Lime Flowers

Sugar cookies become tangy treats when the batter is made with lime juice and zest. Cut the dough into big daisylike shapes, and dust with confectioners' sugar.

Source
Holiday Cookies 2005, Special Issue Holiday 2005
Lime Flowers
  • yield Makes about 2 dozen

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface

  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

  • 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

  • 1 cup granulated sugar

  • 2 tablespoons finely grated lime zest, plus 1/4 cup fresh lime juice (about 4 limes total)

  • 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

  • Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Directions

  1. Step 1

    Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl; set aside.

  2. Step 2

    Put granulated sugar and lime zest in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed 1 minute. Add butter, and mix until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in vanilla and lime juice. Reduce speed to low, and gradually mix in flour mixture.

  3. Step 3

    On a lightly floured work surface, halve the dough. Flatten each half into a 10-inch disk, and wrap each in plastic. Freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.

  4. Step 4

    Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Working with 1 half at a time, roll out dough on parchment paper to 1/8 inch thick. Cut shapes from dough with a 3-inch flower-shape cookie cutter. Space 1 inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Cut a hole in center of each with a 1-inch round cutter. Repeat with remaining disk. Wrap scraps in plastic. Freeze 30 minutes; reroll, and cut.

  5. Step 5

    Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until set, 12 to 13 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack. Before serving, sift confectioners' sugar over cookies.

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Reviews (16)

  • Anahid Saberi
    21 Jan, 2013

    Nice and easy !
  • taylormadison
    10 May, 2010

    so delish and cute! I've made them several times and they have turned out perfectly every time! The key is to bake them until the edges just start to brown. Perfect!
  • rckimmo
    21 Mar, 2010

    Adorable, delicious cookies, but I too found the dough very soft and hard to work with. Maybe less lime juice or more flour might help? It helped tremendously to roll the dough between sheets of wax paper and freeze the rolled dough on cookie sheets. It was MUCH easier to cut shapes from the frozen dough than refrigerated. (Also, next time, Instead of dividing dough into two disks I'd roll out four.) Anyway, a bit of work, but worth the effort for the zippy, zesty lime flavor.
  • bashoor
    22 Mar, 2009

    its very nice thax for it
  • bpaulini
    6 Dec, 2008

    Great flavor but harder than a rock. Our family is using them for "dunkers"
    Could someone tell me why they could have become SO hard? Did I bake them too long? They certainly are adorable.
  • rsvoboda
    21 Nov, 2008

    If you enjoy these, try the Grapefruit Sandwich cookies! There is nothing better than the taste of summer in the winter.
  • susanloretta
    20 Nov, 2008

    I rolled these into balls and then rolled them into icing sugar ,flattened them and then baked them. What a hit and they are nice and tangy
  • lovestennis
    19 Nov, 2008

    Debbie R, colored sugar is excellent to use on these cookies during the holidays. You can do some with colored sugar and some with a dust of confectioner sugar showing like snow.
  • lovestennis
    19 Nov, 2008

    Debbie R, colored sugar is excellent to use on these cookies during the holidays. You can do some with colored sugar and some with a dust of confectioner sugar showing like snow.
  • chmurag
    19 Nov, 2008

    Irissa, I have interchanged lemon and lime in many recipes and have had great results. Just use the same amounts and it should be great!
  • irissa
    19 Nov, 2008

    I wonder - would it be possible to make these with Lemon in place of the LIime?? I love anything Lemon!! I may just go ahead and try it :-)
  • debbieramirez
    19 Nov, 2008

    Instead on the powered sugar after baking could you use colored sugar before?
    I'm thing of making Christmas trees
  • pelican66
    19 Nov, 2008

    cut the chilled dough out on parchment paper and don't peel off; just transfer the paper to the cookie sheet and bake.
  • pelican66
    19 Nov, 2008

    roll and cut them out on parchment paper; after you chill them; just transfer the parchment to the cookie sheet; no peeling off the counter needed
  • kslerb
    24 Sep, 2008

    I would divide the dough into small portions equal to the amount of how many cookies fit on your cookie sheet. These are so delicious! Good luck!
  • imwithdino
    17 Sep, 2008

    These are such cute cookies! I had some trouble with them, though. The dough warmed so quickly that it was very difficult to pick up off the counter and put onto the pan after cutting out the shapes. I divided the dough into several sections and kept them in the fridge when I wasn't using them, but it still warmed and softened very quickly when i rolled it out. Any suggestions?
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