• A day before baking, separate egg whites from the yolks (this needs to be done carefully! Any amount of fat from a yolk can prevent the egg whites from forming stiff peaks).

  Measure out 100g of egg whites (approximately 3-4 large egg whites), and store them in a clean metal or glass container. For best results, use lemon juice to wipe out the container, in case any residual oil is left in it.
• Sift the almond flour and powdered sugar together to break down any clumps. Once sifted, the almond flour and sugar are soft and light and stir evenly into the egg whites.

  There shouldn’t be very much leftover in the sifter. If there is, use a spoon to press the clumps through the holes of the sieve. Only a small amount of the mixture should be leftover and discarded, otherwise there won’t be enough of the dry ingredients in the macaron batter.
• Add the egg whites and cream of tartar to a mixing bowl with a whisk attachment. This can also be done with a hand mixer.

  Set the mixer to a medium high speed, and whisk until the egg whites are foamy and begin to form soft peaks. Soft peaks don’t stay formed, but melt back into the mixture slowly.
• Add the egg whites and cream of tartar to a mixing bowl with a whisk attachment. This can also be done with a hand mixer.

  Set the mixer to a medium high speed, and whisk until the egg whites are foamy and begin to form soft peaks. Soft peaks don’t stay formed, but melt back into the mixture slowly. Add the sea salt.
• Increase the speed of the mixer to high, and very slowly beat in the superfine sugar. It should take about 1 minute to add the sugar while the mixer is running.

  Continue beating the egg whites until stiff peaks are formed. Stiff peaks will not dissolve back into the mixture. The egg whites should be so stiff, you can tip the bowl upside down and they will not move.
• Scrape a vanilla bean into the egg white mixture, and then mix in.

  Other flavorings, like lemon or almond extract, or vanilla, can also be used.

  This recipe doesn’t use coloring. The macaron shells stay white. If you’d prefer to add color, mix in the food coloring gel at this stage.
• First, add 1/3 of the egg whites into the bowl with the almond flour and powder. After stirring it in, the mixture will be dry and resemble a sticky cookie dough.

  After mixing in the 2nd 1/3 of the egg whites, the mixture will loosen up and start to come together.

  It’s with the addition of the last of the egg whites that the mixture becomes smooth and will flow off the spatula.

  Stir by running the spatula to scrape the bottom of the bowl, then up to the top, and continue until the mixture is even, and when you drizzle the batter back into the bowl, it takes about 10 seconds to melt back in.
• Add the macaron batter to a pastry bag with a large round tip.

  Prepare a pan with either a macaron stencil baking mat, or use parchment paper, and draw on 1 1/2-inch or 2-inch circles.

  The macaron batter will spread a little after being piped, so draw the circles slightly smaller than you want them to be. Try to make all the cookies a similar size (follow the same lines) so they make even sandwich cookies.

  I draw a little swirl in the centers. The lines of the batter should settle in to a circle with a flattened top.
• Allow macarons to set for 30, but no longer than 60 minutes. They are ready when you can lightly tap them and they are no longer tacky.
• The macarons are ready to bake when you can gently tap them and feel a hardened film. Macarons should no longer feel tacky.

  While a standard baking temperature for macarons is 325º F, this will result in beige colored cookies from the almond flour beginning to brown.

  By baking them at a lower temperature, the cookies will stay bright white.

  Bake cookies for 12 minutes, open the oven door to release heat, and then let the cookies stay in the oven another 5 minutes to harden more.

  If your cookies start to brown, lower the oven temperature by 5-10º F, or lessen the baking time by 1-2 minutes with your next batch.

  Allow the cookies to cool and fully harden for at least 20 minutes before removing them carefully with a cookie spatula.
• Pipe filling onto 1 macaron shell, and then sandwich the filling with another shell.

Raspberry Buttercream (enough for a whole batch of macaron shells)

• Add the butter and cream cheese to a mixer with the paddle attachment, and process until they are creamed together. Use a spatula to loosen the mixture from the edges of the bowl.
• Add the powdered sugar, raspberries, and vanilla extract. Process on low speed until the sugar is mixed in, then increase the speed and whip until the frosting has a light and airy texture and the raspberries are fully incorporated.

Matcha-Mint Buttercream

• Add the butter and cream cheese to a mixer with the paddle attachment, and process until they are creamed together. Use a spatula to loosen the mixture from the edges of the bowl.
• Add the powdered sugar, matcha powder, and peppermint extract. Process on low speed until the sugar is mixed in, then increase the speed and whip until the frosting has a light and airy texture. Adjust the peppermint flavorful to your preference (start with only 1 teaspoon of peppermint. Some brands are much stronger than others.)