Key Lime Cheesecake Cookies

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Key Lime Cheesecake Cookies are tangy key lime cookie cups loaded with chewy coconut and filled with a silky cream cheese frosting.

Today, I am bringing back my new friend key lime pie. These Key Lime Cheesecake Cookies are kind of amazing. It is a key lime flavored cookie cup with white chocolate chips, and it is filled with a silky cream cheese frosting. I am a total sucker for cream cheese frosting. It compliments all different types of flavors.

They cookie cups are made with Pillsbury Key Lime cake mix. Instead of doing a traditional cake mix cookie, I decided to add the dry cake mix into my cookie dough, not unlike I do with pudding cookies. This method results in chewy, soft and buttery cookie.

I first tried to make these as traditional cookies on a baking sheet, and the results, although tasted amazing, we not desirably pleasing to the eye. The cookies spread faster than gossip in high school. I was left with amazing tasting “cookie pancakes”. I even tried refrigerating the dough overnight and the results were the same. So instead, I made cookie cups in a mini muffin pan. Cookie cups are totally more fun anyway because you can fill them with frosting.

Once frosted, you have to refrigerate these cookie, which I don’t like to do. So I prefer to make the frosting ahead of time and keep it in the fridge until I am ready to serve. This prevents the cookie from drying out in the fridge and allows the cream cheese frosting to set. The frosting is very thin once it is mixed, and I always suggest refrigerating for at least 60 minutes before piping. It will help the frosting hold a better shape, but this step is not necessary. You will likely have leftover cream cheese frosting as well. Feel free to eat with a spoon.

Although this recipe only use a little bit of the cake mix, you can use the leftovers to make Coconut Key Lime Monkey Bread!

Key Lime Cheesecake Cookies

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• Author: Julianne Dell
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 12 minutes
• Total Time: 32 minutes
• Yield: 20-24 cookies

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Description

These soft and buttery key lime flavored cookie cups with white chocolate chips and chewy coconut are filled with a silky cream cheese frosting.

Ingredients

For the Cookies:

• 1 C Coconut, toasted
• 1 2/3 C Flour
• 1 C Dry Pillsbury Key Lime Cake Mix
• 3/4 tsp Baking powder
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 3/4 C Unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 C Granulated sugar
• 1/4 C Brown sugar
• 1 tsp Pure vanilla extract
• 1 tsp Coconut extract
• 1 Large egg
• 1 C White chocolate chips

For the Frosting:

• 1 C Unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 pk (8oz) Cream Cheese
• 2 C Powdered sugar
• 1 tsp Pure vanilla exctract
• 2 tsp Milk or heavy cream
• Macadamia nuts (optional)

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Instructions

For the Cookies:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease a mini muffin pan with cookie spray or Crisco.
2. Once oven is preheated, toast coconut on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a baking mat. Toast until coconut starts to turn light brown.
3. In a medium sized bowl, combine flour, dry cake mix, baking powder and salt. Stir to combine. Set aside.
4. Allow butter to come to room temperature for about 30 minutes. Combine butter and sugar in your stand mixer and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy.
5. Add egg and both vanilla and coconut extract. Beat into butter and sugar until thoroughly mixed.
6. Slowly add dry ingredients into batter and beat on a low speed until dough starts to form. Add white chocolate chips and ¾ C toasted coconut. Mix to combine. Reserve remaining toasted coconut for the top of the cookies.
7. Drop 1-1.5 tablespoons of dough into the greased mini muffin pan. Bake at 350°F for 12-14 minutes.
8. Remove cookies from oven and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes. Use a tart shaper or the back of a spoon to gently push down the middle of the cookies. Allow to cool for another 30 minutes in the pan. You may need to run a knife around the edge of the cookies to help release them from the pan. Cool completely before serving.

For the Frosting:

1. Allow butter to come to room temperature for about 30 minutes. Combine butter with cream cheese and beat on medium high speed until smooth.
2. Reduce speed to low and add powdered sugar. After frosting becomes thicker, add vanilla extract and milk. Increase speed to medium and whip for at least 60 seconds until smooth.
3. Suggest to refrigerate the frosting for at least 60 minutes before piping. Frost cookie before serving. Garnish with remaining toasted coconut and crushed macadamia nuts.

Notes

Cookies must be refrigerated once frosted. Allow 60 minutes for frosting to set before piping.

• Category: Dessert
• Method: Baked
• Cuisine: American

Keywords: key lime cookies, cookie cups, cheesecake cookies