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These conversation heart macarons are a fun project for Valentine’s Day or to give as a gift for a special someone for no reason at all. Included is a heart template for your use!
Valentine’s Day and sweets go hand in hand! I am not much of a roses and fresh cut flowers girl, but give me candy and you have my heart. (well with most candies at least).
Conversation hearts were never my favorite. Their chalky taste and texture never left me satisfied with consuming sugar this way. But I could never resist those cute sayings pastel colored hearts. So what’s a girl to do? Make them into macarons of course.
If you’ve been around here a while, you’ll notice lots and lots of macaron tips, recipes and tutorials. This conversation heart macaron project has been one of my favorites!
If making macarons in other shapes intimidates you, fear not, I have a heart template for you!
Grab the template then watch the video – or read all about these conversation heart macarons below!
Tools & Ingredients
For these fun conversation heart macarons you’ll need a few tools apart from the usual macaron making arsenal:
- Edible food marker to write on the macarons
- Heart macaron template – Here’s a simple heart template you could use
And then for macarons, here are the tools I always recommend:
How to make Conversation Heart Macarons
These conversation heart macarons have a few different steps to get to the final delicious macarons. The biggest challenge in this project is dividing the batter part way through the macaronage process.
But don’t worry I walk you through it below and well as in my video!
STEP #1: Heart Macaron Shells
These heart macarons are made with the same shells I used in several macaron recipes like Ras Malai Macarons or these Masala Chai Macarons / Tea Latte Macarons. I use a french merignue based macaron recipe!
I highly recommend that the ingredients for the macaron shells are weighed to be as precise as possible. I use this scale for accuracy, but any kitchen scale will work. If you’d like more tips on macarons, check out more tips here!
Combine the dry ingredients:
Start by sifting the almond flour and icing/powdered sugar together a few times to remove clumps. It helps with making sure that the final shells are as smooth as possible.
I typically sift the almond flour and icing sugar at least twice to ensure that no clumps remain. This makes for the smoothest possible macaron shells! This is the sieve that I use to make sure no clumps remain!
Make the meringue:
Next, make the meringue, by beating of egg whites, granulated sugar, and a pinch of cream of tartar.
This part can be done on a stand mixer or a hand mixer. For smaller batches of macarons, I prefer to use my Kitchenaid hand mixer!
Roughly fold the batter:
Typically, this is when you would go through the full macronage process or fold in the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
We’ll do the same, but with a few more steps.
Add in all the dry ingredients (almond flour and icing sugar mixture), into the meringue (egg white mixture).
Fold just until the batter is combined. Don’t fold any further than you need.
Divide, and color:
At this point we will divide the batter in 4 parts (or however many colors you want to make).
I prefer using a scale to divide it up so that I have roughly the same number of macarons for each color.
Macronage each batch:
Next, add just a small drop of color into each batch. It is helpful to use a cookie scribe or toothpick for this part.
For this project, I used Americolor Gel Food coloring in the following shades:
- Americolor Soft Gel Paste in Leaf Green
- Americolor Soft Gel Paste in Orange
- Americolor Soft Gel Paste in Deep Pink
- Americolor Soft Gel Paste in Violet
These colors are all available in the AmeriColor Gel Colour Starter Set
For each color, macronage separtely until hte batter flows like a ribbon.
A word of caution, try not to adjust the color after the first few folds, as you might over mix the batter and get flat macaron shells.
Stop folding when the batter flows off the spatula in a ribbon.
Repeat this process for each color.
Pipe onto Baking Tray:
Once you’re satisfied with the batter, it’s time to pipe it on the tray.
Prepare a baking sheet with a heart template, then lay on top of it parchment paper or silicone baking mat. I like using these silicone baking mats. But you can experiment with parchment paper as well!
Transfer your batter to a piping bag, fitted with a round tip. I prefer to use this Wilton #12 round decorating tip.
Pipe one color following the heart template as a guide. Between each color tap the baking sheet to remove air bubbles, and use a toothpick or cookie scribe to adjust any of the heart shapes.
It is helpful to do this between every color, because the batter will dry fairly quickly due to the smaller size.
Rest, then Bake
Rest the batter for 30 minutes, before baking.
Then bake the macarons. I used a lower baking temperature at 300ºF oven to prevent browning, with a shorter bake time (8-10 minutes).
STEP #3: Decorate, Fill and Mature
Decorate:
Once the macaron shells are cooled completely, then pair them together so you have similar shaped cookies.
Use the edible food marker to write your favorite sayings on the heart macarons. Some ideas for this:
- Hug Me
- Love
- XOXO
- Be Mine
Fill the macarons
Pipe preferred frosting onto half the cookies, and sandwich them together.
These macarons can be filled with any of your favorite fillings. Here are some ideas for macaron fillings:
- Hot Chocolate Macarons
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Macarons
- Candy Cane Macarons: White Chocolate & Peppermint
- Nutella Macarons
- The coffee frosting from these Mocha Cupcakes with Coffee Frosting
Mature:
Macarons taste best when they’ve had some time to rest and mature in the fridge. So these macarons can easily be made ahead of time!
Tips and FAQ
- The trickiest part is dividing the batter part way through the macronage process. It can be easy to overmix the batter while trying to incorporate the right amount of color into a small amount of batter.
- If you use my heart template this recipe will make 40 macarons, as these hearts are smaller than regular macarons.
- Make sure to use gel food color when coloring the macaron batter, so that there isn’t too much additional moisture added.
- If using a different macaron recipe, then make sure to lower the temperature a little, and baking for 2-3 minutes less than usual.
If you use this tutorial, tag me in your creations and follow me on Instagram @sprinklesandscribbles for more dessert inspiration!
Conversation Heart Macarons
Ingredients
Macaron Shells
- 135 g almond flour
- 125 g icing sugar
- 100 g egg whites
- 88 g granulated sugar
- pinch cream of tartar
- gel food coloring 3-4 colors of your choice
Decorate & Assembly
- Red edible marker to write on macarons
- 1/3 cup frosting for filling
Instructions
Macaron Shells
- Pre-heat oven to 300°F.
- Separate the eggs from the egg whites (if using fresh eggs). Measure out 100 g (about 3 large eggs).
- Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, sift the icing sugar, and almond flour together. Repeat the sifting process to ensure there are no clumps. If there are any clumps, discard them.
- Prepare the Meringue: In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or bowl if using a hand mixer), add the egg whites and a pinch cream of tartar. Beat on high until foamy.
- Once the egg whites are foamy, turn the mixer down to the lowest setting possible, and slowly add in the granulated sugar. Be sure to incorporate all the sugar into the egg whites.
- Turn up the mixer again on high, and keep beating egg whites until stiff peaks form. DO NOT OVER BEAT.
- Macronage: With a rubber spatula, fold the dry mixture into the egg whites, just until combined.
- Divide the batter into 4 separate bowls.
- Using a toothpick or scribe, add a smidge of preferred gel food color, then macronage as usual, until the paste flows like a ribbon/lava.
- Repeat with the other 3 colors.
- Prepare a baking sheet with a heart template, then lay on top of it parchment paper or silicone baking mat.
- Fit a pastry bag with a #12 round tip, if using, and trim the bottom as appropriate. Transfer one color to the piping bag.
- Pipe hearts onto the prepared baking sheet. Once the frist color is piping, tap the baking sheet to release all air bubbles. Remove smaller bubbles with a cookie scribe or toothpick.
- Repeat this process with each color. You should get about 80 mini hearts in total if following the template.
- Rest for 30 minutes, until the shells have formed a skin, and are no longer tacky to touch.
- Bake Shells: Bake in the oven, at 300ºF-325°F for 8-10 minutes.
- Check for doneness, by wiggling the shell. Shells are done when they don’t move from the feet. If it wiggles from the feet, then bake for another minute, and check again.
- Cool the shells in the tray.
Decorate and Fill
- Pair similar-sized shells together to form the cookie sandwiches.
- Use the edible food marker to write your favorite sayings on the heart macarons.
- Pipe preferred frosting onto half the cookies, and sandwich them together.
- Allow filling to set and mature in the fridge for 2 hours at least, or overnight in an airtight container.
- Enjoy these macarons within 3-5 days of baking, or freeze for up to 3 months in an airtight container.
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