These Key Lime Cookies are soft and tender graham cracker and key lime filled cookies. They’re topped with a sweet and tangy key lime glaze and graham cracker crumbs. These lime cookies are wonderfully refreshing and made for sharing.
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Why Should You Make This Recipe
I have several light and refreshing cookie recipes on the blog. I especially love my Lavender Cookies, Lemon Cake Mix Cookies, Lemon Lavender Cookie Bars and Blood Orange Cookie Bars. These wonderfully tart lime sugar cookies are another delicious addition. I know you’ll love them as much as I do because:
- They are quick and easy to make. All you need to do is bring the butter and egg to room temperature, mix everything up in one bowl, scoop, chill for 30 minutes and bake!
- You love light and refreshing drop cookies. These easy key lime cookies are easy to mix up and bake up beautifully. There’s no need for any fancy ingredients or equipment. This recipe for lime sugar cookies and key lime glaze is easy to follow and will give you beautiful and delicious cookies every time.
- Layers of flavor and texture. From the soft and slightly crumbly lime cookie, to the sweet and tart key lime glaze, these lime cookies are full of light and refreshing flavors and textures I know you’ll love.
Ingredients
This recipe for key lime cookies requires only a handful of pantry basics to make. Make sure you have these ingredients ready to go!
For the Key Lime Cookies
Dry ingredients: Gather all purpose flour, finely crushed graham crackers and salt.
Wet Ingredients: Gather granulated sugar, limes, unsalted butter and an egg.
For the Key Lime Glaze
Gather key lime juice, powdered sugar, finely crushed graham crackers and lime zest.
Substitutions
Here are my recommended substitutions to make these wonderfully soft and buttery key lime cookies:
- All purpose flour: This recipe hasn’t been tested with an alternative flour. However, if you want to make this recipe gluten free, use a good 1-1 flour and measure by weight rather than cups.
- Unsalted Butter: You can use the same amount of salted butter as written in the recipe, but omit the added salt.
- Granulated Sugars:This recipe hasn’t been tested using alternative sugars. However, I love using maple sugar as a refined sugar free option in my other cookie recipes. Maple sugar bakes very similarly to light brown sugar.
- Egg: Feel free to omit, but know the final texture will be more crumbly like a shortbread.
- Key Limes: Feel free to use regular limes in place of the key limes.
- Graham Crackers: Graham crackers are used to make these key lime cookies more like their key lime pie namesake. If you want to replace the graham crackers, almond flour makes a good substitute for the cookie dough. Omit the crumble topping.
How To Make
Let me show you how to make these quick, easy and wonderfully delicious lime cookies.
- In a large mixing bowl, zest two key limes directly into the granulated sugar.
- Beat the room temperature butter and lime sugar until well combined. This takes about 3-4 minutes on medium speed.
- On low, beat in the finely crushed graham crackers and egg until smooth and well combined.
- Mix the flour and salt into the wet ingredients until just combined. Cover the dough and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. While the cookies chill, preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Scoop about 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of lime cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheet. I like to use a small cookie scoop to get perfectly portioned cookies. Bake the key lime cookies for 12-14 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven onto a cooling rack. After 3 minutes, transfer the cookies off the hot baking sheet and onto the cooling rack to cool to room temperature.
- Make the lime glaze for cookies by mixing 2 tablespoons (30 ml) key lime juice with 1 ½ cups (180 g) of powdered sugar until well combined.
- Top each key lime cookie with the lime glaze. Sprinkle crushed graham crackers and top with more lime zest if desired.
How To Make Ahead, Freeze, Thaw and Store
- Make these key lime cookies ahead of time: Simply prepare the cookies according to the recipe directions through step 4 and store covered in plastic wrap in the fridge for a day or two.
- Freeze the cookies: Once the cookies are baked and have full cooled to room temperature, place the baked cookies into an airtight, freezer safe container.
- Thaw the cookies: Transfer your desired amount of frozen cookies onto a plate to thaw at room temperature for a few hours.
- Store baked cookies: These cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3-4 days.
M's Expert Tips
- Fully preheat the oven. Use an oven thermometer to double check the temperature.
- Bring cold ingredients to room temperature. This allows the cookies to mix together more evenly which requires less mixing, resulting in a soft, tender and delicious cookie.
- Chill the cookie dough. This helps prevent the cookies from spreading too much while baking.
- Use a cookie scoop to get perfectly round cookies.
- Make sure the cookies are completely cooled before glazing them.
FAQ's
Can you substitute regular lime for key lime?
Regular store bought limes (aka, persian limes) work well as a substitute for key limes.
How to make key lime juice?
Mix equal parts lime juice and lemon juice for a close approximation of key lime juice.
More Lime Recipes to Try
If you try this Key Lime Cookies Recipe please rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Doing so helps other readers decide if this is a great recipe to bake. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using @olivesnthyme so I can see what you’re baking! Happy Baking! - M
Key Lime Cookies Recipe
These Key Lime Cookies are soft and tender graham cracker and key lime filled cookies. They’re topped with a sweet and tangy key lime glaze and graham cracker crumbs. These lime cookies are wonderfully refreshing and made for sharing.
Equipment
- 1 stand mixer with paddle attachment or electric hand mixer with beaters
- 2 large baking sheets
- 1 small cookie scoop or tablespoon
Ingredients
Key Lime Cookies
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- 2 key limes
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- ½ cup (50 g) finely crushed graham crackers (about 3 sheets of graham crackers)
- 1 large egg (US), room temperature
- 2 cups (240 g) all purpose flour
- ¼ tsp salt
Key Lime Glaze
- 1½ cups (180 g) powdered sugar
- 2-3 tbsp (30-45 ml) key lime juice
- 2-3 tbsp finely crushed graham crackers for topping
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, zest two key limes directly into the granulated sugar.
- Beat the room temperature butter and lime sugar until well combined. This takes about 3-4 minutes on medium speed.
- On low, beat in the finely crushed graham crackers and egg until smooth and well combined. Mix the flour and salt into the wet ingredients until just combined. Cover the dough and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- While the cookies chill, preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Scoop about 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of lime cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake the key lime cookies for 12-14 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven onto a cooling rack. After 3 minutes, transfer the cookies off the hot baking sheet and onto the cooling rack to cool to room temperature.
- Make the lime glaze for cookies by mixing 2 tablespoons (30 ml) key lime juice with 1 ½ cups (180 g) of powdered sugar until well combined. For a thinner glaze, add up to 1 tablespoon (15 ml) more key lime juice.
- Top each key lime cookie with the lime glaze. Sprinkle crushed graham crackers and top with more lime zest if desired.
Notes
Store baked cookies: These cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3-4 days.
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Deb says
Made these for my family and they didn’t last a day. Nice and light but with great lime taste. Couldn’t find key limes so just used regular
Megan says
Yay! Thanks so much for trying the cookies. I am so happy to read that everyone loved them!
Danielle says
Made these last night and can’t wait to share them with my family. Considering making some key lime pie filling with the leftover key limes and turning these into little chilled cookie sandwiches.
Megan says
Hi Danille,
I love your idea of making these into little key lime pie cookie sandwiches! Please let me know how they turn out for you.