Lime sugar cookies are the zesty cousin of the classic sugar cookie — crisp-edged, tender-centred, and rolled in fragrant lime sugar. Fresh grated lime zest perfumes both the dough and the crackled coating for a proper citrus hit. Twenty-four cookies that taste like sunshine on a plate.
MAKES 24 COOKIES
Ingredients
2 cups (480 ml) palm sugar
2½ cups almond flour
1 teaspoon (5 ml) lime zest, fresh grated
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
14 tablespoons (210 ml) coconut oil, softened
2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons (10 ml) lime zest, fresh grated
Preparation
1.В В Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Process ½ cup palm sugar with one teaspoon grated lime zest in a food processor (about 10 seconds). Spread the ½ cup palm sugar and lime zest mixture in a shallow dish for rolling. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together.
2.В В In a separate large bowl, beat the coconut oil and remaining 1½ cups palm sugar together with an electric mixer on medium speed for about 30 seconds or until well combined. Beat in the vanilla, two teaspoons grated lime zest, and then the eggs one at a time until combined (about 30 seconds), scraping down the bowl and beaters as needed.
3.В В Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly add the flour mixture, beating until combined (about 30 seconds). Give the dough a few final stirs with a rubber spatula to make sure it is well combined.
4.В В Working with two tablespoons at a time, roll the dough into balls with wet hands, then coat with the palm sugar. Place balls on the prepared baking sheets, spaced about three inches apart. Flatten the cookies to a three-quarter-inch thickness with the greased bottom of a drinking glass. Sprinkle the remaining palm sugar over the flat tops.
5.В В Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, until the edges are set and beginning to brown, but the centers are still soft and puffy (10 to 12 minutes), rotating each baking sheet halfway through the baking. Cookies will spread out and flatten.
6.В В Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes. Serve warm or transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.
Pro Tips
- Zest two limes fresh and divide it between the dough and the rolling sugar — bottled lime flavouring tastes synthetic in a delicate cookie like this.
- Wet hands make rolling the sticky dough painless; dry hands tear the surface and the lime sugar coating won't adhere evenly.
- Space the cookies three inches apart as the recipe says — these spread substantially and merge into one another if crowded.
- Bake until the edges just set but the centres still look slightly underdone; they finish cooking on the hot sheet and stay tender.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use lemon instead of lime?
Absolutely — the base dough is identical for both. Use the same quantity of fresh zest in the dough and the rolling sugar.
Why do my cookies spread so much?
Warm dough or too little flour. Chill the shaped balls fifteen minutes before baking and measure the almond flour by scooping and levelling.
Are these cookies crisp or soft?
Crisp at the edges and soft in the middle when fresh, firming up gently after a day in the tin — lovely either way.
How should I store them?
Airtight at room temperature for five days. They're sturdy enough to stack once the lime sugar crust has set.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
Method
- 1. В В Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350°F.
- Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Process ½ cup palm sugar with one teaspoon grated lime zest in a food processor (about 10 seconds).
- Spread the ½ cup palm sugar and lime zest mixture in a shallow dish for rolling.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together. 2. В В In a separate large bowl, beat the coconut oil and remaining 1½ cups palm sugar together with an electric mixer on medium speed for about 30 seconds or until well combined.
- Beat in the vanilla, two teaspoons grated lime zest, and then the eggs one at a time until combined (about 30 seconds), scraping down the bowl and beaters as needed. 3. В В Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly add the flour mixture, beating until combined (about 30 seconds). Give the dough a few final stirs with a rubber spatula to make sure it is well combined. 4. В В Working with two tablespoons at a time, roll the dough into balls with wet hands, then coat with the palm sugar.
- Place balls on the prepared baking sheets, spaced about three inches apart. Flatten the cookies to a three-quarter-inch thickness with the greased bottom of a drinking glass.
- Sprinkle the remaining palm sugar over the flat tops. 5. В В Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, until the edges are set and beginning to brown, but the centers are still soft and puffy (10 to 12 minutes), rotating each baking sheet halfway through the baking.
- Cookies will spread out and flatten. 6. В В Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes.
- Serve warm or transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.
