Key Lime Pie Cookies

      Once my grandmother found out about my baking blog she and I began discussing cookie recipes. She told me that she loved key lime pie and would love to try a key lime pie cookie (I think that its because she lives in Florida, but who knows). So of course I promised that I would try to turn that classic pie into a cookie.

      I began to look up some recipes, and I was amazed to discover the abundance of key lime cookie recipes that are on the web. I read one blog where the writer referred to themselves as a “lime head!”  I’m not really sure what a “lime head” is, but I imagine this person might have an oddly shaped green head.  Regardless of what their cleaver nick name is really referring to, I know that I for one am no lime head.  I have never in my life been a fan of key lime pie. I remember eating key lime pie as a kid. I would some how manage to eat the whipped topping and the crust and almost completely avoid the tart lime filing. Still I wanted to stand up to the k.l.p cookie challenge! 


      I believe what I have come up with tastes a lot like the original, and true lovers of the pie will appreciate this cookie. I baked a moist key lime sugar cookie topped with royal icing that sorta of mimics a meringue topping.

Not the prettiest icing job ever...

What you need:

• 1 stick of butter softened at room temperature 
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar 
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup Key lime or other lime juice (I just used plain ol’ lime juice)
• 2 teaspoons lime zest 
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350°F
2. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. 
3. Add egg and mix until creamy. Beat in lime juice and zest just until combined.
4. Stir in flour, baking powder, and salt; mix well. 
5. Shape dough into 1-inch balls and place 1 inch apart on cookie sheets. (I measured out the dough balls with a table spoon. Chilling the dough for an hour can make this process easier). Only bake about 8 cookies at a time.
6. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, or until light golden. Transfer to wire rack. Let them cool completely!!!! (Your icing will melt off if you don’t let them completely cool, but if you don’t want them iced then you can eat them warm) 

Royal Icing

There are several ways that you can go about making royal icing... trust me google this and see for yourself.  I chose to use, what cookie enthusiasts would call, “the egg whites method.” 

What You Need: 

• 2 egg whites
• 2 tsp of fresh lemon juice (No you can’t sub lime juice for them lemon juice. That would be cool considering we are making lime cookies, but the acid in the limes will cause you to have running icing) 
• 4 cups of confectioners sugar (some recipes wanted less, but I wanted a stiffer icing)

Directions: 

1. Using a handheld mixer, whip together the eggs and lemon juice until well incorporated.  
2. Next mix in powdered sugar, mix until creamy. There you have it... Royal Icing!! 

I folded 1 tsp of green sprinkles into the icing to add a pop of color. You could also try using a little lime zest. I think that would look very nice. 

Music to bake to...