Hello friends! Today I will show you how to make these Heart Shaped Macarons! They are filled with Cream Cheese Frosting.
I have two different templates for you to download, a smaller one where the width of the heart is a little over 1.5″ and a larger one where the width of the heart is 2″.
Also make sure to watch the video located on this page or on YouTube, giving all the best tips for piping the perfect heart macarons.
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I am excited for Valentine’s Day and it shows! But these Heart Shaped Macarons are also perfect for Mother’s Day, Anniversary, Engagement Parties, and any other celebrations that involve love and hearts!
Heart Macaron Template
Here are the heart macaron templates for you to download and print. Place it under your silicone mat, or parchment paper before piping the macarons.
There are two different sizes: 2″ and 1.5″. The difference may not seem like much, but I’ve had a request for a slightly larger template than what I had before, which was the 1.5″ one, so I decided to just offer it to everyone.
How to obtain the deep red color on the macarons
You will need food coloring, and possibly a lot of it.
I usually use AmeriColor gel food coloring. However, for the video you will find on this page, I had to use Wilton
as well because I ended up running out of the Americolor.
If you are a beginner at making macarons, it’s not recommended to add this much food coloring to your batter. I added about 2 teaspoons, maybe a little more, I kept adding until I achieved the color I liked.
But the issue with doing that is that if you are a beginner, and you’re not very sure what the batter’s consistency is supposed to be, or how to work with a wetter batter, you should stick to not adding food coloring, or adding just a little bit.
When you add a lot of gel food coloring, the batter’s consistency will be altered, you will need a longer resting time most likely as well.
Plus, if you continue to stir as you add more food coloring in order to achieve the color you desire, you might end up over mixing, specially if you are not accustomed to making macarons.
Another alternative is to use Master Elite powder food coloring by The Sugar Art. They only require a tiny amount of food coloring (like 1/4 tsp of powder) to obtain a deep color. They are on the more expensive side, but it’s worth it.
Also, do make sure to watch the video in this page, or on my Youtube Channel, showing you how to pipe these Heart Shaped Macarons.
There are also some pictures below that illustrate how to do this.
Tips for making Heart Shaped Macarons
- Make sure to use a small round tip. If the tip is too large, it will be hard to form the shape narrow on the bottom. I used a Wilton 8
tip or a Wilton 10
.
- Pipe a few macarons at a time, then use a toothpick to smooth out the batter to the edges of the heart template, and tap the trays against the counter or against the palm of your hand to help the batter spread out, and to help any more air bubbles to get released.
- Make sure to use the toothpick to form a pointy edge at the bottom of the heart shape, because as the macarons bake, the bottom will round up slightly. So if you want a nice defined heart shape, make sure to do this.
On the video located here on this page and also on YouTube, I also show you how to make different tones of burgundy from the same batter, to create an ombre effect on your hearts.
How to pipe heart macarons
Start from the top left corner, and pipe a diagonal line to the center.
Apply more pressure at the top than at the bottom, because the bottom needs to be more narrow, and because the batters piped from both sides of the heart are going to converge at the bottom, and in order to obtain the pointy tip, you can’t have too much batter.
Then, move the piping bag up to the top right corner, and pipe a diagonal line to the center, meeting the first one.
And at the end, don’t forget the very important step of using a toothpick to spread the batter to the edges of the template.
Specially at the bottom, make sure to form a pointy end, because as the macarons bake, they will get rounded. So, if you want a nice heart shape, make a pointy edge at the bottom.
If you watch my video here on this page, or on my Youtube Channel, you can see exactly how I do this.
And also, don’t forget to print the template, so you can easily pipe the heart shaped macarons on your baking mat, or parchment paper. Two templates can be found above, a 1.5″ one and a 2″ one.
Let the macarons rest for 20 to 40 minutes before putting them in the oven. Resting time will vary greatly depending on the weather, the consistency of the meringue, how much you folded, and how much food coloring you’ve added.
Make sure to dry until you can touch a macaron with your fingers and they don’t stick.
And I filled these Heart Shaped Macarons with Cream Cheese Frosting. I found it very fitting, plus it’s one of my favorites. But you can go ahead and use any frosting you’d like.
I have many ideas for Macarons fillings here on my blog. Go on my Macaron index to see so many macaron flavor ideas you can use to fill these Heart Shaped Macarons.
And here are some Macaron ideas you might enjoy:
- Raspberry White Chocolate Macarons
- Nutella Macarons
- Caramelized White Chocolate Macarons
- Chocolate Strawberry Macarons
- Champagne White Chocolate Macarons
- German Chocolate Macarons
- Funfetti Macarons
- French Vanilla Macarons
- Pistachio Macarons
- Cherry Macarons
- White Chocolate Macadamia Macarons
If you are learning to make macarons, check out my Macaron School, where I offer a lot of information, beginner tips, troubleshooting guides, the science behind making macarons, and other knowledge that I’ve learned over the past few years, and that I share with you so you can improve your own macarons!
Anyway, thank you so much for reading my blog! I hope you enjoyed learning how to make these Heart Shaped Macarons which are perfect for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Anniversary celebration, and any special occasion where love and hearts are involved!

Heart Shaped Macarons
Heart shaped macarons filled with Cream Cheese Frosting. These heart macarons are super cute and perfect for Valentine's Day, Mother's Day or any special occasion.
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 - Red, pink, or burgundy 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
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 8 or 10 to pipe hearts, you will need a small round tip. 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. Whisk on medium for one to two minutes, until the mixture is white and starting to become fluffy. Raise the speed to high, or 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.
Add the food coloring at this point, if using. For the red macarons, I simply added red gel food coloring, you will need quite a bit of it to obtain a deep color, but if you are a beginner, it's not recommended to add a lot of food coloring, because it will greatly affect the consistency of the batter.
How to know when to stop folding the batter: It’s time to stop folding when the batter is glossy and has a thick and flowing consistency. There are several ways to test this.
First, pick up some batter with the spatula and try to draw a figure 8 with the batter that is dripping off the spatula. If you can form several 8 figures without the batter breaking up, that’s one indication that it might be ready.
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.
Transfer the batter to the piping bag.
Instructions to make more than one color out of the batch (Burgundy ombre macarons)
Follow all instructions above up to the stiff meringue.
Pour the sifted powdered sugar and almond flour into the stiff meringue.
I also added a bit of burgundy food coloring to make a light pink batter, which will be the base batter.
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 four different bowls (or however many colors as you want to make).
Work with one bowl at a time, leaving the other ones covered meanwhile.
To the first batter add more burgundy food coloring and stir 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 are other cues to look for to see if the batter should be done folding, you can read them on the instructions above.
Once the first batter 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 batters. Set the piping bag aside.
Now, it’s time to work with the second batter. I added a different amount of burgundy food coloring to the second batter, to make it a different tone. 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.
Do this as many times as needed until you are done with all the batter.
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 define 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.
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 325F.
- 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.
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
- Place the Cream Cheese Frosting in a piping bag fitted with a small piping tip. Pipe some frosting on top of half of the shells. Top with another shell.
- Let macarons mature in the fridge overnight before serving.
Storage
- Store macarons in the fridge for up to 4 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months, in an air tight container.
Recipe Notes
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. If you don’t want to use egg white powder or can’t find it, simply leave it out, and don’t change anything in the recipe.
Food coloring: Make sure to use gel food coloring. I use Wilton Color Right Performance Food Coloring Set or AmeriColor
, which is my favorite. If you are a beginner macaron baker, I recommend going easy on the food coloring, as it can alter the batter a lot, and it can take extra mixing time, specially if you continue to add the food coloring as you do the macaronage.
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.
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.
Storage: This is the Storage Container I use to store my macarons.
Why have you chose to use almond flower are all macaroons made with almond flower ?
Yes the traditional macarons are made with almond flour. Nowadays people substitute it for other flours such as sunflower seed flower, and even all purpose flour, to cater to food allergies, etc. But the original traditional macaron is made with almond flour.
Thank you , I am a novice baker I just started baking this year with my daughter for a homeschool cooking class . We give our baked goods out as community service and these heart shape macaroons look lovely for Valentine’s Day thank you for this wonderful recipe can’t wait to try it !!
This sounds lovely!!! Sharing your baked goods that’s so thoughtful of you! Thank you Kim and let me know if you have any questions along the process!
Esse formato ficou fantástico, que cor maravilhosa!!!!!!! Parabéns Ca!!!!!!!
Hey Camila, beautiful blog with wonderful recipes! 🙂 Which food coloring would you recommend? I heard that I shouldn’t use food coloring on water basis because it messes up the consistency of the batter. Would you recommend using powder colors? Best regards 🙂
I use Wilton concentrated colors! https://amzn.to/3bqgRWM this is the one I use. But I do hear people having great luck with powder colors, I just don’t know any brands to recommend since I’ve never tried it.
Thank you Lisa!
Would you recommend using all purpose flour instead of almond? Or does it absolutely need to be almond…
So I’ve heard of people using all purpose flour instead of almond, for the same amount when substituting, but I’ve never done it myself. It’s on my list of things to try.
Hi. I have made macarons before, and it has been a case of some batches turning out great… some not-so-great, and some others, really bad!… and this having used the same recipe every time. I definitely want to give your recipe a shot. I just wanted to know at what position ( rack ) do you place your tray, and also what is your heat setting ( is it with the fan/ or without, or is the heat from above and below). I just don’t want to go wrong 😄. Thank you.
Without fan, in the middle, the heat is from below 🙂 my oven is not very stable even though is quite new, so I rotate my tray every 5 minutes of baking.
Beautiful! How much food coloring did you use to achieve that?
2 tsp of food coloring
Stop deleting my comment. Why can’t you answer how much food color you put to achieve that? You only posted video when it was already done, that’s not a tutorial.
First of all, I didnt delete your comment. When you are commenting for the first time the comment needs to be approved first before it gets published.
I used about 2 tsp of food coloring
I apologized., for some reason I didn’t see my first question posted. Thank you for your reply.
The macaroons look great. I am surely going to give it a try. Couple of questions though- firstly, what size tip would you recommend to pipe these? Two, My gas oven also has the option of using the convection bake. What temp should I preheat at, mid level rack and lastly do I need to rotate them if using a convection oven?
Many thanks.
I used wilton tip 12.
If using the convection bake it’s recommended to lower the temperature by at least 10% but you will have to experiment with it and do a few trials to find the optimal temperature.
Whether or not you have to rotate will also depend on your oven, regardless if it’s convection or regular.
Here is an article that can help you https://www.piesandtacos.com/understanding-your-oven-macaron-tips/
Thanks so much ! I look forward to give these a try 🙂
These are stunning! What size is are the hearts on the template?
1.5″ wide. I am publishing a new template that’s a bit wider in a few days.
Thank you so much for posting the heart templates. The 1.5 inch is exactly the size I need and I thought I would have to make my own. I’ve been too scared to try making the heart shape but with your tips, I might just attempt it!
Hello!
These macaroons look stunning and I can’t wait to try them for Valentine’s Day! I know that you have several vegan macaroon recipes on your blog and I was wondering if I could use such for this recipe 🙂
Thank you in advance!
yes, but just be mindful that the vegan batter is supposed to be way thicker than the regular macaron batter, otherwise it will spread out when baked, so I advise to pipe one or two at a time before using a toothpick to spread it out to the edges. Also, if you’re not familiar with vegan macarons I recommend mastering the batter first.
Perfect, thank you so much!! ❤️
Hi Camila! Thank you so much for sharing this. What would you recommend to avoid my macarons from browning a little? My oven’s heat source is from above and most of the macarons I make brown a little during the last 5 minutes and it doesn’t seem like they’re being overdone. It’s okay if you’re not really aiming for a specific color, but in this case I wouldn’t want them to brown.
What would you recommend?
Thanks!
Mariana
I place a piece of foil or parchment paper on top of the macarons about halfway through baking.
I would really like to try these. Can they be made ahead and frozen?
absolutely. I have some in my freezer right now. theyre perfect.
Sorry. Just saw on the recipe the freezing instructions
Hi!
Wondering do you remove the template from under the siltpad before baking, or is it okay to bake with it still under it? Does having the template remain there, not effect the baking?
i feel like it does, it makes the feet smaller sometimes. I remove the template.
Amazing!!!❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
So I feel like i was folding the batter for 30 mins and it didn’t get as smooth as yours. What gives?
It means there was something wrong with your meringue, or the measurement of the ingredients. It takes me about 5 minutes or less folding the batter.