While flipping the pages of Chatelaine this month, I fell in love with the idea of making candy conversation hearts. I gave their recipe a try immediately, and while it didn't really work for me, with minor adjustments, I think the end result is perfect and my kids say they're even better than the store-bought ones. (Which, come on, doesn't seem too difficult, does it? They taste like chalk.) But conversation hearts are adorable, fun, and surprisingly easy to make. I love that you can write absolutely anything on them, they'd be adorable as cupcake toppers or cake decorations, too.
6 Allergy-Friendly Valentine's Day Recipes
I'm going to explain how to make just one batch, but obviously if you want multicoloured hearts like I've done, you'll need multiple batches. The flavoured gelatin powder is what gives them their pretty pastel hue.
(makes ~120 heart candies)
Ingredients
3tbs water
3tbs flavoured gelatin powder
3 1/2C icing sugar
1" heart cookie cutter (I used one from a linzer cookie cutter set I bought at Bulk Barn)
package of Food Writer markers (these are markers filled with food colouring, found at craft or baking stores)
parchment paper-lined baking sheet (or just lay parchment on your counter)
In a medium bowl, add icing sugar.
Boil water and add gelatin. Stir till combined (this takes maybe 45 seconds) and remove from heat.
Pour the gelatin mix into the icing sugar.
Using a hand blender or fork, combine well.
V This is what your mix should look like. Don't panic if yours is too dry or too wet! If it's dry, add a DROP of water, and combine. If too wet, add more icing sugar.
Take the mix out of the bowl and knead it into a ball. It's pretty maleable, though a little crumbly.
It'll magically change colour! Kidding. I forgot to take photos of one colour through the whole process, sorry about that. Roll the mix out over a surface coated well with icing sugar to prevent sticking. It should be about 1/2" thick. Then press your heart cutter into it. If you have trouble getting your hearts out, using the back of a pencil and gently push the candy out. You can use a spatula flipper thingy if they stick to the surface. Remove the excess and lay the candies on parchment to dry out. Collect the excess, smoosh into a ball and start again until your mix is used up.
Leave the candies out to harden for at least 24 hours before writing on them.
My kids and I had so much fun writing different sayings on them.
Aren't they adorable?
And you can even write some with an attitude, that's ok, too. Not everyone's a fan of the day of looooove.
Here are some other super easy (and allergy-friendly!) Valentine's treats you'll want to try.
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