Hocus Pocus Macaron Focus

Delectable lavender honey macarons fashioned to look like tiny crystal balls will be the star of the dessert table at your next Hocus Pocus Halloween soirée.

A Witchy Theme

Fortune telling and the hilarious, zany witches of the Hocus Pocus movies are a Halloween party theme that’s all the rage this year. Incredibly adaptable, you can go for full on camp, or swing the opposite direction for spooky elegance. After making these Hocus Pocus Brownie Bites for a party I was inspired to create these charming lavender honey confections for our Fortune Teller themed party.

Lavender Honey Macarons

As I’ve mentioned before, macarons are an incredibly versatile cookie (see my Macaron tutorial which includes the recipe and detailed instructions). The shells can be flavored with almost anything. Add to that the fact the endless possibilities for fillings and you can create all kinds of yummy combinations. Since I wanted pastel colors for this occasion, lavender flavoring was a natural choice . I added 1 teaspoon of Angel Bake lavender extract to the macaron batter for a subtle flavor. Deciding on a filling was a more difficult matter. Floral flavors and honey go well together so I decided to give it a try. After some experimenting, I finally settled on a cream cheese-based filling flavored with two teaspoons of high-quality honey and a splash of vanilla. See the recipe below.

A Crystal Ball

To create the crystal ball effect for these Hocus Pocus macaroons, I sprinkled half of the shells with star sprinkles right after they were piped and still sticky.  The drying process helped the sprinkles stay in place before I baked them. Once the macaroon shells were cooled, I sprayed them lightly with edible silver glitter. The sheen gives them an other-worldly effect. Finally, with a tiny bit of frosting applied with a toothpick, I attached more stars and sprinkles. To complete the cookies I added a little stand made out of silver fondant.

Yield: 2 cups

Honey Cheesecake Macaroon Filling

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Delicious honey flavored cheesecake frosting is the perfect compliment to lavender flavored macaroons.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Total Time 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 2 teaspoons good quality honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2-1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream

Instructions

1. With an electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Add the honey and vanilla and beat until no streaks are left in the mixture.
2. Mix in powdered sugar, and one tablespoon of the cream.
3. If mixture is too stiff for piping, add the additional cream.
4. Use a piping bag and a large round tip to pipe the filling onto a macaroon half.

Notes

My Grandma Helen, a talented cake decorator,always added a pinch of salt to any frosting she was making and I find that it is a good practice. You can't taste the salt, but it kicks the flavor up a bit.