Peanut Butter Macarons

Instructions

Macaron Shells

1. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicon mats. Set aside.
2. Pour 110g 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.
3. Gradually mix in 110g of granulated sugar into the eggs over a few minutes while mixing on a medium low speed. Increase the mixing speed to a medium high speed. Keep mixing until stiff, glossy peaks form.
4. Sift 133g superfine almond flour, 125g powdered sugar, and 7g of cocoa powder into the meringue. Add in a small drop of yellow gel food coloring to give the shells a warm brown color, 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. The batter should be a tan color.
5. 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.
6. Pour the batter into a large piping bag fit with a medium-sized round piping tip and pipe 1 3/4-inch rounds on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 1-inch apart.
7. Bang the pans 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.
8. 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.
9. Bake one tray of macarons at a time on the middle rack of your oven for 17-20 minutes and rotate the pan halfway through to help them bake evenly.
10. Remove from oven and let the macarons cool on the pan (about 15 minutes), then gently remove them from the silpat mat.

Peanut Butter Buttercream Frosting

1. Beat 85g room-temperature butter and 63g peanut butter on a medium speed for 1 minute with a hand mixer until smooth.
2. Mix in 4g vanilla extract and 2g salt on a low speed.
3. Slowly mix in 166g of powdered sugar. Halfway through add 45g of heavy cream or milk to make the frosting easier to mix.
4. Mix on low for a couple 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. Once the frosting is the right consistency, place in a piping bag fit with a small French tip (like an Ateco 22) and set aside.

Assembling These Peanut Butter Macarons

1. Pair up the macaron shells, then pipe a ring of peanut butter buttercream around one macaron shell. Fill the center with honey roasted peanut butter. If you want to make PB&J macarons, pipe your favorite jam inside the buttercream. If you want to make Reese's macarons, fill the center with milk chocolate ganache.
2. Gently press a second shell on top of the frosting to create a sandwich.
3. Drizzle melted white chocolate over the top of the shells and sprinkle with chopped, honey roasted peanuts.
4. Place the finished macarons in an airtight container and chill in the fridge overnight, then enjoy!