Instructions

1. Start by weighing out the powdered sugar, almond flour, and sugar.
2. Sift together the almond flour and powdered sugar in a large bowl and set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, add in the egg whites and salt and whip on high speed until foamy. Add in the sugar SLOWLY while the mixer is still on high speed. If you add the sugar to quickly it will flatten the egg whites.
4. Continue beating on high speed until you get a nice soft peek (see photo). The egg whites should not stand completely up, but they should be stiff enough to hold shape when you remove the whisk.
5. Add a couple drops of food color into the egg whites , and the mint extract, but do not mix together.
6. Add about half of the dry mixture to the egg whites. Slowly fold dry ingredients until incorporated completely and there are no dry spots.
7. Add the remaining half of the dry ingredients and repeat until you can pick your spatula up and you can make a figure 8 without the batter breaking off. Be sure to check often because you do not want to over mix.
8. Prepare a piping bag with a small round tip and place into a large jar or glass with the tip facing up so the batter does not run out the bottom.
9. Fill the bag with the macaron batter and set aside.
10. Prepare a baking sheet with a silicone mat (you can also use parchment paper).
11. Pipe about 1 ½-2” circles with all of the batter placing them about 1” apart. After you have piped all the circles bang the tray against the counter 4 or 5 times to release all of the air bubbles. Use a toothpick to pop all the ones that you can.
12. Let the macarons sit on the counter for 30 minutes to 1 hour. The humidity where you live will influence this time. You want to let them sit until they turn matte and you can touch them with your finger without getting any batter on your finger. They should form a “shell”.
13. After they have formed the shell, place them in a 300-degree oven for 8-10 minutes. Touch the tops of them to see if they are done, the tops of the shells should NOT move around on the “feet” or bottom of the shell. If the shells still move place back in the oven for 1 minute increments.
14. Allow the shells to cool completely before trying to remove from the pan.
15. Prepare the frosting by adding the butter, cream cheese, and cocoa powder into the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment (you can also use a hand mixer), and cream until softened and fluffy.
16. Slowly add in the powdered sugar one cup at a time. After all of the powdered sugar is in, beat on high for 4-5 minutes.
17. Fill a piping bag or a Ziplock bag with the frosting.
18. Turn over half of the macaron shells and fill with about 1 tbsp of the frosting. Top with the remaining half of the macaron shells. For best result, refrigerate them 12 hours to overnight. However, you can eat them immediately. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.