Peas on the Plate

When I began the Uncle John Christmas Cookie project, I knew I wasn’t going to get to all of the recipes in the Cookie Bible. That would be lunacy. So I asked my aunt, uncle, and dad what their favorites were and tried to make them.

The Lime Zingers are my dad’s preferred cookie, so they were this week’s adventure.

They don’t taste like any Christmas cookie I’ve ever tried. Even funnier is the fact that the frosting is bright green, which I distinctly remember assuming was mint as a child entirely because they were on a plate full of shortbreads, pfeffernüsse, and other seasonal bites. When I took a bite, the lip-smacking tang of the cookie sent me reeling.

I am now regrettably an adult, still just as confused by putting these cookies on a Christmas plate, but have an appreciation for lime and lime flavor. If you do, too, you’ll like these.

I used fresh lime juice for this entire recipe. I have a sneaking suspicion John used the squeezey bottle of lime juice (didn’t this used to be in a lime-shaped bottle?) because the tartness of the fresh juice in the frosting absolutely jumps out. The good news is that frosting is super flexible so if you want it to be more subtle, like it is in the cookie, dial down the fresh lime in the frosting. The frosting was pretty runny when I made it, so I recommend using corn starch as a thickener or adding more powdered sugar – just keep tasting it and let your taste buds be your guide.

I hope you have a restful holiday and an amazing New Year. Thanks for going on this nostalgic adventure with me as I try to honor one of the best people I’ve ever known. If I’ve learned anything this year, it’s that if your loved ones cross your mind and you wanna talk to them, just give them a call. You never know when you won’t be able to anymore.

You’ll see the Cookie Bible again this time next year!

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Lime Zingers

Yield: 2 dozen when cut with 2.5 inch round cookie cutters, probably more if you use anything else

Prep Time: 45 minutes

Additional Time: 1 hour

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 55 minutes

A subtly lime-y biscuit with a not-so-subtle lime frosting.

These cookies earn the title of “zinger.”

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Ingredients

Cookie

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• 1 C (2 sticks) butter
• 1/2 C granulated sugar
• 2 tsp. shredded lime zest (1 lime’s worth)
• 1/4 C lime juice (2 limes’ worth)
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 C flour
• 3/4 C finely chopped hazelnuts or walnuts (2.25 ounce package worked well)

Frosting

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• 4 oz (half a package) of cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 C powdered sugar, sifted
• 1/2 tbsp lime juice to start, then add more as desired
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Green food coloring

Instructions

1. Beat butter in large mixing bowl on medium to high speed for 30 seconds.
2. Add granulated sugar and beat until fluffy.
3. Mix in lime peel, the lime juice, and vanilla until combined., pausing as needed to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
4. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer (miraculously, mine barely even slowed down, which is weird because I’m using John’s mixer. Did it give up when he used it?!)
5. Stir in the nuts and any remaining flour with a wooden spoon.
6. Divide dough in half, wrap in plastic, and chill for a minimum of one hour.
7. Once the dough is sufficiently chilled, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
8. On a lightly floured surface, roll each half of the dough to a thickness of 1/4 inch.
9. Cut into desired shapes using 1 or 2″ cookie cutters (I used a glass with a width of 21/2 inches, which was not a good idea because the yield was quite low. Highly recommend circles that are smaller!)
10. If you have extra dough after cutting, reroll and cut more cookies out. Do this two times at most.
11. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly brown around the edges.
12. Fully cool on wire racks.

Once the cookies are cool, make the frosting:

1. Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, lime juice, and the vanilla together with a mixer on medium speed until smooth but still spreadable; frosting shouldn’t be runny. If it is, add powdered sugar one tablespoon at a time.
2. Taste and add more lime juice if desired.
3. Tint with half a drop of green food coloring and go up from there if you like your frosting a little more…neon.
4. Frost the cookies with an offset spatula or use the frosting as a drizzle.
5. Enjoy and dream of margaritas.