Guess what!?! Fall is mostly here! Except in Key West. It’s still mostly summer down there and as a result, these cookies are perfect for a picnic on the beach. Or for light snacking on with your favorite beverage. And who doesn’t love lime? Or white chocolate? Which isn’t really chocolate but who cares when it takes so good, am I right?

Key Lime Cookies

Makes 12 Cookies
Prep time: 30 Minutes
Cook time: 20 Minutes
Total time: 50 min

Ingredients
5 Graham crackers
Zest of one lime
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbsp lime juice
1/2 cup unsalted butter (softened to room temperature)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup white chocolate chips (melted)
Sprinkles (optional)

Lets Make ‘Em
1. Preheat oven to 325°F. In a food processor or high-powered blender, blend the 5 Graham Crackers until the crumbs are very fine, almost “flour” consistency. Once the crumbs are as small as the blender can make them, dump into a flour sifter and shift to make them even finer. Reserve 1/4 cup of the finest crumbs for topping. you’ve processed them to as small as they can be, use a sifter and reserve 1/4 cup of the finest crumbs. Set aside the other crumbs as well.

2. Add the zest* of one lime and 1/2 cup of sugar into your food processor. Process for about 2 minutes. You want the oils in the zest to mix with the sugar. (*Use the smallest “holes” of a grater to create the zest by “scraping” the lime across the grater. Stop when you get down to the white skin beneath.)

3. Add softened butter and 1 Tbsp of lime juice* to the food processor and mix until fluffy- at least 3-4 minutes. (*Squeeze the juice from the fresh lime you just “zested.”)

4. Add 1 cup of flour, 1/4 cup of the finely crushed Graham cracker crumbs, and 1/2 Tsp salt. Process until it comes together. It won’t be like cake batter so don’t worry if it’s crumbly. Scoop the mixture out on a lightly floured pastry board or countertop and knead until it forms a cohesive ball.

5. Roll the dough out to approximately 1/4 inch thick. Lightly dust with flour as you roll if the dough sticks to the rolling pin. Use a 2 inch cookied cutter to cut out the cookies. This dough is delicate and much bigger cookies could fall apart. Use a spatula to transfer the cookies to a lightly greased cookie sheet.

6. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes on the pan before transfring them onto a rack. Once completely cooled, melt 1 cups of white chocolate chips*, and dip half of the cookie in it, letting any excess drip back into the bowl. (*Melt in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring in between until chips completely melted and chocolate is smooth.)

7. If you want to be fancy, use any remaining Graham cracker crumbs. You could also sprinkle with green sugar crystals. You can add a few drops of green food coloring to any leftover white chocolate and drizzle a pattern on the top of the cookies. Let the chocolate dry completely before eating. Store any leftovers in a cool place in an air-tight container. Yeah, like there will be leftovers! LOL

Tips:

1. If you don’t have a food processor–I don’t!–use a blender for the first two steps then transfer to a mixing bowl and use your mixer. I have a “fancy” Hamilton Beach hand mixer that has whisk attachments as well as paddle beaters and regular beaters. I use the whisk for step 3 then switch to regular beaters for the rest.

2. These are delicate cookies more suited for an afternoon tea than for major cookie snacking.

As you might can guess, these treats are a favorite with the newest girls to arrive in Key West. Mariska, Galyna, Larysa and Anichka love to make these, with Meg’s supervision–though Galyna and Anichka are becoming fairly proficient in the kitchen. Sometimes, they’ll each make a batch. FYI, the girls have been known to “force” both Kin and Maxim to join their tea parties. And you can bet Trouble the cat is right there in the mix. If you look close enough, you might even see a tiny pawprint on one or three of the cookies. If you haven’t figured it out, all the girls have their story, along with Meg and Kin, in CROSSFIRE. The Books2Read page has updated and it’s now available more places so just click on one of the pics or the title/B2R for the link.