Valentine's Heart Macarons

Step 1

Line baking sheet with a silpat mat or parchment.*

Step 2

Place the almond powder and icing sugar in a food processor. Process until just beginning to clump.

Step 3

Sift well and discard any bits that won't pass through the sifter. Set aside.

Step 4

Whip the egg whites until they're the consistency of a loose foam. Continue whipping while slowly adding sugar. Whip to a stiff meringue.

Step 5

Fold the dry mixture into the meringue. Add in color gel at this point**

Step 6

Pour the batter into a piping bag fitted with the 2A tip.

Step 7

Pipe the macarons onto your baking sheet.

Step 8

When all your macarons are piped, whack the baking sheet on the counter at least 3 times to get rid of any air bubbles.***

Step 9

Let the macarons dry at room temperature until dry to the touch. Approx 1 hour. DO NOT skip this step.

Step 10

While macarons are drying, make the buttercream.

Step 11

Once dry, bake macarons in a 300°F oven until they stick a little bit to the pans. This can be anywhere from 10-20mins depending on your oven and how crowded the macarons are on the pan.

Step 12

Let cookies cool completely before removing from pans.

Step 13

Pipe buttercream into the center, sandwich the cookies and press together.