• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees using the convection setting. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silpats.
• Whisk the powdered sugar and almond meal together in a bowl. Sift it thoroughly into another large bowl – you may have a few tablespoons of coarse almond meal left which is fine – discard it. This will take a few minutes! Set the bowl aside.
• Add the egg whites, cream of tartar and salt to the bowl of your electric mixer and beat on low speed until frothy. Add in the sugar gradually, very slowly, while increasing the speed to medium high. Continue to beat the egg whites for a few minutes until they are shiny and stiff. Beat in the vanilla and peppermint extracts, along with the pink food coloring.
• Transfer the egg whites into the bowl with the sifted sugar and almond flour. Fold the dry ingredients into the egg whites, dragging the spatula through the center and folding the bottom of the batter over. You don’t want to overmix! Mix until just combined. Scoop the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a round tip – mine was 1/2 inch wide.
• Take the pastry bag and pipe 1 inch (or so) circles, leaving about 2 inches between each. Once you’ve filled up the baking sheets, tap them against the counter to release any air bubbles. Let sit for at least 15 minutes (or longer, if more humid) until the tops are no longer sticky. Place another baking sheet underneath the one with the macarons (this prevents the macs from getting too much heat) and stick the sheets in the oven. Bake one sheet at a time, for 18 to 20 minutes, until the tops are set and you can see the “feet” underneath. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
• To fill, take two macaron shells and top one with chocolate ganache and the other with white chocolate. Sprinkle crushed peppermints over top of both, then stick the shells together to create your cookie.

for the ganache(s):

• To make the ganache, add each chopped chocolate to a separate bowl. Heat the heavy cream over medium heat until it’s just hot and the edges are bubbling, then pour 1/3 cup over the dark chocolate and 1/4 cup over the white. (I find that white needs less liquid, feel free to add more after stirring if necessary.) Let sit for 1 minute, then stir continuously until the chocolate melts and you have a smooch ganache.