All content copyright Katrina Hall 2008 through 2025

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

zesty lime cookies on a hot summer day









Two fresh limes winked at me every time I opened the fridge, which was often in this sticky, hot, and humid weather we've been having. I thought about making a Mexican lime soup (sopa de lima) but the thought of simmering hot soup on the stove made me feel even hotter. Instead, I made lovely soft lime cookies, sprinkled with confectioner's sugar or sparkling sugar and lime zest. Perfect!


I made them small, I made them huge - they both tasted the same, and oddly, both baked for the same amount of time - 22 minutes. The big cookies look perfect for a nice vanilla bean ice cream sandwich, don't they? But I had them with a juicy watermelon and blueberry fruit salad, also perfectly complementing that puckery lime flavor.

I've been walking to our nearby pond daily, and yesterday the reflections of the bright blue sky and puffy white clouds in the water among the lily pads caught my eye. Astonishing, isn't it?



To make:

3 t. fresh lime juice

1/3 cup milk

1 stick of unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup white sugar

1 large egg

1 3/4 cup King Arthur all-purpose flour

1/4 t. baking soda

1 t. baking powder

4 t. lime zest plus another teaspoon zest for decorating


Preheat oven to 350F. Line 2 cookie sheets with foil or parchment.

Combine the milk with the lime juice and let sit a few minutes.

In mixer bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy, then beat in the egg, then the lime juice and milk mixture.

Add the flour, baking powder and soda, and the lime zest.

Using a large ( or small) spring-loaded ice cream scoop, scoop balls of dough onto cookie sheets, leaving about two or three inches between cookies.

Mix a tablespoon of sparkling sugar with a tablespoon of sparkling sugar and sprinkle tops of cookies before baking. Just a pinch per cookie is plenty.

Bake in upper third of oven, one sheet at a time, for 22 minutes.

Remove and cool, then bake the second sheet.

Use a sifter to sprinkle confectioners sugar on top of the cookies before serving - and a sprig of mint or lemon verbena is pretty, too!


Enjoy the summer - August's going fast!

































10 comments:

Marianne said...

The cookies sound perfect, Katrina. I always love stopping by your blog. It's a lovely respite from the hustle and bustle of every day life! Bet I'd feel the same way about your kitchen!

katrina said...

Thank you for your very kind words, Marianne! You described perfectly my feeling about cooking and kitchens - a respite from the daily hurry-hurry, and sad news headlines, and almost like a meditation/quiet contemplation.

Crystal said...

I wonder how these would be with key limes.....

katrina said...

Crystal - I think they would be delicious, though a little more difficult to grate the limes for zest.

Sashquatch said...

I adoorreee citrusy cookies, and i havnt made anything limey for a while so think its time to change this fact! Your cookies look absolutely divine, perfect for summer and so cute too! Im rather fond of the little ones myself :)

katrina said...

Thanks, Sasha!

Barb said...

I love citrus-flavored cookies too - yum! The photos are beautiful - the reflection of the sky & clouds is (dare I say it??) heavenly!

katrina said...

Hi, Barb! Heavenly is the most perfect description of that picture, so of course you can say it:) Thanks and hope your day is as pretty as it is here!

Ashley's Cooking Adventures said...

I'm a sucker for anything with lime and these look delicious!

katrina said...

Thanks, Ashley!