Although the recipe provides measurements, I find that the macarons turn out much better when the ingredients are weighed.

Separate your egg whites and put them in a loosely covered container "to age" for 24-48 hours or up to 5 days in the refrigerator.

Pulse your almond flour and powdered sugar in the food processor a few times. This really breaks up the powdered sugar and makes for a smooth shell.

Fit your mixer with the whisk attachment. Put your egg whites and gel food coloring (I usually do 2 knife tips worth of food coloring) and beat on medium until it is foamy. Turn your mixer on low and gradually add the sugar and extract. Once all the sugar has been added, beat on high until hard peaks form...but do not overbeat!!! (I will have photos in my next macaron post with specific pictures to explain this).

Fold in your almond flour/powder sugar mix into the egg whites gently, until completely mixed (but not more than 50 strokes).

Fit your pastry bag with a round tip (Ateco #807 or #809). I put the pastry bag into a tall cup and fold the sides over. It makes it easier to fill.

Pipe 1.5 inch rounds onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicon mat and allow to sit for 30 minutes to an hour. This enables the shell to harden and will create the "foot" while baking.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees or 280 degrees for a conventional oven. Bake for 18 -20 min, however you need to rotate the pan halfway through the baking process. Allow to thoroughly cool before filling.

Beat butter and extract for 2 minutes. Add powdered sugar and milk or cream. Beat with whisk attachment for 3 minutes on high.

I put the frosting in a sandwich bag and cut of the tip, then pipe the filling onto the macarons, then sandwich together.

Enjoy!!!!