Lime Macarons

image of lime macarons stacked on top of each other

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4.75 from 8 ratings

These lime macarons are perfect for summer! They're filled with tart lime curd and delicious lime buttercream frosting.

Prep Time20

Cook Time20

Additional Time30

Total Time1 10

Course: Macarons

Cuisine: French

Servings: 18 macarons

Calories: 200kcal

Author: Chelsey White

Ingredients

Macarons Shells

110 g aged egg whites; SAVE 2 OF THE EGG YOLKS TO MAKE THE LIME CURD BELOW
1/4 tsp cream of tartar - optional
110 g granulated sugar 1/2 cup + 2 tsp
gel food coloring - optional
140 g superfine almond flour - blanched 1 1/2 cups
125 g powdered sugar 1 cup

Lime Curd

40 g large egg yolks 2 large egg yolks or 1 large egg
67 g granulated sugar 1/3 cup
45 g fresh lime juice or bottled key lime juice 3 Tbsp
4 g key lime zest - zest of 1 small lime 2 tsp
2 g fine salt 1/4 tsp
30 g unsalted butter, cut into small pieces 2 Tbsp

Key Lime Buttercream Frosting

56 g unsalted butter, room temperature 1/4 cup
6 g lime zest 1 Tbsp
6 g lime juice 1 1/2 tsp
4 g vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste 1 tsp
1 g fine salt 1/8 tsp
166 g powdered sugar 1 1/3 cups
15 g heavy whipping cream, room temperature 1 Tbsp

Equipment

Instructions

Green Macaron Shells

Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicon mats. Set aside.
Pour 110g of aged egg whites into the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk and mix on medium speed until the surface of the egg whites is covered in small bubbles. Add 1/4 tsp cream of tartar and continue to mix until it reaches the soft peak stage and leaves visible tracks.
Gradually mix 110g of granulated sugar into the egg whites over a few minutes while mixing on a medium-low speed. Increase the mixing speed to a medium-high speed. Keep mixing until stiff, glossy peaks form.
Sift 140g of superfine almond flour and 125g of powdered sugar into the meringue. Use a rubber spatula to break up any big clumps and press them through the sieve.
Add in 4 small drops of yellow and 1 small drop of green gel food coloring to give the shells a warm green color. It sounds like a strange ratio, but it gives the macs a really nice bright green color.
Fold the ingredients together with a rubber spatula. Use a circular motion that sweeps around the edge of the bowl and then pull through the bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is getting mixed together. Don't forget to scrape off the inside of the spatula intermittently. Sometimes meringue can get stuck there and not get mixed in properly.
Fold the batter until a thick ribbon of batter runs off the spatula when it's lifted. You should be able to draw a couple of figure 8's with the batter running off your spatula in a continuous stream when it's the right consistency. If the stream of batter breaks before you're able to do this, you may need to stir it a bit more.
Pour the batter into a large piping bag fit with a medium-sized round piping tip and pipe 1 3/4-inch rounds on the prepared baking sheets. Space them about 1 inch apart.
Bang the pans firmly on the counter a few times to release air bubbles, then pop any remaining air bubbles that come to the surface with a toothpick.
Let the macarons rest for 30 minutes, or until they develop a skin. The macarons should look matte once the skin has formed. While the macarons rest, preheat the oven to 320 F / 160 C.
Bake one tray of macarons at a time on the middle rack of your oven for 18-21 minutes and rotate the pan halfway through to help the macarons bake evenly. Place a foil tent over the shells halfway through when you rotate the pan to prevent browning.
Remove the macaron shells from the oven and let them cool on the pan (about 15 minutes), then gently remove them from the Silpat mat. If they're properly baked, they should peel off the mat cleanly and have a shiny bottom.

Lime Curd

Make the lime curd next! It needs time to cool to room temperature.
Fill a saucepan with 2 inches of water and heat over medium-low heat.
Combine 2 large egg yolks, 1/3 cup sugar, 3 Tbsp of lime juice, 2 tsp lime zest, and 1/4 tsp of fine salt in a medium-sized, heat-proof bowl. Whisk until combined and smooth.
Once the water begins to simmer, place the bowl on top of the saucepan to make a double boiler. Leave the heat on medium-low heat and make sure the water isn't touching the bottom of the bowl. Continuously whisk the mixture until it thickens. This usually takes me about 3-5 minutes.
Remove the bowl from the pan and turn off the stove. Add 2 Tbsp of butter and stir until incorporated. The mixture should be thick and smooth at this point.
Scoop the lime curd into a small piping bag and seal the top. Place in the fridge to cool. It should have thickened and be fully chilled in 15-30 minutes.
Leftover lime curd can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Lime Buttercream Frosting

Beat 56g room-temperature butter on a medium-high speed for 1 minute with a hand mixer until smooth. It should become lighter in color as air is incorporated into it.
Mix in 6g of lime zest, 6g of lime juice, 4g of vanilla extract, and 1g of salt on a low speed.
Slowly mix in 166g of powdered sugar. Halfway through add 15g of heavy cream or milk to make the frosting easier to mix. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed with a rubber spatula.
Mix on low for a minute until the ingredients are fully incorporated and the desired consistency is reached.
If the frosting is too thick, add in additional heavy cream or milk (1 tsp at a time). If the frosting is too thin, add more powdered sugar (1 Tbsp at a time).
Once the frosting is the right consistency, place it in a piping bag fit with a small round tip (like a Wilton 10) and set aside.

Assembling These Key Lime Macarons

Pair up the macaron shells, then pipe a ring of key lime buttercream around one macaron shell. Fill the center with lime curd. If you don't want to make lime curd, you can either use store-bought lime curd or pipe a large dollop of buttercream on the shell to fill the entire macaron.
Gently press a second shell on top of the filling to create a sandwich.
Sprinkle a little extra lime zest over the top of the macarons to give a little extra pizazz.
Place the finished macarons in an airtight container and chill in the fridge overnight, then enjoy!

Video

Notes

Recipe Yield:

This recipe makes about 36 macaron shells, which can be used to make 18 macarons. You can double or half this recipe if needed.

The yield and bake time can vary based on how large you pipe your shells. I piped these shells with a diameter of 1 3/4 inches, so they're about the size of a standard macaron.

Tips for Making the Best Lime Macarons

Use key lime juice to make the lime curd and frosting if possible. It gives these macarons a wonderful depth of flavor.
Measure your ingredients in grams with a kitchen scale! You really need to be precise with this recipe. Your macarons will turn out best if the ingredients are weighed.

Separate your own eggs and age them if possible! Do not use egg whites from a carton.
Carefully read through the directions before making these macarons. There are quite a few steps and it's good to know your game plan before you start!
Use a macaron mat or print out a template to help you pipe consistently sized macarons.
FIRMLY bang your pans on your counter after piping your macarons. This helps release any air bubbles that may be trapped and prevent cracked or hollow shells.
Rest the macarons for 30 minutes before they're baked to allow them to develop a skin.
Let your filled macarons mature in the fridge overnight! This softens them (in a good way) and allows the flavors to develop.
If your macarons don't turn out, please check out my macaron troubleshooting guide for help!

Making These Key Lime Macarons in Advance & Storage Tips

French macarons need to mature overnight (or ideally 24 hours) in the fridge before being eaten! They taste best 24 hours after being made.
Macarons can be refrigerated for up to 5 days in an airtight container.
Filled macarons can be frozen for up to a month, but the length can vary based on the filling.
Unfilled macaron shells can be frozen for up to a month in an airtight container.
Your filling can be made ahead of time too or save any leftover filling! It can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week, or in the freezer for up to a month.

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