Easter Bunny Macarons

Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Put a master template under the parchment paper or draw 1 1/2-inch circles in rows on the paper, about 1 inch between each circle horizontally, and 3 inches between each row (to allow space for bunnies’ ears).

Process powdered sugar and almond flour in a food processor until finely ground. Sift the mixture through a sieve. If there are more than 2 tablespoons of large chunks left in the sieve, grind them and sift again. Set the mixture aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitter with a whisk attachment, beat egg whites at medium speed until frothy. Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Increase the speed to high and beat until very stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes.

Sift the almond flour mixture over the egg whites. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the almond flour mixture into the egg whites until the ingredients are just combined. Add a drop or two of food coloring to tint the batter. Continue to fold the mixture until it has loosened and falls in a ribbon from the spatula.

Fit a pastry bag with a round tip and fill the bag with the batter. Using the template as a guide, pipe circles onto the parchment papers. Pipe two ears each for half of the macarons. The rest will be used as bunnies backs. Tap the bottom of each sheet on the work surface to release trapped air bubbles.

To decorate the half portion of the macarons (with the piped ears), use a tweezer to carefully place the sprinkle ball on each of the macaron as the nose, and the long chocolate sprinkles as the whiskers. Let the cookies stand at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. This allows the cookies to develop their crusts.

Preheat oven to 325ºF. Bake the macarons for 10 to 12 minutes, until set but not browned. Transfer the baking sheets to wire racks and let the macarons to cool completely on the pans.

Once cooled, gently lift half of the cookies (with the ears) from the parchment paper and turn them upside down. Spoon or pipe a teaspoon of buttercream filling onto each of the upside-down cookies. Top with the remaining cookies.