Why We Love Key Lime Cookies

It’s key lime time, y’all! Bright, sweet, and delightfully tart key limes are perfect for baking into summertime treats. These irresistible soft fluffy Key Lime Cookies definitely stand out as one of our favorite quick and easy recipes for the season. Here we use both lime juice and zest, so each little two-bite cookie is brimming with unbelievably vibrant citrus flavor. Serve as-is, or dunk them in a simple glaze to really bump up the lime-y goodness! The cookies are small, make fabulous gifts, and will disappear in minutes!

Ingredients You Need

For the Cookies –

Butter – unsalted, softened Granulated sugar – white or coconut sugar Eggs – room temperature is best Key limes – zested and juiced Baking powder – leavening agent for super soft and fluffy cookies Vanilla extract – classic ingredient for sweet baked goods Salt – a pinch All-purpose flour – sifted

To Make the Lime Glaze –

Powdered sugar – sifted Key lime juice – freshly squeezed Heavy cream – for a rich, perfectly decadent glaze

Recipe Equipment

Citrus zester Standing mixer Baking sheets Cooling rack

How to Make Key Lime Cookies

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Set out several baking sheets and line them with parchment paper.  Set out an electric stand mixer. Combine the softened butter and sugar in the bowl. Beat the butter and sugar on high speed for 3 to 5 minutes, until light and fluffy. Scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula. Then add in the eggs, key lime zest, baking powder, vanilla extract, and salt. SAVE THE KEY LIME JUICE FOR THE GLAZE! Scrape the bowl again, then turn the mixer on low and slowly add in the flour. Once the flour is just combined, turn off the mixer so as to not overmix the dough. Use a 1 ½ teaspoon cookie scoop, to portion out small balls of dough. Roll the balls in your hands and place them on the cookie sheets 2 inches apart.  Bake the cookies for 10 minutes, until domed on top and barely golden around the edges. For the glaze, set out a medium mixing bowl. Combine the powdered sugar, Key lime juice, and heavy cream. Whisk well until very smooth. When the cookies come out of the oven allow them to cool for five minutes. Then dip the top of each cookie in the glaze. Flip them over onto a wire cooling rack.  Allow the glaze to spread over the entire dome of the cookie. If desired, you can use extra key limes to add fresh lime zest across the top of the cookies while the glaze is still wet. Once the cookie glaze has set, you can stack the cookies in an airtight container for storage.

Recipe Variations

“Regular limes” – if key limes aren’t available, standard ripe limes are a good substitute Gluten-free – swap all-purpose flour with your favorite GF-friendly baking mix Dairy-free – skip the dairy butter and heavy cream, and instead use your preferred plant-based alternatives Less sugar – feel free to omit the lime glaze for cookies that aren’t quite so sweet Other flavors – this recipe is terrific with freshly juiced and zested oranges or lemons, too Add color – a drop or two of food coloring into the glaze adds a fun pop of color

Tips & Tricks

Don’t over mix the cookie dough! For the softest key lime cookies, be sure not to over mix the dough once you add the flour! Over mixing can result in tough cookies. Use normal limes if needed. Of course, key limes make these easy lime cookies stand out, but normal limes can be used too. Zest is key! The citrus zest is what gives these cookies so much flavor. To easily zest them, use a microplane!

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