1 3/4 cups powdered sugar

1 cup finely ground almond flour

1 teaspoon salt, divided

3 room temperature egg whites

1/4 cup fine granulated

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Food coloring

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

2 cups powdered sugar (sifted)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 tablespoons heavy cream

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1 cup powdered sugar (sifted)

2 tablespoons milk

Strawberry Jam

In a stand mixer, beat the egg whites and 1/2 teaspoon salt until soft peaks form. Slowly add the white sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. You should be able to turn the bowl upside down without anything falling out.

Add the vanilla and beat until incorporated.  Then add the food coloring and beat until just combined.

Add 1/3rd of the sifted flour/powdered sugar mixture and gently fold until combined.  Then add another third and repeat.  Finally add the last third, using figure 8 folding to fully combine (try to not overmix this phase).

Transfer the macaron batter into a piping bag with a round tip.

Pipe the macarons in a circular motion onto parchment paper or a cooking mat in 1 1/2 inch (3-4 cm circles). When all are on the baking sheet, tap the baking sheet hard on a counter to bring up any air bubbles.  Let the cookies rest for 30-60 minutes to allow the batter to settle.

Heat oven to 285°F.  Bake for 17-19 minutes (this is oven dependent, but this is what works for us - some recipes say as little as 12 minutes, but for our best results around 18 minutes is best at this temperature). Do not bake more than one tray at a time.

Allow to cool on the tray until the macrons can be pulled off by hand.  

To make the buttercream, in a stand mixer place the butter and beat for 1 minute until light and fluffy, then add the sifted powdered sugar, a little at a time and beat until fully incorporated.  Add the vanilla and beat until combined.  Add the cream, 1 tablespoon at a time until you get the desired consistency.

Alternately, to make the cream cheese filling, in a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese for 1 minute until light and fluffy and then add in the sifted powdered sugar a little at a time and beat until fully incorporated.  Add the milk and beat until smooth. You could add some food coloring that matches the filling if desired.

When piping the buttercream, add a dollop onto one macaron shell and top it with another shell to create a sandwich. 

When piping the cream cheese filling, pipe a circle of cream cheese mixture around the edge of the cookie and place one dollop of jam in the center, then top it with another shell to create a sandwich.

Place the macrons in an air tight container in the fridge for 24 hours to "bloom" - essentially this will meld some of the flavor of the filling with the cookie and will allow the filling to harden some.