Sweet, tender-crisp and chewy, full of white chocolate morsels and lime zest, these Spicy White Chocolate and Lime Cookies hit all the right notes, with just a hint of heat.
As a Registered Dietitian, I’ve worked on the Foodservice Management side of things for several years.
And in Foodservice Management, once in a while, while you’re trudging away at work, the Sales Rep Gods appear (much like Santa) with a sack full of goodies.
(I mean, we need to test the products we provide our customers… it is our duty.)
One such blissful “sample day” a few years ago, a rep brought in these cookie dough samples for use as an option in our catering department.
They were all delicious, but my favorite – A sugar cookie with white chocolate chips, lime and a smidgen of heat on the finish.
I fell in love. I KNEW I had to figure out how to make it at home because I wanted this cookie on demand.
After a few trial-and-error batches, tinkering with my chocolate chip cookie recipe, I’m happy to report: I nailed it. They’re perfect. (Yes, I’m that sure).
Key Ingredients
- Butter and Shortening – I use a bit of both in this recipe, and there are a few reasons for that. Butter brings a richness to the flavor of these cookies, but the test batch that used all butter spread a bit more than I would like; the cookies weren’t as “tall”. Shortening has a higher melting point, and helps the cookies retain their shape when baking, but the “all shortening test batch”, was lacking the flavor and crispness that butter brings to the table. At the end of the day, all butter or all shortening technically worked, but I preferred a blend of the two.
- Brown Sugar and Granulated Sugar – In the same vein as the butter/shortening situation, I tested batches using different ratios of sugar. Brown sugar adds chew, moisture and a richness to the overall flavor. Granulated sugar lightens the overall color and texture and also produces a crisper cookie. I knew I was aiming for a cookie with crisp edges, but a chewy center. Using all brown sugar lacked crispness and tasted more like a chocolate-chipless chocolate chip cookie. Using all granulated sugar was far too crispy and lacked depth. In the end, a blend of both was the answer.
- Lime Zest – Fresh lime zest is imperative to this recipe. It adds such a refreshing note, which helps balance all the sweetness going on! Plus, they’re Spicy White Chocolate and LIME Cookies – you want the best lime flavor you can get!
- Cayenne Pepper – I don’t like saying it but, technically…this is optional. You could leave it out, and have a wonderfully balanced white chocolate and lime cookie. Or, you could leave it in, and have a wonderfully balanced white chocolate and lime cookie…with intrigue and depth. Trust me, it doesn’t hit you over the head with spice. It’s a mild spice that’s really only pronounced on the finish. You could always cut the amount of cayenne in half, if you’d like.
The Process
I know I said in previous post that I hate chilling cookie dough.
But…*sigh*
These chill for an hour. And there are reasons for that as well:
Chilling cookie dough helps chill the fat down, which helps prevent the cookies from spreading. It also gives the batter a chance to fully absorb the liquid ingredients…which helps prevent spreading.
Chilling also helps concentrate the flavor and with players like lime zest and cayenne, it helps to give them a little time to fully bloom and develop.
It also helps with textural changes. Again, chilled dough better absorbs its liquid, so the dough becomes a little drier. This drier dough has more concentrated sugars and that higher concentration produces a chewy/crisp texture.
Fun Fact: You can find the disher I use for scoop cookies here!
Spicy White Chocolate and Lime Cookies
Equipment
- Hand or Stand Mixer (Optional)
- Citrus Zester or Microplane
- Mixing Bowls
- Wooden Spoon
- Baking Sheet Pan
- Parchment Paper
- Cookie Scoop or #20 Disher (Optional)
- Cooling Rack
- Pastry Brush or Silicone Brush (Optional)
Ingredients
- ¼ cup butter, softened
- ¼ cup Crisco vegetable shortening (unflavored)
- ½ cup + 1 Tbsp light brown sugar, packed
- ½ cup + 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 ½ cup white chocolate morsels (I use Nestle)
- 1 Tbsp fresh lime zest (roughly the zest of 2 limes)
Optional Lime Glaze
- 2 limes (roughly 2 Tbsp)
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- pinch salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside.
- Cream the softened butter, vegetable shortening and sugars until fluffy – about 2 minutes. (You may want to use a mixer for this part)
- Add in the egg and vanilla and mix well.
- Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cayenne pepper. Stir with a wooden spoon until the dry ingredients are about 50% incorporated.
- Add the white chocolate morsels and lime zest.
- Continue mixing all ingredients until fully incorporated. Cover dough with plastic wrap, place in the refrigerator. Chill dough for 1 hour.
- Using a cookie scoop, or soup spoon, drop rounded balls of cookie dough onto the parchment-lined baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. (If using a soup spoon, aim for dough balls that are larger, roughly 1" in diameter).
- Bake for 18-21 minutes or until the cookies are just starting to lightly brown around the edges and the centers are set but light.
- Allow baked cookies to cool on the sheet pan for about 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
- If desired, combine all glaze ingredients in a small mixing bowl and stir to combine. Brush or drizzle on cooled cookies and allow to set.
Notes
