Key Lime Sparkler Cookies

Submitted by Southern Polar Bear

"Mouth-puckeringly tart AND satisfyingly sweet, these crunchy, sugar-coated cookies are bound to quickly become a family favorite. This recipe is from the King Arthur Flour website."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 5mins
• Ingredients: 11
• Yields: 36 cookies

ingredients

• 3⁄4 cup unsalted butter
• 3⁄4 cup granulated sugar
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 tablespoons key lime juice
• 1⁄8 teaspoon lime oil
• 1⁄8 teaspoon citric acid
• 1 large egg
• 2 1⁄2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 cup glazing sugar or 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 2 tablespoons white edible glitter (optional)

directions

1. *citric acid (also known as sour salt) is what gives the cookies their sour bite—if you want less tang, use just a pinch.
2. In a medium-sized bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, salt, and baking powder till well blended.
3. Beat in the lime juice, lime oil, sour salt (citric acid), and the egg.
4. Blend in the flour thoroughly.
5. Roll the dough into 1" balls, and place them on lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheets.
6. Bake the cookies in the top third of a preheated 350°F oven for 14 to 16 minutes, until the cookies are browned on the bottom.
7. Remove them from the oven, and cool on the pan for about 10 minutes before transferring to a rack.
8. Mix together the sugar coating ingredients in a pan or bag.
9. Gently shake and roll the still slightly warm cookies in the sugar till coated. Allow the cookies to cool completely, then repeat, coating again with the sugar.
10. (If you're freezing the cookies, you may choose to recoat the cookies in sugar once they've been removed from the freezer, before serving.).

Reviews

[Deb Colorado]

Yummy little summer cookie. No lime oil, so I zested a few limes and used that instead -- was just fine. The citric acid adds a nice tiny burst of tart. Not into the sparkly -- just rolled it in powered sugar and they were ver nice. Got lots of compliments on them when I served them. Easy and delicious -- thanks for sharing.

 

[twissis]

Yummy & buttery-rich soft cookies w/a subtle lime flavor because I lacked the lime oil & citric acid. *But* I found a way to get a punch of lime flavor + a sparkle effect by using my pastry brush to apply a very fine film of water to the tops of the cookies & dipped them into lime margarita bar mix. Voila! A lime margarita cookie I liked a lot while DH chowed down on the powd sugar dusted variety he preferred. Great cookies, SPB, & a fun dy in my kitchen. Thx for sharing this recipe w/us.

 

[CraftScout]

I made a batch of these for my father (a key lime pie addict) for a Christmas gift. I have to admit to some substitutions and omissions: I couldn't find lime oil, used a combination of citric/tartaric/maltic acids instead of just citric, and omitted the glitter. That being said, these are WONDERFUL! If you like key lime pie, these are definitely for you. They were very sweet in your mouth, with a super tart aftertaste that my sour-loving husband thought was just right. If you use just citric acid, yours will be a little more tart than mine were (but I used what I had on hand). If you are looking for super tart, though, these are not going to turn your face inside out (the way my husband craves).