• 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 yellow and brown 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.
• Sprinkle some of the chopped peanuts onto the macarons if using.
• Set aside to rest for 15-45 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.

Peanut Butter Buttercream

• Place butter and peanut butter in a bowl of a mixer. Beat until smooth.
• Add in the powdered sugar and beat until creamy.

Assembling

• Once the macarons have cooled, remove from the mat and match each shell to a shell of a similar size.
• Fill peanut butter 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 12-24 hours. This will mature the macarons making giving it a better texture and flavour.