A light, creamy and refreshing lime filling topped with fluffy coconut cream! Easily dairy free. Perfect for Spring or Cinco de Mayo!
Sometimes I think about writing the recipe out as it was actually made in my own kitchen, including all of the mishaps, messes and redos. By the time the recipe makes it here, it’s been through a lot! And so has my sanity…
Today was no exception.
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I love involving my almost-3-year-old (just another month or so and I can drop the almost!) in the kitchen. But there are days… I almost can’t handle it.
She is usually pretty good about listening and we have some pretty basic rules when it comes to her helping me.
She’s not to touch any cutting boards or anything on them, unless I ask her too.
She doesn’t touch knives.
She’s never to put a chair or stool in front of the stove to stand on.
She’s not to put anything in her mouth without asking.
She’s pretty good about most of these things, except maybe that last one. She’s a food addict like myself, and it’s not always easy!
As we were making the lime curd today and I was painstakingly juicing the limes into a measuring cup, she was whisking the eggs and sugar together. I always tell her, “keep the whisk in the bowl”, but all of a sudden there was liquid egg all over the counter and in my hurry to clean it up I knocked over my cup and lost about half of my lime juice.
And so I think I’ll stick to “what you should do in your own kitchen while making the recipe” instead of “what actually happens in my own kitchen while making the recipe”.
I would love to hear some of your stories about cooking with your kids! You know, so I know I’m not the only one. 😉
I love citrus, and I love coconut.
I was testing out a gluten-free coconut and almond based tart shell to make these in, but it was a total fail and so I used some bought tart shells I had stashed in the freezer for months.
Don’t judge me. One can only handle so many disasters on a single Monday!
I was searching for a great lime curd recipe as a base for my filling, and I decided to try out this lime curd recipe from Dorothy at Crazy for Crust – I just love how simple and quick it is! I folded in some whipped coconut cream for some extra creaminess, and I added a drop of green food coloring (I know, don’t judge me. It’s still Monday) only because I wanted them to look like lime tarts. This is totally, completely optional.
Finish with some whipped coconut cream or even regular whipped cream, some toasted coconut and lime zest, and you’re good to go! An awesome Spring treat 🙂
These Coconut Lime Tarts would be so perfect for Cinco de Mayo, or a Spring party, baby shower or birthday!
Coconut Lime Tarts
Ingredients
- 12 premade tart shells baked according to directions and cooled
Lime curd cream filling:
- 3 large eggs
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup fresh lime juice or sub bottled
- Zest of 1 or 2 limes I used 1.5 tbsp lime zest
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter cubed
- 3/4 cup whipped coconut cream**
Garnish:
- 1/4 cup toasted coconut
- Grated lime zest
- 1 1/2 cup whipped coconut cream**
Instructions
- Make the lime curd cream filling: In a small pot, whisk together the eggs, sugar, juice and zest until smooth. Place over medium heat* and cook, stirring continuously, until thickened (4-5 minutes). Remove from heat and stir in the butter until melted. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
- When the curd has cooled to room temperature, stir in whipped coconut cream slowly.
- Spoon warm filling into the cooled tart shells and place in the fridge to set completely.
- Divide remaining coconut cream between tarts and garnish with toasted coconut and lime zest. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Notes
Nutrition (this is an estimate)
- 12 premade tart shells, baked according to directions and cooled
- Lime curd cream filling:
- 3 large eggs
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup fresh lime juice (or sub bottled)
- Zest of 1 or 2 limes (I used 1.5 tbsp lime zest)
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter, cubed
- ¾ cup whipped coconut cream**
- Garnish:
- ¼ cup toasted coconut
- Grated lime zest
- 1 ½ cup whipped coconut cream**
- Make the lime curd cream filling: In a small pot, whisk together the eggs, sugar, juice and zest until smooth. Place over medium heat* and cook, stirring continuously, until thickened (4-5 minutes). Remove from heat and stir in the butter until melted. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
- When the curd has cooled to room temperature, stir in whipped coconut cream slowly.
- Spoon warm filling into the cooled tart shells and place in the fridge to set completely.
- Divide remaining coconut cream between tarts and garnish with toasted coconut and lime zest. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Whipped Coconut Cream: https://www.thereciperebel.com/gluten-free-dairy-free-almond-joy-cupcakes/
Laura says
Made these for a Premier Jewelry party and everyone raved about how professional they looked and tasted!
Ashley Fehr says
Oh awesome!
Dorothy Dunton says
Hi Ashley! I love lime (and lemon) curd! I make coconut macaroon thumbprint cookies with a dollop of curd in the middle. There’s an old saying – Don’t judge a person until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes. I would add “carrying one child and with the other child wrapped around their leg”! My children are grown, but I have lots of memories with them “helping”!
Ashley says
Hahaha, yes, it’s always an adventure! But I think it’s important for her to “help” so I keep her around 🙂
marcie says
Key lime is my favorite, and these tarts are the most adorable things! And of course since I love coconut, even better. 🙂
Ashley says
Exactly! Thanks Marcie 🙂
Laura @ Laura's Culinary Adventures says
You earned the right to use frozen pie shells! Looks deliciouss!
Ashley says
Haha, thanks for your support Laura!
Sarah @ The Gold Lining Girl says
Love these! I am obsessed with curd lately (hate that word though), and love all things lime! Very much feeling the tropical vibes lately!
Anna @ Crunchy Creamy Sweet says
All I can say is it gets better! Eventually they get better at helping and it all becomes more fun! 🙂 I have three kiddos that always want to be in the kitchen with me. That’s a lot of cooks!
These mini tarts are adorable! I bet they taste fantastic!
Ashley says
Haha, thanks Anna! She is sometimes actually helpful, but we’re not quite there yet!
[email protected] says
Love coconut and lime together! These tarts look fabulous!
Having your daughter in the kitchen at a young age will pay off before you know it. My 15 year old cooks herself dinner almost every night and I think she’s better with developing new recipes than I am!
Ashley says
That’s funny Christin! Maybe she’ll be guest posting soon 🙂
Jessica @ A Kitchen Addiction says
These lime tarts are so perfect for spring! They look perfect!
Ashley says
Thanks Jessica!
Kate @ Diethood says
Oooooh I have an almost 3 year old, too, and yes to everything else!! Mine loves to eat (a lot) and so, whatever she spills, she just goes and licks it off the floor! EWWWWW!!! I always have to clean it all up as fast as possible before she has lunch with the hardwood floors. hahaha 🙂
These tarts are almost too pretty, to eat! They must taste incredible!!
Ashley says
Haha, I can totally imagine that! Mine puts everything in her mouth, even if I just ask her to grab me a spatula. It’s like she has to check and see if it’s got anything good on it!
Deborah @ The Harvest Kitchen says
Oh my gosh….these look incredible! I’m totally craving lime now!!! Definitely making these. And….there is nothing better than cooking/baking with little-ones!!!
Ashley says
Haha, yes it’s always an adventure!
Catherine says
My gosh, these look heavenly! I must make them this weekend. I’m pregnant and want citrus all the time, so they’re right up my alley!
Ashley says
That’s funny — I was all about the citrus and sour things when I was pregnant too!
Mariah @ Mariah's Pleasing Plates says
Kitchen mishaps are just bound to happen with the kiddos in there. Every time I am telling my mom stories about stuff Stella does, she reminds me that I am going to miss all this someday. Somedays I don’t agree. lol
This tarts are so cute! Pinned!
Ashley says
Haha, I’m sure we will! Thanks Mariah!
Beth says
No judgment here! I added a drop of orange food coloring to my my orange buttercream actually look orange 🙂 I’ve been thinking about coconut tarts lately.. so good timing!
Ashley says
Thanks Beth! I know some people are really against food coloring (I mean, I’m sure there are things in there I don’t want to know about!) but it just didn’t look green otherwise!
Kelley says
Umm no you are totally NOT alone in the crazy, messy kitchen department. Haha! I have a 4 and 5 year old and they love to “help” momma. We have a lot of spills and egg goop to clean up after, but its worth it. They love helping and hopefully (fingers crossed) they look back and remember spending time together in the kitchen. I love this recipe too! I haven’t tried lime curd.. I’ll add it to my list of things I need to try asap! YUM!
Ashley says
Thanks Kelley! I definitely wouldn’t change a thing (I mean, other than the mess, Lol) 🙂
Nichole says
Oh no! I would have probably cried after juicing all those limes, but what sweet memories your little one will have 🙂 In other news, these tarts look SO delish!
Ashley says
Haha, thanks Nichole!
Justine | Cooking and Beer says
Ahhh! I just made lime tarts for my blog this weekend! Although, there was no coconut involved. These look INCREDIBLE, Ashley! Yum! Side Note: I envy your multi-tasking skills. Mine are non-existent and I don’t even have any little ones running around! I want to be you. 😉
Ashley says
Hahaha, believe me, you just learn to deal with it! I am nothing special. Lol. And when I’m desperate, there’s always cartoons 🙂
My Kitchen Craze says
I love cooking with my kids too. Especially my daughter. She is mommies little helper. She is so patient. Love hearing your stories about your little girl. Just wait until you have both girls in the kitchen with you. These tarts scream summer too. Love them! 😉
Ashley says
Haha, I can’t imagine Cyndi! That will be chaos!
Annie @ ciaochowbambina says
Love these tarts as much as I love your sweet stories about your little one! Awesome adventures you’ll never forget!
Ashley says
Aw, thanks Annie!
Michelle { A Latte Food } says
I have had those exact same kitchen disasters! Except it was me, myself, and I that caused the problems, haha! I can be a real hazard to the kitchen. But, your tarts still turned out beautifully! I can’t wait to make homemade lime curd!
Shinee says
Now, I don’t have kids, but sometimes (read: most of the times) I multitask in the kitchen, which causes a lot of troubles! On my recipe testing days, I usually have 3-4 recipes to work with and I, impatiently, do a few things at once, which had very bad consequences that we won’t go into.
I absolutely love these mini tarts! So making them!
Ashley says
Haha, I totally understand that! Sometimes I try to do more than one at once, but that’s pretty much always a disaster because, well, add in the 3 year old and the 4 month old. Lol.
Kelly - Life Made Sweeter says
Haha your daughter is so cute, love that she is so eager to help — sorry to hear about the lime juice though :-S My 4 and 1 year old are always hanging around wanting to help measure, pour and stir which always equals a giant mess too. The photoshoots are the hardest part because both kids always come to try to snatch away food or props haha. Love these coconut lime tarts! They look incredible and totally worth spilling any juice over 🙂
Ashley says
Haha, that sounds so familiar! Though my 3 year old is getting better with not touching while I photograph. Or I just turn on cartoons so I can take some pictures!
Krista @ Joyful Healthy Eats says
haha.. been there and done that with the cooking mishaps due to children! 🙂 But those stories will always stick with you! Love it! And totally love these cute tarts!
Ashley says
You’re right! And it’ll be something we laugh about down the road I’m sure 🙂 Thanks Krista!
Holly says
Where is the Whipped Coconut Cream recipe?!?!
Ashley says
Sorry about that! There have been some weird things happening with links so my web site updated. I’ve added it in a few places!
Stacey @ Bake Eat Repeat says
Those tarts look amazing! I’ve never made lime tarts before, but I think you convinced me that I need to try them. And also that I need to try the without the “help” of the three year old! You are definitely not alone there, he always wants to help me in the kitchen, and some days are much more trying than others for sure! Usually he’s a great little helper, and then there are those days where everything turns into a giant mess! 🙂
Ashley says
Haha, yes it seems to go back and forth! Lime is my new favorite thing!
Kacey @ The Cookie Writer says
I feel you! I try to never say no to my daughter in the kitchen because I do not want to discourage her. However, my tasks would finish a lot faster if she did not want to help 🙂 I would never guess you had any mishaps with this dessert!
Ashley says
Haha, thanks Kacey! We always make it in the end 🙂
Natalie @ Tastes Lovely says
I don’t have any stories of cooking with kids, but I do have some interesting stories of cooking with dogs! Always sitting right at my feet hoping something will fall and they can gobble it up. This little lime tarts sound so good! Perfect 2 bite dessert : )
Ashley says
Haha, I can imagine that would be interesting too!
Alice @ Hip Foodie Mom says
Ashley, we should all share “what actually happens in my own kitchen while making the recipe”. . now, that would be hilarious!!! I love having my kids in the kitchen with me. . mine, like yours, are good listeners and know the drill. . but yes, there are certainly “jobs” I don’t give them. But when we are baking, just for the sake of baking something for us, I let them do everything. The other day, we made scones and I let Madeline, my 4 year old, do the egg wash .. of course she got it everywhere but it was fine. they love helping me but they don’t like posing for photos! 😛 love these coconut lime tarts!!!! so pretty!!!
Ashley says
Haha, my girl is still at the age that she likes the camera! I’m sure that day will come though. Thanks Alice!
grandbabycakes says
I love reading about your 3 year old in the kitchen. Such a beautiful and fun memory to keep. And these are absolutely darling!
Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice says
Sounds like you have a lot of stories to tell with your little kitchen helper! That is so cute that your daughter helps, mishaps and all. Such great memories! And these lime tarts look just perfect!
Ashley says
Haha, it’s quite the adventure! Thanks Gayle!
Erin @ Miss Scrambled Egg says
Ashley – My kitchen looks insane when I’m in it and I don’t even have any little ones. I was making butter cream for my aunt’s birthday yesterday and might’ve put my stand mixer on too high of a speed. Powdered sugar everywhere and dogs lapping it up on the floor. These look delicious. The perfect Cinco De Mayo treat.
Ashley says
Haha, I just have someone to blame it on I guess! It’s probably just all me 😉 Thanks Erin!