• Line a baking sheet with parchment. I love to use macaron parchment paper for easy sizing when piping, but you can also draw circles on the backside of the parchment and use that as a guide.

Make the shells

• Sift the almond flour, confectioners' sugar, and strawberry powder into a large bowl using a mesh sieve. You may need to do this a couple of times and then discard any remaining clumps in the sieve. Set aside.
• In a clean bowl, add the room-temperature egg whites. Beat them using an electric or stand mixer until they begin to foam. Then, add the cream of tartar and continue beating while slowly adding the granulated sugar until soft peaks form.
• Beat in the vanilla and food coloring and continue to whip on high speed until a thick, glossy meringue with stiff peaks form.
• Using a spatula, add half of the almond flour mixture into the meringue until combined. Then, gently and carefully fold in the remaining flour. You don't want to overmix the batter but you do want it to be shiny and look like flowing lava. It should flow off the spatula and fall into a figure-eight shape without breaking. Then, spoon the batter into the piping bag fitted with a medium round piping tip.
• Pipe 1-2 inch rounds onto the prepared baking sheet. Tap the sheet on the counter several times to bring any air bubbles to the surface. Allow the macarons to sit on the counter for about 40 minutes, or until they feel dry to the touch. They should not feel sticky.
• Meanwhile, preheat the over to 300℉ and position the rack to the lower third of the oven.
• Bake for 15-18 minutes. They are done when you can gently press on the shell, and it's not wiggly but dry to the touch. Let them cool completely before removing from the baking sheet. Otherwise, they may stick and break off.

Vanilla Buttercream

• Beat the softened butter (1/2 cup unsalted butter) on medium-high speed until smooth, about 2-3 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and add the powdered sugar 1/4 cup at a time (2½ cups total). You may need to scrape down the bowl.
• Add the vanilla (2 teaspoons vanilla extract) and salt (1/4 teaspoon salt) and increase the speed to medium. One tablespoon at a time, add the milk (2-3 tablespoons milk) and beat for 2-3 minutes, or until it's creamy and perfect consistency to pipe. If it's too runny, add additional powdered sugar. If it's too stiff, add a splash of milk.