Homemade Conversation Hearts

I have literally been snowed in here for most of the week.  And being the craftaholic that I am, you would think I have lots to show you.  Yes, I spent a large amount of time crafting and I have three projects currently in the works. But none of them are complete.  So I decided to go into the kitchen and make some homemade conversation hearts.

homemade conversation hearts valentines day

Why, you ask?  Well, I ran out of supplies for one project, another project is still being worked through in my head, so it is not coming together as quickly as I’d like, and the third one is totally kicking my butt.  Here is a bit of my three projects combined:

A mess.  But it will come together. You will see them all soon, and in the meantime, I’ll share with you a project that I did last Valentines day.

Well I got all Martha Stewarty and decided to make some Valentine baskets for the girls. Yes, I know they are a bit old for that, but apparently their mom isn’t.

For this project I used:

2 tsp. light corn syrup
1/2 cup water
1 packet (or 2 tsp) unflavored gelatin
2 lbs. powdered sugar, plus a bit more for dusting
Almond extract
Food coloring
A small heart-shaped cutter
Food coloring markers (from my local craft store)
homemade conversation hearts candies1

Put the corn syrup, gelatin, and water in a small microwave-safe bowl. Stir it well.  Microwave for about 30 seconds so the gelatin dissolves, and stir again.

Then pour the mixture into a large bowl and add 1 cup of powdered sugar, mixing it with a mixer on low until the sugar dissolves.  Then keep adding sugar and mixing until the full two pounds of sugar are added.  This will become a stiff, sticky dough.Use a sifter of powdered sugar to dust the counter and scrape the candy out of the bowl onto the counter.  Add lots of extra powdered sugar to the top and start to knead it like bread dough.  Keep kneading and adding sugar if needed until the candy is satiny instead of sticky.

Then decide how many colors you want to make and divide the dough up into that many portions.  Take each portion, add a few drops of food coloring and almond extract and knead it until the color is well distributed.  (By the way, any flavored extract will work). For this step, use rubber gloves so that you don’t end up with rainbow hands.  Repeat this with the other portions until all your candy is colored and flavored.

Dust the counter again with powdered sugar and roll out one of the colors to about 1/4″ thick.

homemade conversation hearts valentines day

Then use the heart shaped cutter to cut out the hearts and place them on a sheet of parchment paper. One batch makes a lot, as you can see.

The hearts have to air dry for at least 24 hours before you can write on them.  Be sure that they are totally dry before you go to the next step or the ink will run due to the moisture.

I found my food coloring markers at Michaels in the Wilton cake supply section.  They are easy to write with and can be used for lots of future projects.  If you cannot locate them, you can use a toothpick and liquid food coloring to write with instead.

My hearts have lots of personal sayings on them that only my kids would appreciate; Amanda-Panda, Dork, Myers-Tires, and of course the usual stuff like Sweetheart and I love you.  What is great about this project is how personal you can make it.

homemade conversation hearts candies3

The finished hearts should be stored at room temperature in an air tight container.  Don’t I sound just like Martha Stewart? I’m wearing my sensible loafers as I type this.

Homemade Conversation Hearts
Recipe Type: Holiday Recipe
Author: Suzy Myers
Prep time:
Total time:
Make homemade conversation hearts and personalize them!
Ingredients
  • 2 tsp. light corn syrup
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 packet (or 2 tsp) unflavored gelatin
  • 2 lbs. powdered sugar, plus a bit more for dusting
  • Almond extract Food coloring
  • A small heart-shaped cutter
  • Food coloring markers
Instructions
  1. Put the corn syrup, gelatin, and water in a small microwave-safe bowl. Stir it well. Microwave for about 30 seconds so the gelatin dissolves, and stir again.
  2. Pour the mixture into a large bowl and add 1 cup of powdered sugar, mixing it with a mixer on low until the sugar dissolves.
  3. Continue adding sugar and mixing until the full two pounds of sugar are added. This will become a stiff, sticky dough.
  4. Use a sifter of powdered sugar to dust the counter and scrape the candy out of the bowl onto the counter.
  5. Add lots of extra powdered sugar to the top and start to knead it like bread dough. Keep kneading and adding sugar if needed until the candy is satiny instead of sticky.
  6. Decide how many colors you want to make and divide the dough up into that many portions. Take each portion, add a few drops of food coloring and almond extract and knead it until the color is well distributed.
  7. Dust the counter again with powdered sugar and roll out one of the colors to about 1/4″ thick.
  8. Use the heart shaped cutter to cut out the hearts and place them on a sheet of parchment paper.
  9. The hearts have to air dry for at least 24 hours before you can write on them. Be sure that they are totally dry before you go to the next step or the ink will run due to the moisture.
  10. Use food coloring markers to personalize your conversation hearts.
  11. The finished hearts should be stored at room temperature in an air tight container.

For other cool Valentine craft ideas, check out:

Conversation Heart Soaps
Homemade Conversation Heart Dog Treats
Valentine Heart Sachets

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