• Measure all ingredients. Sift the almond meal and powdered sugar.
• Place egg whites in a bowl, whisk the egg whites on a medium speed until foamy.
• Slowly add in the caster sugar.
• Continue to beat until the egg whites are glossy and have stiff peaks. This may take a while.
• Add in the violet colouring and beat to mix in.
• Sift the almond meal and powdered sugar into the egg white.
• Slowly fold the dry ingredients into the meringue, until the batter flows of the spatular like lava and can form a figure 8 a few times without breaking.
• Fill into a piping bag and pipe 1 inch (3.5cm) rounds onto baking paper or silicon mat.
• Set aside to rest for 15-60 minutes, until a skin has formed on the macarons. Test by touching them with your finger, no batter should stick.
• Heat oven to 150c/300F.
• Place in the oven for 20 minutes. If your oven has heat spots, it is best to flip the pan every 5 minutes while baking.
• Remove the macarons if they no longer move when pushed on their feet.

Blueberry Jam

• Place frozen or fresh blueberries in a small saucepan with sugar. Let this cook on a low heat until the sugar has dissolved and the blueberries start to soften and break down.
• Turn the stove to a medium heat and let the jam come to a boil and thicken. Once thickened slightly set aside to cool for a few minutes. Push the blueberry jam through a sieve and set aside to cool down completely.

Blueberry Buttercream

• Place butter and powdered sugar in a bowl of a mixer. Beat until smooth.
• Add in the powdered sugar and beat until creamy.
• Add the blueberry jam and beat until smooth.
• If the buttercream is quite stiff add in some milk to smoothen it out.

Assembling

• Once the macarons have cooled, remove from the mat and match each shell to a shell of a similar size.
• Fill blueberry buttercream into a piping bag fitted with a round tip. Pipe a small mound into the centre of the one side of each shell, leaving room on the edges.
• Place the top shell onto the bottom filled shell and press gently.
• Put macarons into an airtight container and store in the fridge for 24 hours. This will mature the macarons making giving it a better texture and flavour.