French Macarons for Hallowe’en
How many shop windows are dressed up for Hallowe’en in your neighbourhood? No doubt there are plenty, especially if you’re in the US or UK. In France, Hallowe’en is still pretty much seen as overly commercial, so you won’t find much ghoulishness going on in shop fronts. In our local chocolateries in St Germain-en-Laye, it’s more autumnal scenes rather than witches. Just check out the chocolate pumpkin sculptures by Chocolatier genius, Patrick Roger.
Chocolatier, Patrick Roger’s Hallowe’en
As for trick ‘n’ treating, this is still fairly new here – just try and find some fancy-dress costumes. Apart from the odd standard outfit at Carrefour (our major hypermarket), there’s not much else. If I was the perfect Mum, I’d make my children’s costumes but if you know me, I’d rather stick needles in my fingers (which usually happens anyway!)
Eye spy – I see a leetle witch in ze window…
Our French neighbours are not much Hallowe’en spirited, either. I know some who pretend they’re not in (yes, I know who you are.) The poor souls must spend the evening in the dark, whispering to each other in fear of being caught by a local young witch, demanding her annual sweet ration.
White chocolate sculpture, Salon du Chocolat, Paris
Who can blame them? The first year in our new neighbourhood it was all quiet until a group of teenagers rang (not even dressed up, but then their Mums didn’t make their costumes, poor darlings), demanding sweets as my children opened the door. I shoved on a witch’s hat and growled in grumpy French that they needed to earn their ration by singing a song or something. It’s spooky: they just took to their heels.
Wouldn’t you do the same? When we were children in Scotland, it was the done thing to have a party-piece.
So this Hallowe’en, here are some magnificent macarons as party pieces to share with you from my macaronivore friends via the website and Facebook page.
Pumpkin spiced chocolate macarons by Joshua Burgin
Here, Joshua Burgin added some pumpkin spice to the shells and also to the dark chocolate ganache for his spiced pumpkin and dark chocolate macarons.
We have many pumpkin inspired macarons. Let’s face it, Hallowe’en without pumpkins is like a Scottish castle without ghosts. Makeitpopsweets used a spicy pumpkin filling for a touch of Hallowe’en.
Pumpkin macarons by Makeitpopsweets
Also on a pumpkin theme, Michèle Faubert, macaronivore extraordinaire, came up with pumpkin and Jamaican spice macarons, using chocolate in the shells and pumpkin spice in the filling.
Extra heat for Hallowe’en by Michèle Faubert
Here’s some cobweb macaron decor from Waverley Book’s Editor, Eleanor Abraham.
Plus perhaps all of our biggest fear and eventual nightmare: Eleanor made a beautiful batch of macarons and just as she was finished, most of them slipped off the plate she was carrying and crashed to the floor. This has to be the most horrific of Hallowe’en macarons!
Also by Michèle Faubert, feast your googly eyes on these macarons…
Just look at her ghoooooulish macaron eyes for Hallowe’en. Booooooh!
And I suppose you’re expecting me to have a party piece too, after all that? Not too hallowe’enish, but these fangs are partial to lemon-ginger macarons.
I’m still on a liquorice macaron phase (Antoine has claimed even more after making some pink liquorice allsort macarons for Mactweets.) I added a touch of mint to the filling (recipe on p74 of the book.) It gave that extra hint of chill to them – just what was needed.
Extra chilly with liquorice and mint
Happy Hallowe’en to you and
wishing you plenty of macarons in your goody bags!
Jill Colonna 
Definitely a spooky set of macarons! The licorice looks absolutely gorgeous =)
These macarons are amazingly spooky!! What wonderful ideas…I liked the eye-balled ones the most…Well done
LOVE the eyeball macarons! I used to collect eyeballs (edible and otherwise) when I was a goth teenager in Germany, haha!
Stunning! Have never seen such spooky but still tasty looking macarons before! You always overwhelm me by your creativity. Thanks for sharing Jill and happy Halloween.:-)
Thanks for sharing the Halloween exdperinces. I would love any of those macaroons in my goodie basket.
I found lots of ghoulishness in Paris Jill!
http://parisbreakfasts.blogspot.com/2011/10/paris-pumpkin.html
Still no pumpkin macarons per se…
That’s in Paris, Carol. Out in the suburbs it’s more traditional French…. 😉
Wonderful macarons! These are so much fun! Love the jack o’lantern one. I wish I’d have had some here for my Halloween. Not a sweet one! Boo. There WERE some good costumes at least 🙂
Buzzed!
We don’t celebrate Halloween in Japan but lately some stores and homes decorate a bit and some people go to trick-or-treating in Halloween event. I didn’t know France also has commercialized Halloween. I love Halloween version of macarons. People are so creative and it’s definitely fun to see.
Jill,
There are so many types of macrons, but I’m partial to the lemon ginger macrons, and of course your spooky licorice mint macarons. Thanks for your sharing the French take on Halloween.
ha ha make that sniffing and sneezing in the comment , cooking predictive text strikes again!
Yes I’m afraid I like the eyeball ones too! I love the words chocolate sculpture, tasteful art, yum. The macarons do make good pumpkins too. Not doing too much this end apart from sifting and sneezing, luckily you should feed a cold and starve a fever 🙂
The eyeball macarons are a riot! But I think I’d want to eat the entire plate of your licorice ones. Mmmm, good!
What gorgeous looking treats!
These are adorable! I love the eyes and the pumpkins! You always impress me with your macaron skills! 🙂
What Halloween tricks and treats you dish up, Jill! Loved gazing at all – especially today. We never did have to do “a piece” but we did have to wear costumes. And by age 11 – if you were tall – you were deemed too old to trick or treat. Sigh. Happy Halloween!
Oh my goodness – those smashed macarons! I can totally relate to that – I made a batch to share with the participants in my very first macaron class here in Toronto last month and was so pleased with how they turned out. Sadly, the bag I was carrying them in on the streetcar fell over and they all broke, save 8. So people had one each and got to see the horror of smashed macs. At least they taste good still!
Thank you for sharing so many Halloween treats with us. Those store windows are fascinating. The macarons with the eyeballs are too fun. Happy Halloween!
Yum-makes me want macarons instead of candy for Halloween! It is amazing all the flavors and colors that these goodies come in-endless. Thanks for sharing all these great pics and flavor ideas!
Jill, what a selection, love the keep an eye on macarons….brilliant, Happy Halloween:)
http://mywanderingspoon.wordpress.com/2011/10/31/happy-halloween-chocolate-tangerine-boo-cupcakes/
Wow at the first picture…! I thought it’s a real pumpkin!! The Jack o’lantern macaroons are super adorable!!
Hi Jill! Licorice and mint sounds like a delicious combination for a macaroon! I would love to try some, I have always been a black licorice fan. Thanks for sharing the other photos of the Halloween macaroons as well, i enjoyed them! Hope you had a wonderful weekend!
Oh those last ones look divine! What a wonderful flavour combination. I might skip the eye-ish ones though 🙂
Wow, those are some amazing macarons! They all look wonderful! 🙂
HAHAHA! How wonderful, Jill, what an incredible collection. It’s been too long since I’ve made macarons and these are definitely inspiration. I might make a batch just so I can demand a song from everyone who’d like one 🙂
what a fantastic set of recipes. Great inspiration for a beginner macaron maker like me!!
Jill, what a glorious collection of Hallowe’en treats. We had to do the party piece too. That was the whole ‘Trick or Treat’ element – if they didn’t like your singing or your joke they shut the door in your face. Didn’t happen often even though I sing like a cat. Liking the sound of your liquorice/mint macarons! Treat!
Hester, singing like a Witch’s cat would definitely be appropriate and merits even more macs 😉
This is the coolest Halloween macaron round up I’ve ever seen! The cob webs, the jack-o-lantern faces, the pumpkin and Jamaican spice macarons look incredible too! Wow! Such talent and creativity. Thanks so much for sharing Jill, enjoy the rest of your weekend =]
They are frighteningly great all of them!
Regards.
Begoña
All of these are so creative. Thanks for sharing the photos.
Those eyeball macs are hilarious! And your licorice ones are appropriately spooky!
Oh, what a fabulous array of Halloween macarons…but I’m thinking yours are the spookiest, Jill. Just wonderful as always! xo
These all look awesome!!!!
I’m not particularly keen on Halloween either. I find it to be overly commercial. Maybe I should have been born French? 😉
Hi Jill! Oh how I wish I could go out trick or treating and come home with a bag filled with macarons!!! All of these look so festive and fun. Even in decorating macarons for Halloween….they still look so very elegant! I think I’m going to come knocking on your door tomorrow night…and yes…I’ll even sing for you! ;- )