These cinnamon spiced heart macarons are the perfect way to celebrate Valentine’s Day!
This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my full Disclosure Policy for details.
Baking holiday-themed stuff could be my most favourite thing ever. I get just a little excited about the prospect of incorporating different themes and flavours into my baked goodies. So, what better way to celebrate Valentine’s Day than with some pretty pink heart macarons?
It didn’t take me long to decide what I wanted to make, but it took some research to figure out how I would create the heart shapes. I spent too much time looking for a heart shaped cookie cutter to create my parchment templates. I needed ONE cookie cutter, not 3 and preferably not giant. This was harder to find than expected mid-January. Cookie cutter hunt was fruitless so I looked for a template online. I found this one, printed two 8 1/2″x11″ copies on my home printer and taped/cut them into an 11″x17″ shape for my pans. I placed the parchment templates under my Silpat mats to use as a guide.
Piping the macarons was easier than expected, though I did use a toothpick on most of them to get the point at the bottom of the heart. I used the 2A tip for these guys as opposed to the 1A tip I usually use. The 2A is a bit smaller and was better for making this shape.
These didn’t quite turn out as pretty as I’d hoped and I should have done a better job sifting the dry ingredients. Post-baking they were a bit lumpy and did not have the pristine smooth tops they should have.
Still though, after my initial distaste for their appearance (and thoughts of redoing them entirely), I think they turned out pretty good! I made these in two batches, one for light pink and one for dark pink. I added in some fuchsia color gel when I was doing the final mixing (referred to as macaronage).
For the filling, I made a buttercream using this recipe except I quartered it and added about 1/4 tsp cinnamon. It was a very subtle flavour, so if you like cinnamon, I would add more.
As is the case with most macarons, these only got better with age. You can eat them right away, (and really, who can resist?) but it’s better to let them sit in the fridge overnight or even 24-48 hours.
Let the aged macs sit at room temperature for a bit before devouring and see if YOU have the will power to limit yourself to just one.
Valentine's Heart Macarons
INGREDIENTS
COOKIES
- 60 g egg whites room temperature
- 65 g sugar
- 75 g almond powder
- 55 g powdered sugar
- fuschia color gel
CINNAMON BUTTERCREAM
- 1/4 recipe Simple Vanilla Buttercream
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
INSTRUCTIONS
- Line baking sheet with a silpat mat or parchment.*
- Place the almond powder and icing sugar in a food processor. Process until just beginning to clump.
- Sift well and discard any bits that won't pass through the sifter. Set aside.
- Whip the egg whites until they're the consistency of a loose foam. Continue whipping while slowly adding sugar. Whip to a stiff meringue.
- Fold the dry mixture into the meringue. Add in color gel at this point**
- Pour the batter into a piping bag fitted with the 2A tip.
- Pipe the macarons onto your baking sheet.
- When all your macarons are piped, whack the baking sheet on the counter at least 3 times to get rid of any air bubbles.***
- Let the macarons dry at room temperature until dry to the touch. Approx 1 hour. DO NOT skip this step.
- While macarons are drying, make the buttercream.
- Once dry, bake macarons in a 300°F oven until they stick a little bit to the pans. This can be anywhere from 10-20mins depending on your oven and how crowded the macarons are on the pan.
- Let cookies cool completely before removing from pans.
- Pipe buttercream into the center, sandwich the cookies and press together.
NOTES
*I used a heart template and placed it under my Silpat mat.**You will need to do a LOT of folds to get the batter to the proper consistency. You're looking for it to be smooth and shiny and have some movement. If you lift some up with a spatula, it should pour in a steady stream and settle into the remaining batter. DO NOT overmix.
*** Do not be shy with the whacking!
This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a (very) small commission if you click a link and purchase something. I only link to products I use, trust, and wholeheartedly recommend. Your support is greatly appreciated!
Items You May Need (or Want!)
I really love this revipe and I cant wait to make these macarons on Valentines Day and wow my friends!!! However, I dont happen to own a weighing scale and I was just wondering whether you happen to know what the measurements were in cups? That would really help out 🙂
Hi Mayan! I don’t have the measurements in cups, but you can find some conversion websites online. I’ve used this one before and find it works well but make sure to convert each specific ingredient individually.
http://www.traditionaloven.com/culinary-arts/flours/almonds-flour/convert-us-measuring-cup-to-gram-g-of-almond-flour.html
That being said, I would strongly recommend using a scale for macarons. They are incredibly finicky and temperamental, so the ingredients have to be precise.
Good luck and let me know how they turn out!
Olivia
Hello Olivia, I just want tell how beautiful your Valentine’s Heart Macarons are. Having made them myself, I appreciate the technique required to get them just right. That you’ve done! Congratulations. What I like especially is the tiny indentation at the top of each cookie. Did that happen naturally, or did you create an impression in the meringue before they went in the oven.
I’m also a member of the Food Bloggers of Canada and I’ve posted a tutorial for Lemon Macarons. If you have a minute, please come see me at http://www.thefinercookie.com.
All the best to you and your site,
Kim
Hi Kimberlie! The indentation in the dip on the heart? That just sort of happened when I piped them. I would pipe one side, then another and they kind of just merged together and created that. My macarons seem to have a mind of their own, and while these ones turned out great, I’ve had two consecutive weekends of failures. I’ll check out your tutorial for some tips.
Thanks!
These macarons are adorable! I bought a book about macarons and have dozens of recipes but never had the courage to make them, I have the impression they are difficult to make. Well after seeing these heart beauties I believe I will change my mindset!
Thank you! Macarons are not easy to make. I had a bad run with them a couple of months ago and haven’t touched them since! We have a love/hate relationship :).
Hello! Your cookies look lovely could you tell me please what almond powder is and where to get it.
thanks
angela
Hi Angela! Almond powder is also known as almond flour or almond meal. You can get it at most any grocer in the baking section, or order it online here.
These are beautiful! Thanks for the template reference. I am making these this week. I am doing a Macaron class for a fund raiser and they will be fun for Valentine’s Day.
Thank you Jacqueline! Please let me know how they turn out! 😀
Hi! I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF IT MATTERS WHAT KIND OF SUGAR I USE? BECAUSE I WAS THINKING ABOUT USING BROWN SUGAR TO MAKE THEM A LITTLE BIT HEALTHIER
What’s the worst that could happen?
Hi Violeta! Macarons are very finicky, so I would stick to the recipe to help ensure they work out. Regardless though, they will taste good no matter how they turn out 🙂
I love, love macarons, but I was wondering if there is a subsitute for almonds as I have a ten year old that desperately wants to try them, but she is allergic to almonds. Thank you.
Hi Sharon! You could try these with a different kind of nut flour/powder — like hazelnut or pistachio, etc. Let me know how they turn out! 🙂
Thank you for this recipe. I made them today and they turned out incredible! My daughter can’t have any nuts, so I used white flour and pulsed it with 3/4 tsp of oil in the food processor and it turned out perfect. I suppose it isn’t ‘technically’ a macaroon anymore, but they looked and tasted just like macaroons.
Might I suggest listening to Les Champs-Elysees by Joe Dassin while making them… a little french inspiration! 🙂
Merci from a fellow Vancouverite!
That is amazing Sharon! I didn’t realize she couldn’t have *any* nuts :(. That is awesome that you were able to find a solution with flour! I’m super curious how they turned out. Did you take any pics by chance?? I’m glad you and your daughter liked them! And yes, French music is a must! Sigh :).
Hi Liv! I want to share your post on a roundup I am doing on my blog for a roundup of DIY gifts for him/her on Valentine’s Day. Is that okay? I will use your picture and tag your blog with the post linked to the picture. Let me know!
Thanks so much!
Hi Nia, that’s fine, thanks for asking! 🙂
Liv — I made this recipe yesterday for my daughter to give to her classmates for Valentine’s Day. She is 13 and likes fancy things. She found this idea on the internet somewhere maybe due to commenter Nia’s request above. My skill in forming the hearts was not as high as yours (you’ve obviously made QUITE a few!), but there were enough “good” ones that my daughter was THRILLED. I have made macarons which turned out too flat — the batter was too thin. That was in the summer when the humidity was high. As you say macarons are fussy. This time, the batter was thick and my macarons turned out slightly thicker/puffier than yours. I followed the recipe EXACTLY including weighing each ingredient to the gram. Any thoughts on slightly puffy macarons?? Also, the buttercream with cinnamon was DELISH! Thanks for your great ideas!
Hi Monica! I’m so happy to hear that you made these! And that they were a hit with your daughter :).
Regarding your question, I can only guess what the issue might have been. Macarons are an enigma to me, still. The thick batter and puffiness could maybe be due to underfolding? Or maybe oven temperature causing them to rise too quickly? There are so many factors that come into play that it’s hard to guess. Don’t suppose you have a picture you can email me? I might be able to judge them better that way. NOT that I’m an expert or anything….far from it! But happy to take a look :).
Hi Liv!
As I love baking pies, I mostly steer clear of any type of cookies but your post had me inspired to learn something new! I tried these yesterday and though they didn’t turn out as I hoped, I was still pretty happy with them (and the buttercream!). They are so adorable!
They ended up pretty flat. I am not sure if I should blame my lackluster piping abilities and subsequent air bubbles, or old scale who I only trust 80%.
I was wondering – why almond? Is this what makes the light texture, or does it contribute to the flavor?
Thank you for the post, I’ll have to try again soon!
Hi Caroline! I’m so glad you liked them, even though they didn’t turn out perfect :). It is HARD to get them perfect! Trust me. The flatness could be due to overmixing the batter — really it’s the difference of 1 or 2 folds that can take it from perfect to overmixed.
The almond contributes to both the flavour and texture, but you could use any nut flour/powder and achieve the same results!
These are super cute and perfect for Valentines Day! I totally pinned this!
Thanks Nicole! 🙂