Name: Key Lime Cookie Cups
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 1 (16 oz) package sugar cookie dough; 8 oz softened cream cheese (1 block); 1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk; 1/2 cup key lime juice (regular lime juice is ok too); 1 tsp vanilla extract; whipped cream, lime zest, and lime wedges (optional )

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These key lime cookie cups have all the components of a traditional key lime pie, delivered in a tiny package! Chewy sugar cookie crust gets filled with a creamy, key lime filling that results in a delicious, zesty, bite-sized treat!

Why you’ll love this recipe:

If you’re looking for an easy dessert idea for easter, a baby shower, or just want something sweet on hand for after dinner, you need to try these key lime pie cookie cups! They’re a fun twist on a classic, take less than 20 minutes to prep, and are full of bright, tangy lime flavor!

Plus, they’re mini so practically guilt free!!! 😉

Ingredients you’ll need for easy key lime cookie cups:

Store-bought sugar cookie dough
Cream cheese
Sweetened condensed milk
Key lime juice
Vanilla extract
Whipped cream, lime zest and lime wedges- optional for topping

Key lime pie is traditionally made with a graham cracker crust which is truly delicious- but ain’t nobody got time to be making the crust, forming them in a muffin tin, par-baking and then praying to the heavens you’re even able to get them out of the pan without them crumbling apart!!!

SO, here’s my solution, pre-made sugar cookie dough! Taking the shortcut of using packaged sugar cookie dough here makes these cookie cups super easy to make! This sugar cookie crust is made by simply dropping store-bought sugar cookie dough into mini muffin tin cavities. As they bake, they’ll puff up to fill the cavities, then deflate as they cool so you’re left with the perfect well for filling!

If you can’t get your hands on key limes, no worries! Regular limes will work just fine. I do recommend using fresh lime juice rather than the bottled stuff here because the bottled juice just doesn’t have nearly as much flavor or freshness.

How to make the best key lime cookie cups:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a mini (24 cup) muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
Grab your sugar cookie dough and slice into 24 equal squares (just follow the perforated lines) then drop one square of cookie dough into each muffin tin cavity.
Bake for 10 minutes, then let cool fully. The cookies will deflate on their own and leave a perfect dimple for filling!
In a large mixing bowl combine softened cream cheese, condensed milk, key lime juice and vanilla extract. Mix until you get a smooth filling.
Transfer the filling to a Ziploc bag, snip off one end, then evenly fill the cookie cups.
Optionally top each one with a little whipped cream, lime zest and wedge of lime before serving.

My top tips:

Be sure to spray your muffin tin before adding the cookie dough. It’s never fun to make a recipe just to struggle to get it out of the pan, so get that cooking spray out to prevent any sticking.
Let the sugar cookie crust cool completely before filling. If the crust is too hot, it’ll melt the filling and your crust will become soggy. Luckily, these crusts cool quickly so it should only take 15 minutes or so.
Use softened cream cheese! If you’ve following for a while, you know I have cream cheese in a lot of my recipes. I love the way it adds creaminess and richness to so many recipes, but it’s important that you soften it first! This way the cream cheese will easily incorporate into the other ingredients, and you won’t be left with a lumpy filling.
I like transferring my no bake key lime cheesecake filling into a Ziploc bag because it makes it much easier to fill the cookie cups. Feel free to use a pastry bag as well.
As I’ve already mentioned, the filling in these key lime cookie cups doesn’t require any baking. If you want a bit of a firmer filling, you’ll want to chill the assembled cookie cups in the fridge for at least 2 hours. You can enjoy these cookie cups right away too; the filling is just a little looser.
Simply store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the fridge. When you’re ready to enjoy, let them sit at room temperature 10-15 minutes to get them back to their original texture!

Looking for more easy dessert recipes? Try these out!

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