Weigh your egg whites the night before and leave them uncovered overnight.
Mix together the powdered sugar, almond flour, and cocoa powder in a food processor and blend until the almonds are a fine powder and well blended into the sugar.
Beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks, then add the salt and granulated sugar and beat just until stiff peaks form. Stir in the chocolate extract.
Pour the powdered sugar mixture into the egg whites and fold in. Once the dry ingredients begin to mix into the egg whites, start checking the consistency of the batter by lifting up a spoonful of batter with your spatula. The batter should ribbon down back onto itself and then slowly mix back into the rest of the batter. it should move like lava and take a few seconds to mix back in.
Leave your batter uncovered in the bowl for about 30 minutes.
Fit a piping bag with a large (½ inch) tip and prepare your baking sheets with silicone mats (I find they work beter to prevent too much spreading). I prefer mats with circles drawn on for accuracy.
Fill the piping bag halfway with the batter and pipe circles onto your baking sheets that are about an inch in diameter (they will spread a bit). Leave uncovered for an hour.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Bake the sheets for 10 - 12 minutes, turning halfway.
Allow to fully cool before removing from the sheets. Meanwhile, make your buttercream.
Beat the butter until creamy. Add in the powdered sugar half a cup at a time, then add your heavy cream one tablespoon at a time to check for your desired consistency. Fold in the crushed peppermint.
Fit another piping bag with a tip of your choice then fill with the buttercream. Top half of the macaron shells with the buttercream and top with the other half.
Macarons taste best when they've "aged". I recommend leaving them in the freezer in an airtight container overnight.
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