Heart-Shaped Raspberry French Macarons

How about these beautiful, hot pink and sparkly, raspberry heart-shaped macarons to celebrate your favorite person this Valentine's Day?!?

Love is in the air! Can you feel it too?!?
I'm all excited about this coming Valentine's Day... Maybe because it gives me one more excuse to bake (and eat!!) a delicious dessert and not feel guilty about it. 

But who really needs excuses when we are dealing with French macarons?!? 

There's nothing more perfect than this elegant, delicate and exquisite cookie. Especially if it comes in a pink and sparkly, heart shape and raspberry flavor.

So pretty, right?!?

These macarons are sure way to impress the love of your life. 
Let's face it, we all know these are not obviously easy to whip up. Technically there's nothing really hard about the recipe. It's just a series of doable simple steps. You just have follow the directions (NO skipping steps please!) and get the right consistency of batter,  or you might not end up with macarons that look like these.     

So, here are some tips and suggestions that you should read before you start with the recipe. 
Sorry for the long list, but trust me, these might save you from some flat, burnt or wrinkly-looking macarons.
1. Do ahead of time: Separate the egg yolks from the whites the night before, store in the refrigerator and remove from the refrigerator at least one hour before starting with the recipe. This helps create the perfect top and foot.
2. When you start with the recipe, print out the heart template (here), or draw the hearts on the parchment paper (then flip around - pencil side down). Take out the piping bag and tip. And have all the ingredients ready. The macaron batter does not like to wait. If you let it sit for too long it might become too soft and you'll end up with flat macarons ( and no heart shape).
3. It's good to process the almond flour with the powdered sugar and sift it when adding to the egg whites. This removes any large pieces and make the top of the macaron smoother.
4. Use two baking sheets when in the oven to prevent the cookies from baking too much, and turning too crispy and brownish.... NOT pretty!

Find some of my favorite Valentine's Day Dessert Recipes here.

Ready to try it out too?!? Don't forget to watch my short video recipe! I hope it will help too :)

INGREDIENTS:

YIELD: about 18 macarons

1. • 3/4 cup (70 gr) blenched almond flour
   • 1 cup (100 gr)  powdered sugar
   • 2 large egg whites at room temperature
   • 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
   • 1/8 teaspoon salt
   • 1/4 cup ( 50 gr) granulated sugar
   • 2 drops of red (or pink) food coloring
   • seedless raspberry jam (about 3 tablespoons)
   • pink or red sprinkles (optional)

PREPARATION:

Prepare your baking sheet lined with parchment paper. You can either print this heart template (you will need two pages for 1 baking sheet) and place it under parchment paper. Or draw around 24 hearts (using pencil around a heart shaped cookie cutter) on one side on the paper and turn it (pencil side down).
Add the almond flour and the powdered sugar in a food processor, and pulse a few times.

Beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar and salt at medium speed until frothy.

Increase the speed to medium-high and add 1/4 cup of sugar, some at a time while beating.
It should take about 3 to 5 minutes until stiff/shiny peaks form.

Add two drops of food coloring and fold using a rubber spatula.

Add half of the flour mixture and fold, scraping down the edges around the bowl. Add the rest of the flour and keep on folding until the batter flows with thick ribbons off the spatula. This might take several minutes of folding.

Transfer to a pastry bag with a round tip (I used a 3/8 inch tip - Wilson 2A).

Pipe into hearts following the template under the parchment paper. Start from the top and pipe down to the bottom tip of the heart (making it thinner as you move down) and then to the other side.

You can use the tip of a toothpick to fix it (smooth it out, make it more pointy, pop little bubbles...).

Tap the baking sheet to the counter (firmly but gently) to remove any air bubbles. You can pop the rest with a toothpick.
Add sprinkles if you'd like. And let it rest at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes until the top is no longer sticky to the touch.

Preheat the oven to 290°F (140°C).
When it reaches temperature, add an extra baking sheet under the one you've prepared (this helps protect from the heat so it's less likely the macarons will brown while baking).
Bake for 15 to 18 minutes. The macarons should rise about 1/8 of an inch (foot).
Let them cool completely before removing from the baking sheet.
Fill with raspberry preserve (or your favorite filling)

 and enjoy!