Key Lime Cooler Cookies are buttery, bursting with fresh key lime flavor and will melt in your mouth! They’re cloaked in powdered sugar for a cookie recipe that’s perfect for holiday baking!

Key lime cooler cookies piled on a white plate

I’m crazy about key limes.  Whenever I see them in the store, I grab a bag or two, because they’re not around all the time.  I often juice them immediately and freeze the juice so that I have it when I want to make a pie.

With Easter coming, I’ve had Greek butter cookies, or kourabiedes, on my mind.  They’re also known as Mexican Wedding Cookies, and Russian Tea Cakes. 

Call them what you will — just don’t call them late for dessert. 🙂 

Greek butter cookies are reminiscent of the boxed lemon or lime cooler cookies I used to eat when I was younger, so this year I broke tradition and did a play on that.  These Key Lime Cooler Cookies are light and buttery, with a refreshing  key lime flavor.  

Roll them in powdered sugar, and they’re just divine.   🙂

I wanted a different recipe to base these Key Lime Cooler Cookies from, so I looked at many different versions.  What I have here is my adaptation after scouring about 15 recipes.  Whew!  It was some serious cookie research.

If you can find key limes, grab them!  Zest and juice about 4 of them for this key lime cookie recipe.  Juice the rest and freeze for future use.  I don’t recommend using bottled lime juice.  Fresh is always best!

How to make key lime cookies

When you’re done mixing your dough, it will be very crumbly, and will require just a bit of kneading to make the dough come together.  

I did this in the bowl, because I didn’t want any more of a mess to clean up.  

How to make key lime cookies 1

Roll the cookies into 1″ size balls, and place them on a parchment lined baking sheet about 1″ apart.

How to make key lime cookies 2

Bake them at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

How to make key lime cookies 3

Now comes the fun part!  While the cookies are still warm, roll them in powdered sugar, and place back on the baking sheet to cool.  Once they’ve cooled, sift more powdered sugar over the tops.

How to make key lime cookies 4

Recipe notes

  • Key lime cookies keep in an air tight container for up to 2 weeks, which makes them great for gift giving, or just keeping around for yourself!  
  • You can make these without the lime juice or zest, and they’ll be traditional Greek butter cookies, but I highly recommend trying the key limes.  
  • Substitute key limes with any citrus!  Orange, blood orange, lemon and grapefruit are all great options.
Key lime cooler cookies piled on a white plate

More key lime recipes you’ll love:

If you try this recipe I’d love to hear from you! Leave a comment and rating below, or tag me at @flavorthemoments on Instagram!

Key lime cooler cookies piled on a white plate

Key Lime Cooler Cookies

Key Lime Cooler Cookies are soft, buttery, and bursting with key lime flavor!
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Ingredients

  • 3 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 sticks unsalted butter softened
  • 3 cups powdered sugar divided
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1/4 cup fresh key lime juice regular lime juice is ok
  • 1 tablespoon key lime zest

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • In a small bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
    3 cups all purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • In a large bowl, cream the butter and 1 cup of powdered sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. On low speed, mix in the egg yolk, lime juice and zest until incorporated.
    2 sticks unsalted butter, 1 large egg yolk, 1/4 cup fresh key lime juice, 1 tablespoon key lime zest, 3 cups powdered sugar
  • Add the dry ingredients, mixing on low speed just until combined. The dough will be very crumbly. Using your hands, knead the dough gently until it comes together and forms a ball.
  • Roll the dough into 1″ sized balls and place 1″ apart on the prepared baking sheets.
  • Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until lightly golden brown. Check for doneness after 15 minutes, as oven temperatures do vary.
  • Place the baking sheet on a wire rack. While the cookies are still warm, roll them in the remaining 2 cups of powdered sugar, and place back on the baking sheet to cool completely. Sift the remaining powdered sugar over the tops of the cookies. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Notes

  • Make sure your key limes are room temperature so that you get the maximum juice out of them! One 1 lb. bag of key limes normally yields 3/4 cup of juice. Freeze the rest! Prep time includes zesting and juicing the limes.
  • These cookies actually get better as they sit. This makes them a great cookie to ship to relatives!  Store in an air tight container for up to 2 weeks.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie, Calories: 124kcal, Carbohydrates: 18g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 19mg, Sodium: 23mg, Potassium: 15mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 10g, Vitamin A: 164IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 7mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.

Did you try this recipe?Be sure to tag @flavorthemoments with the hashtag #flavorthemoments on Instagram so I can see what you made!

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