Key Lime Cookies are buttery sugar cookies topped with a creamy key lime filling and freshly whipped cream. Everything you love about key lime pie, in a cookie!
Highlights of these Key Lime Pie Cookies
- This recipe offers a balanced combination of buttery sugar cookies, tangy key lime filling, and light whipped cream topping. You get the classic key lime pie flavor in a portable, easy-to-eat cookie!
- You’ll appreciate the use of real lime juice and zest, which deliver fresh citrus notes without artificial aftertaste.
- The cookie dough itself is simple, made with common ingredients like butter, brown and white sugar, and baking powder. This keeps the process straightforward while ensuring a tender, flavorful base.
Ingredients for Key Lime Cookies
Butter: Use ½ cup of salted butter, softened, for rich tasting cookies.
Sugars: You need ½ cup of both brown sugar and white granulated sugar for this recipe.
Egg: For great cookie texture, add in 1 large egg.
Extract: Enhance the flavor by using 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.
Flour: Create the structural base of this dough with 1 ¼ cup of flour.
Baking powder: The leavening agent in this cookie recipe is 1 teaspoon of baking powder.
Graham crackers: Use ¼ cup of crushed graham crackers for incredible taste & texture in these cookies.
Key Lime Filling
Condensed milk: You’ll need one 14-ounce can of sweetened condensed milk.
Lime juice: Give the filling great flavor by using ⅓ cup of lime juice, fresh is best!
Powder sugar: Sweeten the mixture by adding ½ cup of powdered sugar.
Whipped Cream Topping
Heavy cream: The base of this topping is 1 cup of heavy cream.
Sugar: Add ½ tablespoon of white granulated sugar for a subtle, sweet taste.
Extract: Use 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract for this topping.
Lime zest: Add more citrus flavor by adding fresh lime zest, for topping the cookies.
Tips for making bakery style Key Lime Cookies
Full instructions are in the recipe card below, but here are a few tips to ensure great cookie results!
- Chilling the key lime pie filling is not a necessary step, but will make it a little easier to work with. The filling is a little thick, but chilling it makes it easier to scoop and transfer to your cookies without spilling any.
- If you don’t let your cookies cool then the key lime pie filling will get soft and might slide out of the cookie a little bit when picked up. The residual heat can also cause the whipped cream to “melt”.
- For more lime flavor, you can add ½ tablespoon of lime zest to your cream before you whip it. You can also add a tablespoon of lime zest to your cookie dough. If you want to add it to your cookie dough then you can add it along with the egg and vanilla. Also, adding a little bit of powdered sugar to the key lime pie filling will help give it some extra stability, making it much easier to scoop.
Serving & Storing Lime Cookies with filling
Serve your key lime cookies chilled or at room temperature for best flavor.
You can store these cookies in the fridge for up to 5 days. The fridge is going to dry them out faster which is why they won’t last up to a week like many other cookies.
For longer storage, freeze the cookies in a single layer on a baking sheet until solid. Then transfer them to a freezer-safe container or resealable bag. Store the cookies without topping and add whipped cream just before serving. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
Can you substitute regular lime juice for key lime juice?
Yes, regular lime juice can substitute key lime juice with minimal flavor difference. Key limes have a slightly more tart and aromatic profile, but the overall citrus flavor will still work well.
If you prefer a stronger tartness, consider adding a bit of lime zest along with regular lime juice to mimic key lime flavor more closely.
Is there a way to make a gluten-free version of Lime Cookies?
You can substitute the all-purpose flour with a gluten-free flour blend that measures cup-for-cup like regular flour. Use gluten-free graham crackers or omit them entirely.
Make sure your baking powder and other ingredients are labeled gluten-free to avoid contamination. Keep the rest of the recipe the same for texture and flavor.
For more zesty citrus recipes, try some of our favorites here:
- For a simple recipe that yields delight results, make a batch of Lemon Pudding Sugar Cookies. They are perfectly chewy and bursting with citrus flavor!
- These simple Lime Sugar Cookies are loaded with amazing lime flavor! A simple recipe with a fun little citrus twist.
- Making these Lemon Blueberry Muffin Cookies from scratch is so easy, use fresh blueberries and lemon for amazing flavor!
- Our Almond Citrus Shortbread Cookies are bursting with fresh orange flavor which pairs beautifully with the almonds! These cookies are a unique twist on a classic treat.
- For a burst of fresh citrus flavor, give these Strawberry Lemon Thumbprint Cookies a try. The lemon dough is filled with strawberry jam and topped with a tangy lemon glaze that’s just the right amount of zest!
- Light & delicious Lemon Sandwich Cookies are a perfect treat for any occasion. The tender cookie combined with the tangy lemon filling makes them an irresistible treat!
Key Lime Cookies taste as vibrant and creamy as the original pie, but with a softer, portable twist. These lime cookies deliver a mix of tartness from fresh lime juice and zest, sweetness from brown and powdered sugars, and a satisfying texture enhanced by graham cracker crumbs!
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