Is there anything more satisfying than sipping a lime daiquiri on a summers evening? Well, these macarons taste just like that feeling (minus the rum). You are going to love this recipe for coconut lime macarons. Tangy coconut and lime ganache is sandwiched between two deliciously delicate French macarons. These macarons are tart, sweet and guaranteed to not get soggy.
I love filling my macarons with ganache. So many macaron recipes recommend filling your macarons with buttercream, but personally I find these macarons are too sweet. Curd is another commonly suggested filling, but I find these fillings to be too soft and it can be difficult to keep the macarons assembled.
Ganache fillings are a wonderful compromise on the two. They can carry the depth of flavor you’d expect from a jam or curd filling, but are just as stable (or actually more stable once set) than buttercream.
This lime and coconut ganache has been adapted from my lemon ganache recipe – which would make a great alternative filling if you were looking to make lemon and lime macarons.
Tools you’ll need
Like all macarons, you’ll require a few kitchen tools to make this recipe. Mainly:
- Electric Mixer: Either a hand held or stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment will work fine for this recipe.
- Food Processor: We will use this to pulse the dry ingredients together, breaking up any large chunks of almond flour and encouraging the lime zest to infuse with the sugar.
- Bowls
- Spatulas
- Knives
- Kitchen Scales: Accuracy when measuring ingredients is essential when making macarons. The best way to accurately measure ingredients is to use a scale.
- Fine Sieve
- Piping Bags and Nozzles
- Baking Tray
- Parchment Paper (or a silicone baking mat)
- Toothpicks
- Microwave
- Macaron template (optional, but recommended).
Coconut Lime Macaron Ingredients
You’ll need the following ingredients to make your macarons:
- Almond Flour: Look for a almond flour that is finely ground, as this will yield macarons with smooth tops. Be aware that Almond Meal is not a good substitute.
- Icing Sugar: Also known as powder sugar or confectioner’s sugar.
- Egg Whites:
- Cream of Tartar: This will help your egg whites to whip nicely.
- Caster Sugar: Also known as fine granulated sugar
- Vanilla Extract:
- Salt: balances out the vanilla and sugar.
- White Chocolate: Choose your favorite brand of chocolate, preferably one that contains cocoa butter.
- Coconut Cream: This can be found in the Asian food section of your supermarket.
- Fresh limes: This is the star of these macarons. We will use the juice in the ganache and zest in the macarons.
How to make key lime macarons
Macarons do take a little time are practice to master. This recipe comes together is 10 steps
- Rinse your limes under cool water and use a paper towel to dry the outside thoroughly. Then use a fine grater to zest the limes, before cutting each lime in half and extracting the juice.
- Next, make the ganache to give it time to set prior to assembling the macarons. Add the coconut cream, 45g of the lime juice butter and white chocolate to a plastic microwave safe bowl and heat on high for 20 seconds. Stir to combine and ensure all the chocolate melts. If needed, heat for a further 10 seconds and stir again. Once all the chocolate has melted, cover the ganache with cling film (so that it’s touching the ganache) and place in the fridge to set.
- Place the almond flour, powdered sugar and 2 table spoons of lime zest into a food processor and pulse to mix everything together, break up large chunks of almond flour and encourage the lime flavor to disperse through the other ingredients.
- Sift the dry ingredients into a clean bowl, discarding any large lumps of almond flour and big pieces of zest that don’t fit through your sieve.
- Use an electric mixer to whip the egg whites, sugar, cream of tartar, vanilla extract and salt together until they form stiff peaks.
- Use a rubber spatula to fold the dry ingredients into the egg whites.
- Deflate the batter until it loosens enough that it falls off your spatula in a ribbon shape.
- Use a piping bag to pipe circles of macaron batter onto a baking tray.
- Allow the macarons to rest until they feel dry to touch, then bake them.
- Assemble the macarons.
Storage Recommendations
Store assembled macarons in an airtight container in the fridge and consume within 5 days.
If you want to keep your macarons any longer, they can be stored in an airtight container in the freezer. They will last in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let them defrost in the container on either the countertop or in the fridge.
Macaron cookies can also be stored in the freezer or fridge prior to assembling. For food safety reasons, do not refreeze macarons after they have been defrosted.
Related Recipes
I have over a dozen macaron recipes on my site. If you love these lime macarons check out these favorites:
Lime Macarons
Equipment
- Kitchen Scales
- Food Processor
- electric mixer
- Fine Mesh Sieve
- Baking Tray
- Parchment paper
- Toothpicks
- Macaron template (optional)
Ingredients
Lime Macarons
- 140 grams almond flour
- 130 grams confectioners' sugar (also known as icing sugar)
- 100 grams egg whites (approximately 3 eggs)
- 90 grams superfine sugar (also known as caster sugar)
- 1/4 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons lime zest
Coconut Lime Ganache
- 150 grams chocolate
- 10 grams salted butter
- 45 grams freshly squeezed lime juice
- 5 grams coconut cream (optional – see notes)
Instructions
Coconut Lime Ganache
- Place the white chocolate, butter, lime juice & coconut cream into a microwave safe plastic bowl and heat in the microwave for 20 seconds (at 1000kW).
- Remove the bowl from the microwave and stir to mix everything together. The chocolate should melt and combine with the cream. If some chunks of chocolate remain, return the bowl to the microwave and heat for a further 10 seconds. Stir again to combine. Repeat heating the mixture in short bursts until it all melts together.
- Once all the chocolate has melted, cover the ganache with a layer of cling film so that it is touching the top of the ganache and place the bowl in the fridge to cool.
Macaron Cookies
- If you're using a macaron template, place it on a baking tray and place a layer of baking paper on top. Then put the tray aside.
- Put the almond flour, confectioner's sugar and lime zest in a food processor and pulse for a minute. This will mix everything together, encourage the lime flavor to dispense through the sugar and break down any large pieces of almond flour.
- Transfer the mixture to a sieve and sift it into a bowl. Then set it aside while you make your meringue.
- Place the egg whites in a clean bowl. Using either a hand held electric mixer, or a stand mixer fitted with the balloon whisk attachment, whip the egg whites at medium speed until they start to look foamy.
- Add the cream of tartar, and continue to whip for a minute.
- Gradually add the caster sugar to your egg whites while you continue to whip the eggs using your mixer. I tend to add about a tablespoon or so every 15-30 seconds.
- Once all the sugar has been incorporated, add the salt and vanilla extract to the eggs. Then turn the mixer to high and whip until the mixture looks white, and marshmallow like. You'll know it's done when it is thick enough that when you scoop some up with a spoon it forms a stiff peak shape.
- Add half the dry ingredients to the meringue and use a rubber spatula to gently fold it into the meringue. Then add the remaining dry ingredients and fold this in as well.
- Next deflate your meringue until it loosens slightly. Best method I've found is to use your spatula to spread the batter around the side of the bowl, then scrape it back off the sides and into the middle. Repeat this action until the macaron batter loosens and becomes glossy. Test the consistency by scooping the batter up with your spatula and letting it slowly drop back into the bowl. It is ready if it flows of your spatula in a ribbon shape.
- Spoon the batter into a piping bag, fitted with a round tip.
- Hold the piping bag over the baking tray and squeeze the bag until a circle of batter (about 1.5 inches wide) is piped onto the tray. Repeat this process until all your macaron cookies have been piped onto the tray.
- Bang the tray on your counter a couple times to encourage any air bubbles to rise to the surface. If you can see any air bubbles on the macarons, use a tooth pick to pop them. Then place your tray on the counter for 20-30 minutes to let the macarons dry slightly.
- Your macarons are ready to bake when they have a matt texture and feel dry to the touch. Bake at 280 F (140 C) for 20-25 minutes. You will know they have baked once they have risen and look firm (but have not browned). If they look jiggly when you go to take the tray out of the oven, continue to bake them. You can also test if they are ready by peeling a macaron off the baking sheet. If it comes off in one piece and the bottom is dry, they are ready.
- Allow your macarons to cool on the tray completely. Then transfer them to an airtight container.
Assemble the macarons
- Sort your macaron cookies into evenly sized and shaped pairs. If you plan to decorate your macarons, I recommend doing so now before they have been assembled.
- Transfer the ganache to a piping bag and pipe dollops of ganache on the underside of one of the macaron shells. Place the other pair of the macaron on top to make a macaron sandwich.
- Store the macarons in an airtight container in the fridge until they're ready to be served.