Make the macaron batter:

1. Prepare a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat (or if you have enough, prepare 2 baking sheets).
2. Using a fine mesh sieve over a large mixing bowl on a scale, sift almond flour until you reach 140 grams. Discard any large pieces of almond flour. Repeat with the confectioners’ sugar and cocoa powder. Whisk together the dry ingredients until very well-combined. Set aside.
3. Add egg whites to the bowl of your stand mixer. Using a whip attachment, beat the mixture, starting on low. Once soft peaks have been formed (about 2 minutes), add the sugar and increase the speed to medium. Once medium peaks are achieved, increase the speed to high. Beat on high until stiff peaks have formed, about 2 minutes.
4. Add in the red food coloring and beat until just combined.
5. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer, and place a sieve over top. Pour the dry mixture into the sieve, then sift the dry ingredients into the meringue.
6. Use a rubber spatula to fold the dry ingredients into the meringue. Be careful not to overmix and over-deflate the meringue. The mixture is ready to be piped when it ribbons off your spatula. The batter, when lifted with a spatula, should keep flowing off the spatula in ribbon shapes nonstop, without drizzling off too quickly. If it is coming off in large V shaped chunks it needs to be folded more. Another test is the figure 8 test: If you can lift some batter up and use it to draw several figure 8’s without the stream breaking, it is ready!

Make the macaron shells:

1. Add batter to a piping bag with a medium to large sized round tip (I recommend a large ½-inch top). Pipe 1 to 1 ½-inch small circles of batter onto the prepared baking sheet. Make sure the piping bag is held straight up and perpendicular to the baking sheet.
2. After you’ve piped all the macarons, gently tap the baking sheet multiple times against the counter to remove any air bubbles from the macarons. If some air bubbles still remain, use a toothpick to gently poke them out.
3. Preheat oven to 300°F. While the oven is preheating, allow the macarons to sit and form a “skin”. This “skin” should form anywhere from 8 minutes to an hour. You know the macarons are ready to be baked when you can touch them lightly without having the batter stick to your finger. Keep checking them periodically to see if they have formed a skin.
4. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Check at 15 minutes, and if they are not ready then keep checking every minute. The macarons are ready when the tops are firm and do not move around their base at all. Allow the macarons to cool completely before attempting to remove them from the silicone mat.
5. Allow the shells to fully cool on the silicone mat. Once fully cooled, peel all of the macaron shells off the mats.

Make the cream cheese frosting filling:

1. In a large mixing bowl, add butter and cream cheese. Use an electric hand mixer to beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add in the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla, then beat again until smooth and well-combined.

Assemble the macarons:

1. Place the cream cheese frosting into a piping bag fitted with a large ½ inch round tip.
2. Pipe the frosting onto half of the macaron shells.
3. Top each piped shell with a similar sized top-shell.
4. Place into the fridge overnight to mature and meld together for the best results.