I love macarons. About 12 years ago, I tried my hand at making them. I used a recipe that was touted as being from the Queen of French macarons, Lauderee. 
I painstakingly followed the recipe and they came out like pancakes, with no pied, or foot and a grainy taste. Making them was put on the back burner since there had to be some secret that wasn't spelled out in the article. Since I love them so, I wanted to try making them again and did some research. I bought a book just on macarons and then after reading reviews of it on Amazon, I decided not to use it. My journey took me to Tartlette's blog and I devoured her article "Demystifying Macarons." She gives a full tutorial, which I followed almost to a T. I say almost because she calls for grinding your own almonds and I had already bought almond flour/meal, so I used that. They came out perfectly! They have the required pied, height and a nice glossy crust. Since Valentines' Day is approaching, I made some of them in a heart shape and the rest I made round. 
I filled them with 2 different fillings. 
One is a simple dark chocolate raspberry ganache, and the other is a white chocolate raspberry ganache. Both are equally delicious. The heart shapes are charming and easy to make, with the right movement of the pastry bag. 
I have tasted many a macaron all over Paris throughout the years. Recently I couldn't resist popping in when I saw McDonalds had a McCafe within their fast food venue right in the heart of Paris. I had to try one of their chocolate macarons, just out of curiosity. It was OK...dense with no depth of flavor.... and if I didn't know of the rich and delicate taste of an expertly made macaron, I may have even liked it...well, sort of.
A few months ago after a full course meal with dessert at a favorite restaurant in Paris, the waiter brought my friends and I a plate of sweet delicacies. Oh, la, la...meringues, financiers and macarons. 
We all somehow found room. I, of course, had the macaron....the chocolate one! Have I mentioned I love macarons?I Love...therefore I am!
Tartlette (thank you!) has such a wonderful article with a tutorial on making the macarons, that I will link to that article here. Just look for the a small box that has a "Desserts" magazine cover to the right on the page underneath archives and click on it. It is in pdf format.
I weighed all of the ingredients, since measuring can yield different amounts each time. After making the macaron batter, to make the hearts, start out making a small circle, lessen the pressure of squeezing the bag as you pull the bag down diagonally and toward the center. Repeat by making a mirror image just next to it, so they connect. Make them small, since they spread. I used a large #6 piping tip. They came out to be about 2 inches long. If you have the tail at the bottom of the heart go one way, you'll need one to go the other way to match up when they are paired together. I made the White Chocolate Raspberry Ganache from Tartlette's recipe, but used less raspberry jam. To make Dark Chocolate Raspberry, just substitute dark chocolate for the white chocolate, and again I used less jam. I think you'll love them!
I will be announcing the winner of my giveaway of the Rose Cake Pan on Valentine's Day.....so if you haven't left a comment there to enter, you still have a few days.♥