Step 1

Sift 63g superfine almond flour, 63g powdered sugar and 7g of black cocoa powder into a large bowl and set aside.

Step 2

Pour 55g of aged egg whites into the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk and mix on a medium speed until the surface of the egg whites is covered in small bubbles. Add in a pinch of cream of tartar and continue to mix until it reaches the soft peak stage.

Step 3

Add 55g of granulated sugar into the eggs and mix on a medium speed for 30 seconds. Add in the black gel food coloring at this point, then increase the mixing speed to a medium high speed. Keep mixing until stiff, glossy peaks form.

Step 4

Add in the dry ingredients then fold the mixture together with a rubber spatula. Use a circular motion that sweeps around the edge of the bowl and then pull through the bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is getting mixed together. Fold until a thick ribbon of batter runs off the spatula when it is lifted. You should be able to draw a couple figure 8's with the batter running off your spatula when it is the right consistency. If the stream of batter breaks before you're able to this, you may need to stir it a bit more.

Step 5

Pour the batter into a large piping bag fit with a medium-sized round piping tip and pipe 1 1/4-inch rounds on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 1 inch apart.

Step 6

Bang the pans firmly on the counter a few times to release air bubbles, then pop any remaining air bubbles that come to the surface with a toothpick.

Step 7

Let the macarons rest for 30 minutes to develop a skin. The macarons should look matte once the skin has formed. As the macarons rest, preheat your oven to 315 F.

Step 8

Bake one tray of macarons at a time on the middle rack of your oven for 15-18 minutes and rotate your pan halfway through.

Step 9

Remove from oven and let the macarons cool on the pan (about 15 minutes), then gently remove them from the silpat mat.

Step 10

Beat 56g of room-temperature butter on a medium speed for 1-2 minutes with a whisk attachment until it becomes lighter in color and smooth.

Step 11

Mix in 7g black cocoa powder, 4g vanilla extract, 1g salt and a squirt of black gel food coloring on a low speed.

Step 12

Slowly mix in 125g of powdered sugar and 15g heavy cream on a low speed.

Step 13

Continue to mix on low for a couple minutes until the ingredients are fully incorporated and the desired consistency is reached.

Step 14

If the frosting is too thick, add in additional heavy cream or milk (1 tsp at a time). If the frosting is too thin, add in more powdered sugar (1 Tbsp at a time).

Step 15

Place in a piping bag with a small round tip and set aside.

Step 16

Pair up the macaron shells then pipe a dollop of chocolate buttercream onto the bottom of one macaron shell. Gently press a second shell on top of the frosting to create a sandwich and repeat with the remaining shells.

Step 17

If desired, brush the top of each macaron with a streak of edible gold paint.

Step 18

Place the finished macarons in an airtight container and chill in the fridge for a few hours or overnight. Remove the macarons from the fridge about 15 minutes before you want to eat them to let them come to room temperature. Store any leftover macarons in the fridge.