Key Lime Pie Cookie Cups

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These Key Lime Cookie Cups serve up the best and easiest flavors of Key Lime Pie! They’re mini in size but major in taste! You can’t go wrong with the tanginess of key limes and the crisp cookie cup.

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Key lime cookie cups on a plate with one bitten into and the lime filling oozing out.

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Classic key lime pie is a favorite of mine but I think it might have some stiff competition with these key lime pie cookie cups. These are seriously the most adorable key lime pie versions I have ever seen. So glad I invented them (hehe). Enjoy!

Table of Contents

Cuisine Inspiration: Southern Key Lime Pie
Primary Cooking Method: Bake
Dietary Info: Decadent Dessert
Key Flavor: Sweet crumbly cookie with tart lime creaminess.
Skill Level: Beginner

Ingredients to make key lime cookie cups on the table before mixing.

Sugar Cookie Shortcut: We’re using Pillsbury Ready to Bake Sugar Cookie Dough to make the cookie cups. It’s your fast track to cookie cup greatness. It’s the easy-peasy base of your dessert.
Egg Yolks Only: Bring richness and color to your key lime filling.
Key Lime: Key lime juice for that tart, tropical zing.
Sweetened Condensed Milk: Sweetens the deal and adds creaminess.
Vanilla: Rounds out the flavors. Please use pure vanilla extract for the best flavor.
Garnish: Whipped cream and lime zest to dress up your cups.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a 24-mini muffin pan with non-stick baking spray before you get going on making the cups.

Roll the cookie dough into balls and place each one in the bottom of each muffin tin.
Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove the cookies from the oven and gently press a spoon in the center of each baked cookie to make the shape of the cup. Let them cool for 10 minutes in the pan.
Gently remove the cookie cups from the muffin pan and place them on a cooling rack to finish cooling.

Step 2: Making the Filling

Combine the egg yolks, key lime juice, sweetened condensed milk, and pure vanilla extract in a medium bowl.
Whisk together until creamy and well-mixed.
Pour the mixture into a medium-sized pot and cook over medium-low heat to cook the eggs. Cook for 12-14 minutes, stirring frequently until the mixture is nice and warm.
Remove the pot and allow the mixture to cool.

Making the lime curd filling for the cookie cups.

Step 3: Assembling the Cups

Fill a Ziploc bag with a snipped corner or a piping bag with the key lime curd mixture.
Pipe key lime curd into the direct center of each cookie cup until filled.

A collage of the filling in a ziplock bag and then piped into a cookie cup.

Garnish with whipped cream and lime zest and refrigerate for at least one hour before serving.

Key lime cookie cups on a piece of parchment some are topped with whipped cream.

Lime Zest Garnish. Use a microplane or fine grater to zest the lime to sprinkle over the top. Zest before juicing — it’s much easier.
Make Cookie Cups While Warm. Make sure you form the cookie cups while the cookie dough is still hot. The cookies will firm up as they cool.
Don’t Over Bake. Make sure to check the cookie cups a few minutes before time is up just in case your oven cooks slightly warm.
Juicing Your Limes. Roll them on the table firmly with the palm of your hand before juicing them. This process breaks up the pulp inside and makes the fruit easier to juice. You also get more juice!
Avoid the White Pith. The white layer of lime peel that lies right under the green outside is quite bitter so when you are zesting it you want to make sure to avoid scraping it off. Use a light touch and a fine grater for best results.

Popular Substitutions & Additions

Lemon: You can easily use lemons instead of the key limes to make a creamy lemon filling or even make a homemade lemon curd.
Use regular limes: Key limes will provide a more tart flavor but if you can’t find them use regular limes instead.
Add berries on top: For an extra vivid splash of color add a blueberry or raspberry on top of each cookie cup.
Cookie flavor: Experiment with other cookie dough flavors such as funfetti or birthday cake. You can even try them with homemade chocolate sugar cookie dough.
Use homemade cookies: If you prefer to make your own cookie dough for the cups, try my homemade sugar cookies recipe.

A white plate topped with key lime cookie cups and a lime half in the corners.

Serve these up for all your summer parties along with this berry icebox cake and blackberry lemon bars for a summertime dessert display that’s sure to be loved by all.
Sip on a summer drink such as a mint julep, sweet peach tea, or peach punch to stay cool.
These are perfect for any cookout, family reunion, or gathering along with crowd favorites such as grilled chicken kabobs, BBQ baby back ribs, and Southern potato salad.

To keep your cookie cups fresh and delicious store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The lime filling requires these to be stored in the fridge. When you’re ready to serve, simply take them out and let them sit at room temperature for a short while. Letting them warm up a bit brings back their full flavor and texture.

You can also make the cookie cups ahead of time and store them at room temperature in an airtight container for a couple of days.

When stored properly, they’ll stay scrumptious for up to 5 days though the whipped cream may fall after a few days. If possible, store them without the cream, and add it just before serving again.

I don’t recommend freezing the fully prepared cookie cups but you can bake the cookie cups ahead of and freeze them to use later on. Store them in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months.

A plate with three key lime cookie cups on it and lime halves and slices around on the table.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make these using a regular-sized muffin pan?

Sure if you prefer a larger cookie you certainly can! Simply divide up the cookie dough into 12 equal portions and roll into balls. Follow the same process for baking but you may need to add a couple minutes to account for the larger ball of cookie dough.

Can I use homemade cookie dough?

Yes, you can! I recommend sticking with a cookie dough that makes a softer style of cooking such as a sugar cookie, chocolate chip cookie, or oatmeal cookie as these are soft enough to press into the muffin tin to create the cookie cups.

How do I know my cookies are done?

You definitely don’t want to overcook these cookies since you need them still somewhat soft in order to shape them. Watch for the edges of the cookies to crisp up and the centers should appear cooked and no longer dough-y. Remember that there will be some carryover cooking so the cookies will continue to cook as they are cooling.

Close up of one key lime pie cookie cup with a couple more in the background

Enjoy these key lime cookie cups which taste just mini key lime pies! They make a great addition to summer parties, family gatherings, and even a snack for the kids. You can’t go wrong with the ease of using store-bought cookie dough to make these simple cookies.

Favorite Key Lime Recipes to Try

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A plate of key lime cookie cups with lime slices.