Pepita Lime Cookies

I’m what you might call a connoiseur of cookies.

I think it’s mainly because cookies are so easy to make. I can’t bake a cake to save my life, but damn if I can make a good chocolate-chip cookie.

I don’t discriminate between cookies, either. I’ll eat my way through some vanilla wafers just like I will coconut macarons. Snickerdoodles are my bae. Toss me a bag of those Famous Amos, will you?

Mexican wedding cookies are a particular fascination of mine. I love how they are like a powdered-sugar-covered pecan sandie. These tasty little morsels contain chopped nuts (usually almonds), vanilla extract, and then are rolled in piles of confectioners’ sugar. Heaven!

I somehow stumbled upon this amazing blog (us Texans gotta stick together!) and fell in love with her pepita-lime crescent cookies. I decided to adapt the recipe a bit and make them for myself and was amazed at the finished product! You can really taste the lime—and roasting the pepitas before grinding them up really enhances the flavor. I like my cookies with more vanilla in them, and almost dumped the whole bottle into the dough!

Still, even with the almost-vanilla-massacre, these cookies were perfect. 

Pepita Lime Cookies

• Servings: 2 Dozen
• Time: 1 hr 20 mins
• Difficulty: Medium
• Print

A light, powdered-sugar rolled cookie made of roasted pepitas and lime zest.

Credit: Homesick Texan

Ingredients

• 1 cup raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
• 1 cup butter (2 sticks), room temperature
• 2 TBS. lime juice
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• Zest of 1 lime, divided
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• pinch of salt
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Directions

1. In a large ungreased pan, roast pepitas over medium high heat for about 5-6 minutes until lightly browned and fragrant. Let cool for a few minutes before grinding. Using a food processor, pulse pepita seeds on low until they resemble cornmeal. Be careful not to grind too much or they will turn into pepita butter.
2. In a large bowl, cream butter with granulated sugar. Add lime juice, 1 tsp. lime zest, and vanilla, mix well. Add salt, ground pepitas and flour and stir until a crumbly yet pliable dough forms.
3. Refrigerate dough for one hour.
4. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Take dough out of fridge. Using a tablespoon, scoop one tablespoon of dough out of the bowl. Roll into a ball and then into a 3″ long log. Curve to make a “U” shape and then place on parchment paper. Repeat with the rest of the dough.
5. Bake cookies in a 350 degree oven for 15-18 minutes. Cool cookies on a rack for 10 minutes before rolling in powdered sugar mix.
6. In another large bowl, combine the powdered sugar with remaining lime zest. Carefully roll cookies in powdered sugar mixture, making sure not to break them. Keep cookies in covered container for up to a week.

Step-By-Step Instructions

Roast pepitas in an ungreased pan over medium high heat for 5-6 minutes until browned and fragrant.

Grind roasted pepitas in a food processor until it resembles cornmeal. Be careful to not over pulse or pepita meal will turn into pepita butter!

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together. I know it sucks, but you gotta cream butter to make cookies! Add lime juice, 1 tsp. lime zest, and vanilla.

Add ground pepitas, flour and salt to the creamed butter mixture. Stir until a crumbly, yet pliable, dough starts to form. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Take dough out of fridge and, using a tablespoon, take one tablespoon of dough and roll into a ball. Then, roll into a 3″ log. Form it into a “U” shape and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.

Bake those beautiful cookies at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes. Meanwhile, make your powdered sugar topping:

In a large bowl, combine powdered sugar with remaining lime zest. After cooling cookies on a wire rack for 10 minutes, carefully roll cookies in powdered sugar mix.

These cookies are so limey it’s fantastic! I love the taste of the pepitas as well. You may be thinking, “but pumpkin seeds don’t really have a taste!” But I beg to differ. The soak in that lime and vanilla flavor PERFECTLY.