Imagine holding delicious key lime pie in the palm of your hand and eating it like a cookie! These key lime pie cookies satisfy your cravings for zesty citrus creamy pie filling and buttery graham cracker crust but in a cookie form!
Everyone in Utah and slowly the whole United States is becoming obsessed with Crumbl Cookies, but I’m here to take their great idea up a notch. This copycat Crumbl Key Lime Pie Cookies recipe is 100% because I have a friend who is obsessed but I thought it needed a little touch here and there.
We use straight up, homemade graham cracker crust in and outside of the cookie to really push that key lime pie flavor. PRO TIP: I like to make a homemade graham cracker crust and throw it into the freezer in a ziploc bag. It keeps forever and I can toss it into cookie dough, sprinkle it on top of desserts or even in our creamy vanilla ice cream it’s unreal! It really is the secret, along with a little more salt to add more flavor and balance to the perfect Key Lime Pie Cookie!
We are obsessed with lime desserts in our house!  Our key lime cheesecake with berry sauce is heavenly. Our classic key lime pie is so easy and always a hit. Of course, we have our torta de limão and it’s berry infused spinoff…blackberry lime bars. And if your loyal too cookies, try our white chocolate key lime cookies! You just can’t go wrong with limes when it comes to dessert!
Ingredients for Key Lime Pie Cookies
This recipe comes together in two different parts – the cookies and the filling. Besides the key limes themselves, the ingredients are mostly pantry staples. Here is what you will need:
For the Cookies
- Wet Ingredients: unsalted butter, cream cheese, brown sugar, white sugar, egg and vanilla extract
- Dry Ingredients: flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt
- Graham Cracker Crust: graham cracker crumbs, butter and sugar
For the Key Lime Filling
- Cream Cheese
- Sour Cream
- Sweetened Condensed Milk
- Lime Zest, Lime Juice, and Lime Wedges
- Whipped Cream: whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla extract
The measurements for all of these ingredients can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post. Keep scrolling down for all the details!
Can I Use Regular Limes Rather Than Key Limes?
Using key limes is preferred because they have stronger flavor, which makes them ideal for baking. If you don’t have key limes or can’t find them at the grocery store, feel free to use regular limes. The filling just won’t be as tangy and tart as it would be with key limes.
How to Make Key Lime Pie Cookies
Making the Cookies
- Prep: Preheat the oven and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Cream: Beat the butter until smooth in a stand mixer, add the cream cheese and beat again.
- Wet Ingredients: Add the remaining wet ingredients and mix until combined.
- Dry Ingredients: Whisk all the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl.
- Combine: Add the dry ingredients mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until partially combined. Switch to a wooden spoon and fold the graham cracker crust chunks into the cookie dough and mix everything together until just combined.
- Scoop: Using a large cookie scoop, scoop the dough into 8-10 large dough balls and roll them into balls. Then roll the dough balls in the crushed graham cracker crust.
- Form: Place the dough balls on the baking sheets, and using the back of a spoon, create a well in the center of each ball.
- Bake: Place the baking sheets in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Remove them from the oven and use the back of the spoon to re-form the well in the center of each cookie.
- Cool: Let the cookies cool completely.
Making the Filling
- Beat: Add the cream cheese to a bowl and beat until soft using an electric hand mixer.
- Combine: Add the rest of the ingredients and beat until thoroughly combined.
Assembling the Cookies
- Fill: Add a spoonful of the filling to the top of each cookie and spread it around to fill the well in each cookie.
- Chill: Place the filled cookies in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
- Garnish: Top each cookie with a thin lime wedge and some piped whipped cream for that key lime pie flavor.
These instructions can be found in full detail in the recipe card at the end of this post. The recipe can also be printed or saved there.
Tips for the Best Results
While I worked the kinks out of this copycat recipe, I found a few key tips and tricks to have the most success…
- Make sure the cream cheese is soft for both the cookies and the filling so that it blends in smoothly and isn’t lumpy.
- Use fresh key limes (or regular limes) for the best flavor. The bright, clean flavor of fresh citrus just can’t be replicated in a store bought bottled juice.
- Let the cookies cool completely after baking. If you fill the cookies while they are still warm, the filling will melt and soak into the cookies.
- Chilling the cookies after they have been filled is crucial to letting the filling set up.
- Top the cookies with a lime wedge and whipped cream for the true Crumbl cookie copycat experience.
How to Store Key Lime Pie Cookies
Key lime pie cookies should be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container. They will keep for up to 4 days but the cookie will get softer the linger they sit.
These cookies freeze extremely well. Place the cookies on a baking sheet and place them in the freezer for an hour or two until they are frozen solid. Then place them in a freezer safe container. They will keep for up to 3 months.
I always love a good copycat recipe, and I daresay these key lime pie cookies are even better than the real deal from Crumbl. The comfort of the buttery graham cracker cookie base filled with creamy key lime pie filling is everything a cookie should be! This one is guaranteed to be added to you favorite cookie recipes!
More Copycat Dessert Recipes:
Description
Imagine holding delicious key lime pie in the palm of your hand and eating it like a cookie! These key lime pie cookies satisfy your cravings for zesty citrus creamy pie filling and buttery graham cracker crust but in a cookie form!
Prevent your screen from going dark
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
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Cream the butter until smooth then add in the cream cheese and cream again.
1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter, 2 Tablespoons Cream Cheese
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Add in sugars and beat until smooth, about 1 minute. Scrape the sides of the bowl down and mix in the egg and vanilla.
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar, 1/3 Cup White Sugar, 1 Large Egg, 1 teaspoon Vanilla
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In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients except the graham cracker bits.
1 3/4 Cups Flour, 1 teaspoon Cornstarch, 1 teaspoon Baking Powder, 1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda, 1 teaspoon Salt
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Pour the dry ingredients into the mixer and mix until 1/2 the flour is incorporated then switch to a wooden spoon and gently fold in the graham cracker crust chunks until the cookie dough is just combined.
3/4 Cup Graham Cracker Crust
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Using a large cookie scoop, scoop out 8-10 large cookies then roll into a ball. Roll the dough in the crushed graham cracker crust then place 4 at a time on a baking sheet.
2/3 Cup Graham Cracker Crust
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Make a well using a tablespoon in the center of each ball. Bake 10 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately press using a small glass or measuring cup to indent the center for the filling one more time. Set aside to cool.
For the Filling
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In a bowl, beat the cream cheese until soft. Add remaining ingredients and beat again.
6 ounces Cream Cheese, 1 Tablespoon Sour Cream, 1/2 Cup Sweetened Condensed Milk, 1 Tablespoon Lime Zest, 1/4 Cup Lime Juice
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Fill the centers pf the cookies and chill in the fridge for 2 hours.
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Top with a lime wedge and a piped whipped cream.
Lime Wedges, Whipped Cream
Calories: 660kcal