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. Fold the sieved almond meal and powdered sugar into the meringue in 2 additions, scraping around the bowl and down the centre
6. Once just folded in, split the batter into two portion
7. Add brown food colouring to one half
8. Press the batter around the bowl and before folding it into the centre
9. Continue until you notice that the lines that form when the batter falls back into the bowl slowly start to disappear
10. Repeat with the uncoloured batter
11. Transfer to two piping bags with a round tip and pipe out 1.5inch circles
12. Allow to dry for 1-2 hours
13. Bake in a preheated oven at 140°C for 10-15 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)
14. Remove from oven and let cool

Coffee Buttercream

1. Combine water and instant coffee powder, mix until dissolved and cool
2. Add butter and condensed milk to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat on medium-high for 5 minutes until light and silky
3. Add the cooled coffee mix and beat for a further 2 minutes
4. Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a round piping tip
5. Match similar sized macaron shells with each other
6. On the flat side of one shell pipe a blob of buttercream
7. Top with a matching shell of the opposite colour
8. Place in airtight container in the fridge for a day to mature (gives deeper flavour and chewy texture!)