Directions

1. Prepare the macarons: in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites to a foam, gradually add the sugar until you obtain a glossy meringue.
2. Weight the powdered almond, and powdered sugar, and sieve it. This is an important step.
3. Sieve again through a fine sieve, and add them to the meringue.
4. Give it a quick fold to break some of the air and then fold the mass carefully until you obtain a batter that falls back on itself after counting to 10.
5. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a plain tip (Ateco #807 or #809) with the batter and pipe small rounds (1.5 inches in diameter) onto parchment paper or silicone mats lined baking sheets. You can use this template, placing it under a paper parchment, so that all shells have the same size.
6. When finished piping the macarons, remove little bubbles on shells surface by pinching them with a wooden skewer.
7. Let the macarons sit out for 60 minutes to harden their shells a bit and bake them at 270º F for 10-12 minutes, depending on their size.
8. Let cool.
9. Once baked and if you are not using them right away, store them in an airtight container out of the fridge for a couple of days or in the freezer. To decorate them, I have used Wilton food writters, the macarons offer a great surface for drawing and decorating with this kind of edible pens
10. To prepare the vanilla buttercream, beat together butter, vanilla extract, milk and sugar until fluffy.
11. To fill: pipe or spoon about 1 big teaspoon of butterceam in the center of one shell and top with another one. If you are going to use lollipop sticks, insert it in the macaron’s filling, and let it harden on the fridge
12. You can keep them several days in the fridge inside an airtight container.