These Painted Fall Macarons feature fall pumpkins and foliage painted on with food coloring gel, bringing festivity to any fall gathering, including Halloween or Thanksgiving. They can be made with gluten free and nut free French macarons.
For Thanksgiving, I made two Starbucks fall drink-inspired flavors of Nut Free French Macarons: Pumpkin Spice Latte and Apple Macchiato. I served them as guests were arriving. Perhaps you could think of them as an amuse-bouche in advance of the Thanksgiving meal.
To decorate these macarons, I wanted to paint them with fall pumpkins and foliage. At first, I envisioned just painting a black outline of pumpkins and leaves.
After I did a few outlines, I wanted to experiment with painting the inside using yellow, orange and red. I ended up liking those even better than the outlines. The colors showed up best on the orange shells.
These macarons were such a cute addition to our Thanksgiving, almost like edible decor.
Supplies
- 20 orange or red macarons, store bought or homemade
- food dedicated paint palette
- food safe paintbrushes
- black food coloring gel, such as AmeriColor Super Black
- yellow, orange and red food coloring gel, such as Chefmaster
Macarons
You can use store bought or homemade orange or red macarons. Almond flour is a necessary ingredient in traditional French macarons. Due to my nut allergy, I cannot bake with or consume almond flour, so I must make my own Nut Free French Macarons using certified gluten free oat flour.
For these fall macarons, I made two flavors: orange Nut Free Pumpkin Spice Latte Macarons and red Nut Free Apple Macchiato Macarons.
The colors showed up better on the orange macarons, while the outlines looked better on the red macarons, although I did both styles on both colors.
Paint the Outlines
Place some black food coloring in the well of a food dedicated paint palette. Place a macaron in the center. Dip a thin food safe paintbrush into the gel and then paint the outline of a pumpkin or some leaves on the top shell of the macaron. For the pumpkins, add a little stem and some flowy twisted vines coming from the stem.
If you'd like for the macaron to only be painted in black outline, you can add add some ridges on the pumpkin or veining on the leaves.
If you want to paint the inside of the shapes with colors, do not add those details yet. Allow the outline to dry fully before proceeding to add the color.
Add Colors
Place some yellow, orange and red food coloring gel into each of 3 wells of the paint palette.
Dip a clean paintbrush into the color of your choice, and carefully paint inside the outline of your design, taking care not to paint over the black outline. You can then use the other colors to add dimension and shading to your shape. You may want to test different size brushes for this step.
For the pumpkin, I used yellow and orange in the center, then added some red lines for the grooves of the pumpkin.
Lastly, use a clean, thin paintbrush dipped in black gel to go back and add some details like the grooves of the pumpkin or the veining on the leaves.
Storage
Allow the food coloring gel to dry completely before storing.
Macarons should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours before enjoying to mature and improve in texture. I recommend storing them in a single layer to ensure that the food coloring gel does not smear or transfer.
Allow the cookies to come to room temperature before serving so the buttercream can soften.
Gluten Free Option
Traditional French macarons are made with almond flour and are naturally gluten free. I make Nut Free French Macarons with certified gluten free oat flour. Some brands of oat flour are not gluten free, so check your packaging to be sure.
Many brands of food coloring gel are gluten free. Please check the particular brand before purchasing or using the gels.
📖 Recipe
Painted Fall Macarons
Equipment
- food dedicated paint palette
- Food safe paintbrushes
Ingredients
- 20 orange or red macarons (such as Nut Free French Macarons)
- black, yellow, orange and red food coloring gel
Instructions
Paint the Outlines:
- Place some black food coloring in the well of a food dedicated paint palette. Place a macaron in the center.
- Dip a thin food safe paintbrush into the gel and then paint the outline of a pumpkin or some leaves on the top shell of the macaron. For the pumpkins, add a little stem and some flowy twisted vines coming from the stem.
- If you'd like for the macaron to only be painted in black outline, you can add add some ridges on the pumpkin or veining on the leaves. If you want to fill the shapes with color, allow the outline to dry fully first.
Add Colors:
- Place some yellow, orange and red food coloring gel into each of 3 wells of the paint palette.
- Dip a clean paintbrush into the color of your choice, and carefully paint inside the outline of your design, taking care not to paint over the black outline. You can then use the other colors to add dimension and shading to your shape. You may want to test different size brushes for this step. For the pumpkins, you can use yellow and orange in the center then add some red lines for the grooves of the pumpkin.
- Use a clean, thin paintbrush dipped in black get to go back and add some details like the grooves of the pumpkins or the veining on the leaves.
- Allow the food coloring gel to dry completely before storing.
Leave a Reply