Gather the shell ingredients - * Egg whites * Almond flour * Granulated sugar * Powdered sugar
Place a heatproof bowl over a small pot of simmering water. Add the egg whites and granulated sugar to the bowl and whisk until the sugar fully dissolves.
Transfer the egg whites to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
Beat the egg whites on medium-high speed until they form stiff peaks - about 2 minutes.
Add gel food coloring, if using. Then, sift the powdered sugar and almond flour into the egg whites using a fine mesh sieve.
– Fold in the dry ingredients gently by making a J-shape with your spatula. – Once all of the dry ingredients have been incorporated, smush the batter against the sides of the bowl and fold it back together. Repeat a few times before testing the meringue. If you draw a figure 8 without the stream breaking, the meringue is ready.
– When the mixture is flowing smoothly, transfer it to a piping bag fitted with a small round tip. – Pipe 1.5" circles about 2" apart onto the baking sheets. Hold the tray off the counter and drop it straight down a few times to pop any large air bubbles. – Set the macarons aside to rest for 30 minutes. – Bake the macarons one tray at a time for 14 minutes. – Allow the macarons to cool fully on the tray.
Gather the filling ingredients - * Powdered sugar * Butter * Lemon juice * Lemon zest * Strawberry Jam
- In a medium mixing bowl, add the butter and beat on medium speed using a hand or stand mixer until it is light -- about 2-3 minutes. - Gradually add the confectioners' sugar while the mixer is on low speed. - Next, add in the lemon juice and lemon zest (and food coloring, if using). Turn the mixer up to high speed and beat until the icing is light and fluffy - about 3-4 minutes. - Transfer the lemon buttercream to a piping bag fitted with your choice of tip.
Place the macarons into similar sized pairs and pipe a ring of lemon buttercream around the edge of one shell of each pair. Fill the center with strawberry jam and place the second macaron shell on top, pressing them together gently. Repeat with the remaining macarons.
– Transfer the filled macarons to an airtight container and place them in the fridge to age overnight. – Before serving, bring them to room temperature.