Macarons

Separate three egg whites and let come to room temperature for at least 30 minutes.

Whisk together powdered sugar, almond flour, and salt in a bowl.

Add dry ingredients to food processor and pulse about 10 times.

Sift the mixture back into the bowl.

In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites until they are no longer clear and start to increase in volume. Gradually mix in the sugar. Once sugar is incorporated, and before you reach stiff peaks, add in the food coloring. Continue beating the egg whites until they form stiff peaks.

Using a spatula, fold and cut 1/3 of the dry ingredients into the egg whites until combined. Add the remaining dry ingredients and fold in. You’ve reached the correct consistency when you can lift the spatula out of the mixture and form a figure 8 with the batter without any breaks. The batter should slowly fall off the spatula forming a solid line as you move the spatula.

Add batter to a piping bag with a large round tip. Pipe a small dot of batter in each corner of the baking sheet and then line with parchment paper.

Pipe the batter into 1.5 inch circles. Drop the baking sheet on the counter several times to remove as many air bubbles as possible.

Let the macarons rest for 30 minutes to an hour. They will form a film on top and you should be able to brush your finger across the top without indenting.

Bake at 300 degrees for 17 minutes. If they are gooey in the center and won’t lift or twist off the parchment, bake for a minute or two more. Let rest on the pan for 15 minutes and then move to a cooling rack to cool completely.

For the buttercream, cream together butter, powdered sugar, coffee, and cocoa powder.

To assemble, pair cookie shells and pipe a circle of filling slightly smaller than the size of the macaron on one half. Place the other half of the shell on top and gently press together.

Allow the assembled macarons to rest in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours.

Enjoy!