As a home baker with years of experience crafting custom candies, I've perfected this recipe for conversation hearts. Coming up with witty messages in 10 letters or fewer is a fun challenge—far more charming than any tweet!
Conversation hearts are simple to make at home, but they shine when personalized with food-safe markers. Our homemade versions, flavored with your favorite extracts, taste infinitely better than store-bought.
Combine 1/4 oz. unflavored gelatin, 3 teaspoons light corn syrup, and 1/2 cup boiling water in the bowl of a stand mixer. Stir until completely dissolved.
Add 8 cups of powdered sugar one cup at a time. Beat with the paddle attachment between each addition until fully incorporated. The batter thickens with every cup.
Once all powdered sugar is added, beat until the dough reaches a thick, fluffy consistency. It's sticky, but a poked indentation holds its shape.
Turn dough onto a surface dusted generously with powdered sugar. Knead by pressing flat, folding in half, and repeating until flexible and easy to handle.
Divide dough into portions for each color. Indent the center of each ball, add drops of flavor extract and food coloring, then knead until uniform.
Roll each ball to about 1/4-inch thickness.
Use heart-shaped cookie cutters to stamp out hearts. For classic size, go 1-1/2 to 1-3/4 inches; we use 1-3/4-inch and 2-1/2-inch cutters.
Line a baking sheet with parchment, place hearts on it, and dry in a cool spot for about 24 hours, based on size and thickness.
Use edible food markers to add personalized Valentine's messages—sweet, sincere, or playful—to charm friends, family, or that special someone.
