Slice and Bake Key Lime Shortbread Cookies

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Super simple, oh so delicious, and perfectly citrusy Slice and Bake Key Lime Shortbread Cookies. A soft and buttery shortbread cookie, made with a plenty of key lime zest in the dough to really give it a bright pop of flavor. Each cookie is frosted with a perfectly sweet key lime icing that’s made from only TWO ingredients! Oh, yes. It really doesn’t get any better or simpler than these cookies. Perfect for spring and summertime baking!

About The Recipe

Even though summer is still months away, we needed some sunshine in our kitchen! Last week, it snowed for a few days and we’ve been pretty cold. The weather is slowly warming up, but it just feels like winter is dragging on. So, when we walked into the grocery store a few days ago and saw bags full of key limes…we knew we had to do something with them!

You all really loved our mini key lime pies, so we wanted to draw some inspiration from that. So, we started thinking about what we could make that would invoke the same flavors, but be different and unique.

Well, what is one bake that pretty much everyone loves?

Cookies, of course! Though, trying to figure out what kind of cookie was a bit of a challenge. We ran through so many ideas before we finally settled on a super simple shortbread. Then, we tacked on the cookie being a slice and bake! So, not only is it easy to make, it’s super simple.

The first test bake was just…not good. Our ratios were WAY off! The shortbread didn’t have enough key lime zest and the icing was just…bitter. Turns out, we had purchased Mexican key limes and not the Florida key limes we were used to.

Took a little research, but we learned that Mexican key limes are more bitter and yield less juice than Florida key limes. So, we went back to the store and found what we were looking for! We rebaked the cookies with more zest in the cookie and they were perfect. The icing didn’t even have a bitter flavor to it!

The whole tray of test cookies were gone within the hour. So. GOOD. Seriously, I cannot recommend these cookies enough for spring/summer baking. Just be sure to have Florida key limes (or regular limes!) for this recipe.

It simply doesn’t get any cuter or easy to make than these cookies!

Reasons You Will Love These Key Lime Cookies

• SUPER simple to make!
• Only requires 5 ingredients for the cookies and 2 for the icing.
• The dough can be refrigerated overnight before baking, or if you’d rather have it quicker, can be frozen for 20-30 minutes.
• Tastes citrus-y, buttery, and perfectly sweet.
• Can be made in advance.

Equipment Needed

• Stand Mixer
• Parchment Paper
• Sharp Knife
• Sheet Pans
• Mixing Bowls
• Whisk

Ingredients

(Full ingredient amounts and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post)

For The Cookies:

• Unsalted Butter
• Granulated Sugar
• All-Purpose Flour
• Salt
• Key Lime Zest

For The Icing:

• Powdered Sugar
• Key Lime Juice

How To Make Slice and Bake Key Lime Cookies

Step 1: Make the dough

Beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until creamy.

Mix in the flour, salt, and lime zest.

Step 2: Roll and freeze

Turn out onto a piece of parchment paper and roll into a log 12 inches long.

Roll up in the parchment paper and freeze for 30 minutes. Remove cookie dough from freezer and slice into ¼ inch slices.

Step 3: Bake

Place on lined sheet pans and bake for 12 minutes, rotating halfway through, or until just starting to color around the edges.

Step 4: Make the icing and decorate cookies

In a medium bowl, combine powdered sugar and lime juice. Whisk until smooth.

Spread icing across cookies and top with lime zest.

How To Get A Perfectly Round Cookie

The best way is definitely shaping the dough on the parchment paper with your hands, then rolling it up with the parchment. It creates that perfect circle you’re always looking for with a slice and bake cookie!

How To Store

Once these cookies are baked and cooled, you can store these cookies in an airtight container or zip top bag and keep on the counter for about a week without the icing. If they’re iced, you can store them in a freezer safe bag and freeze for up to 2 months!

Substitutions

• If you can’t get Florida Key Limes, use regular limes.
• Salted butter can be used in this recipe. Just omit the salt.

Expert Tips

• Be careful to not over mix the cookie dough.
• Don’t skip freezing the dough! It needs to be cold so it will cut.
• You can also refrigerate this dough overnight. Just be sure to wrap it in plastic wrap before refrigerating.
• To get evenly sized cookies, use a ruler or tape measure to measure and mark the dough at ¼ inch increments.
• Make sure you take the cookies out of the oven just as they start to turn color. They don’t need to be browned!
• These cookies taste better after they’ve cooled.
• The icing can tend to be pretty thick. You may need to add more lime juice or water.

When you make these Slice and Bake Key Lime Shortbread Cookies, leave a comment down below! We love hearing from you and answering any questions you might have! Also, be sure to tag us on social media and hashtag it #BakersTable.

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