Raspberry Macarons

Instructions

French Raspberry Macarons

1. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicon mats. Set aside.
2. Pour 55g of aged egg whites into the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk and mix on a medium speed until the surface of the egg whites is covered in small bubbles. Add in a pinch of cream of tartar and continue to mix until it reaches the soft peak stage where you can see the whisk leaving faint tracks in the egg whites.
3. Gradually add 55g of granulated sugar into the eggs and mix on a medium speed for 30 seconds. Increase the mixing speed to a medium high speed. Keep mixing until stiff, glossy peaks form.
4. If you want to add some color to these shells, add pink gel food coloring at this point. It will get mixed in as you fold the dry ingredient in during the next step.
5. Sift 70g superfine almond flour and 63g powdered sugar into the meringue, then fold the ingredients together with a rubber spatula. Use a circular motion that sweeps around the edge of the bowl and then pull through the bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is getting mixed together.
6. Fold until a thick ribbon of batter runs off the spatula when it is lifted. You should be able to draw a couple figure 8's with the batter running off your spatula when it is the right consistency. If the stream of batter breaks before you're able to this, you may need to stir it a bit more.
7. Pour the batter into a large piping bag fit with a medium-sized round piping tip and pipe 1 1/4-inch rounds on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 1-inch apart.
8. Pipe one pan at a time and bang the pan firmly on the counter a few times to release air bubbles, then pop any remaining air bubbles that come to the surface with a toothpick.
9. Let the macarons rest for 30 minutes, or until they develop a skin. The macarons should look matte once the skin has formed. While the macarons rest, preheat the oven to 315 F / 157 C.
10. Bake one tray of macarons at a time on the middle rack of your oven for 16-19 minutes and rotate the pan halfway through to help them bake evenly. If you notice the shells are browning when you rotate them, place a foil tent over the top of the macarons (you may need to bake them a minute or two longer if you do this).
11. Remove the pan from the oven and let the macarons cool on the pan (about 15 minutes), then gently remove them from the silpat mat.

Buttercream Frosting

1. Beat 56g of room-temperature butter on a medium speed for 1-2 minutes with a whisk attachment until it becomes lighter in color and smooth.
2. Mix in 4g vanilla extract and 1g salt on a low speed.
3. Slowly mix in 125g of powdered sugar and 10g of heavy cream on a low speed.
4. Continue to mix on low for a couple of minutes until the ingredients are fully incorporated and the desired consistency is reached. 
5. If the frosting is too thick, add in additional heavy cream or milk (1 tsp at a time). If the frosting is too thin, add in more powdered sugar (1 Tbsp at a time).
6. Place in a piping bag with a small round tip, and set aside.

Assembling These Raspberry Macarons

1. Pipe a thick ring of buttercream or frosting of your choice around one macaron shell and fill the center with a dollop of raspberry jam. Gently press a second shell on top of the frosting to create a sandwich.
2. If desired, drizzle melted white chocolate over the top of the macarons and sprinkle with a dusting of freeze-dried raspberry powder.
3. Place the finished macarons in an airtight container and chill in the fridge overnight, then let them warm to room temperature and enjoy!