For the love of cookies

Key Lime Pie Cookies

Key Lime Pie Cookie

Pie meets cookie in this irresistible key lime pie inspired cookie. Brown sugar cookie dough is mixed with lime zest, graham crackers, white chocolate chips, stuffed with home made key lime curd then rolled in a pecan graham cracker crust. I also added a key lime whipped cream to send you into total key lime pie cookie bliss.

Key Lime Pie Cookies
Irresistibly delicious.

The cookie that started it all, my key lime pie cookie. This cookie was the first stuffed cookie I ever made 3 years ago (2019) in my small kitchen in the first home my husband and I purchased after being newly engaged. This cookie inspired me to open a home bakery cookie business. My husband, who is a die-hard key lime pie fanatic, had a birthday coming up and I wanted to surprise him with something fun, new, and decadent. It had been years since I fully immersed myself into creating something new and I needed to rev up the oven for some serious baking fun.

My first child was born in the summer of 2018 and to be quite honest, motherhood was hard on me. I wanted so badly to have a family of my own that I naively glossed over just how much self sacrifice I would endure during the first year of motherhood. I had lost so much of who I thought I was; I had to make space and nurture the woman and mom I was becoming. I didn’t want to lose the girl I was and wanted to feel anew again with creating things in the kitchen, my ultimate comfort.

So off on a tangent I went, as I usually do with creating new recipes, and poured everything I had into making a seriously good key lime pie cookie. This cookie has had several tweaks over the years and I am happy to share this wonderful recipe. It has brought me so much joy and I hope it does the same for you.

Key Lime Pie Cookies
The first stuffed cookie I ever made July 2019. Little did I know how this cookie would forever change my life.

Why I Love This Recipe

-Layers of flavor. Key lime juice and zest are found in several different spots in this recipe, in the dough, the graham cracker crust coating, key lime curd and key lime whipped cream. There is no mistaking you will be getting a heavy dose of bright citrus flavor to accompany the brown sugar cookie dough base.

-Great texture-It’s all about mouth feel for me. I love different textures combined into a cookie. This is a soft cookie dough base that has very creamy key lime curd middle and a crunchy graham cracker crust on the outside. The white chocolate chips melt in your mouth while the graham cracker pieces in the dough give the soft cookie dough a bit of added chew.

-Best served cold-Who doesn’t love a warm cookie, right? Which yeah, you can eat this cookie warm but the flavors really shine when it is cold. Just like key lime pie.

-Perfect for sharing-These are very big cookies! I love cutting them into quarters and serving with key lime whipped cream on top. You totally don’t have to share though. No judgement here.

-Crowd Pleaser-I always receive a barrage of compliments (and very serious requests to make these to bring to birthdays and parties) for these cookies. Any key lime pie lovers in your life will be amazed at this cookie and even people who claim they don’t like key lime pie, end up loving this cookie. It really is that good.

Key Lime Pie Cookies
Ingredients for this recipe.

What You Need

  • Key limes-I use around 4-5 limes zest and juice for this recipe. You can also use regular limes.
  • Sugar
  • Butter
  • Eggs
  • Flour
  • Graham crackers-I use a package of graham crackers. There are 9 sheets of graham crackers in a package, so I use 5 for the cookie dough and the remaining 4 for the graham cracker crust.
  • Roasted Pecans-I add this to the graham cracker crust for two reasons: I love making a key lime pie with pecans in the crust, and second, they give a bit more chew to the outside of the cookie. To toast pecans, place in a pan over medium heat, stirring occasionally until they release a warm nutty aroma. They will also slightly darken in color. Cool before adding to the food processor to make the graham cracker crust in this recipe.
  • Baking Powder and Soda
  • Salt
  • White Chocolate Chips-as with all things chocolate, good chocolate melts better and tastes better. If you can get a higher quality white chocolate, it’s worth it. I use Godiva white chocolate chips in this recipe. They aren’t as sweet, and they melt beautifully.
  • Vanilla extract-you don’t have to add this, I have made these cookies without adding the vanilla extract and they still came out flavorful and delicious. I like to add it because I feel it gives a slight warmth to the cookie and gives the brown sugar cookie dough base more of a ‘cookie’ flavor.
  • Key Lime Curd– There is no replacing this as the filling for this cookie recipe. It adds so much flavor to the cookie and gives it the key lime pie feel with its bright and tangy flavor, and creamy texture.
Key Lime Pie Cookies using key lime curd
Key Lime Curd. The best filling for a key lime pie cookie.

Let’s Make Cookies!

To start out, make sure you have a recipe made of the Key Lime Curd chilling in the fridge. You will want this cold, so it is easy to stuff inside the cookie.

I cream the butter and sugars first in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. I include creaming the butter and sugar in almost every cookie recipe I make so I have included a pic on what my mixture looks like before I add the eggs. Nice and light in color and creamy but not whipped.

Key Lime Pie Cookies, creaming butter and sugar.
Creamy butter and sugar.

I add the eggs one at a time beating after each addition, then add vanilla, key lime zest and juice and salt. Mix these all together well.

I like to sift my flour, baking soda, baking powder in a separate bowl to remove clumps if there are any. Baking powder and baking soda can have clumps and I do not want these clumps in my dough. They are not palatable and will make for a nasty bite in your cookies. Plus, you want your leavening agents to be working on making your dough rise and bake well.

I add the flour mixture with the speed of my mixer on low and mix until it just starts to come together. Don’t over mix. It can lead to tougher cookies.

I roughly chop the graham crackers, and I do mean a rough chop. The mixer will continue to break them apart when we mix it in the dough so you just want them broken up enough to add to the mixing bowl.

Key Lime Pie Cookie dough
Cookie dough ready to be scooped.

I add the chopped graham cracker and white chocolate chips to the dough and mix until just incorporated. I will take out the bowl and paddle attachment and with a spatula finish mixing by hand to get all the little bits at the bottom of the bowl mixed in well.

Key Lime Pie Cookies
Scoop and baking tray ready.

I use a 5 ounce cookie scoop to portion out nine balls of dough. After they are scooped out I get my cookie assembly ready: cookie dough, key lime curd with a teaspoon, plate of graham cracker crumbs.

Taking one portion of the cookie dough, I flatten out the dough and make an indention in the center. I use a teaspoon of the key lime curd spooned into the indented center and fold the cookie up like a taco first, touching the opposite side of the dough to sandwich the filling in. Then pinching the edges of the dough shut. I gently roll the dough to smooth out the edges being careful not to squish out the key lime curd filling. I will have a video posted on Facebook, InstagramPinterest account for you to visually see how I fill the key lime cookies.

Key Lime Pie Cookies
Filled then rolled in graham cracker crust coating.

Carefully roll the stuffed cookie dough in the graham cracker crust coating until it is completely covered then place back on the parchment lined baking tray. I chill these in the freezer overnight. I want to make sure the cookie dough and filling are fully frozen before baking so that none of the filling leaks out when it bakes.

Key Lime Pie Cookies
To stuff, or not, to stuff?

Alternatively, you don’t have to stuff these cookies. You can chill them in the fridge for an hour then bake and cool them. Use the key lime curd spooned on top of the cookie as a topping, after the cookie is cooled, then top with key lime whipped cream. I love the surprise filling of a stuffed cookie, but this method works just as well and is way less fussy if you want an easier method.

Key Lime Pie Cookies
No stuffing? No problem! Layer key lime curd and whipped cream on top of baked and cooled key lime cookie dough.

The next day, preheat oven to 375* I bake these straight from the freezer. I can usually fit 4-6 pieces of dough per tray. Don’t over crowd them because they will spread a little during baking. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the tops and edges are golden brown.

Key Lime Pie Cookies
Golden baked perfection.

Allow the cookies to cool on the baking tray for at least five minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Key Lime Pie Cookies
Key Lime Pie cookies.

If making the whip cream, place cold cream in a stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Add in the powdered sugar and whip until soft peaks form. Add in the key lime zest and continue whipping until you have stiff peaks. This whip cream is stored best in a tightly covered container in the fridge and is also wonderful served with fresh fruit.

Key Lime Pie Cookies
Key lime zest is a wonderful addition to fresh whipped cream.

When cookies are cooled serve with key lime whipped cream and get ready for your world to be changed forever. I know mine was.

Key Lime Pie Cookies
The key lime whipped cream on top tie this cookie together for the perfect key lime treat.

It’s best to keep these cookies in the fridge after cooled since the key lime curd keeps best refrigerated. You can store these in a covered container in the fridge for up to a week or frozen for 3 months. I do feel they are enjoyed best the day of, but my husband would tell you otherwise, he loves these cookies cold.

Key Lime Pie Cookies
Perfect for sharing. I cut mine into quarters and dollop whipped cream on top. So cute! Like little mini key lime pies.

If you try this recipe and love it as much as I do, please tag, follow, and like @sunshinetxcookies on Instagram and Facebook. New posts every Tuesday and Thursday so be sure to follow me for more delicious cookie recipes. Happy Baking!

Key Lime Pie Cookie

This brown sugar and graham cracker cookie is filled with a tangy key lime curd, white chocolate chips, and rolled in a pecan graham cracker coating. It truly tastes like key lime pie in cookie form.
Prep Time 1 day
Cook Time 15 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 9

Ingredients
  

  • 2 sticks butter unsalted, room temperature
  • ¾ cup brown sugar
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs room temperature
  • 3 cups flour
  • 1 tspn baking powder
  • 1 tspn baking soda
  • ½ tspn salt
  • 1 tspn vanilla extract
  • 1 tbpsn key lime zest
  • 2 tbspn key lime juice
  • 1 cup white chocolate chips
  • 4 graham cracker sheets
  • 1 recipe Key Lime Curd https://sunshinetxcookies.com/?p=1378

Graham Cracker Crust Coating

  • 4 graham crackers
  • 2 tbspn roasted pecans
  • 1/4 tspn salt
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar

Key Lime Whipped Cream for serving (optional)

  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream cold
  • 3 tbspn powdered sugar
  • 1 tbspn key lime zest

Instructions
 

Graham Cracker Crust Coating

  • In a food processer, add all graham cracker crust coating ingredients and pulse into a fine crumb.
  • Place in a bowl. Set aside while preparing cookie dough.

Key Lime Pie Cookie Dough

  • In a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugars.
  • Add eggs one at a time making sure they are fully incorporated after each addition.
  • Add vanilla extract, lime zest and lime juice, and mix.
  • In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
  • Add to the butter mixture on low speed and mix until just incorporated.
  • Chopped the graham cracker sheets into one inch pieces.
  • Add chopped graham crackers and white chocolate chips to dough with mixer on low speed.
  • Using a 5 ounce cookie scoop, portion out 9 large balls of dough onto a parchment lined baking tray.
  • Flatten out the dough into a disk the size of the palm of your hand with an indention focused in the middle.
  • Spoon a teaspoon of cold key lime curd into the middle indention.
  • Carefully sandwich and close the cookie dough around the filling, making sure to not squeeze and filling out. This is a little tricky but be patient, practice makes perfect.
  • Take the filled cookie dough and gently roll in the graham cracker coating making sure the entire surface is covered.
  • Place back on the parchment lined baking tray and repeat with the remaining cookie dough balls.
  • These cookies will need to freeze overnight before baking. This will ensure the filling doesn't leak out when baking them.
  • The next day, preheat oven to 375*
  • Place frozen cookie dough onto a parchment lined baking tray. I usually put 4-6 per tray. These cookies do spread slightly when baking.
  • Bake for 12-15 minutes. You wan the cookies to be golden brown on the tops and edges.
  • Cool on tray for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling. Serve with key lime whipped cream.

Key Lime Whipped Cream

  • Place cold heavy whipping cream in a stand mixer with whisk attachment.
  • Add powdered sugar and mix on high until soft peaks form.
  • Add key lime zest and continue whisking until stuff peaks.
  • Keep refrigerated until ready to serve with the cookies. Will keep for 3 days in the fridge.

Notes

This cookie is life changing. It was the first stuffed cookie I ever made and I haven't been the same since. These cookies need to be kept refrigerated if not eaten right away. This is because of the key lime curd needing to stay cold. They make a wonderful cold or even frozen treat on a hot day. If you want the total, key lime pie in a cookie experience, don't skip the key lime whipped cream. It truly makes the cookie taste like a slice of key lime pie, YUM!
Keyword breakfast cookies, Key lime, key lime pie, key lime pie cookies, summer desserts, summer recipes

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Chrissy Grundy

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Howdy! I love creating delicious cookie recipes. I enjoy spending time with my kids and husband in Buda, Texas and I am a huge supporter of local Texas producers. I am so happy you are here! Let’s start baking!

Chrissy Grundy

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