Almond Raspberry Macarons Recipe

• In a large mixing bowl, mix together 55g egg whites, 1/4 tsp almond extract, and any food coloring (gel or powdered food coloring). Add sifted and weighed icing sugar and almond flour. Mix together until it forms a homogenized paste.
• In a stand mixer, add 55g egg whites and beat on high.
• In a small saucepan, add water and granulated sugar. Heat on medium heat until it reaches 118 degrees C. Place stand mixer on low-med speed and stream the sugar on the edge of the bowl until it's completely mixed in. Whip on high until you feel the bowl cool down to warm. The Italian meringue is complete when you can turn the bowl over upside down and the meringue won't move.
• Add 1/2 the meringue to the almond batter until it's fully mixed in.
• Add the rest of the meringue to the almond batter and mix until it's just combined. Then, give it a few more turns with a wooden spoon until it flows like lava. You should be able to cut through the dough with a wooden spoon and then have it flow back gently, but having the divide easily seen.
• Use your aluminum pan and line it with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Pipe macaron batter with a 0.5" tip to create 1.5" macarons on a Silpat or parchment paper. Bang the bottom of the pan until all the air bubbles have been removed. Add any sprinkles at this point. Let dry for 30 min.
• Bake for 12 min at 300 degrees F.

Vanilla Raspberry Buttercream Filling

• In a stand mixer, beat butter until fluffy on med-high speed.
• Add vanilla extract and raspberry jam to the stand mixer and beat into the butter.
• Slowly add icing sugar to the raspberry macaron filling. Add 1 tsp of milk to thin out the buttercream so it's easily pipeable.
• When macaron shells have cooled, pipe the filling onto the macarons and sandwich the shells together using similar sizes.
• Store in the fridge for 3 days or store in the freezer for 1 month.