Apple Pie Macarons

For the Vanilla Macarons:

1. Sift together the almond flour, powdered sugar, and salt through a fine mesh sieve, discarding the pieces left in the sieve.
2. Add the egg whites to a large bowl. Use a handheld electric mixer to beat until frothy. While still beating, add the granulated sugar a little at a time. Continue beating until the egg whites reach stiff peaks.
3. Beat the vanilla extract and vanilla bean paste into the egg whites.
4. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold 1/3 of the almond flour mixture at a time into the egg whites. Be careful not to over-mix.
5. Line 2 large baking trays with parchment paper or silpat liners. Fit a piping bag with a round tip, and transfer the batter to the piping bag. Pipe the batter into 3/4-inch circles about 1 inch apart.
6. Tap the trays firmly against the countertop a few times to release any air bubbles.
7. Let the piped cookies sit at room temperature until they form a skin and feel dry on top, about 30 to 60 minutes.
8. Preheat the oven to 300F.
9. Bake the trays one at a time until the macarons develop a puffed “foot” on the bottom and are light golden around the outside, about 10 to 15 minutes.
10. Let the cookies cool completely before removing from the baking tray.

For the Vanilla Buttercream:

1. Beat together all ingredients in a large bowl until light and fluffy, adding enough milk to achieve the right consistency.

To Assemble the Macarons:

1. Match up similar sized and shaped macarons into pairs.
2. Fit a piping bag with a star tip, and transfer the buttercream to the piping bag. Pipe a ring of buttercream on the bottom cookie of each cookie pair. Place 1/2 teaspoon of apple filling in the center of each buttercream ring. Place the matched cookie on top to form sandwiches.

To Decorate the Macarons:

1. Place the macarons on a wire rack on top of a parchment-lined baking tray.
2. Melt the white candy melting wafers in a microwave or double boiler. Stir until smooth. Transfer the melted candy to a zip-top plastic bag and snip off one corner. Drizzle the melted candy decoratively on top of each macaron. Before the candy drizzle sets, sprinkle a tiny bit of crushed cinnamon graham crackers on each.
3. Let the candy set before serving.