Prepare the baking sheets: Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper. Draw circles on the back of the paper, if desired, about 1-inch in diameter; I like to make smaller cookies. Also, prepare a large pastry bag with a simple round tip.

To make the peach powder, first place the dried peaches into a food processor and pulse for a few minutes until just a fine powder remains. Sift this powder through a fine-mesh sieve before using; you should have a few tablespoons of the powder.

Next, premeasure the ingredients; I highly recommend using a kitchen scale. Combine the almond flour, confectioner's sugar and freeze-dried peach powder in a large bowl. Add 55 grams of egg whites on top but do not stir! Place the remaining 55 grams of egg whites into a stand mixer bowl.

Next, prepare the sugar syrup. Place the wine and granulated sugar into a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until sugar syrup reaches 240F. When sugar syrup is almost ready, turn on your mixer to high speed and whisk egg whites until soft peaks form. Slowly pour in sugar syrup, whisking egg whites on high speed; whisk for about 5 minutes until meringue is thick and glossy. Add the champagne extract and mix for a few seconds just until incorporated.

Fold the meringue into the prepared flour and egg whites. Using a spatula, scoop from the bottom of the mixing bowl and flat the meringue against the side of your mixing bowl. The cookie batter needs to be a specific consistency, not too thick or too thin. Watch my video recipe to see how it;s done. Be careful not to over stir! The batter should drop off of your spatula in a ribbon and should settle down completely in 10 to 15 seconds.

Transfer the batter into your prepared piping bag. Pipe 1-inch cookies onto the prepared parchment paper, spacing them about 1-1/2 inches apart. Once the cookies are piped, tap the baking sheet a several times against the counter, to release any trapped air bubbles. Let the cookies stand at room temperature for approximately 1 hour, until a thin film forms on the top. This step is very important. The cookies need to form a thin film on the outside which will prevent them from cracking.

Preheat the oven to 285-300F. I bake mine at 290F for 12 to 15 minutes. Each oven temperature is different, make sure your cookies don't bake too quickly on the outside. I open my oven door a few times and turn the pan once for even baking. Allow the cookies to cool on the parchment paper, then pair them up by size.

For the frosting: in medium sized bowl, whisk the softened butter for 3 to 4 minutes on high speed until light and fluffy. Add in the confectioner's sugar and mix again for a few minutes until a light and fluffy buttercream forms. Last, add in the extract and peach preserves. Mix on medium speed for about 30 seconds, just until well combined. Transfer the filling into a pastry bag.

Turn half of the cookies over face down and pipe a generous amount of filling onto the center. Very carefully top with second cookie. I recommend keeping these refrigerated for 1 to 3 days to allow the macarons to ‘mature’. When they ‘mature’, the shells become softer and even more delicious! Take them out at least 30 minutes to an hour before enjoying to allow the cookies to thaw and come up to room temperature.

Optional: if desired, garnish the cookies with pearl dust. Place a little bit of the dust into a small bowl and using a fine, soft fan brush, brush the pearl dust over the macaron shells.