This recipe was given by Beatrix!
Allergy Information: Free from Dairy, Peanut, Tree-Nut (frosting contains coconut), Gluten, Fish, Shellfish, Sesame, and Wheat
Contains: Eggs and Soy (only contains soy in the frosting)
Inspired by Brave Tart’s Nut Free Macarons.
Hi, my name is Beatrix! I am a 14 year old rising freshman who loves all things French! My room is even decorated in a French theme. However, being allergic to dairy, peanuts, and tree-nuts makes it very difficult to make a French dessert that I can eat. With macarons being one of the most common French desserts, they are very hard to make for people who are allergic to almonds. However, there is a solution, pumpkin seed flour!
This recipe is difficult and takes time. Be sure to have someone to help you!
Makes: about 44 regular macarons and 7 mini macarons
Tools:
Two large pastry bags (16’’ is good)
Two or more sheet pans
Two or more pieces of parchment paper
Cookie cutter (or anything else round) (1-1½ ‘’ is great)
Sharpie (optional)
Food processor
Sifter
Stand mixer (such as a Kitchenaid)
Kitchen Scale
Macaron Base and Top Ingredients:
4 ounces (115 g) pumpkin seeds
*It is important if you are allergic to peanuts to find a safe and allergy-free website that sells pumpkin seeds. I would recommend Now Foods.
8 ounces (230 g) powdered sugar
5 ounces egg whites (144 g)
2 ½ ounce (72g) granulated sugar
1 vanilla bean or 2 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp (2g) kosher salt
Food coloring (optional)
Extract (for extra flavor, optional)
Directions/Steps:
Preheat your oven to 300 and line at least two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Trace circles with a cookie cutter or tracer to make the macaron shape. You can use a sharpie to trace the circles. The circles should be at least one inch apart. To prevent ink transfer, flip the parchment over before proceeding.
Toast the pumpkin seeds and put them in the oven until they are lightly brown (about 10 minutes). Let them cool.
It is now time to make pumpkin flour! To do this, grind the pumpkin seeds and powdered sugar in a food processor. After the mixture is done in the food processor, sift the mixture twice to make sure there are no extra clumps. The remaining clumps that don’t get sifted are put back into the food processor to grind and then sift again.
Add egg whites, sugar, salt, and vanilla bean (not the extract) into the bowl of a stand mixer. Turn the mixer to medium, if you are using a Kitchenaid this is equivalent to setting 4. Whip for three minutes.
Increase the speed to medium-high, this is equivalent to setting 7 on a Kitchenaid. Whip for another 3 minutes and increase the speed to 8 and whip for another 3 minutes.
Turn the mixer off and add extracts/flavor/color, then whip for another minute at the highest speed. When the mixture is finished, you should have very stiff and dry meringue. Remove the meringue from the wisk by tapping it against the side of the bowl. However, if the meringue is not stiff enough, beat on high for another minute or until it is stiff.
Now, it's time to add the dry ingredients! Add the dry ingredients in all at once and fold them in with a rubber spatula. When folding the dry ingredients in, it is important to use a folding motion and a pressing motion to make sure all the ingredients are mixed and the meringue is deflated. Mix the meringue for 25 turns and then add another 15 turns. You want to be knocking the air out of the whites, NOT adding more air. Sometimes, it is easier to check your batter one stroke at a time. Your batter should look like this:
Carefully transfer half of your batter into a piping bag, it is important not to use too much batter at once because the batter can become runny. Pipe the batter into the pre-traced circles on the parchment paper, don't go too close to the edge of the circle, leaving room to spread.
This is one of the most important steps! After you have piped your macarons, hit your baking sheet hard against the counter to knock out any air bubbles. You DO NOT want air bubbles in your batter or else your macarons may crack! Let your macarons sit for at least 30 minutes before baking them, this helps a skin form.
After your macarons are done setting, place them in the oven for about 18 minutes. You can use this time to make vegan buttercream, recipe below. You can test to see if they are ready by peeling the paper away from a macaron and by picking up a macaron and seeing if the top comes off in your hand. If your macarons have risen properly, they will have “feet” at the base. Some of you macarons will be cracked, that is okay! You can just use the cracked ones as the bottom of the sandwich!
Let your macarons cool. Then peel the cooled macarons away from the paper, you can always use a metal spatula.
Put your vegan buttercream (or store bought) into a pastry bag (this can be the same type as used earlier). Pipe a quarter size of buttercream into one of the shells and sandwich them together with an empty half. Repeat this process until all of the macarons are sandwiched.
Your macarons are ready! You can eat your macarons right away. However, macarons taste better with age, so most of the time it is best to wait a day and then eat your macarons.
Enjoy!
Vegan Buttercream Frosting Ingredients:
This is an optional recipe. You can use store-bought buttercream instead.
Makes 14 fluid ounces
1 stick Earth Balance vegan butter (or any other alternative)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 ½ - 3 cups sifted powdered sugar
1- more tbsp coconut milk (optional) (any other allergy-friendly substitute can be used as well)
Directions/Steps:
Soften vegan butter. After the butter is softened place it in a large mixing bowl and beat it with a hand mixer for about 1 minute. Once you are finished, your butter should be light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and mix the butter once more.
Next, add powdered sugar half a cup at a time and continue mixing until the mixture is combined.
If your mixture is too thick add 1 tablespoon of coconut milk until your buttercream is the correct consistency. This step is optional, however I did this step and it made my buttercream a lot better!
My buttercream:
Extra Pictures:
Beatrix's Bio:
Hi! My name is Beatrix Williams. I am 14 years old and I am in 8th grade. I live in Redlands, California. I have been allergic to dairy, peanuts, and tree-nuts since I was a baby. Some hobbies I like to do are singing, dancing, and drawing. A fun fact about me is that I have been to the Galapagos Islands and to the equator.
