A colorful candy corn macaron with a yellow bottom, a white top, and creamy orange pumpkin spice filling.
I got a little carried away at the store today. I had this idea to make candy corn macarons for this month’s MacTweets and I went to the store to buy candy corn to dress up the pictures. When I got there, they had ordinary candy corn of course, but this year Bach’s also had Caramel Candy Corn, and Chocolate Caramel Candy Corn, and Caramel Apple Candy Corn. All of which I decided I should take home and try.
But I didn’t stop there – no of course not. There were also candy cane flavored Dots and candy corn Kisses and I thought I should sampled those as well. (Let’s not talk about the two cute packages of Halloween Lindor Truffles that I bought and have hidden in my closet.)
The reason for my apparent current obsession with candy corn is that I hate them. I think they have a horrible, waxy flavor. My husband and my kids seem to like them, but I think they’re pretty nasty.
But I do sort of think of them fondly. They remind me of this time of year – cooler weather and yummy treats. Candy corn always seemed to be hanging around when you were bobbing for apples or eating pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. They look so cheery and fun and I really do want to like them.
So when I saw the orange pumpkin spice Kisses I thought they would make a perfect filing for a candy corn mac. A candy corn that would be full of fabulous fall flavor, not waxy and bland with an odd smell. Of course, I wanted to make the top white and the bottom yellow. I tried shaping one in the shape of a candy corn, but it looked more like an egg, so I stuck with round candy corn macs instead.
I made the Ottolenghi recipe that works well for me. I used half the batter for white and then added yellow to the other half. If I was making two colors again, I would make half a batch of each because the yellow got over mixed and spread much more than the white ones, making it hard to match them up.
I made the filling by melting about 10 Pumpkin Spice Kisses in the microwave at 50% power for about 1 minutes and adding enough powdered sugar to make a thick filling. This really is a perfect mac flavor for fall and so much better than candy corn candies.
Candy Corn Macaron
Ingredients
- 110 gm powdered sugar
- 60 gm finely ground almond meal/flour
- 60 gm egg whites of 2 eggs
- 40 gm granulated sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 310 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and have a pastry bag with a plain tip (about ½-inch, 2 cm) ready. (Setting the pastry bag in a glass while you fill the bag was a great tip I learned during this process.) (Also, I like to double stack the baking sheets.)
- Combine the powdered sugar with the almond powder. (Pulse in a blender or food processor if you don’t have finely ground almond meal. A mini food processor works best for this if you have one.)
- With an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until they begin to rise and hold their shape. While whipping, beat in the granulated sugar until very stiff and firm, about 2 minutes. (To test to see if egg whites are ready, whip until the tip of the peak doesn’t fold over when you pull the beater out of the meringue.)
- Carefully fold the dry ingredients, in two batches, into the beaten egg whites with a flexible rubber spatula. When the mixture is just smooth and there are no streaks of egg white, stop folding and scrape the batter into the pastry bag. (You can put a spoonful on a plate to test it. If it slowly flattens out it’s perfect. If it runs, add a bit more almond flour/powdered sugar. If it just stays in a blob, give it a few more folds.)
- Pipe the batter on the parchment-lined baking sheets in 1-inch (3 cm) circles (about 1 tablespoon each of batter), evenly spaced one-inch (3 cm) apart.
- Rap the baking sheet a few times firmly on the counter top to flatten the macarons. Leave out, uncovered for 15 minutes, then bake them for 15-20 minutes. Give the macs a gentle little shake with the tip of your finger to see if they're done. You want them set but not firm. It’s better to undercook them.
- Let cool completely then remove from baking sheet.
So you may be wondering what I thought of the other flavors of candy corn – waxy and nasty. Somehow the Kisses nailed the strange candy corn flavor in their Candy Corn Kisses, but at least it was smooth and creamy and not waxy. The Dots sort of captured the candy corn flavor but in a gummy sort of way.
Be sure and stop by MacTweets on September 20th to see the roundup of long ago & far away memories of the MacTweeters.
Sarah, Maison Cupcake
I like your inspiration for these! I think I’ve seen those sweets either in pictures or maybe in Selfridges but I’ve not eaten them. Fabulous looking macs!
Kristin @ Holy Cannoli Recipes
I do not like candy corn but when I see it I instantly think fall and Halloween. These macaroons are perfect and they don’t really have candy corn in them which makes me happy. Although I have never seen the pumpkin spice kisses, I will have to keep an eye out for them.
Cynthia
Awesome! I live in the same climate as you (next town over) so I will try your recipe next time and see if it solves my hollowish shell issue that I have gotten with the Tartelette recipe. Amazing macs, as always!
Mardi@eatlivetravelwrite
Barbara they are absolutely magnificent. I am in awe – bowing down to you, Mac Queen you! me? I didn’t have so much luck this time around and had to cunningly use them in another dish… Not half as much fun as yours though – well done!
Pam
Your macs look great! Love candy corn and this is very creative!
April
These came out beautifully! I don’t think I’ve ever tried corn candy but will look out for it next time I’m in the states!
Cathy at Wives with Knives
Your macs are perfect, Barbara, and so festive for the season. I have to admit that I loved candy corn when I was a child and always tried to bit off one color at a time. I guess it didn’t take much to keep me amused.
Katie@Cozydelicious
I am totally saving this recipe for next month! They are adorable – how fun!
Barbara @ Modern Comfort Food
Macarons have always struck me as too daunting a challenge to tackle. But, I might just get up the courage to make these beauties. I adore candy corn!
Nicole
I must admit.. i do like candy corn, but after I eat a bag of them I am glad they only come out once a year!!!
These are amazingly adorable! I’m so impressed!
Nicole Kraft
those are adorable!!
Fuji Mama
Oh my goodness! This is such a good idea! I have a secret weakness for candy corn. I just love how awesome these look!
Sophie
Your macarons look like the real deal: lovely,…eghhh,…awesome even!
Cristie
What cute fall mac’s! The filling sounds nice, I’ve not seen those before. I’m with you on the candy corn, leave those for others. You know, someone like yourself could actually make a great tasting candy corn if they wanted to, maybe the original was delicious. Have to do some historical research.
Maria
Best macs yet! Great job!!!
Tracy
These are just gorgeous!! How perfect for fall and Halloween! Love them!
Joanne
I have a very love/hate relationship with candy corn. I hated it for most of my life but there’s something slightly appealing in the fact that it’s really not that good. LOL. That makes no sense. At all.
Okay then. Pumpkin spice kisses. Where can I find those! These macs look fantastic and the whole candy corn thing is such a cute idea!
Kim
Barbara- These are my very favorite macs yet! So creative and fun. You did a fabulous job on these:)
Sue
I love the look of your candy corn macs! They look perfect! I think I’m going to try your mac recipe too(this is the same one Bonnie suggested to me) and hopefully I’ll have more success! Good choice on the filling!
RJ Flamingo
They’re wonderful! And I must confess that I love candy corn. Just something about them say “Fall”. I’m a bad foodie. 😀 Totally bookmarking this!
Congrats on making TasteSpotting today!