• Measure all ingredients. Sift the almond meal, powdered sugar and cocoa powder.
• 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 red colouring and continue to whisk until the red is fully incorporated
• Sift the almond meal mixture a second time into the meringue.
• Slowly fold the dry ingredients into the meringue, until the batter flows of the spatula like lava and can form a figure 8 a few times without breaking.
• Fill into a piping bag and pipe 1.5 inch (3.5cm) rounds onto baking paper or silicone 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.

Cream Cheese Buttercream

• Place butter and cream cheese in a bowl. Beat until smooth.
• Add in powdered sugar and vanilla extract and beat until creamy.
• If the buttercream is too soft, place it in the fridge for a 10 -15 minutes to firm up. Alternatively, add in a little more powdered sugar (1 tbsp at a time) if needed.

Assembling

• Once the macarons have cooled, remove from the mat and match each shell to a shell of a similar size.
• Fill cream cheese 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 giving it a better texture and flavour.