Macarons with Matcha Cream Cheese Filling and Pistachios

Place the almonds in blender and grind very fine. In a bowl, beat the egg white with the lemon juice until soft peaks form. Continue beating, while adding the powdered sugar 1 spoonful at a time, until very stiff and glossy. Gently fold the almonds and matcha into the egg white mixture. Place the meringue mixture into a piping bag fitted with a large round tip. Pipe uniform dots on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake in the oven until dried on the outside, but soft in the middle, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

For the matcha cream cheese filling: In a bowl, beat the butter with the powdered sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the cream cheese and matcha until smooth. Place in a piping bag fitted with a star tip. Pipe mixture onto half the macarons. Sandwich with the remaining cookies pressing lightly to adhere.

For garnish: Serve sprinkled with the chopped pistachios.