Key Lime Cookies

This was actually my first time baking with key limes. I've made plenty of key lime recipes in the past, however I've always substituted Persian limes because that's what I had on hand. Aside from being smaller and having thinner rinds, key limes are usually more tart than Persian limes. When shopping for key limes, note that the ripe ones are more yellow than green. The usual trick of checking to see which ones are most fragrant will also help you pick out the best ones.

During my most recent grocery run, I finally decided to purchase a bag of key limes to bake with :) For anyone wondering how many limes they need for a particular recipe, my 1 lb bag produced approximately 1-1/8 cup of juice.

These cookies taste like little mini key lime pies, due to the key lime curd found in the middle. The curd is rich, but its tartness is more noticeable than anything else. You can use the curd for a variety of different things; you can find a few recipe ideas here. I had never made a curd before, so I wasn't sure how I would know when it was 'done.' Be patient... you will notice the sauce slowly thicken as you mix it and then suddenly it will become creamy (it should be thick and slow to fall off the back of a spoon).


Key Lime Cookies
from FoodNetwork.com

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup key lime juice
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups prepared key lime curd, recipe below
1 cup powdered sugar, for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs 1 at a time and the lime juice, and mix well.

In separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Gradually add the flour mixture to butter mixture until incorporated. Dough should be stiff but not dry. Shape into 1-inch balls, press thumb into center of balls to make an indentation, being careful not to press through to the bottom. Fill indentations with about 1 tablespoon Key lime curd.

Bake for 15 minutes, until lightly brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Key Lime Curd
from Indobase.com

3 eggs
6 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
2/3 cup key lime juice
1 tsp key lime zest

Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add the remaining ingredients (I added the eggs last, and tempered them slowly to avoid curdling), whisking continuously, for approximately 8-10 minutes or until it becomes a custard. Remove from heat and continue whisking for another 1-2 minutes.

Allow to cool and then pour into a jar and refrigerate. The curd will thicken considerably as it cools. Makes approximately 2 cups.