Lime Cookies

These citrusy Lime Cookies are thick, chewy, and bursting with flavor! They’ve got a bright lime glaze, a hint of coconut, and a soft bakery-style texture you’re sure to love.

Try these favorite citrus-filled desserts next: Key Lime Pie or Lemon Cheesecake Cookies.

The Best Lime Cookies Recipe!

I know, I know. The “best”—really? While everyone likes different things in a cookie, I truly think these are the best lime-laced sugar cookies ever!

This Lime Cookies recipe yields ultra-thick, soft, chewy, and downright delicious cookies. They’re citrusy with a hint of coconut, and then the sweet glaze on top finishes things off perfectly!

What Can You Do With Plenty Of Limes?

Make these Lime Cookies of course! You’ll need about three large, juicy limes for this recipe. If you’ve got more than that, consider one of these recipes using limes:

• Cilantro-Lime Sauce: This is a favorite on the blog—great with Shrimp Tacos or Cafe Rio Sweet Pork.
• Sparkling Raspberry Limeade: This drink uses an entire cup of lime juice!
• This Guacamole recipe can be a topping for Navajo Tacos or French Bread Taco Pizza.

What Makes Cookies Soft Or Hard?

Several factors come into play here:

• The actual ingredients used
• The size of the cookie dough balls
• How long the dough is chilled
• The temperature of the oven and how long cookies are baked for.

For soft Lime Cookies, I use a moist dough and make big dough balls. But the number one way to get soft cookies? Don’t bake them too long!

What Makes Cookies Fluffy?

• Fresh baking agents (check to make sure the baking powder is fresh!)
• Creaming room–temp (not melted) butter with the sugars.
• Using room-temp eggs so they trap air and disperse more evenly into the batter.
• Chill the dough so the cookies are fluffier and spread less. The sugar also has a chance to absorb more liquid and further prevent spreading.

Lime Cookies Ingredients

A few ingredients are worth going into detail:

• Lime zest: I only use the lime zest; it packs a punch of lime flavor without adding liquid. There is a lot of zest, but it’s all needed here! Use a grater (like this one) to zest just the green part—avoid the bitter white pith.
• Coconut extract: Optional, but it adds nice flavor. Coconut extract is a flavor enhancer (like vanilla extract) that gives these cookies a more nuanced flavor.
• Butter: The better the butter, the better the flavor of the dough! I love and use this butter in these Lime Cookies.

How To Make Lime Cookies From Scratch

My top tips for Lime Cookie success:

1. Use a food scale if you have one! Measuring flour can vary a lot with cups, but 400g gives the perfect amount. A food scale also helps portion dough balls evenly so all the cookies bake the same.
2. Keep these cookies soft after baking. Cool cookies fully on a wire rack so they don’t have soggy bottoms.
3. Bake on a silicone liner or parchment paper. This helps the cookies bake evenly, prevents burning, and also makes cleanup easy.

More Dessert Recipes:

• Fruit Dip with only four ingredients
• Orange Julius a dessert-like smoothie
• Blueberry Ice Cream made without refined sugars
• Cheesecake Bars with a hint of lemon
• Strawberry Frozen Yogurt with frozen strawberries

SaveSaved Pin Print

5 from 3 votes

Lime Cookies

By Chelsea Lords

Bright and zesty Lime Cookies are thick, chewy, and bursting with citrusy goodness. A quick lime glaze and a hint of coconut make them absolutely vibrant!

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Chilling Time: 40 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 25 minutes minutes

Servings: 16 cookies

Equipment

• Stand mixer
• Large sheet pan (15" x 21")
• Parchment paper or silicone baking mat

Ingredients

1x2x3x

USMetric

• ▢ 16 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 cup, room temperature; do not melt!
• ▢ 1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
• ▢ 3 large limes for zest, see note 1
• ▢ 2 large eggs
• ▢ 1-1/2 teaspoons coconut extract optional, see note 2
• ▢ 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract see note 3
• ▢ 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• ▢ 3 cups all-purpose flour see note 4
• ▢ 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Glaze

• ▢ 1 lime for lime juice; juice 1 of the limes used for the cookies
• ▢ 1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
• ▢ 1 tablespoon heavy cream
• ▢ 1/16 teaspoon salt 

Instructions 

• Add the butter to a stand mixer. Add sugar and 3 tbsp lime zest. Beat for 2–3 minutes. Scrape sides, then add eggs, vanilla, and coconut extract. Beat until combined.
• Scrape sides; add baking powder and salt, then mix. Add flour and beat until just combined and no flour streaks remain.
• Cover dough and chill for 20 minutes. Line a large plate with parchment paper.
• Portion the dough into 1/4 cup (60g) balls. Aim for 16–18 cookies, as this size works best (see note 5). Roll each ball in 1/2 cup powdered sugar and place on the plate.
• Return dough balls to fridge for 20 minutes or freezer for 10. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 325°F (162°C). Line a large sheet pan with parchment or a silicone liner.
• Bake 6 cookies at a time on a prepared pan (they spread). Bake 10–15 minutes until puffed and no longer gooey on top, with slightly browned edges. Avoid overbaking to retain flavor and texture. Let cookies stand on the pan 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Glaze only when fully cooled. Repeat for remaining dough or save for later (see storage).
• Glaze: In a medium bowl, whisk 2 tbsp lime juice, powdered sugar, heavy cream, and a pinch of salt until smooth. Transfer to a resealable plastic bag, seal, cut the tip, and drizzle over cookies. Optionally, sprinkle with lemon zest. Enjoy at room temperature or chilled.

Video

Recipe Notes

Note 1: The lime zest adds a strong flavor without liquid. Use about 3 tablespoons, avoiding the bitter white pith. Use a zester to zest only the green part of the limes. Get all the zest for maximum flavor.

Note 2: Coconut extract is optional, but it adds a nice flavor. It gives these cookies a more nuanced flavor. Coconut extract can usually be found near other baking extracts and spices in the grocery store.

Note 3: I often use vanilla bean paste (1 teaspoon) instead of extract for even more flavor. Use whichever you prefer.

Note 4: Use a food scale for accuracy! Measure 400 grams of flour for perfect cookies. It also helps ensure uniform cookie dough balls, leading to a professional look and even baking.

Note 5: Cookies work best at 1/4 cup (60 grams) of dough. While you may want smaller cookies, know that the texture is not the same. Big, I know, but totally perfect!

Storage: Freeze the dough, not the baked cookies! Place dough balls on a sheet pan and freeze until solid. Transfer to an airtight container or bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen, adding a few extra minutes to the bake time until edges are lightly browned and centers are soft. Make the glaze fresh, as it doesn’t freeze well.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 295kcal | Carbohydrates: 46.8g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 11.1g | Cholesterol: 48.2mg | Sodium: 140.6mg | Fiber: 0.7g | Sugar: 29.9g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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