I genuinely thought weather forecasters would not utter the words 'polar vortex' again until at least January, and if we were really lucky, those dreaded words wouldn't be heard at all next winter. Well I was wrong. It is mid-July and here in the midwest we are being told to brace ourselves for a 'polar vortex' in the week ahead. Seriously? When did temperatures with highs in the 70s and lows in the 50s become labeled as a summer 'polar vortex'? Back in the day we used to simply call it 'unseasonably chilly weather' (a bit non-meteoroloigcally technical but fairly descriptive). Growing up in a house without air-conditioning, 'unseasonably chilly weather' meant nights of great sleeping, just like those experienced on Wisconsin family summer vacations.
The search for a lime meltaway cookie recipe actually began years ago. Having bought a small (and on the almost hard to justify ridiculously expensive side) bag of lime meltaway cookies, it was a cookie I had to make. They were different, refreshing and delicious. Only I couldn't find one. Or I should say I couldn't find one that tasted like the ones I remembered. Martha Stewart published a Lime Meltaway Cookie but (dare I say) wouldn't have a chance of winning a throwdown if matched up to the memory of those beautiful pillowy bites of deliciousness I had spent a relatively small, but oh so justifiably worthy, fortune on.
And then one day about a year ago I discovered a recipe that not only lived up to my memory of a citrusy, buttery, melt-in-your-mouth cookie, it managed to exceed it. It came from Kathleen King, creator and owner of the famed Tate's Bake Shop. She shared a Lime Sugar Cookie recipe in her Baking for Friends cookbook, one that was alone worth the cost of the cookbook.
What makes these Lime Meltaways different in flavor than the relatively limited number of lime cookie recipes out there are two ingredients: white rice flour and lime oil (yes, lime oil, not lime extract). The white rice flour adds a 'lightness' to the cookie while the lime extract adds a 'boldness' but not a bitterness. When combined with the lime juice and zest, the lime oil further contributes to the citrusy flavor of these cookies.
White rice flour is readily available in the grocery stores these days however, the lime oil is an ingredient you may only find in a specialty store (my Lime oil came from Sur La Table). I know, I know, recipes with ingredients not easily accessible at the grocery store can be a deal breaker for some. But this is one cookie worth the extra bit of upfront ingredient shopping effort. Who knows, you might someday find yourself in a Lime Meltaway throwdown with either Martha Stewart herself or any of the M.S. clones you know (don't' laugh, we all have them in our lives).
This is one of the easiest cookie doughs to make. Neither sifting nor getting out the standing mixer is required. A whisk to mix the all-purpose flour, white rice flour and salt and a handheld mixer to blend the dough together is all you need. You won't even break a sweat making them.
The cookie dough is divided in half, rolled into logs, wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated for two hours (if you refrigerate any longer you may need to let it sit out at least ten minutes so it is workable). Kathleen King's recipe indicated it made 42 cookies. I managed to get 37 cookies from the dough, but could easily see the number of cookies range from 36 to 38 (or less if you are eating the dough as you make them).
The dough is rolled in small balls and placed on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet (spaced only about 1 1/2 inches apart).
Baked in a preheated 350 degree oven for 17-18 minutes or until the bottoms of the cookies are lightly browned, the cookies get their first sprinkle of confectionary sugar while still hot out of the oven and cooling on the cookie sheet. I wouldn't say the tops of my cookies were golden rather they were a very light brown. To test for doneness, the bottoms of the cookies should be beautifully browned.
Once cooled, the cookies receive another coating of confectionary sugar. With the remaining confectionary sugar, either toss them in a paper bag or gently roll them in a small bowl. Both options work.
Maybe because they look like little snowballs or maybe its their citrusy, buttery flavor, literally melt in your mouth texture that makes them a refreshing summer or hot weather climate cookie. Not only would they would be a perfect finishing touch to a seafood or Mexican inspired dinner. they are one of those perfect for snacking cookies served with or without a cup of 'hot' coffee. These Lime Meltaway Cookies are so good I can never justify buying one of those pricey packages of lime cookies ever again, even if they are on sale. And neither should you.
Lime Meltaways (inspired by Kathleen King's Lime Sugar Cookie recipe shared in her cookbook Baking for Friends)
Makes 36-40 cookies
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white rice flour (or can substitute brown rice flour)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt (or can use Kosher salt)
1/2 pound unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup confectionary sugar, divided
Grated zest from two limes
2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1 teaspoon lime oil
Directions
1. Whisk together all-purpose flour, rice flour and salt. Set aside.
2. In a medium-large bowl, beat butter and 1/2 cup of the confectionary sugar until well blended (about one minute of mixing time).
3. At low speed, mix in the lime zest, lime juice and lime oil until incorporated.
4. At low speed, mix in flour mixture until well combined.
5. Place dough plastic wrap and roll into a log (or divide dough in half and make two logs).
6. Chill dough until firm, approximately 2 hours.
7. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
8. Cut dough into 36-38 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
9. Bake cookies for 17-18 minutes or until the tops of cookies are golden and bottoms are lightly browned.
10. Sift some of the remaining 1/2 cup confectionary sugar over the hot cookies. Allow to cool to room temperature on the baking sheet.
11. Put all of remaining confectionary sugar in a small brown paper bag. Place two or three cookies in the bag at a time and shake until thoroughly coated with the confectionary sugar. Or sift remaining confectionary sugar over cooled cookies.
12. Store at room temperature in a covered container.
Note: If you are fan of white chocolate, omit using the remaining confectionary sugar. Allow the cookies to cool to room temperature, then dip in melted white chocolate.
As much as I loved my short Montana vacation, it took me a week to get back into my workout routine (was a slacker and worked out only three days last week). My excuse was that I needed to recuperate from all the physical and emotional energy expended hiking up the Mount Sentinel Trail in Missoula. A trail with eleven switchbacks, a round trip distance of 1.6 miles, an elevation gain of 1,934 ft. on the way up, an average slope of +23% and a maximum slope of +51%. In other words, my definition of a grueling trail. The visual reward for going on this taxing, on a 90 degree day in the middle of the afternoon, hike was the incredible view of the town of Missoula. The personal reward for having the endurance to make it up and down the trail was one I almost didn't get. In spite of my workout regimen for the past five months, the elevation gain, slope and sun the trail almost got the best of me. Actually if were not for the encouragement and patience of my nephew, this was one mountain trail hike I am not certain I would have finished on my own.
After the first two switchbacks I must have said (out loud) 'I can't do this' at least a dozen times. I thought it wise to keep all of my other thoughts to myself as the 'I want to give up' words were annoying enough. In spite of my can't do spirit, another part of me wanted to complete the hike for three reasons: the personal satisfaction one gets from successfully completing a physical challenge (at my age); the desire to create a symbolic lesson for my nephew (i.e., sometimes life is hard, sometimes we have to dig deeper to overcome obstacles); and, I didn't want my much younger sister to call me a 'wimptress' when she heard the story. Even with those compelling reasons, I still kept thinking 'I can't' and my nephew still kept saying 'you can'. It was mostly because of him that 'I did'.
As it turns out I may have been the one to walk way from this adventure with the most significant takeaways. Those being reminded of what is possible when you surround yourself with people who believe in and encourage you (particularly in times when you are filled with self-doubt); the reaffirmation of the impact those that love and care about you can have on you (even when you are not at your best and bordering on being hard to take); and, lastly, life sometimes really is hard but 'can' gives you a better chance of fully experiencing it than 'can't'.