These Halloween macarons are fun, spooky, filled with a soft and creamy butterfinger frosting and drizzled with white and dark chocolate for a "mummy" look! The perfect addition to your next party, these peanut butter-y and chocolate flavored cookies will not disappoint.
No October party is complete without a fun themed dessert like candy inspired desserts like spooky dirt and worms brownies!
I am so excited about these super fun Halloween macarons! They are filled with tons of butterfinger candy bits and are decorated to look like little mummies.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- These spooky themed dessert cookies are super fun to make and are perfect for your next party.
- The butterfinger filling is versatile and can be replaced with your favorite candy bar.
- Decorate the shells to look like mummies or leave them plain with a sprinkle of crushed butterfingers on top.
What You Need for This Recipe
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
Although you can play with the colors and flavors, certain key ingredients are very specific and cannot be substituted.
- Almond meal- your almond meal should be blanched which means it is a pale yellow color and does not have specks of the brown almond shell in the mix. I prefer Kirkland Almond Meal from Costco or Bob's Red Mill.
- Powdered sugar- also known as Icing sugar, you can use any high quality brand.
- Black cocoa powder- use black cocoa powder for a distinctive "Oreo-like" flavor or substitute it for regular cocoa powder instead.
- Egg whites- your egg whites should be from fresh eggs only, unless you are outside the US and can source un-pasteurized box egg whites. Before starting, make sure the whites are at room temperature.
- Cream of tartar- add the cream of tartar to the meringue to stabilize the egg whites.
Expert Tips
- Scale all ingredients first- measure your ingredients before starting the process to ensure you don't miss an ingredient. The process goes quickly and the batter waits for no one!!
- Wipe down your tools with vinegar- lightly dampen a paper towel with white vinegar and use it to wipe down your mixing bowl, spatula, and whisk to get rid of any fat residue.
- Let the shells rest- let the piped shells sit at room temperature to form a skin for at least 30 minutes, depending on your level of humidity. Skipping this step will result in cracked shells that bake with no feet.
- Don't be intimidated!- making them is a fun learning process, and even if they aren't 100% perfect the first go, they are so delicious and edible 🙂
Recipe Instructions
Note: Full ingredient measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this page.
Step 1: Sift the almond meal, powdered sugar, and black cocoa powder with a fine mesh strainer into a medium size bowl and set aside.
Step 2: Add the egg whites to a 4 quart stand mixing bowl and mix with the whisk attachment until foamy. Then add the cream of tartar.
Sifting the dry ingredients. Mixing egg whites until foamy.
Step 3: Mix the egg whites until stiff peaks form and then transfer them to a large bowl.
Step 4: Add ⅓ of the sifted dry ingredients and fold gently with a rubber spatula until combined.
Add the stiff meringue to a bowl. Folding in the dry ingredients.
Step 5: Continue adding the dry ingredients until they are completely incorporated into the meringue.
Step 6: Scrape the batter against the sides of the bowl with your spatula. Scrape until the batter flows off the spatula in slow ribbons and can draw a figure 8 without breaking.
Folding the batter. Scraping the batter.
Step 7: Using a piping bag with a #12 Wilton round tip, pipe the batter onto a silpat lined baking tray space about 1 ½ inches apart. Drop the tray on the counter a few times to release any air bubbles. Pop the air bubbles on the surface of the shell with a tooth pick. Set the tray aside to try until a skin forms, about 30 minutes, then bake for 12-14 minutes.
Step 8: Add the soft butter to a stand mixing bowl and mix with the paddle until smooth.
Drying the shells. Mixing the butter.
Step 9: Add the powdered sugar in ½ cup at a time and mix on low until completely combined, then increase the speed to high and mix until light and fluffy.
Step 10: Add the chopped butterfinger bits and mix until combined. Set the buttercream aside and cover until ready to use.
Whipping the butter for the butterfinger frosting. Chopped butterfingers added to the frosting.
Step 11: Melt a small bowl of white and dark chocolate chips until runny. Fill two piping bags with each one and pipe squiggle lines for the "mummy wrap" and two small dots of the white then dark chocolate for the eyeballs.
Step 12: Fill a piping bag with a large round tip with the butterfinger frosting and fill each shell with the buttercream.
Decorating with a mummy face. Filling the shells with frosting.
Candy Flavor Modifications
Not a fan of butterfinger? Replace them with your favorite candy bar like:
- Twix
- Milk way
- Kit kat
- Three Musketeers
- Almond joy
The possibilities are endless and a reason why macarons are so fun to make.
Storage and Freezing Instructions
Once baked and filled, store the filled cookies on a tightly wrapped tray or in an airtight container in the fridge.
The assembled cookies will get hard in the fridge because the butter is re-solidifying. Take them out and let them come to room temperature to soften before enjoying.
Freezing Instructions
Once filled, place them on a sheet tray and place in the freezer until frozen, then transfer them to a sealed container. Keep them in the freezer for up to one month.
You can also freeze just the shells if you plan on filling them later. Store the shells with parchment paper in between stacks in the freezer for up to one month.
FAQ's
Once filled, the cookies will last 3-4 days if kept in the fridge in a container.
More Recipes You'll Love
If you make this recipe, let me know how it went in the comments below, I'd love to hear from you! You can also tag me on Instagram or Facebook so I can check it out!
Recipe 📖
Halloween Macarons with Butterfinger Frosting
Equipment
- fine mesh sifter
- large mixing bowl
- 4 quart stand mixer with whisk and paddle attachment
- rubber spatula
- piping bag
- small round tip #12 Wilton
- silpat mat
- baking tray
- tooth pick
Ingredients
- 120 grams powdered sugar
- 138 grams blanched almond meal
- 8 grams black cocoa powder
- 110 grams granulated sugar
- 107 grams egg whites, room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
Butterfinger Frosting
- ½ cup unsalted butter, soft
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ½ cup butterfingers, chopped
- ⅛ cup dark chocolate chips, for decorating
- ⅛ cup white chocolate chips, for decorating
Instructions
- Line an upside down pan with a silicone baking mat and fit a piping bag with a small round tip, set them both aside.
- In a medium bowl, scale the almond meal and powdered sugar. Sift both of them into a larger bowl and discard any large pieces. Set aside.120 grams powdered sugar, 138 grams blanched almond meal, 8 grams black cocoa powder
- In a stand mixing bowl, add the egg whites and begin whisking on low speed (speed 2-3) for 1-2 minutes. When the whites get foamy, add the cream of tartar.107 grams egg whites, room temperature, ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- Very slowly, begin adding the sugar by the spoonful, sprinkling it into the whites as they whip. When all of the sugar is added increase the speed to medium (speed 4) and whip for about 7-8 minutes or until stiff peaks form.110 grams granulated sugar
- Add the stiff white meringue to a large bowl.
- Add ⅓ of the sifted dry mixture to the whites. Fold very gently with a rubber spatula until combined. The add the next ⅓ and fold to combine. Continue until all of the dry ingredients are incorporated.
- Using your rubber spatula, scrape the batter against the side of the bowl. Every few scrapes, pick up the batter and let it fall into the bowl. The batter should flow slowly in ribbons. Try to make a figure 8 with the batter. If it falls without breaking, its ready.
- Fill your piping bag with the batter. Pipe directly over the top of the baking tray. When the pan is full, drop the pan on the counter a few times to release any air bubbles. Use a tooth pick to pop any bubbles that come to the surface.
- Allow the shells to sit out to dry and form a skin. This can take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour depending on the level of humidity in your house. They are ready to bake when the shell can be touched without it sticking to your finger or leaving an impression.
- While the shells rest, preheat your oven to 300. (If your oven in on the hotter side, lower temperature might be better ie: 275-285)
- Bake each tray for about 12-14 minutes. They are done baking when you can gently touch the top of the shell and it barely budges from the foot. Let the tray cool completely on a wire rack before removing the shells and filling.
Making the Butterfinger Frosting
- In a stand mixing bowl, add the soft butter and mix on medium low speed for 30-60 seconds until smooth.½ cup unsalted butter, soft
- Add the powdered sugar in a little bit at at time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down the bowl with a spatula, then whip on high speed for 30 seconds until the buttercream is light and fluffy.1 cup powdered sugar
- Add the chopped butterfinger pieces and mix to combine.½ cup butterfingers, chopped
Assembling
- Melt the dark chocolate chips and white chocolate chips in two small bowls until runny. Add each one to a piping bag with a tiny round tip. Pipe the white chocolate in squiggles on the shell to form the "mummy wrap" and then two dots in the center. Pipe two small dots in the center of the white to complete the eyeballs. Let the chocolate cool completely in the fridge until hard.⅛ cup dark chocolate chips, for decorating, ⅛ cup white chocolate chips, for decorating
- Fill a piping bag fitted with a small round tip with the butterfinger frosting.
- Pipe a dollop onto one half of the shells and then sandwich the filling with the other half.
- Keep in the fridge in an airtight container overnight or at least for 12 hours to mature and soften before enjoying.
Notes
Expert Tips
- Scale all ingredients first- measure your ingredients before starting the process to ensure you don't miss an ingredient. The process goes quickly and macaron batter waits for no one!!
- Wipe down your tools with vinegar- lightly dampen a paper towel with white vinegar and use it to wipe down your mixing bowl, spatula, and whisk to get rid of any fat residue.
- Let the shells rest- the shells should be left to form a skin for at least 30 minutes, depending on your level of humidity. Skipping this step will result in cracked tops and no feet.
- Don't be intimidated!- making macarons is a fun learning process, and even if they aren't 100% perfect the first go, they are so delicious 🙂
- Never make them on a rainy day- the moisture in the air gets into the meringue and batter and the shells will bake soft and splotchy.
Gabriella says
My son is a huge fan of butterfingers so of course we had to make these! Loved the flavor, we made them just because but next time we’ll decorate them for Halloween!
cambreabakes says
Yay! Love to hear this. Thanks for coming back and leaving a review!! 🙂