Lime Meltaway Cookies

It’s not very often that I get excited about cookies that don’t contain chocolate.

But these little Lime Meltaways are the exception.

They’ve got that sweet and tart thing going on in a big way.

My little back yard lime tree is bursting with giant, juicy limes.

They are the limiest limes I’ve ever tasted. Two were happy to volunteer their juice and zest for these cookies.

Limes in Cookies! They’re not just for gin and tonics anymore.

Here’s what you need:

Limes, Unsalted Butter, Flour, Cornstarch, Salt, Vanilla, and Powdered Sugar.

Click HERE for a Lime Meltaway Cookie Shopping List

The butter needs to be at room temperature so be sure that you set it out to soften for an hour or so before you start baking.

Beat 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) of softened, unsalted butter and 1/3 cup powdered sugar in the bowl of a mixer.

Powdered sugar is officially called Confectioner’s Sugar.

Beat the butter and powdered sugar together on medium speed until they are combined, light and fluffy.

Use a microplane or small grater to zest 2 limes.

Remember, when you’re zesting you only want to grate off the outer green part and not the white pithy part underneath.

After you’ve zested, squeeze the limes until you have 2 Tablespoons of fresh juice.

Add the zest, 2 Tablespoons of lime juice, and 1 Tablespoon of vanilla extract to the butter.

Mix to combine the ingredients.

The acidity of the lime juice might make the butter a little lumpy but that’s okay.

In a separate bowl, combine 1 – 3/4 cups plus 2 Tablespoons of flour.

WHAT? That is honesty the weirdest measurement I’ve seen since a recipe once asked for 1/2 an egg. Don’t panic. 1 3/4 cups + 2 Tablespoons = 2 cups flour MINUS 2 Tablespoons.

Measure out 2 cups of flour and then remove 2 tablespoons from your bowl. Voila! 1 3/4 cups + 2 Tablespoons with much less fuss.

Add 2 Tablespoons of Cornstarch and 1/4 teaspoon salt to the flour and whisk it together to lighten and combine.

Working with the mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour to the butter mixture.

Mix until all of the flour has been absorbed into the butter but don’t over-mix. The batter might be a little crumbly, but that’s okay.

Turn the batter out onto a piece of parchment or waxed paper. You might need to semi-knead it once or twice to incorporate any stray crumbly pieces.

Divide the batter in half and roll each half into a log shape about 1 1/4 inches wide.

This is a Martha Stewart recipe, and Martha tells you to measure with a ruler and use the ruler to help make a perfectly round shape while you roll the dough log into the parchment.

Right. Wait here while I go find a ruler. Or not.

Admire the little flecks of lime zest in the dough then roll the log up in the parchment and twist the ends.

Do the same for the other half of the dough and refrigerate your little dough packages for AT LEAST 1 hour.

When you’re ready to go and the dough is cold and firm, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Remove the dough logs from their wrappers and cut into cookie slices about 1/4 inch thick.

Place the cookies on a parchment covered cookie sheet leaving about an inch of space between the cookies.

Bake at 350 degrees for 12 – 14 minutes until the cookies are barely golden brown.

Be sure to watch the bottoms of the cookies and rescue them when the bottoms start to turn golden even if the tops have not.

Cool the cookies on a rack for 4-5 minutes so that they firm up but are still warm and then coat them in the remaining 2/3 cup of powdered sugar.

NOTE: I followed the recipe and used a zip lock bag filled with the powdered sugar to coat the warm cookies. However, several of my cookies broke even though I was being very gentle. Next time I will put the powdered sugar in a bowl and toss the cookies gently in the sugar with my fingers.

Place the sugar covered cookies back on the rack to finish cooling.

In an effort to present you with only the most beautiful cookies, I took one for the team and ate that broken one in the back. That’s just the thoughtful kind of person that I am.

This recipe makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Lime Meltaway Cookies.

Sweet and tart and strangely addictive.

Martha says that these can be stored for up to 2 weeks at room temperature in an airtight container.

Riiiiight, Martha. Like they’re going to last that long.

Really good with tea for breakfast.

Here’s the recipe:  from Martha Stewart’s Cookies

Lime Meltaway Cookies

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One Response

  1. Thanks!!! Great great cookies! Now I’ll just have to steal a couple of limes from your tree and whip up a batch – since I got flour in the house!

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