Weigh out almond flour

Sift and weigh out powdered sugar

If making powder from freeze-dried raspberries, put them in your blender and process until a fine powder. Sift the powder through a fine sieve, removing the seeds. Measure out 10 grams, reserving the remainder for the ganache and decorating the finished macarons.

Add almond flour, powdered sugar and raspberry powder to the bowl of a food processor and pulse several times to combine. Do not overmix or almond flour will get sticky.

Weigh out first 110 grams of egg whites and whisk lightly, just until bubbly

Fold egg whites nto almond flour/powdered sugar/raspberry power blend and fold together with a spatula until paste forms. Do not overmix.  Set aside.

Beat egg whites and a pinch of cream of tartar on high in a stand mixer just until whites are bubbly, then add caster/fine granulated sugar.

Continue to beat egg whites until hard peaks form when you hold the whisk up...approximately 15 minutes.  Check after 10 minutes ( if adding food coloring, add now) and then every couple of minutes thereafter until hard peaks form.

Gently fold half of the meringue mixture into the batter and then the second half. Continue to fold until mixture resembles a molten lava consistency or it ribbons when you hold the spatula above the bowl. Alternately, add a dollop to a plate, if the peak falls and the macaron is slightly convex, you are ready to go.

Fill a piping bag, fitted with a 1A tip, with the macaron batter

Carefully pipe similarly sized circle onto a silicone mat or parchment paper. If you do use a silicone mat, to ensure that the mats are clean, dry and not greasy.

Hold the piping bag perpendicular to the mat, gently but firmly apply equal pressure and pushing the tip up and down.

When finished, slam the baking sheets onto the counter a few times to get all of the air bubbles out.

If using sprinkles, do it now while the macarons are damp

Let macarons rest for at least 30-456 minutes before baking. Touch the tops of the macarons to ensure that they are dry before putting them in the oven.

Preheat your oven to 300°F...if you have the convection feature on your oven, definitely use it.

Bake for 12-14 minutes...1 tray at a time

Let cool for 10-15 minutes and peel them off of the mat by bending the mat away from the macarons.

Fill the macarons with the ganache or store in freezer or refrigerator until needed

Combine cream and raspberry preserves over medium heat and stir until well combined

Remove from heat and add chocolate bits to cream mixture. 

Stir until chocolate is incorporated

Let the ganache cool to room temperature before piping between macarons.