Coconut Lime French Macarons (video)

The very best coconut lime French macarons recipe! These incredible coconut cookies are so delicious, like a taste of summer! I make my lime macarons with a lightly-flavored coconut macaron shell and two fillings – filled with zesty lime buttercream and creamy lime curd filling! You’ll love these tropical flavored coconut macarons! Try these macarons with my ‘Coconut Key Lime Pie’ for the ultimate dessert combo!

Adding Coconut Flavor to Macarons

These coconut lime macarons start with the best coconut flavored macaron shells! The coconut flavor is very light, just the perfect amount to complement the lime fillings! For the coconut flavor, I use 1 tsp coconut extract, adding it to the egg whites. If you want more coconut flavor, just increase the amount of extract from 1 teaspoon to 2 teaspoons.

Make sure to let the coconut macarons cool completely before filling them with the lime buttercream and lime curd.

How to Make Lime Coconut French Macarons

French macarons can seem quite intimidating to make but once you have the process down, you’ll love making them! Here are few tips to help you with baking and enjoying these lime macarons perfectly every time!

1. Whisk the egg whites just until they reach stiff peak stage, this usually takes about 4 minutes. Under mixing will result in a flat batter; over mixing can cause the cookies to spread while baking.
2. I like to use the fold and flatten method. Fold the batter thoroughly, flattening the egg whites against the side of your mixing bowl. BUT, be careful – you don’t want to over mix the batter! That will also cause your cookies to be just flat, shapeless disks.
3. If you don’t mind gluten in the recipe and you’re really struggling to get a perfect macaron, try adding 1 tbsp of all-purpose flour to the almond flour. It helps keep the macarons full inside and helps keep their shape.
4. Allow the coconut macarons to REST! Let the cookies stand for an hour at room temperature, allowing a thin shell to form on the outside. This shell gives the coconut cookies their shape so it’s crucial! If your macarons are cracking on top, you might need to let the cookies rest longer. If you live in a humid climate, extend the timing even more as humidity and moisture will prevent a shell from forming.
5. If you are baking colored or white macarons on parchment paper and want to avoid a burnt or yellow bottom, line the bottom of pan with a silicon mat. I prefer to bake on parchment paper because I get better results but every oven bakes different so try both methods!
6. I recommend keeping these refrigerated for 1 to 3 days to allow the macarons to ‘mature’. When they ‘mature’, the shells become softer and even more delicious! Take them out at least 30 minutes to an hour before enjoying to allow the cookies to thaw and come up to room temperature.

Making the Lime Buttercream Filling

I opted for not one but two lime fillings for these lime macarons! This first filling is a zesty and fluffy lime buttercream, based on my Lemon Buttercream recipe. This buttercream is so delicious and flavored with lime extract, citric acid and lime zest. Citric acid is added to sour candies to make them sour, but it’s also great in the everyday kitchen for dessert recipes!

For these cookies, I used a reduced recipe (listed in the recipe box). Check out my in-depth tutorial for making this buttercream!

Making the Lime Curd Filling

The second lime filling for these coconut lime macarons is a zesty and creamy lime curd! I used my Easy Lemon Curd recipe and simply replaced the lemon juice with freshly squeezed lime juice! I cut the recipe in half since the original one makes quite a bit of curd! Try adding lime zest and green food coloring (but not too much!) for flavor and color! The lime curd needs to cool completely before being used in this recipe! You can even make the curd the day before, or a few days before, and keep it stored in the refrigerator.

I have a separate video recipe for my lemon curd! Check out the video recipe for in-depth, step-by-step instructions!

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Coconut Lime French Macarons Recipe (video)

45 mins prep + 17 mins cook

20 servings

Delicious coconut lime macarons with a coconut-flavored cookie, lime buttercream and lime curd filling!

Ingredients 

US Customary – Metric

For Coconut Macarons:

• 200 g confectioner’s sugar
• 120 g fine almond flour
• 100 g egg whites, about 3 large egg
• 50 g white granulated sugar
• 1 tsp coconut extract

For Lime Buttercream:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup confectioner’s sugar
• 1/2 tsp lime extract
• zest from 1 lime
• 1/2 tsp citric acid, optional

For Lime Curd:

• 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lime juice, strained twice
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/2 cup white granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1/2 tsp lime extract
• green food coloring, optional

Instructions

Making Coconut Macarons:

• I highly recommend using a kitchen scale for this recipe as the ingredients need to be precisely measured for best results. First, place the egg whites and granulated sugar into a mixer bowl and whisk on high speed for 3 to 4 minutes, just until stiff peaks form. Add in the coconut extract and whisk for another 15 seconds, just until the flavor is incorporated.
• Next, prepare the dry ingredients. Sift the almond flour and confectioner’s sugar into a large mixing bowl using a fine mesh sifter. Add the whisked egg whites to the bowl and using a spatula, begin coming the dry ingredients and egg whites. I use the flatten and fold method; check out my video recipe to see how it’s done. Mix from the bottom of the mixing bowl, bringing up any dry ingredients, and flatten the egg whites against the sides of the mixing bowl. Keep mixing for a few minutes, until the batter reaches ‘lava stage’ – it will ribbon off the spatula and set down on itself in 10 seconds.
• Transfer the macaron batter into a pastry bag tipped with simple, round tip; I used Ateco tip #806. Prepare two large baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Pipe 1-inch (2.5-cm) macarons onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about an inch apart. Once the baking sheet is full, tap the pan hard a few times against your work surface to release any trapped air bubbles. Pop any bubbles that rise to the surface with a toothpick.

Baking the Cookies:

• Allow the macarons to rest at room temperature for 1 hour, or until a thin film forms on the top. This process can take longer in high humidity climates. Preheat the oven to 315F/157C. Bake the rested cookies for 17 to 19 minutes, just until the edges start turning a golden color and the cookies come off the paper easily. Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool completely.

Making Lime Buttercream:

• For the Lime Buttercream: place the softened butter into a medium sized mixing bowl and beat on high speed for about 4 minutes, until the butter is fluffy and white in color. Add in the confectioner’s sugar and mix first on low speed until the sugar is absorbed, then on high speed for 2 to 3 minutes, until a fluffy buttercream forms. Add in the lime extract, citric acid, lime zest and a touch of green food coloring, if desired. Mix the buttercream again for 1 minute, until everything is well combined. Transfer the buttercream into a pastry bag tipped with a small, star tip (I used Ateco tip #823).

Making Lime Curd Filling:

• For the Lime Curd: in a medium-sized stainless steel pot, combine the egg, egg yolk and sugar. Whisk vigorously for 2 to 3 minutes, until the eggs become thick, pale and ribbon off the whisk. Whisk in the lime juice, then take the mixture to the stove top. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula, until the curd thickens; about 4 minutes. Remove the curd from the heat and add in the butter; whisk until the butter is completely melted. Add in the lime extract, lime zest and a bit of green food coloring. Cover the curd with plastic wrap so it touches the surface and cool the lime curd completely.

Assembling the Cookies:

• To assemble the cookies: once the cookies are cooled, pair them up by size and turn one over for the fillings. Pipe a ring of lime buttercream onto one half and fill the center of each cookie with a bit of lime curd. Gently sandwich the cookies together.
• For best results: place the cookies into an airtight container and into the refrigerator. I recommend keeping these macarons refrigerated for 1 to 3 days to allow the macarons to ‘mature’. When they ‘mature’, the shells become softer and even more delicious! Take them out at least 30 minutes to an hour before enjoying to allow the cookies to thaw and come up to room temperature.

Nutrition

Calories: 200kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 44mg | Sodium: 16mg | Potassium: 23mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 251IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 1mg