Macaron Shells

1. In a medium sized bowl sieve the almond meal and powdered sugar together
2. If there are large chunks of almond meal remaining in the sieve dispose of them
3. In a large clean bowl add the egg whites, and using an electric mixer beat until foamy
4. Slowly add the sugar and beat until stiff peaks
5. Add the ube extract and purple food colouring and continue to mix until the color is evenly distributed
6. Fold the sieved almond meal and powdered sugar into the meringue in 2 additions, scraping around the bowl and down the centre
7. Continue until you notice that the lines that form when the batter falls back into the bowl slowly start to disappear
8. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a round tip and pipe out 1.5inch circles
9. Allow to dry for 1-2 hours, or until the surface is matte and dry
10. Bake in a preheated oven at 140°C for 13-15 minutes (I find that it's usually done at 13, but it depends on your oven so make sure to check! If you give your macarons a wiggle they shouldn't be moving, that's when they're ready)
11. Remove from oven and let cool

Ube Buttercream

1. Whisk butter, cream cheese and ube halaya together until light and fluffy
2. Add ube extract and mix until well combined
3. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a round tip
4. Match similar sized macaron shells with each other
5. On the flat side of one shell pipe a large dollop of buttercream
6. Top with a matching shell
7. Place in airtight container in the fridge for a day to mature (gives deeper flavour and chewy texture!)