Key Lime Cookies
Sweet, tart and practically shouting “summer fun”, key lime cookies are a perfect snack. Or dessert. Or picnic treat. Did someone say pot luck? 
Just call me… Officially. Obsessed. With key lime that is!
It started with key lime pie, but I couldn’t leave it at that. I had to make meringue-topped pies. Key Lime Yogurt Pie (you can count that as breakfast, right?). And now it’s Key Lime Cookies.
At least that all fits in perfectly with a fun and glorious summer!
Summer snack!
This cookie has been a big hit including at a recent “moon camp.” That’s where a bunch of photography buddies trekked over open water in the middle of the night to take pictures of the milky way. On an island. In Lake Michigan. At 39 F. Don’t you think it might take a tasty batch of cookies to get past that?
Okay the really cool photos (still in editing) were probably enough.
But key lime cookies can make anything better. Really! Even an already awesome day.
With milk?
Key Limes vs Persion Limes
Now just in case anyone is getting concerned and thinks they need to run out for key limes let me reassure you. The diminutive Key limes are different from the grocery store Persian limes, but for baking you can use either.
Limes in a bag
I even ran a bona fide experiment on this, making a pie using each. And while both my “picky” daughter and I could detect slight herbal undertones in the key lime version, neither of us felt it mattered. In fast we weren’t even sure we’d have noticed if we weren’t trying to.
Much more important was using fresh lime juice versus bottled. Most important is making it in the first place.
Summer won’t last forever you know.
Served
- • 1 cup butter room temperature
- • 1 cup granulated sugar
- • 2 Tablespoons finely grated lime zest (from 2 small or 1 large lime)
- • 2 Tablespoons lime juice (from 1 small or ½ large lime) – see note
- • 1 whole egg
- • 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
- • 2 Tablespoons poppy seeds
- • A few drops green food color if desired
- Cream together butter, sugar and zest in a bowl. Mix until light and fluffy.
- Add egg and lime juice. Beat until incorporated. Add in flour stirring until it is mixed in. Add in poppy seeds & food coloring if using.
- Wrap in plastic and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
- On a lightly floured surface roll out dough to 1/8 - 1/4 inch thick. Use cookie cutter to cut out cookies.
- Place cookies on baking sheet and bake at 375 F until slightly golden around the edges, about 10 minutes.
- Remove cookies from baking sheet and cool on rack.
- Note: Measure your lime juice and don’t use too much. If you accidentally add too much and your dough is too sticky, you may need to compensate with a little extra flour.
- Made about 4 dozen small cookies. Yield will vary based on thickness, size of cookie cutter.
While I do find a big difference between the limes, I totally agree with you – they both taste great! I have more access to Key (also known as Mexican) limes than most, but if I can’t find them fresh, I never use the bottled anymore. I prefer fresh Persian lime juice and love the flavor! These cookies are beautiful and sound like the perfect closure for any meal!
Interestingly, I couldn’t find key limes in Florida last January (trying a citrus store, grocery store and a farmer’s market) but got them in Wisconsin (at a Hispanic market) when I returned! I suspect even most commercial “key lime” dishes are made with Persian limes which would predispose people not to expect what I called the “herbal undertones” anyway.
Still envious of your citrus resources David!
These are beautiful! The key lime flavor would be so good in a cookie. So perfect for summer!
Now that a cookie I have never had. They look so cute and so tasty! I love the little poppy seed specks too!