Pumpkin Cheesecake Macaron

Please use a kitchen scale to weigh out ingredients!!

For the shells:
1. Weigh about 120 grams of almond meal, sift into a large mixing bowl, and weigh the sifted almond meal again. You should have 100 grams of sifted almond meal.
2. Sift 180 grams of powdered sugar into the sifted almond meal.
3. Add your teaspoon of cream of tartar and Pumpkin Pie Spice, and then whisk to give them a good, even mix. Set aside.
4. Measure 100 grams of egg whites (I used egg whites from a carton, and had no problems.) Put in a microwave safe bowl and microwave it for 10 seconds. This will mimic the aging process and put the eggs at a good temperature to whisk.
5. Beat your egg whites with a pinch of salt. When it starts to get bubbly, slowly add your 40 grams of granulated sugar. Add powdered food coloring. Beat until you get stiff peaks. It should be thick enough so that when you turn your bowl to the side, it should very slowly move. Make sure they are nice and glossy.
6. Fold half the dry ingredients into the egg whites, just until it is somewhat incorporated. Fold in the rest until well incorporated. You should try to stay under 50 folds, and do not mix or beat this mixture. You should have a thick, gummy, gooey texture. It will be sticky.
7. Preheat your oven to about 350 F. Your oven temperature may differ. Keep your oven heated for 30 minutes. While your oven is heating up, pipe the shells onto silicone-treated parchment paper about 1-1.5 inches large, and leave at least 1 inch in between. You do not want these to stick together.
8. Set aside your macarons to rest for about 30 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the humidity. While they are resting, you can garnish them with crushed Graham Cracker crumbs. I opted not to. When your shells have skins formed and are not sticky at all to the touch, you are ready to bake.
9. Turn down your heat to 300 F and put your macarons into the oven, on the middle rack. Do one baking sheet at a time. Do not open your oven door while they are baking to ensure stable temperature. Bake for 12-14 minutes, and let them cool. Your macarons should peel off the parchment clean and easily.

For the filling:
Mix ingredients together until soft and smooth. Pipe or spoon onto cooled shell and sandwich together!

Note . . . A good macaroon has the following characteristics:
•Has “feet” on the bottoms. They should form about halfway through the baking process.
•Has an egg-shell like smooth, hard outer crust, with an airy, gooey inside. They should not be hollow inside.
•Should not crumble when you bite into it.