Key Lime Tropical Treasures

An intriguing blend of key lime, coconut, macadamia, and milk chocolate combined for a tropical holiday treat.

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Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp key lime zest
• 2 tbsp fresh squeezed key lime juice
• 1 cup raw macadamia nuts
• 1 cup flaked coconut
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/4 cup superfine sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 whole egg plus 1 yolk
• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 8 ounces chopped milk chocolate, Belgian or Swiss

Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix zest and key lime juice together in a small dish and set aside. Roast macadamia nuts on a baking sheet for 8-10 minutes, stirring once, until golden. When cool, coarsely chop nuts and set aside. Toast coconut on baking sheet 6-8 minutes stirring occasionally until it just begins to turn golden near edges. Place in dish and set aside. Beat butter, sugar, and salt in bowl of electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, lime juice, zest, and vanilla then beat until well blended. In a separate bowl combine flour and baking powder, add to egg mixture and beat on low speed until just mixed. Stir in coconut and nuts. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Drop dough using a small cookie scoop with release mechanism about 1 1/4 inch diameter 2 inches apart on parchment lined or ungreased baking sheets. Flatten each dough ball to 1/4 inch thickness by first laying plastic wrap over cookies and then pressing with a flat bottom glass. Remove plastic wrap. Bake at 375 degrees until edges are golden but centers light, about 11-12 minutes. Cool one minute on baking sheets before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. After cooled, place on baking sheets for decorating. Melt chocolate in double boiler, stirring constantly, over barely simmering water. Remove from heat and pour into glass measuring cup. Use a fork to drizzle chocolate over cookies in a decorative manner, using a quick back and forth motion. Place in freezer for about 15 minutes, until chocolate is set. Store in airtight container in freezer.

Notes: While spending Christmas in Key West, my family and I fell in love with the many unusual Key Lime desserts and confections we discovered which were pairing key lime with chocolate. I was inspired to create my own cookie recipe incorporating all those lovely tropical ingredients. Key lime, coconut, macadamia nuts, and chocolate. These tender fragrant cookies always bring me delightful memories of our tropical Christmas in Key West.

Number of servings: 5 dozen cookies

Submitted By: Beberman
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