This Trader Joe’s Key Lime Cookies recipe is a chewy and tangy recipe, which is made with fresh lime juice and lime zest. It’s a straightforward recipe, ready in about 30 minutes.
Jump to RecipeTrader Joe’s Key Lime Cookies Recipe Ingredients
- ½ cup butter, softened
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice
- 1 ½ teaspoons grated lime zest
- ½ cup confectioners’ sugar for decoration
How To Make Trader Joe’s Key Lime Cookies
- Prep Oven and Pans: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease your cookie sheets.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the softened butter, sugar, egg, and egg yolk until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
- Add Wet Ingredients: Stir in the fresh lime juice and lime zest until well combined. The mixture may look slightly curdled, which is normal.
- Combine Wet and Dry: In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer on low, gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Shape and Bake: Form the dough into small, 1/2-inch balls and arrange them on the prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned.
- Garnish and Cool: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a minute before transferring them to a wire rack. Sift the confectioners’ sugar over the cookies while they are still warm.
Recipe Tips
- How to get a strong lime flavor? For the most intense, authentic flavor, you must use fresh lime juice and zest. The zest, which contains the lime’s essential oils, is the most important part for a bright, citrusy aroma.
- Why did my cookies spread too much? This is often because the butter was too soft or the dough was too warm. For thicker cookies, you can chill the dough for 30 minutes before scooping and baking.
- Can I use regular limes instead of Key limes? Yes. While Key limes have a distinct floral and aromatic flavor, standard Persian limes will work perfectly fine and still produce a delicious, tangy cookie.
- How to get a soft, chewy texture? The key is to not overbake the cookies. Pull them from the oven as soon as the edges are just beginning to turn a light golden brown. They will continue to set up on the cookie sheet as they cool, resulting in a perfectly soft center.
What To Serve With Key Lime Cookies
These tangy and sweet cookies are a wonderful treat on their own. They are a perfect light dessert or snack served with:
- A hot cup of green or black tea
- A cold glass of milk
- A scoop of raspberry sorbet to complement the citrus flavor
How To Store Key Lime Cookies
- Room Temperature: Store the cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. They will stay fresh for up to 5 days.
- Freeze: You can freeze the baked cookies or the raw dough. To freeze the dough, scoop it into balls, freeze them solid on a baking sheet, then transfer to a freezer bag. Bake directly from frozen, adding a couple of extra minutes to the bake time.
Key Lime Cookies Nutrition Facts
- Serving: 1 cookie
- Calories: 74kcal
- Fat: 3g
- Carbs: 11g
- Protein: 1g
Nutrition information is estimated and may vary based on ingredients and cooking methods used.
FAQs
Yes, this dough is great for making ahead. You can prepare the dough, cover it tightly, and refrigerate it for up to 3 days. Let it sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes to soften slightly before scooping and baking.
Dry cookies are usually a result of having too much flour. When measuring flour, it’s best to spoon it into your measuring cup and then level it off, rather than scooping directly from the bag, which can compact the flour and cause you to use too much.
Absolutely. For a tangier finish, you can skip the powdered sugar dusting and instead drizzle the cooled cookies with a simple glaze made by whisking about 1 cup of powdered sugar with 2-3 tablespoons of fresh lime juice.
Try More Recipes:
- Trader Joe’s Corn Salsa Recipe
- Trader Joe’s Taco Recipe (Old School Beef Tacos)
- Trader Joe’s Hashbrown Recipe
Trader Joe’s Key Lime Cookies Recipe
Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy36
servings15
minutes10
minutes74
kcalA soft and chewy drop cookie bursting with bright, tangy lime flavor, finished with a simple and sweet dusting of powdered sugar.
Ingredients
½ cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 egg & 1 egg yolk
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
¼ cup fresh lime juice
1 ½ tsp grated lime zest
½ cup confectioners’ sugar
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and grease cookie sheets.
- In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter, sugar, egg, and egg yolk.
- Stir in the fresh lime juice and lime zest.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until just combined.
- Form the dough into 1/2-inch balls and arrange them on the prepared cookie sheets.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned.
- Dust with confectioners’ sugar while the cookies are still warm and cool on a wire rack.
Notes
- Using fresh lime juice and zest is non-negotiable for the best, brightest citrus flavor.
- For a soft and chewy cookie, be careful not to overbake; pull them from the oven when the edges are just barely golden.
- If your cookie dough seems too soft, you can chill it for 30 minutes before rolling to prevent the cookies from spreading too much.
- Do not overmix the dough after adding the flour, as this can lead to tough cookies.
