Description
Delight in these romantic Red Velvet Valentine’s Day Macarons topped with a luscious mascarpone frosting. These heart-shaped macarons combine the classic red velvet flavor with a smooth, creamy frosting, perfect for celebrating love or special occasions. The delicate shells are made from almond flour and cocoa, whipped to perfection, and baked until crisp with a melt-in-your-mouth center. Paired beautifully with a lightly sweetened mascarpone cream, this recipe is both elegant and delicious.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Macaron Shells:
- 130 g powdered sugar
- 120 g almond flour
- 7 g cocoa powder
- 105 g egg whites
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste
- ½ teaspoon red food gel
For the Mascarpone Frosting:
- 113 g (½ cup) heavy cream, cold
- 50 g (¼ cup) granulated sugar
- 113 g (½ cup) mascarpone, cold
- ½ teaspoon vanilla paste
Instructions
- Prepare the Macaron Template: Trace a heart-shaped cookie cutter about 2 inches apart on parchment paper to use as a piping guide. Place another piece of parchment paper over it when piping shells. Alternatively, you can freehand the shells.
- Sift Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, sift together the powdered sugar, almond flour, and cocoa powder twice to ensure a fine, lump-free mixture.
- Make the Meringue: Heat the egg whites and granulated sugar over a double boiler until the sugar dissolves and temperature reaches about 120°F. Transfer to a stand mixer bowl and whisk until soft peaks form, then add vanilla paste and red food gel. Continue whisking until stiff peaks form—the meringue should be stable enough that it doesn’t move when the bowl is inverted.
- Macaronage: Fold one-third of the sifted dry ingredients into the meringue with a silicone spatula by scraping the sides and folding through the center gently. Repeat with the remaining dry ingredients. Then, gently fold and spread the batter along the sides of the bowl to deflate slightly until the batter flows smoothly and you can make figure eights without the batter breaking.
- Pipe the Shells: Transfer the batter to a piping bag with a small round tip. Pipe into heart shapes on parchment paper over the template. Carefully remove the template and tap the baking sheet several times on the counter and the bottom with your hand to release air bubbles.
- Rest the Shells: Allow the piped macarons to rest for 30-40 minutes until a skin forms and they are dry to the touch.
- Bake: Preheat oven to 300°F. Bake macarons for approximately 12 minutes. Let them cool completely on the baking sheet before removing.
- Prepare the Mascarpone Frosting: Using a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, combine cold heavy cream, granulated sugar, mascarpone, and vanilla paste. Whisk on low speed until combined, then increase to medium-high and whisk until thickened, about 30 seconds.
- Assemble the Macarons: Pipe mascarpone frosting onto the flat side of one macaron shell. Sandwich with a matching shell, pressing lightly to adhere.
Notes
- Macaron flavors improve after resting; make shells a day ahead and chill overnight before assembly.
- If shells are difficult to peel from parchment, freeze them briefly to ease removal.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 macaron
- Calories: 110
- Sugar: 11g
- Sodium: 15mg
- Fat: 6g
- Saturated Fat: 3.5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 12g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 20mg
