Vanilla Lemon Macarons with Lemon ButterCream Filling

1 ) Sift almonds and icing sugar together.
2 ) Beat egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar until stiff peaks form. Add vanilla essence and gently fold in the almond icing sugar mixture until a thick paste forms.
3 ) Fit a piping bag with a round tip. Fill half the bag with the meringue mixture. On a tray lined with a silicone baking mat, pipe 1.5cm circles (diameter) with 3cm spacing between. Tap the baking tray a few times to allow the meringue mixture to settle, and leave meringue to dry out for 45mins at room temperature.
4 ) Preheat oven to 180C. When a crust has formed on the meringue, bake for 10-12 mins until macarons have risen and spread slightly. Allow macarons to cool before removing from tray.
5 ) Make the lemon buttercream filling. Beat butter with icing sugar until light and fluffy. Add lemon juice, lemon zest and vanilla essence and mix well.
6 ) Repeat step 5 to make the raspberry buttercream filling adding the raspberry purée instead of the lemon juice and zest.
7 ) Fill half a piping bag with the buttercream filling. Pipe the filling onto one meringue cookie and sandwich with another piece. Repeat until all macarons are used up. Chill the macarons overnight for a
better flavour.