Key Lime Thumbprints

Rating: 2.84 stars
51 Ratings
  • 5 star values: 3
  • 4 star values: 5
  • 3 star values: 29
  • 2 star values: 9
  • 1 star values: 5

Sweet-tart Key lime thumbprints bring cakey and creamy together in each bite.

Martha Stewart Living, December 2008

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Recipe Summary

Yield:
Makes about 60
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Ingredients

For the Dough
For the Filling

Directions

  • Make the dough: Cream butter and granulated sugar with a mixer until pale and fluffy. Add yolks and vanilla, and beat for 1 minute. Reduce speed to low, and beat in flour and salt until combined. Cover, and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour (or up to 1 day).

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  • Make the filling: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Whisk granulated sugar, flour, and eggs in a medium bowl. Stir in lime zest and juice and salt.

  • Roll balls using 2 teaspoons dough for each. Place 1 inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. With the handle of a wooden spoon, press gently in the center of each to create an indentation. Bake for 10 minutes. Press centers if indentations lose definition. Spoon filling into centers. Bake until cookies are light brown around edges, 6 to 8 minutes. Let cool on wire racks.

Cook's Notes

Cookies will keep, covered, for up to 2 days. Just before serving, dust with confectioners' sugar.

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Reviews (28)

51 Ratings
  • 5 star values: 3
  • 4 star values: 5
  • 3 star values: 29
  • 2 star values: 9
  • 1 star values: 5
Anonymous
Rating: 4.0 stars
07/09/2020
There are a lot of pros and cons to this recipe but I'm not giving up on it yet. I do agree with many of the other reviewers that this cookie is too small and it crumbles too easily. The final product doesn't look pretty if you're planning to give them out at the holidays (me) or bring them to a party. However, the key lime flavor is delicate and delicious and the paleness of the dough does help highlight the key lime color somewhat. I'll try them again with less butter or a margarine substitute and make them bigger. I took the remaining filling I didn't use and made mini key lime ramekin pies.
Anonymous
Rating: 1.0 stars
12/25/2019
A disaster. Hard as rocks. Limes barely give zest let alone this amount. Went through a whole bag of key limes & gave up. Juiced 5 limes & got 3T of juice - glad I didn't buy 15 like recipe said. Had to use lime oil even before I realized this was not going to work. Knew before I started filling was a joke as was 1-1/2 t of dough. Used 1/2T & could hardly see dough. Indention - forget it. Bake time off. Hard cookies - think margarine would have been better. Expensive & time consuming. A good PR agent can get you to the top whether you deserve or not.
Anonymous
Rating: 1.0 stars
12/25/2019
A disaster. Hard as rocks. Limes barely give zest let alone this amount. Went through a whole bag of key limes & gave up. Juiced 5 limes & got 3T of juice - glad I didn't buy 15 like recipe said. Had to use lime oil even before I realized this was not going to work. Knew before I started filling was a joke as was 1-1/2 t of dough. Used 1/2T & could hardly see dough. Indention - forget it. Bake time off. Hard cookies - think margarine would have been better. Expensive & time consuming. A good PR agent can get you to the top whether you deserve or not.
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Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
04/25/2016
These cookies are tasty, but the ratio of cookie dough to key-lime filling is off. Make the thumbprint very deep, so you can put in as much filling as possible, or you will hardly even begin to taste the key lime flavor in the cookie. The filling is very watery before it is baked. I think a creamier filing would work better, but I'm not sure how to achieve that. Also, as many others have noted, the recipe makes WAY too much filling. I had three times the amount I needed for one batch.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
04/28/2010
This was not a great recipe. The dough cracked and the filling was runny. It definitely did not live up to the Martha Stewart brand.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
04/11/2009
If you follow the instructions, the cookies are too small. They do not look like the pictured cookies. Use about a tablespoon of dough and just use your thumb for the indentation! I also agree there is way too much filling, tasty though..
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Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
01/23/2009
I ran out of white flour while in the middle of this, and ended up using half white whole wheat flour; not the best idea I've ever had, but my roommates devoured the whole batch, so it musn't have been TOO bad! I'm thinking of rolling the dough balls in graham cracker crumbs next time, for a more "key lime pie" experience.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
01/22/2009
I ran out of white flour while in the middle of this, and ended up using half white whole wheat flour; not the best idea I've ever had, but my roommates devoured the whole batch, so it musn't have been TOO bad! I'm thinking of rolling the dough balls in graham cracker crumbs next time, for a more "key lime pie" experience.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
01/21/2009
I would love to try these and really appreciate all of the comments. I will try cutting the recipe in half and see how that goes. I am only making them for my husband and myself, not a crowd.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
01/19/2009
These are incredible! I rolled the balls of dough in sugar before "thumbing" and backing them, which might seem excessive, but I think it adds a nice sweet crunch to the otherwise pie-crust-like dough. I would agree with others before me and say to cut out some of the butter because the dough gets really crumbly and cracks then don't hold the filling. Also, this makes an excessive amount of filling, so be aware.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
01/19/2009
Since I am not a Key lime lover, I will use my Homegrown Meyer Lemons instead, adjusting the filling as needed, and adding lemon zest to the batter. After, reading the recipe I will cut back by about 1/2 stick of butter, as too much oil in a recipe can cause crumbling of the dough, or add a couple TBLs more of flour. Sure would be nice to get a perfect recipe.....
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
01/19/2009
This cookie seems realy good! I am going to ask my mom if she can make them and bring the recipe to work so the pationts can make that recipe and give to other people! Then the recipe will become very popular!
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
01/19/2009
probably need some more practice on this... definitely WAY too much filling... and i agree with SarainSF about using 3 tsps with the measuring spoon indentation... just gonna take some time to make them pretty...
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
01/18/2009
Where are the instructions for the chocolate version?
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
01/18/2009
After reading the comments to date, I fully agree with SarainSF and would use the icecream scoop that gives you a TBLS of dough as it makes for a better base to use a measuring spoon or melon baller for the depression. That size also should use much more of the filling.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
01/18/2009
I made these a few weeks ago for an event. Though they were delicious, they looked nothing like the picture, UGLY! The dough was so crumbly out of the fridge and letting it come to room temperature didn't help much. Pressing them with a spoon was a disaster, they crumbled all over the place. Making them larger, as someone recommended, might help, especially with all the leftover filling. There was WAY too much. I made the chocolate version, and we weren't impressed with looks or flavor.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
01/18/2009
Thank you g5cdmslf, thank you very much
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
01/18/2009
key limes are much smaller than regular limes. They usually come in small little bags for under $3.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
01/18/2009
Tenchis, all-purpose flour is the normal flour you use. Bisquick is made of up flour plus other ingredients, so don't use it for this recipe.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
01/18/2009
Hi there, I'm Tenchis! I'm live in Mexico and I would like to know if "all-purpose-flour" is the normal flour or if it is like the "bisquik" flour. Thank your!!
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
01/18/2009
It sure does take alot of limes!
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
01/18/2009
Perhaps copoking the filling might create a thicker consistency so it would not be runny.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
01/12/2009
These are very delicious - however 100% agree that there was alot of leftover filling. 1/3 of the filling would have probably filled all of the cookies. Will make them again and just adjust my technique from the recommendations!
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
12/23/2008
Definitely make sure to press together any cracks that form from the "thumbprint " process. The filling was extremely runny and I also had way too much left over. I suggest making a lime curd intead. However, the chocolate thumbrpints are wonderful and incredibly easy. They were worth it.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
12/21/2008
The cookies are really good but we also had a lot of filling left over.
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
12/19/2008
my son and I made these today. We did the two teaspoonful size but the woodenspoon did not work at all - we used the ball end of an ikea icecream scoop. there was a little cracking, but we just smooshed them back together. As an fyi - I had ALOT of extra filling. I made 1 1/2 batched of dough and still had enough left for a few more dozen. Martha must be making more than "thumbprints" in hers to use that much filling!!! My husband loved them...tomorrow we attempt springerle!
Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
12/14/2008
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Anonymous
Rating: Unrated
12/14/2008
I recommend making them larger (about 3 teaspoons of dough per ball) and using the back of a measuring spoon to make the indentation. Using smaller balls and smaller indentations caused more cracking and overflowing/puddling of the filling. The wider crater allows for more lime filling without spilling. My last batch was excellent...beautiful to look at, and my husband loved them!
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