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How to Make Perfect Heart Shaped Macarons for Valentine’s Day

How to Make Perfect Heart Shaped Macarons for Valentine’s Day

Ingredients

Scale

Macarons:

  • 1 cup (100g) almond flour
  • 1½ cups (180g) powdered sugar
  • 3 large egg whites (90g, room temperature)
  • ¼ tsp cream of tartar
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ tsp red gel food coloring
  • ½ tsp pure vanilla extract

Vanilla Buttercream:

  • ¼ cup unsalted butter (softened)
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tbsp heavy whipping cream
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Prep Your Templates: Print 4 heart templates. Place parchment paper over the templates on baking sheets.
  2. Mix the Dry Ingredients: Sift almond flour and powdered sugar twice into a large bowl.
  3. Whip the Egg Whites: Beat egg whites with cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Slowly add granulated sugar, then beat to stiff peaks. Add food coloring and vanilla extract, beating until fully combined.
  4. Combine Wet & Dry: Fold dry ingredients into the meringue in thirds. Mix until the batter forms a ribbon-like “figure 8.”
  5. Pipe Hearts: Use a piping bag to fill the heart templates, smoothing with a toothpick. Tap trays to release air bubbles and pop any visible ones. Let rest 45-60 minutes until the tops are dry to touch.
  6. Bake: Preheat oven to 315°F (160°C). Bake one tray at a time for 13 minutes. Let cool completely before removing from parchment paper.
  7. Make Buttercream: Beat butter until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar, whipping cream, and vanilla until smooth.
  8. Assemble: Pipe buttercream onto half of the macarons and sandwich with the other half.
  9. Refrigerate: Chill for 1-2 days for the best texture and flavor.

Notes

These macarons are a perfect gift for Valentine’s Day—or just because!