Have you ever seen anything like these candies?
We did a complete double take when we saw them on the Splendid Table website. They look like little edible marbles or some interesting new nut that you pop out of the shell straight into your mouth.
Apparently, they were one of artist Frida Kahlo's favorite sweets. We have a feeling they will soon be ours as well!
These sweets sound almost like coconut macaroons stuffed inside candied lime peels. You make them by scooping the flesh out of the limes and then gently boiling them in sugar. The coconut is boiled separately with sugar and water until it becomes a soft pulp.
The coconut-stuffed limes are completely edible. We imagine each bite would be chewy and sweet with a burst of fresh citrus tang.
Tiny, thin-skinned key limes would be fantastic for making bite-sized treats. We're also thinking of hollowing out the two halves of a regular lime and using them like a bowl for the coconut filling.
The recipe for these coconut-stuffed limes comes from a new book on Mexican treats by Fany Gerson, "My Sweet Mexico." You can get the recipe and listen to the full interview with the author on the Splendid Table website:
• Get the Recipe: Limones Rellenos de Coco (Coconut-Stuffed Limes) by Fany Gerson
• Hear the Interview: Fany Gerson on The Splendid Table
Related: Coconut Eggnog Recipe: Puerto Rican Coquito
(Image: Fany Gerson via Splendid Table)
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these sound really interesting! i'm saving this for next spring or summer... they sound refreshing. i wonder what drinks would go well with them?
these sound delicious! definitely adding them to my to-do list!
You put the lime in the coconut...
just a gentle comment- i think it's Kahlo :) not Khalo
beautiful write-up. happy hols to you and everyone at The Kitchn.
Oh my, I need to make these....they look amazing!!! I bet they would be good half dipped in some dark chocolate..
@spicespoon - You're totally right. Thanks!
Oh wow! Yum!
gorgeous, just gorgeous. Hmm, might have to make up a January candy swap party as an excuse...
I have tried these! in Morelia, Michoacan, Mexico. It was in the Plaza de los Dulces, not sure if it still exists. I remember there were so many sweets, the honeybees buzzed around the tables.
Correction, it is Mercado de Dulces in Morelia, Michoacan
I have Fany's book and love it, great choice! This recipe is also featured in "Frida's Fiestas" another fantastic Mexican cookbook co-authored by Frida's step-daughter (Diego Rivera's daughter).
These are soooooo good, and so "Mexican". I used to buy them in Nuevo Laredo (don't get there anymore) at the big supermercado south of the tourist area. They cost pennies. The vendor told me she got the lime shells from fancy restaurants serving margaritas to turistas, so her only cost was the coconut and the sugar. I think the baking soda is what keeps the lime peels bright green. I used to have a whole bag finished by the time I got through customs. I have tried to make them in the past, and failed miserably - maybe this time, with the recipe, I will have more success! Thank you so much for publishing this recipe for my favorite south of the border sweet.
The Mercado de Dulces in Morelia is still going strong - was there a few weeks ago. For a finer take on sweets, go to Dulces Morelianos - fresher, prettier packaging, video and graphic history of sweets in the area. But everywhere are stores with beautiful display of local sweets - look similar to the oil and vinegar markets in Italy. Just beautiful.
I think substituting the limes for kumquats would turn into a nice combination.