Put The Lime Cream in the Coconut Easter Cookies

I have to approach any sweet-treat recipe with a sense of humor….. after all I don’t eat sugary things on a regular basis, but when I do I like it to be FUN –  with a touch of the savory. The classic lime and coconut flavor combination suits me well, and this rare baking feat  is a rather special, surprisingly simple cookie. A great balance of the tangy and the sweet, my own twist on a timeless flavor combination.  

The coconut cookie dough is straight-forward with a special ingredient of vanilla sugar. Not strictly neccessary, but a nice addition. If you have a vanilla bean, but no vanilla sugar, try putting the bean, sliced down the middle  in a small jar or baggie with 1 cup of regular sugar and allow to sit for several days. The fragrant vanilla bean will infuse it’s flavor throughout the sugar!

Coconut Cookie Dough    Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Makes approx. 2 dozen sandwich cookies

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup softened butter
• 3 tablespoons vanilla sugar 
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (or 1 teaspoon if not using vanilla sugar)
• 2 cups flour, sifted
• 1/2 cup sweetend coconut, very finely ground in food processor
• 1/2 teaspoon lime zest, very finely minced
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• Confectioners sugar for dusting

Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl. Add in lime zest, egg and vanilla, mixing thoroughly. Stir in the coconut, then sift in flour, salt and baking powder. Turn onto a board and knead together for a few minutes. The dough will appear to be quite crumbly at first, but it will come together! Form into a large round, cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest for 15 minutes.

After the dough has rested, either roll out the whole round, or portion off into smaller sections. When the dough is about 1/8 inch thin, cut out shapes using a cookie cutter. Reroll any trimmings and cut into shapes. If not using the dough immediately – wrap, put in the fridge and allow to come to room temperature (approx. 2 hours) before rolling.

I do love having  an excuse to use the same holiday cookie cutter I grasped from the age of four, standing on a chair at the kitchen counter facing a simple sugar cookie dough ‘making chickies’!

Use any fun shape you have, trying to keep an even number per shape – although the cookies are great without the filling too!  Bake for 12 to 15 minutes (less for small shapes) on greased cookie sheets until lightly browned. Cool on racks, sprinkling top half of each cookie only with confectioners sugar when still warm, but not hot.

Lime Cream

• 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup confectioners sugar
• Zest of 1 medium lime, finely grated
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 tablespoon water +/-

Beat all the ingredients together until creamy, adding just enough water- a little at a time- to make a thick, spreadable filling.

When the cookies are cooled completely, spread a good layer of the lime cream on the bottom halves, topping with the frosted half.  Set aside until the filling firms up.

Caution: check for alignment before spreading the cream on the bottom half!