Iced Key Lime Cookies are chewy sugar cookies with a sweet-tart key lime icing. Add some zest on top for an extra touch of lime flavor and color.
Key Lime Cookies with Icing
Don’t miss out on baking these delicious Iced Key Lime Cookies before the end of key lime season!
Soft and chewy sugar cookies are infused with the juice and zest from fresh key limes, so you get that citrusy flavor in every bite!
After the baked cookies cool, you’ll top them with a simple powdered sugar icing and a little more lime zest on top. These cookies are perfect for any special occasion or anytime you are craving a citrusy-sweet treat.
Why you'll love Iced Key Lime Cookies
- The sweet-tart flavors in this key lime cookie are citrusy and refreshing.
- These pretty cookies are so decorative – but they are super simple to bake.
- They have the perfect chewy texture and are a wonderful way to enjoy in-season key limes.
Key Ingredients & Substitutions
- Key Limes – You’ll need both the juice and zest. If you can’t find key limes, you can buy bottled key lime juice, or simply mix half fresh lemon juice with half lime juice together. (We used a total of 16 key limes – our one-pound mesh bag came with approximately 18-20 small key limes.)
- All-Purpose Flour
- Baking Soda
- Table Salt
- Unsalted Butter
- Granulated Sugar
- Light Brown Sugar
- Large Egg
- Vanilla Extract
- Glaze Ingredients – Powdered sugar, key lime juice, key lime zest, whole milk, vanilla extract, and table salt.
Special Tools Needed
- Medium Bowl – To mix dry ingredients.
- Citrus Zester or Microplane
- Citrus Juicer
- Small Cutting Board and Sharp Knife
- Various Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Stand or Hand Mixer
- Insulated Cookie Sheets
- Parchment Paper Sheets
- Cookie Spatula
- Cooling Racks
- Small Offset Spatula
How do I make Iced Key Lime Cookies?
- Whisk together dry ingredients in a bowl. Set it aside.
- Beat butter and both sugars with a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.
- Mix in the egg.
- Mix in vanilla, key lime zest, and juice.
- Mix in dry ingredients slowly with mixer running.
- Scoop one-ounce balls of dough onto the cookie sheets and bake.
- Make glaze by mixing all glaze ingredients.
- Cool cookies, glaze and sprinkle lime zest onto each one before the glaze dries.
Tips & Tricks
- It’s easier to zest key limes before juicing. Just note that the zest will dry out if it’s left out a long time. To keep it fresh, we place the zest in a small bowl and cover it with plastic wrap.
- When baking multiple batches of cookies, make sure that your cookie sheet is completely cool before scooping the portion onto it for baking. If you don’t have multiple cookie sheets, run the hot pan under cold water to cool it down for the next batch. Then dry it, lay new parchment paper on the sheet, and scoop out your cookie dough.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I make Iced Key Lime Cookies ahead of time? Yes. When stored properly (see below), these cookies stay fresh for several days.
- How do I store leftovers? Store in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to two days, or longer in the refrigerator.
You might like these other Key Lime Recipes:
Click here for more delicious Cookie Recipes!
Iced Key Lime Cookies
Iced Key Lime Cookies are chewy sugar cookies with a sweet-tart key lime icing. Add some zest on top for an extra touch of lime flavor and color.
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 40 cookies 1x
- Category: cookies
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
For the Cookies
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon table salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 whole large egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon key lime zest (about 3–4 key limes)
2 teaspoons key lime juice (about 1–2 key limes)
For the Glaze
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons key lime zest (about 2 key limes), plus more for garnishing each cookie
2 tablespoons key lime juice (about 6–8 key limes)
2 tablespoons whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of table salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F with rack in the upper third of the oven.
- Line insulated cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- In a bowl, whisk flour, baking soda and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat butter with both sugars for five minutes and until creamy.
- With mixer running on low, beat in the egg. Scrape the bowl and beat again.
- Beat in the vanilla, key lime zest and key lime juice.
- With mixer running on low, slowly add in the flour. Scrape and mix just to combine.
- With a #40 one-ounce scoop, scoop out 40 cookies and place 10 on a pan and bake one pan at a time on the upper rack for 12 minutes, rotating halfway through. (We lined four dough-balls down each side and two in the center, spacing them to leave room for spreading, and they will spread).
- Slide the cookies with the parchment onto a cooling rack and let cool for five minutes. Then use a small spatula to move them from the parchment and back onto the cooling rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining three batches.
- While the cookies cook and cool, make the glaze by whisking all the glaze ingredients until smooth. Add more milk or powdered sugar as needed to get a thick spreadable glaze.
- Once the cookies are cooled, use a spoon to add glaze to each cookie then spread with a small offset spatula.
- Finally, zest fresh key lime over each cookie while the glaze is still wet and serve.
For the Iced Key Lime cookies, you don’t list what size baking tray even though you’re only baking 10 cookies at a time. Could you make the adjustment on your website since I own 7 different size baking sheets and none are insulated.
Also, you state to “flip halfway through the baking time”. I’m assuming you mean turn each cookie over. I’ve never had a cookie recipe where you “flip”. Yes, some recipes say to rotate the tray but not flip.
Hope you all have a wonderful day….Jude
Hi Judith – In the post, we linked to the insulated cookie sheets that are Measures 16.13″L x 14.19″W x .95″H – I believe this is a standard cookie sheet size. Rotate is a better term…I’ll update the post! Thank you!