Alright, I haven’t shared a new recipe in quite some time, but I am back with these Key Lime Coconut Cookies! Ever since COVID quarantining started, I haven’t ventured out to the grocery stores like I used to. I’ve mostly been relying on my husband who volunteers to make the grocery shopping run. Unfortunately (or fortunately), that’s how I ended up with a 50 pound bag of all purpose flour and a 15 pound bag of sugar. It is also why I am going to be bringing about a slew of baked good recipes, haha!
Ok, back to these Key Lime Coconut Cookies. A few days ago, I finally decided to visit one of my favorite local grocery stores and was like a kid in a candy store. I found this fantastic key lime juice by Nellie & Joe’s as well as some unsweetened coconut flakes by Bob’s Red Mill. I definitely had key lime pie on the mind at that moment.
With my favorite slice of key lime pie in mind, I used notes of ginger and cinnamon to make my cookie base like a pie crust. For my cookie frosting, I kept it soft and tart, letting the key lime juice do its magic. Finally, for some tropical texture, I added in toasted coconut and fresh lime zest. I kept my batch of finished cookies in the fridge until it was time to eat. This helped keep the frosting more solid in bite and made for a more pie-like bite!
If you have any questions when making this recipe reach out to me @thefamiliarkitchen on instagram. I’d LOVE to see how these turn out for you and answer any questions you might have!
If you like these cookies, you may also enjoy my:
- Coconut Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
- Lemon Cardamom Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Nutella Cream Cheese Cookie Sandwich
Key Lime Coconut Cookies
Notes
For the frosting, if your frosting separates/curdles you can add in a little more powdered sugar to thicken up and cream. Make sure your butter is thoroughly whipped at room temperature to help prevent this. Alternatively, cream cheese would make an excellent substitute if you're not a fan of buttercream frostings.
Ingredients
- The Dough:
- Sugar, 1 cup
- Light Brown Sugar, 1/3 cup
- Unsalted Butter, 2 sticks, room-temperature
- Vanilla Extract, 1 tbsp
- Eggs, 2
- AP Flour, 3 cups
- Ginger Powder, 2 tsp
- Cinnamon, 2 tsp
- Corn Starch, 1 tbsp
- Baking Powder, 1/2 tsp
- Baking Soda, 1/2 tsp
- Salt, 1 tsp
- .
- The Frosting:
- Unsalted Butter, 1 stick, room-temp
- Powdered Sugar, 2 cups
- Ginger Powder, 1/4 tsp
- Cinnamon, 1/4 tsp
- Salt, a pinch
- Key Lime Juice, 3 1/2 tbsp
- Heavy Cream or Milk, 1 tbsp
- .
- Garnish
- Fresh Lime Zest
- Toasted Unsweetened Coconut Flakes
- Crumbled graham crackers optional
Instructions
- Make the Dough:
- In a stand mixer with paddle attachment (or hand mixer), add the sugars and butter and mix until the butter and sugars cream together (2 minutes).
- Once creamed, add in the vanilla and eggs and mix just until combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients. With the mixer on medium low, add in the flour mixture one spoon at a time and mix just until the flour combines with the wet ingredients. Don't overmix. (I like the hand mix towards the end to prevent from over-mixing.)
- Cover the mixing bowl with wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to chill the dough. You can also freeze this for later use. I like to roll my cookie dough into a log with plastic wrap to store and cut into rounds more easily.
- Baking the cookies:
- When ready, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray cooking oil on a baking sheet followed by parchment paper on top so the paper adheres to the pan. Bake the cookies for 10-12 min max. They may look “uncooked” but as long as the perimeter is lightly brown, the cookie will set further once it is cooled. Transfer cookies to wire rack to let cool. Once cool, let’s glaze!
- Making the frosting:
- To make the frosting, add the room-temp butter to a stand mixer. Cream this with a whisk or paddle attachment on high speed for 2-3 minutes or until the color becomes more white and butter expands in size/fluffiness. Once the butter reaches this point, reduce the mixer speed to low and add in the powdered sugar and spices. Mix this until combined then add in the remaining key lime juice and cream. Mix on high until creamy.
- Decorating the cookies:
- To decorate the cookies, make sure your cookies are 100% cooled. Add a layer of the key lime frosting followed by toasted coconut, a few pinches of lime zest, and perhaps a few crumbs of graham crackers for extra texture. That's it!
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