Key Lime Coins Recipe

By
Carrie Vasios Mullins
Carrie Vasios Mullins is a contributing writer at Serious Eats.
Carrie Vasios Mullins
Carrie Vasios Mullins is the former national editor at Serious Eats, with a focus on all things sweet.
Learn about Serious Eats' Editorial Process
Updated March 22, 2025

In baking, opposites usually attract. Sweet and salty. Cold and hot. And in the case of these cookies, mellow, sweet shortbread and tart, acidic key limes. You could use limes for this recipe, but the cookies won't really be the same. Key limes have a unique, tart flavor, with subtle yet discernible floral notes. I love limes, but to be honest, they taste a bit one-note in comparison.

Using key limes does mean that these cookies will take a little more work to prepare, given key limes' thin skin, higher seed density, and small size. In short, zesting these guys is a pain, but totally worth it.

Luckily the base cookie, which is essentially a French sable, is easy to prepare with ingredients you probably already have in your pantry (sugar, flour, butter, eggs, vanilla). The dough is one of my favorites to make ahead. Roll it into a log, cover it in plastic wrap, stick it in the freezer, then slice and bake when you're in the mood for some freshly baked cookies. Which, in this weather, is every day at 4 p.m.

Recipe Details

Key Lime Coins Recipe

Prep 15 mins
Cook 20 mins
Active 20 mins
Chilling and Cooling Time 65 mins
Total 100 mins
Makes 30 cookies
Cook Mode (Keep screen awake)

Ingredients

  • 1 cup (5 ounces) all-purpose flour

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

  • 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature

  • 1/4 cup (1 2/3 ounces) sugar

  • 2 tablespoons confectioners sugar

  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

  • 1 egg yolk

  • 2 teaspoons zest and 1 tablespoon juice from about 4 small key limes

Directions

  1. In a small bowl, whisk together flour and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, cream together butter, sugar, and confectioners sugar until creamy, about 3 minutes. Beat in vanilla, egg yolk, juice, and zest until combined. Add flour and salt mixture and beat just until dough comes together. Form dough into two 1 1/2-inch wide logs and wrap in plastic wrap. Let chill in refrigerator at least one hour.

  2. Adjust oven rack to middle and upper positions and preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Slice logs into 1/4-inch coins. Bake until coins are just golden on the bottom, about 20 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Special equipment

electric beater, baking sheets, parchment paper

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
1737Calories
103gFat
174gCarbs
25gProtein
×
Nutrition Facts
Amount per serving
Calories1737
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 103g132%
Saturated Fat 61g304%
Cholesterol 615mg205%
Sodium 625mg27%
Total Carbohydrate 174g63%
Dietary Fiber 4g14%
Total Sugars 64g
Protein 25g
Vitamin C 5mg23%
Calcium 103mg8%
Iron 8mg44%
Potassium 305mg6%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

More Serious Eats Recipes