Description
Heart-Shaped Macarons are delicate French cookies featuring a crisp exterior and chewy interior, filled with luscious buttercream, ganache, or jam. Perfect for romantic occasions like Valentine’s Day and weddings, these vibrant red or pink almond-flavored treats showcase elegance and irresistible flavor.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Macarons:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ¾ cup almond flour (finely ground and sifted)
- 2 large egg whites (room temperature)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ tsp cream of tartar
- Gel food coloring (optional, red or pink recommended)
For the Filling:
- ½ cup unsalted butter (softened)
- 1½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1–2 tbsp heavy cream or milk
Instructions
- Prepare Baking Sheets: Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats. Optionally, place a heart-shaped macaron template underneath for guidance while piping.
- Sift Dry Ingredients: Sift together powdered sugar and almond flour into a large bowl to ensure no lumps and a smooth batter.
- Beat Egg Whites: In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with cream of tartar until foamy. Gradually add granulated sugar and continue beating until stiff, glossy peaks form, which will help create the macaron’s signature texture.
- Add Color: Add gel food coloring if desired, folding gently to distribute without deflating the meringue.
- Macaronage: Gently fold the dry ingredients into the meringue in batches using a spatula, until the batter flows like thick lava and forms a figure-8 ribbon when lifted. This ensures the right consistency for smooth shells.
- Pipe Shapes: Transfer batter to a piping bag fitted with a round tip. Pipe heart shapes onto the prepared trays, maintaining even sizes for uniform baking.
- Release Air Bubbles: Tap the trays firmly on a flat surface to release trapped air bubbles, preventing cracks during baking.
- Rest Macarons: Let the piped shells sit at room temperature for 30–60 minutes until a skin forms on top and they are no longer sticky to the touch, which helps create the smooth shell surface.
- Preheat Oven: Preheat oven to 300°F (150°C) to ensure proper baking temperature.
- Bake: Bake the macarons for 14–16 minutes, rotating the trays halfway through baking for even heat distribution.
- Cool: Remove from oven and let macarons cool completely on the trays before removing to avoid breaking the delicate shells.
- Make Filling: Beat softened butter until creamy, then gradually mix in powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and heavy cream or milk until a smooth, pipeable consistency is reached.
- Assemble: Pipe filling onto half of the cooled macaron shells, then sandwich with the remaining halves to form heart-shaped macaron sandwiches.
Notes
- Use a kitchen scale for precise measurement of ingredients, especially almond flour and powders, for the best texture.
- Almond flour should be finely ground and sifted to avoid gritty shells.
- After assembling, allow macarons to mature in the refrigerator for 24 hours to enhance flavor and texture before serving.
- Room temperature egg whites whip better, resulting in more stable meringue peaks.
- Be gentle during folding to avoid deflating the meringue excessively.
