Strawberry Heart Macarons

These heart shaped, strawberry-flavored macarons are light, chewy, and decadently delicious little treats.

Strawberry heart macarons are the perfect treat for Valentine’s Day, or any day. They are a lightly sweet treat with an air of sophistication that makes them ideal for parties, dinner guests, special events and so much more. Whether or not you fall in love with the process of making these macarons, I guarantee you’ll fall in love with eating them!

My family and I absolutely LOVE eating macarons. However, my relationship with MAKING macarons, has not always been as amenable. Macarons are infamous for being a bit tricky to make. This recipe follows the French macaron method, which is by far the most simplistic of all macaron methods and begins with making a meringue (whipped egg whites and sugar). Because this mixture is a bit fragile, it can be temperamental and is why many become discouraged after their first “bad batch” of macs. But don’t let that discourage you! This simple method and easy-to-follow recipe will guide you every step of the way.

What Do You Need to Make Strawberry Heart Macarons?

Hand or stand mixer with whisk attachment

Kitchen Scale

Baking Sheet

Sifter

Parchment Paper or Silicone Mat

Heart Template (optional)

Egg Whites

Granulated Sugar

Cream of Tarter (optional, but strongly suggested)

Almond Flour (not almond meal)

Powdered Sugar

Strawberry Extract (optional)

How to Make Strawberry Heart Macarons

1. Prepare your equipment and ingredients.

-Start by wiping down your mixing bowl and whisk with a clean dish towel or paper towel dipped lightly in vinegar. This will help to remove any grease on your equipment. A bit of water or residual oil in your bowl could result in your egg whites not whipping up properly.

-Measure your ingredients. The ingredients in this recipe are measured by weight. If you don’t have a kitchen scale or prefer not to use one, you can use a quick internet search to convert to your preferred method of measurement. However, I strongly encourage weighing your ingredients. I weigh my ingredients for nearly all of my baking because it ensures consistency and accuracy. Consistency and accuracy, while not as important in some recipes, are SO key in macaron making.

-Start with room temperature egg whites. After weighing my egg whites, I prefer to place them in an air tight container and into the fridge overnight (or up to 24 hours). This process is called “maturing” your egg whites. While this step is optional, maturing your egg whites can help to create a more stable meringue. However, if I don’t have time to waste, or I forget to weigh them out the night before, I will sometimes skip this step. Whether you’re maturing your egg whites or not, be sure to give your eggs time to come to room temperature before you begin whipping.

2. Sift the Almond Flour and Powdered Sugar.

Measure out the powdered sugar and almond flour and then sift both together into a large bowl. Continue sifting (at least 3 times total) to ensure there are no clumps in your mixture. Clumpy ingredients will make for trouble later on when this mixture is added to the meringue.

3. Make the Meringue.

-Add your room temperature egg whites and cream of tarter to a mixing bowl. The cream of tarter is listed as optional. However, it helps to create a more stable meringue and without a good meringue, your macaron batter is failed from the beginning. So I strongly encourage using it when possible.

-Start by mixing the egg whites on low and slowly turn up the speed to about medium/low.

-Once the egg whites begin to look frothy, you can very, very slowly start adding in the granulated sugar. While the mixer is still running low add the sugar, a small amount at a time, until it has all been incorporated.

-Slowly begin increasing the speed and mix until soft peaks form. (Dip the whisk into the mixture, pull it out, and it creates little peaks. If the peaks immediately slump and fall over, then they are “soft peaks”.) At this point you may add flavor extract (if desired) and food coloring. If adding food color, be careful not to add too much. Adding too much liquid can cause your egg whites not to whip up and result in a weak meringue.

-Continue mixing for about 5-7 minutes, gradually increasing speed to about medium/high. You’ll know your meringue is ready once stiff peaks have formed. The mixture will be thick, smooth, and glossy and will hold it’s shape. Another test is to quickly turn the mixing bowl upside down. Your meringue should hold its shape in the bowl and not move.

4. Add the Dry Ingredients to the Meringue.

-I like to add all of the dry ingredients to my mixing bowl with the meringue and gently pulse the mixtures together a few times. Just a couple of pulses (or stirs on low) will begin the incorporation of the ingredients and save your wrist a bit work in the next step.

-Using a rubber spatula, gently sweep the edge of the bowl in a circular motion, pulling the batter in towards the middle at the end. Continue folding your batter in this manner for a few minutes. The step is called “macaronage”.

-You’ll know your batter is ready when it rolls of your spatula in smooth ribbons. It shouldn’t be so thin and watery that it’s running quickly back into the bowl. It also shouldn’t be so thick that it breaks off your spatula as you hold it over the bowl. Instead, it should flow slowly and smoothly. You should be able to scoop some batter with your spatula and slowly draw a figure eight with the batter as it drips back into the bowl.

5. Pipe the Macarons and Allow to Dry.

-Fill a large piping bag with your macaron batter (I prefer to also use a large round piping tip)

-Place your heart template (if using) underneath your parchment paper or silicone mat. Starting at the top left gently squeeze the bag while swooping down at an angle to the bottom tip of the heart, then up to the right corner, and finally swooping back down toward the middle of the heart as you release pressure on the bag.

-If any of your hearts are unshapely, use a cookie scribe or toothpick to gently reshape the batter.

-Once you’ve piped all your macaron shells, tap the pans on the counter several times to help the shells to settle and to release any trapped air bubbles.

-Leave the shells out to rest for 20-60+ minutes. This time may vary greatly depending on temperature and humidity in your area. They will eventually form a “skin” on top. You’ll know they are ready when they have lost some of their shine and are dry to the touch.

6. Bake the Macarons.

Bake at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately 13-15 minutes. The baking time may vary depending on the size of your macarons. It’s also important to note that temperatures may vary from oven to oven and so will baking time. If you gently tap the side of a macaron and the top does not move, it’s ready. If the top wiggles, bake for another minute or two and try again. Allow the macarons to cool completely before attempting to remove them from the pan.

7. Fill the Shells.

Using your preferred filling or frosting, add a light even layer to one shell, then top with another shell. Allow the macarons to “mature” overnight to 24 hours in the refrigerator in an airtight container for best results. Allow to come to room temperature before serving.

Troubleshooting

If you’re asking “What happened to my Macs?” here are some possible answers.

Macaraons can be flat with no “feet”, cracked, uneven, hollow, browned, crunchy, and so many other unpleasant outcomes. If any of these happened to your macs, some of the possible culprits include:

-Weak meringue: This really is the most important step. If your meringue is weak your batter will not bake up properly regardless if you follow the rest of the process perfectly. Make sure you’re whipping to stiff peaks.

-Under or Over mixed batter: If you under-mixing the batter during macaronage, the shells will likely be thick and may bake unevenly or crack during baking. On the opposite spectrum, over-mixed batter removes too much air from the batter, resulting in flat and/or hollow shells.

-Trapped air bubbles can escape during baking, causing the shells to bake unevenly or crack. Make sure you tap your pans to remove air bubbles before drying the shells.

-Hot spots in the oven or uneven baking temperatures can cause lopsided shells, cracking, and browning.

Storage

Macarons should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. If left out, the shells will soak up moisture in the air and this can cause the shells to become soggy. Depending on your chosen filling, macarons can last 2-3 days or up to a week in the fridge. If planning to store for longer, macarons also do really well in the freezer. Place in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3+ months. Allow macarons to come to room temperature inside their containers before serving.