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You can totally make these Heart Shaped Macarons! It’s easier than you think, especially when you use this print-friendly heart template that I created just for you.
These darling heart-shaped macarons are perfect for baby showers, bridal showers, birthday’s, princess parties, and especially as Valentines Macarons! And, macarons are naturally GLUTEN FREE!
They taste irresistibly good with the tangy-sweet lemon buttercream sandwiched between the sweet almond cookies. These look just like French bakery macarons and you’ll definitely impress your family and friends. Watch the video to learn exactly how to make homemade macarons!!
Watch How to Make Heart Macarons:
If you’ve never made macarons before, be sure to read through our tips for making perfect macarons and why it’s important not to skip steps like sifting!!
Here are all of the tools that I used in the video:
Heart Macaron Template (free printable)
Boos Cutting Board
Glass Mixing Bowls
KitchenAid Hand Mixer
Cuisinart Food Processor
Silicone Baking Liner
Citrus Juicer
Mesh Strainer/Sieve
OXO Food Scale
Silicone Spatula
Wilton #2A Round Decorating Tip
Silpat Macaron Kit (with piping bag, round tip & food coloring)
⬇️ Print Friendly for Heart Macarons:
Heart Macarons with Lemon Buttercream (VIDEO Recipe)
Ingredients
For the Heart Macarons:
- 70 grams about 2/3 cup almond meal/flour, room temp
- 120 grams about 1 cup confectioners (powdered) sugar
- 2 large egg whites, about 65 grams, room temp
- 50 grams exactly 1/4 cup leveled granulated sugar
- 1 " strip Red or Pink GEL food coloring
- Sprinkles, optional
For the Lemon Buttercream:
- 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups confectioners, powdered sugar
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, from 1 small or 1/2 large lemon
Instructions
How to Make Heart Macarons:
- In the bowl of a food processor, add 70 gm almond flour and 120 gm powdered sugar. Pulse twice then process 1 1/2 min. Sift and discard any solids (should be less than 1 Tbsp solids in sieve).
- Put 2 egg whites in large clean/dry mixing bowl and beat until foamy, then gradually add 1/4 cup granulated sugar and beat on high speed about 2 1/2 minutes or until stiff glossy peaks form. Add 1" strip red gel food coloring and fold with spatula just until incorporated.
- Add all sifted almond flour/sugar mixture and fold with spatula using this method: scrape batter around the bowl, then press the flat side of the spatula firmly through the center. Repeat until batter flows like lava and thick ribbon forms as it flows off spatula (35-40 complete strokes).
- Print 4 copies of heart template and place on 2 baking sheets under silicone liners or parchment paper (AVOID WAX PAPER) - you'll be able to see the hearts through your liner to guide you as you pipe hearts. Transfer batter to large piping bag fitted with 3/8" round tip. For each heart, pipe at the top left and pull down towards the bottom center then pipe at the top right and pull down towards the bottom center and flick the end up if it gets long.
- Add sprinkles to as desired. Firmly tap baking sheets over counter 15-20 times to release air bubbles. Poke any remaining obvious bubbles with toothpick. Let cookies sit at room temp 30 min or until no longer sticky to the touch - they should form a thin film on top. Meanwhile preheat oven to 300˚F.
- Bake one sheet at a time for 12-15 min at 300˚F. I usually do 15 minutes for the first batch and 12 minutes for the second batch - somehow my oven gets hotter the second batch. Let cookies cool to room temp before removing them from baking sheet. Once cool, they should slide off easily. Meanwhile make buttercream (see instructions below).
- To assemble, flip over half your cookies and pipe generous amounts of frosting onto the flat sides, piping in a heart shape. Find a well-matched unfrosted second half and sandwich cookies together.
How to Make Lemon Buttercream:
- In a medium mixing bowl, cream 6 Tbsp softened butter on high speed for 2 mins.
- Add 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar (1/2 cup at a time and beating to incorporate between additions), along with 1/8 tsp of salt and once sugar is incorporated, increase to high speed and beat 2 mins.
- Add 2 Tbsp lemon juice and beat another 1 minute or until whipped and fluffy. Transfer to the same clean piping bag fitted with the round 3/8" tip.
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
Love macarons? Make sure you try our well-loved raspberry macarons!
Q: Do you have any fun plans for Valentines Day? Whether you’re spending it with your best girl fran or your special someone, I want to know how you celebrate. I love hearing from you! I’m pretty certain we’ll be dining in with either filet mignon or lobstaaaa!! 🙂
Hey I’ve made these before but I was wondering how long they stay fresh and how do you store them?
Hi Avery, I haven’t tried storing them for longer than 4 days. But it was still good after a few days, just bring them to room temperature from the fridge before serving.
Can these be made nut free? Can’t use almond flour due to allergy..
Hi Simi, I haven’t tested a substitute like all-purpose flour or another flour to advise. If you decide to do an experiment please let us know how it goes.
Made these the other day! Absolutely awesome! I found it took a while for the frosting to set/firm, was a bit liquidy when piping. I also did a light blue instead of the pink for a trial run! Thanks for the recipe!!! I will definitely be making these again!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Michelle!
I cooked it yesterday, they were a little bit cracked, but amazing!!! Do you know why it can be cracked?
Hi Kateryna, it could be due to several reasons, commonly due to air bubbles. I did a quick google search and found this: “The piped macarons weren’t dried out for long enough before being baked. The drying out process allows a skin to form on the top of the macarons which prevents the expanding air from escaping. If the skin isn’t thick enough the expanding air will burst through it, causing the macarons to be cracked”
My mix came out a little runny, making it hard to shape the hearts. Can you please explain what may have gone wrong? Thank you
Hi Miranda, it sounds like the egg whites are under beaten and that is likely the culprit if you have a runny batter. Make sure to use egg whites from eggs (some egg white cartons have additives) and beat until you have stiff whites. Also it could have to do with a high humidity area or if your bowl had any oil in it, the whites will have a harder time beating to the right consistency. Lastly, make sure to use a high powered mixer (a handheld whisk would be difficult to achieve the right consistency).
Hello, before baking these macarons, how long in advance do you heat the oven?
and next top and bottom use heat or only under heat thank you very much
Hi Marjan, each oven preheats at a different pace. I preheat mine at the start of step #5, when the cookies rest before baking.
hi natasha ,
i have tried many of your recipes ,it turned out great Tonight i am planning o make your heart macaron recipe, can you please tell the name of the food color gel that you used in this recipe.
thank you
Hi Rifa, in this video, I used the gel food coloring that cake with my Silpat macaron kit and the brand is “Spectrum” but I would recommend using any gel food coloring such as this one (Amazon affiliate link)
Thank you for this recipe, my macarons turned out amazing! I’ve wanted to try making macarons for years, and I purchased an electric mixer recently, so I finally decided to make them. After looking at several recipes, your’s was the easiest to follow, and your video surely helped a lot! Will definitely be making more soon!
I’m so happy to hear that, Norma! Thank you!
These were absolutely delicious! They did not rise as much as I hoped or hold the heart shape – I don’t believe I mixed the batter long enough- so I piped circles instead. Nonetheless, they were delicious!!
I’m glad you liked it, Kristi. Thanks for your good review!
I made your heart shaped macarons yesterday but a lot of them turned out to be hollow. Where did I go wrong please?
My 3 star rating is only because mine went wrong somewhere. Every other recipe of yours that I have done has been fantastic.
Thanks
Vivienne
Hi Vivienne, Overbeating the meringue is often the culprit to hollow shells. Also, the oven may be the problem. I would double-check the oven temperature is accurate with an oven thermometer.
Hey girlie, I was wondering if I could use lime juice or just a complete buttercream.
Hi Amber, I honestly haven’t tried that yet to advise. If you do an experiment, please share with us how that goes.
Hi Natasha I’m a 11 year old Baker and I’m really keen on trying your macrons all your recipes turn on great but I need some help . Can we add a fine purée in the macron mixture
Hi Zahra, without testing that I can’t make that recommendation.
So easy, very detailed directions made it possible for a first timer to make gorgeous, delicious macarons! Will 100% make again. Tips: make sure you have the right equipment and ingredients, and don’t skip ANY steps.
Great tips, Emily! Thanks for sharing your comments and great review with us.
Hi Natasha,
Can I use regular food coloring instead of gel?
Hi Anna, gel is a safer bet and will give you better color without adding excess liquid. I always make this with gel, but I think it could still work with liquid.
Great recipe. Didn’t use food coloring, came out great. Used liquid food coloring, not so great too runny. Recommend sticking with gel
We recommend gel also! I hope you loved this recipe, Nadia!
If you do not have almond flour/meal, is there a substitute?
Hi Angel, I haven’t really tried using all-purpose flour or another to advise. If you decide to experiment, please let us know how it goes.
They were delicious according to my boyfriend & family! The texture when eating it was good too, but it remained too thick even though I did the macronage thing as often as you advised, so my macarons just didn’t look as smooth… I’m not sure where it went wrong. Do you have any advice? Did I over- or undermix the entire mix? Or could it be that I overmixed the merengue? They did get feetsies in the oven at least. 😀
Hi Katharina, did you make sure to sift with a fine-mesh sieve? It sounds like possibly your almond flour granules were too large which can make it look rough.
Do I have to use a food processor? I dont have one are there any other options? Thanks!
Hi Melany, for macarons, it really is necessary to get the mixture to the correct consistency. A high powered blender (Vitamix or Blendtec) might work but you will have the best control of the finished product in a food processor.
I love baking, but was always a little intimidated by macarons. Today was the first time I made them and I used your recipe. It was so easy to follow and I’m so happy with how they turned out. Thank you!! I love all of your recipes!! Every one I try turns out amazing!!
Yay, I’m happy to hear that you loved these macarons. Great job and good decision to finally try these out, Andi!
How long do these keep?
Hi Clare, I haven’t tried storing them for longer than 4 days. But it was still good after a few days, just bring them to room temperature from the fridge before serving.
Hi can I ask. I have a silicone hearts baking tray. Can I use that rather than using grease proof paper. Just pipe them in there
Hi Louise, I imagine this will work on a silicon mat & I haven’t tested that to advise. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe
I am not a baker or a cook at all. I’ve actually struggled my entire adult life with any cooking. This recipe is AMAZING! I tried it for the first time today and it turned out wonderful! I followed your instructions and they turned out delicious. I love how you make all of your recipes super easy to follow along with the explanations! So far I’ve been successful in making your no bake cheesecake, the mini strawberry cheesecakes, baked salmon with garlic dijon, these french macarons, and my son’s all time fave – beef broccoli. Thank you so much!!! I can’t wait to try more of your recipes.
Wow! I’m so glad you tried all those recipes and enjoyed them! Thank you for sharing that with me!