coeurs d’amande

These hearts are at treat any time of year, beneath the rich layer of dark chocolate is a tender center of marzipan, or almond paste. Their smooth and sweet appearance make them a perfect treat for Valentine’s Day, and believe it or not, you can make 5 dozen of these little hearts in less than 45 minutes.

You could make these hearts with just 2 ingredients, dark chocolate and prepared almond paste, but I like to bump up the flavor a little. 
Usually, I just add a little almond extract and salt. When I mentioned I was making these on our facebook page, a reader mentioned she had tried a marzipan flavored with rose water. When I heard this the bells started ringing for me, I happen to be an orange blossom water fanatic, so I had to try it.  The addition of orange blossom water to the almond paste was true love! It made the almond paste taste like my favorite French confections, Calissons d’Aix.

Calissons d’ Aix

Coeurs d’amande
Ingredients
4 ounces tempered chocolate (to read how to temper chocolate click here)8 ounces almond paste (available in cans in the baking aisle of most grocery stores)
flavor options
1/2 teaspoon almond extract1/4/ teaspoon saltor1 tablespoon of orange blossom water1/4 teaspoon salt
tools
a silicone of plastic cutting boarda rolling pinsmall heart shaped cookie cuttersa silpat or waxed papera wire rack (optional)
Open the little can of almond paste and put the contents into a medium sized mixing bowl. 

Begin melting the chocolate, click here to read how.
When the flavorings are mixed in, use your hands to work the paste into a smooth ball. Place the ball on a plastic cutting board, and then use a rolling pin roll out the dough to about 1/4 – 1/2 inches thick.
Start cutting out the hearts {or any shape} from the paste. 

If you use the orange blossom water the paste will be sticky. Once you cut out the hearts, it will be easiest if you put the hearts onto a wire rack or a sheet of waxed paper.
Set up your “enrobing station” so you can work quickly to coat all of your hearts in that glossy liquid chocolate. I like to use a large silpat {they are available at cooking shops and on our home page via Amazon} for the finished hearts. You could also use a sheet of waxed paper.

To enrobe the hearts, drop one into the chocolate,

then flip it over using a fork.  Make sure the sides are covered. Lift the heart out of the chocolate with a fork and tap the fork against the side of the container many times, so all of the excess chocolate goes back in the bowl.