Lovely Heart-Shaped Mozzarella Bites – Valentine’s Day Appetizers

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February 1, 2024

Why Should Valentine’s Day Only Focus on Sweets?

These adorable heart-shaped mozzarella bites are a charming twist on Valentine’s Day appetizers. Creamy mozzarella cheese, crafted into endearing heart shapes with a tomato seasoned exterior. Whether as a whimsical addition to a romantic gathering or a special treat for any occasion, these bite-sized delights are sure to captivate because let’s be honest it’s a spin on mozzarella sticks! These heart-shaped mozzarella bites are a fun way to bring a touch of love and creativity to any gathering, offering a perfect blend of savory indulgence and charming aesthetics. Get your kids involved to make wonderful memories with this appetizer. Our version is gluten-free but you can make this with all-purpose flour too!

Have some fun with loved ones

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These bites are so fun and festive. Why not get your loved ones to help you and savor the experience? Before you get started, you’ll need heart-shaped cutters (we’ve included the link here because these are cheap but work), and if you want that tomato exterior, try this powder. The tomato powder covers all the bases because you won’t even need to dip this into the marinara sauce! Okay, now that you’re all set, let’s dive in!

  1. Place cornstarch in a bowl. Whisk two eggs in another bowl and set aside. Whisk together our tiger nut all-purpose flour or your preferred flour of choice, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, Italian seasoning, and tomato powder in a third bowl.
  2. Cut the mozzarella from top to bottom to create three sheets of mozzarella. Use the smallest heart-shaped cutter to cut out hearts from the mozzarella. The more defined the pointed edge is, the better it is to get that distinct heart shape. Don’t throw out the scraps!! We have a recipe we think you’ll love to try with these remaining pieces.

    Heart-shaped mozzarella cut-out of sheets of mozzarella with heart-shaped cutter on a cutting board
  3. Coat the hearts in cornstarch and remove any excess. Dip the hearts in the beaten eggs and shake off any excess. Finally, coat the hearts in the flour mixture and remove any excess. Repeat dipping into the egg-wash and flour mixture for a double-coat. This will help keep the heart shape. Shake off the excess and gently run your finger along the crease in the middle of the top of the heart to remove excess flour and ensure the heart shape is distinct.

    Breading the mozzarella hearts in corn starch, egg, and flour mixture in three bowls
    Heart-shaped Mozzarella coated in flour mixture
  4. Preheat the deep fryer to 335°F/168℃ or heat vegetable oil in a large saucepan filled with ¾ capacity. Fry the hearts until crispy, for about 3 to 5 minutes. The hearts will float upwards when they are ready.

    Heart-shaped Mozzarella Bites in a fryer basket
  5. Place the hearts on a wire rack to maintain crispiness and blot with a paper towel gently if you want to get rid of excess oils. Sprinkle with more tomato powder if you choose! Serve and enjoy!

Q&A

Do I have to use tomato powder? 

If you’re okay with the heart not being as reddish-brown in color, then you don’t need to. We used this for Valentine’s Day, but feel free to exclude it! If you want a natural way to color these and have the added benefit of that marinara taste to your mozzarella bites, try this one.

Can you use other cheeses? 

We haven’t tried this but any other hard cheeses that come in blocks (this will help to cut out the hearts) or soft cheeses you can form into the heart shape might work.

Do you have to fry these?

We recommend frying these because it helps seal the cheese in but still holds form. You can also air-fry these. Check out this article here from Epicurious on how to adjust your settings. According to this article, you can reduce the temperature to 315F and extend the cooking time to 10 minutes. Just keep an eye on it to ensure the mozzarella doesn’t spill out.

What do I do with the remaining mozzarella?

You can eat it (we won’t judge), OR you can stay tuned for the next recipe that takes those scraps and turns them into another party appetizer.

Heart-shaped Mozzarella Bites on a plate

Heart-shaped Mozzarella Bites

This Valentine’s Day appetizer features creamy mozzarella cheese crafted into endearing heart shapes with a tomato-seasoned exterior.
Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links, which means we will receive a commission if you purchase through those links at no extra cost. 
Servings 12 Mozzarella Bites
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients
 
 

Instructions
 

  • Time to set up your station. Place cornstarch in one bowl. Whisk together two eggs in another bowl and set aside. Whisk together our tiger nut all-purpose flour, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, Italian seasoning, and tomato powder in a third bowl.
  • Slice the mozzarella from top to bottom along the length of the block. You should have three sheets of mozzarella.
  • Using the mini heart-shaped cutter, cut out hearts in the mozzarella. Don't toss the remaining mozzarella. We have another recipe for that!
  • Dip the hearts in cornstarch and shake off the excess. Dip the hearts next to the egg and tap off the excess. Dip the hearts in the flour mixture and tap the excess off. Repeat with the egg wash and flour mixture for a double- coat. Shake off the excess and gently run your finger along the crease in the middle of the top of the heart to remove excess flour and ensure the heart shape is distinct.
  • Preheat the deep fryer to 335℉/168℃ or a large saucepan with vegetable oil filled ¾ with pot capacity.
  • Fry until exterior is golden and crispy, about 3 to 5 minutes. The hearts will usually start to float upwards when ready.
  • Place hearts on a wire rack to cool before serving!
  • Enjoy!
Author: Relatable Ladle
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Gluten-free, Nut-free, Sesame-free
What do you think of Heart-shaped Mozzarella Bites?

Drop us a comment down below if you made these! Check out our other recipes for more Valentine’s Day appetizers:
Apricot Cheese
Roasted Red Pepper Bisque
Sweet Potato Fondant Hearts
Coconut and Fruit Jelly Hearts

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