Heart Macarons filled with Brownie

Hello friends! Today I will show you how to make these beautiful Heart Macarons filled with brownie! They are the perfect Valentine’s Day macarons!

I am also offering a template that you can download and print, and place under your mat to pipe your beautiful heart macarons. Check down below to print your template.

Plus check out the video on this page or on YouTube showing you how to make these Heart Macarons filled with brownie!

Heart Macaron Template

The template I am offering here measures about 2.7″ in width and 2.3″ in height.

I also offer smaller size templates on this post: Heart Shaped Macarons.

But I decided to also put them here so you can download them in case you are looking for a smaller heart template for macarons.

How to pipe heart macarons

I really recommend watching the video to see how to pipe the heart macarons. The video will give you a better idea on how to do that. Watch here on this page or on YouTube.

To make these Heart Macarons filled with brownie, I decided to make them larger, in order to be able to fit the brownies in there.

So this is how to pipe heart macarons:

1. Place the piping bag with the batter on the top left corner of the template.
2. Drag the piping bag down to the center as you release pressure. Remember to release less pressure at the bottom than at the top, you want the bottom to be thinner in order to form the defined pointy tip.
3. Place the piping bag at the top right corner of the template.
4. Drag the piping bag down to the center as you release pressure.
5. Use a toothpick to drag the batter to the outlines of the heart template, and specially to form the pointy bottom.

Tips on how to make Heart Macarons filled with brownie

• Make sure to use a toothpick to drag the batter to the edges of the heart shape, specially at the bottom, or the macarons will round as they bake in the oven, and it won’t look like a heart.
• The batter can’t be too thick or the macarons won’t be smooth specially as you use the toothpick to drag the batter to the edges.
• Pipe a few macarons at a time, and then use the toothpick to drag the batter to the edges, you shouldn’t pipe the whole tray and then use the toothpick, because the batter will start to dry out by the time you are done piping.
• Tap the trays every so often to also help with smoothing the batter.
• Cut a small piece of brownie for the center of the macarons, in a way that there is still room on the edges to pipe the Cream Cheese Frosting around the brownie.
• Depending on how much color you add, it might need extra drying time, for these Heart Macarons filled with brownie I didn’t add a whole lot of food coloring because I wanted them to be pastel, but if you choose to make a deep red color, it will need extra drying time. Check out this post to make deep red macarons.

And the biggest tip and recommendation I have for you is to watch the video on YouTube or on this page, because the video will be so useful in explaining exactly how to pipe the hearts.

I am including even a slow motion, plus many other tips, a lot and a lot of piping demonstration, so you can learn how to pipe beautiful macaron hearts!

I know I already have videos and posts about how to make Heart Macarons, the reason why I decided to make a new one, is because I wanted to make Heart Macarons filled with brownie for a special Valentine’s Day edition.

These macarons would also be perfect for Mother’s Day, or any romantic celebration such as anniversary, engagement, etc.

I was inspired by my own Brownie Macarons, which are filled and topped with brownie!

Here are some more ideas for Valentine’s Day macarons:

• Heart Macarons (red and smaller)
• Valentine’s Day Macaron board
• Raspberry White Chocolate Macarons
• Chocolate Strawberry Macarons
• Champagne Macarons
• Strawberry Cheesecake Macarons
• Passionfruit Macarons
• Dragon Fruit Macarons
• Strawberry Macaron shells
• Hazelnut Macarons
• Red Velvet Macarons (also filled with cake!)

If you are interested in learning more about macarons, please visit Macaron School, a space on my blog where I’ve gathered all the information about macarons I’ve posted in the past few years to help you become a better macaron baker!

There are troubleshooting guides, articles on how to improve your meringue, how to understand your oven, guides for beginners, and everything in between!

Thank you so much for reading my blog! I appreciate all the love and support! Please leave a comment below and tag me on instagram if you make my recipes!

Heart Macarons filled with brownie

Camila Hurst

Heart Macarons filled with brownie and cram cheese frosting! These macarons are fun to make and perfect for Valentine’s Day!

5 from 3 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 3 hours hrs

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Total Time 3 hours hrs 40 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 12 macarons

Calories 220 kcal

Ingredients

  

Heart Macaron Shells

• 4 grams egg white powder optional read notes
• 100 grams egg whites
• 100 grams granulated sugar
• 105 grams almond flour
• 105 grams powdered sugar
• Royal blue and purple food coloring

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar 191 grams
• 4 tbsp cream cheese softened 56 grams
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter softened 28 grams
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 -1 tbsp milk if necessary

Brownies

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter 56 grams
• 1/4 chocolate chips 42.5 grams
• 1/4 cup brown sugar 50 grams
• 3 tbsp granulated sugar 37 grams
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 60 grams
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder 14 grams
• 1/4 tsp salt

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar 191 grams
• 4 tbsp cream cheese softened 56 grams
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter softened 28 grams
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 -1 tbsp milk if necessary

To decorate

• 56 grams white chocolate
• Pink powdered food coloring
• Sprinkles

Instructions

 

Heart Macaron Shells

• Before you start, get all of the ingredients ready. Prepare one large piping bag, fitted with a round tip, I like to use a Wilton 10 or 12 to pipe these hearts since they are a bit bigger than my regular hearts. If you desire to make more colors from one batch, prepare as many bags as you will need later.
• Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mat.
• Measure out all of the ingredients. Sift the powdered sugar and almond flour. Set it aside.
• Whisk the sugar and the egg white powder (if using) in a bowl, and place it over a pan with barely simmering water. Add the egg whites to the sugar and whisk the mixture until frothy and the sugar is completely melted. It will take a couple of minutes. You can test by touching the mixture between your fingers, and if you feel any sugar granules just keep whisking the mixture over the water bath.
• Make sure the bottom of the bowl isn’t touching the simmering water because you don’t want the whites to cook.
• Also, don’t overheat the sugar syrup, this may cause issues down the line, such as wrinkly macarons.
• Transfer the syrup to the bowl of a stand mixer.
• With the whisk attachment, start whisking the syrup on low for about 30 seconds, then gradually start increasing speed to medium or to medium-high and whisk for a few minutes until stiff peaks are formed. Best way to check this is to keep your eye on the whites. Once they get glossy and you start seeing streaks formed by the whisk, it might be time to stop.
• Whip until stiff peaks have formed. When you pull your whisk up, the peak should be stiff and shooting straight up, with possibly a slight bend at the top, but not bending down to the side.
• Pour the sifted powdered sugar and almond flour into the stiff meringue.
• Start folding gently forming a letter J with a spatula.
• As soon as you see no more dry ingredients in the meringue, stop stirring. Divide the batter between two different bowls.
• Work with one bowl at a time, leaving the other one covered meanwhile.
• To the first batter I added blue food coloring. Fold the batter until the perfect consistency is achieved. The batter should be flowing slowly and effortlessly off the spatula, you should be able to pick up some batter with the spatula and draw several figure 8s with the batter that’s flowing, without having the batter break up. And even after the batter breaks up, it should still continue to flow off the spatula slowly.

There’s another test you can do. I call it the Teaspoon test.
• Grab a teaspoon of batter and spoon onto the parchment paper or silicon mat. Wait a minute to see how it behaves.If the batter stays stiff, forming a point and doesn’t spread out, fold a little bit more, about 3 folds.Test again.
• Once the batter spreads out a bit and starts to look glossy and smooth on top, on the parchment paper, it’s ready.
• You don’t want your batter to be too runny either. So be careful not to over-mix. It’s always best to under-mix and test several times until the proper consistency has been achieved.
• When you hold the spatula with batter on top of the bowl and the batter falls off the spatula slowly but effortlessly the batter is ready. The batter will keep flowing off the spatula non-stop, but not too quickly.
• Once the first batter (blue) achieves the perfect consistency, transfer it to one of the prepared piping bags. Secure the top with a tie, so the batter doesn’t scape while piping, and to keep the batter from drying out while you work with the remaining batter. Set the piping bag aside.
• Now, it’s time to work with the second batter. I added some purple food coloring to the second batter. After adding food coloring, stir until the perfect consistency is achieved, like I’ve explained above.
• Transfer the batter to another piping bag. And secure the top with a tie.
• Piping the heart macarons
• Place the piping bag at a 90 degree angle, at the top left side of the heart template. Apply pressure as you slide the bag down to the center in a diagonal, also make sure to release less batter at the bottom than at the top, because you need the batter at the bottom to be thinner in order to obtain a nice pointy tip.
• Now place the piping bag on the top right corner of the heart, and apply pressure as you slide the bag down to the center in a diagonal.
• After piping a few hearts, use a toothpick to help spread the batter to the edges of the heart template. Make sure to form a point at the bottom, because as they bake, the macarons will round up a little bit and if you don’t form a defined point at the bottom, your heart will have a rounded bottom.
• Tap the trays against the counter or against the palm of your hand to release any air bubbles.
• And pop any remaining air bubbles on the surface of the shells using a toothpick.
• Let the trays sit for a while so the shells will dry out a little bit. I usually leave about 20-40 minutes, depending on how humid the day is. Drying time will also depend on the consistency of the meringue, on how much you’ve folded the batter, and on how much food coloring you’ve added.
• You’ll know they’re ready when you gently touch the surface of a macaron and it seems dry, and doesn’t stick to your finger.
• Pre-heat the oven to 300°F.
• Bake one tray at a time.
• Bake for 5 minutes, rotate tray.
• Bake for 5 more minutes. Rotate again.
• I bake each tray for about 15 to 20 minutes.
• When baked, the macarons will have a deeper color and formed feet. If you try to move a macaron, it shouldn’t feel jiggly. If the macaron is still jiggly, keep baking.
• Remove from the oven and bake the other tray.
• Let the macarons cool down before proceeding with the filling.

Brownies

• Pre-heat the oven to 350ºF. Line a 8×8” pan with parchment paper, and spray with oil spray. Or you can grease it with butter and flour.
• Melt the butter and chocolate chips together in a bowl. You can use the microwave or a double boiler. If using the microwave, simply microwave the mixture for 30 second intervals, whisking in between.
• Whisk until smooth and melted together.
• Add brown sugar and granulated sugar to the chocolate/butter.
• Whisk until incorporated.
• Add the egg and vanilla, and whisk until smooth.
• Add the flour, cocoa powder, and salt to the bowl. It’s best if you pre-sift the dry ingredients before adding them, or sift them right into the bowl.
• Mix until combined.
• Pour the batter on the bottom of the prepared pan.
• Bake in the pre-heated oven for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until set.
• Let it cool down before cutting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

• Sift the powdered sugar. Set aside.
• Add the cream cheese and butter to an electric mixer bowl. Cream on medium high speed for 2 minutes.
• Turn the mixer off and add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract to the bowl.
• Mix on low until the powdered sugar is incorporated.
• Raise the speed to medium high and cream for another minute until the mixture is creamy and fluffy. If the mixture is dry or stiff, add the milk to make the frosting come together. Start by adding the smaller amount of 1/2 tablespoon, and increase it and add a bit more as necessary. If the frosting is too runny, add more sifted powdered sugar.

To assemble

• To decorate the top shells, melt some white chocolate and color it with pink powdered food coloring. Then place the white chocolate in a piping bag and snip the end with scissors.
• Drizzle a bit of colored white chocolate on each heart and top with sprinkles.
• Use a small heart shaped cutter, or even a round cutter will do.
• Cut small pieces of brownie that will fit the center of the heart macarons, and still leave room around the edges for frosting to be piped.
• Place the cream cheese frosting in a piping bag fitted with a medium round tip, I used a number 12.
• Place a piece of brownie in the center of each macaron.
• Make sure the brownie isn’t too tall either, you may have to slice it in half crosswise.
• Pipe the frosting around the edges of the macaron, securing the brownie in the middle. Top with a decorated shell.

To serve

• Let the macarons mature in the fridge for 24 to 48 hours before serving.

Storage

• Store the macarons in the fridge for up to 5 days, and in the freezer for up to 1 month.

Notes

Food coloring: Make sure to use gel food coloring, not liquid, as it will affect the batter, and it will destroy the protein bonds in the meringue that form the structure of the macarons. AmeriColor is my favorite gel food coloring currently.

Vinegar: Before starting make sure to wipe down the bowls, whisks, silicone mats and everything you are going to use with vinegar, to avoid any grease particles of coming into contact with the meringue and batter.

Egg white powder: Egg White Powder is not the same as meringue powder. Egg White Powder is made of only egg whites. They help with getting fuller shells, and specially when adding a lot of food coloring to the batter, because they make the shells dry faster. I recommend experimenting with it if you can find it. I use 4 grams for each 100 grams of egg whites.

Scale: Please use a scale when measuring the ingredients for accuracy.

Macaron amount: It will vary greatly depending on how big you pipe the shells, and on how runny or thick the batter is.

Baking time/temperature: Baking time and temperature will vary according to your own oven. I recommend experimenting with your oven to find out the best time, temperature, position of the baking tray. Read more about how to figure out your oven here.

Oven thermometer: Make sure to have an oven thermometer to bake macarons. It’s one of the most important things about making macarons. Home ovens aren’t accurate at all at telling the temperature, and even a slight 5 degree difference can make or break your whole batch.

Tray rotation: Lots of bakers don’t have to rotate the trays 180 degrees in the oven every 5 minutes, but I do have to with my oven, or I will get lopsided macarons. Please adjust this according to your oven.

Troubleshooting: Please visit this article for troubleshooting tips.

Keyword hearts, macarons