 8 ounces (230g) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 5 ounces (144g) egg whites, room temperature
- 2 ½ ounces (72g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
Filling
- 3 medium apples (I used a combination of Macintosh, Granny Smiths, and Galas), peeled, cored, and chopped.
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar (or more if you want it sweeter)
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- A pinch of nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons water
Topping:
Instructions
Spiced Apple Macarons
- Line two sheet pans with parchment paper. I used a 1½-inch round cookie cutter to draw circles on the parchment paper and flipped the paper (drawing side down).
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees and prepare a pastry bag with a round tip. I used Wilton 2A.
- Using a food processor, pulse the powdered sugar, almond flour and spices into fine powder. Sift several times until there is less than 2 tablespoons of almond bits left. Add in almond bits to sifted dry ingredients
- In the bowl of an electric mixer with the whisk attachment, combine the egg whites, sugar and salt. Whip on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, about 5-7 minutes. Add the vanilla extract and whip for another minute.
- Add the dry ingredients to the meringue in two additions and fold with a rubber spatula. Gently fold to deflate the meringue by pressing against the side of bowl and scooping from bottom until batter is smooth and shiny; about 20-25 folds. To check consistency, drop a spoonful of batter and it should have a peak that quickly relaxes back into the batter. Start checking the batter after 20 folds.
- Transfer batter into pastry bag and pipe the batter into the pre-traced circles on the baking sheet. Tap baking sheet hard on counter to release any air bubbles trapped in the batter.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes until hard and slightly golden, rotating cookie sheets halfway through baking time. You should be able to peel off the macaron from the parchment. Cool completely on cookie sheets before peeling from the parchment.
Filling
- Combine all the ingredients in a small pot and bring to boil over medium heat. Lower heat and simmer until apples are soft, about 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat and mash apples with a fork or potato masher. Let cool to room temperature before using. You will have way more apple sauce than you need to fill the macarons.
- Use applesauce to fill macarons. Drizzle with salted caramel. Fully assembled macarons should be enjoyed within a day.
Stay tuned for more apple recipes this week! Have a great day 🙂
I love macarons and need to make them again! Yours look so perfect.
But I have never had Columbus Day off and neither have my parents. It’s like a non-holiday holiday to me. You are a lucky girl to have had it off!
That’s so surprising that Columbus day isn’t universal. I work for the State of NY and it looks like they love it and I am not complaining!
I’ve never been able to make decent macaroons – but these look so good!
Thanks Jess! Let me know if you want to give them a try again. I’d be happy to help 🙂
Ahhh, I wish my day was as lazy as yours was on Monday! But hey, at least the week has flown by. I kept thinking today was Tuesday! 🙂
Now I need to have you show me how to make macaroons. These look great! I tried making macaroons one time. They turned out pretty awful! Pinned!
I’m so sorry lol! I read your post yesterday and smiled saying I had the complete opposite. But you are right, the week is almost done already! I”ll gladly help you with macarons if you like. I love making them now.
I’ve never made my own macarons before. These look amazing!! Pinned!!
Thank you Meghan for sharing! You should give them a try soon. The little munchkins are worth the time 🙂
You have definitely mastered macarons!
Thanks! I’m still working on it 🙂
LOVE the flavor combination! and that caramel drizzle 🙂
Thanks Heather!
These are beautiful! I’ve only made macarons once but have some apple butter I planned to use in a similar way to your applesauce. I can only hope mine look half as pretty as yours!
Thanks Holly! Apple butter is new to me but it sounds like it would make for a delicious filling.
Zainab, these look insanely good! I tried making macarons once and it was a complete and utter fail (though they still tasted good they looked a little sad :). What a great way to use your apples!
Thank you so much my dear!! You should try them again…they always taste great. Let me know if I can help. Maybe add making macarons to our weekend one day? So far we got brunch, pancakes, waffles, 90s rom-coms and macarons!!
I’ve never tasted such macarons 🙂
They look absolutely FANSTANTIC !!
Thanks Winnie! They tasted awesome…just like fall 🙂
Oh boy, do these look incredible! I’ve not tried my hand a making macarons yet but your recipe makes me want to try making them right away! Lovely! Thanks for the recipe. *print*
Renee, you need to try them soon!! They are easier to make than I thought. Thanks for the sweet comment 🙂
Your macs are so beautiful!! I am majorly impressed. Also – salted caramel apple is kind of the best combo. Ever.
Thanks Joanne!!
I love apple week already! can you drizzle everything in caramel please!?
Well of course I can!! It’s too delicious an offer to turn down 🙂