Basil Lime Gooey Butter Cookies

Don’t let the racks in the powdered sugar fool you, these basil lime gooey butter cookies are as chewy as they are flavorful.

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Second to Halloween, St. Patrick’s Day is one of my favorite holidays for which to cook and bake. I feel like they both lend themselves to so much creativity and are often overshadowed by all the festive and/or traditional creations for the bigger holidays. Most people don’t have set things that they make for Halloween and St. Patrick’s Day so I can usually get away with more than I could otherwise.

These basil lime gooey butter cookies might not be the most festive thing I’ve ever made in preparation for St. Patrick’s Day but they are green and that’s the most important part, right? They are based on my lemon gooey butter cookies but with some basil added in for a little something special. Also since I didn’t have lime extract, I added more lime zest and used lime juice instead. The result may be a more subtle flavor than with the lemon version but they are still quite delicious.

These basil lime gooey butter cookies are slightly bigger than normal as well as I was just feeling a slightly larger cookie, but I left directions in the notes if you want to stick to the classic little guys. I did use a small amount of green food coloring as well – just enough to give them a slight green hue. If you are not a fan of food coloring, even the more “natural” food coloring, then feel free to leave it out. Just be prepared for them to not be very green so don’t say I didn’t warn you :-P.

BASIL LIME GOOEY BUTTER COOKIES

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Yield: Approximately 3 dozen Prep Time: 2 Hours 30 MInutes Cooking Time: 12 Minutes 12 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 2-1/4 all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1-1/2 cups sugar
• Zest from 2 limes (about 4 tsp)
• 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1 Tbsp fresh minced basil
• 1 egg + 1 egg yolk, room temperature
• Green food coloring, optional
• 1 cup powdered sugar

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
2. Using an electric stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment on medium speed (or handheld electric mixer and a large bowl), cream together cream cheese and butter until smooth. Beat in sugar, zest, juice, and basil until light and fluffy. Add egg and egg yolk (and a few drops of green food coloring if using) and beat until creamy, about 1-2 minutes.
3. On low speed, gradually add flour mixture and mix until just incorporated. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.
4. When ready to bake, arrange oven rack in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. Place powdered sugar in a small bowl; set aside.
5. Roll dough into 1.5-inch balls (I used a medium cookie scoop*), flatten slightly, roll in powdered sugar to coat, shake off excess, and place on prepared baking sheets 2 inches apart.
6. Bake for 12 minutes, or until cookies are puffed and crackly. Transfer baking sheet to wire rack and allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for at least 10 minutes. Remove cookies from baking sheet and transfer to wire rack to cool completely. Once completely cooled, transfer cookies to an airtight container.

Notes

*In the past I have used a small cookie scoop, baking 10 minutes, with a yield over 4 dozen

Source: Adapted from my Lemon Gooey Butter Cookies.