Irish Cream Macarons

To make the vanilla bean macarons:

1. In a food processor or blender, pulse the almond flour and powdered sugar a few times until fine. Do not over pulse. Sift into a bowl with the salt.
2. In another bowl, beat the egg whites with a hand or stand mixer until frothy. Continue beating while slowly adding the granulated sugar and seeds from the scraped vanilla bean until stiff peaks form.
3. Gently fold the beaten egg whites into the ground almond and powdered sugar mixture until combined, but be careful not to overmix. It should be the consistency of “molten lava” but not runny, about 40-65 folds. Transfer the batter to a piping bag fitted with a 0.4 inch (10 millimeter) circular tip.
4. On a parchment lined baking sheet, pipe 1 1/2 inch (4 centimeter) circles at least 2 inches (5 centimeters) apart. Repeat with remaining baking sheets. If your oven runs hot, place an empty baking sheet under each baking sheet with the macarons to offer some protection against the heat.
5. Firmly tap the baking sheets against the counter to remove excess bubbles. Allow to rest uncovered 30-60 minutes to form a shell.
6. Preheat oven to 300˚F (150˚C).
7. Bake the macarons in preheated oven until the tops become firm, 15-20 minutes. Allow to cool before removing from baking sheet.

To make the Irish cream frosting:

1. In a medium bowl, beat softened butter on low speed until smooth. Mix in the powdered sugar and increase speed to medium and continue to beat until smooth and creamy. Slowly drizzle in the Irish cream, heavy cream, and vanilla and beat until combined.
2. If too thick, add additional heavy cream or a little Irish Cream until pipe-able. If too thin, add a little more powdered sugar. Transfer the buttercream into a bag fitted with a number 8-10 tip.

To assemble:

1. If desired, top the macaron shells with glitter dust for decoration. In a small bowl, place 1/4 teaspoon of the green glitter in a small bowl and mixed with a couple drops of almond extract to get the desired consistency. Use a food-safe brush to decorate the tops of the macaron shells.
2. Pair together the cooled macaron shells that are similar in shape. Pipe the filling onto half of the bottom side of the shells. Top, bottom side towards filling, with remaining shells. Gently twist until the buttercream filling reaches the edges. Repeat with remaining pairs.
3. For best results, refrigerate for 24 hours before serving.