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These Lime Tarts are cute cookie cups made with sugar cookie dough and filled with tart lime curd. These mini lime tarts are the perfect semi-homemade treat with from-scratch cookie dough and store-bought curd.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love Lime Tarts
Isn’t everything better when it’s mini? That’s the case for these lime curd tarts – they’re bite-sized sugar cookie tarts that are sweet and tart with a delicious lime filling.
I love to use citrus in desserts because the tart flavor, in this case, lime balances out the sugar and richness in the rest of the dessert like with these adorable sugar cookie cups. When you put them together you get a sweet, brightly flavored lime curd tart.
We’re making the best sugar cookie dough to form the base of the tart. You bake the dough in a muffin pan, press a hole in the middle of each cookie, and then fill it.
For the curd, you can use homemade lime curd or use store-bought to make it easy. If you make your own, try using key lime juice to make mini key lime tarts.
If you don’t love lime, you can easily switch out the filling with lemon curd, jam, jelly, or even chocolate ganache. There are so many ways to customize them.
I love to make a big batch of the of the cookie cups and freeze them. Then it’s really easy to thaw a few at a time, fill them, and serve them whenever I need a quick treat!
Ingredients To Make Sugar Cookie Tarts
Butter: I always use softened unsalted butter. If using salted, reduce salt in recipe to 1/4 teaspoon.
Granulated Sugar: Sugar cookies are traditionally made with only granulated sugar.
Egg: Be sure to buy large eggs.
Vanilla Extract: For flavor. For an extra punch add 1/4 teaspoon lemon extract too!
Baking Soda and Cream of tartar: These help them rise and stay soft.
All-purpose flour and Salt: Traditional cookie Ingredients
Lime curd: This is the filling. You can buy it or make it homemade.
How to make Lime Tarts
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray mini muffin pans with nonstick baking spray.
- Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, cream the butter and granulated sugar until it’s smooth and fluffy. This should only take about a minute.
- Mix in the egg and vanilla. Add the baking soda, salt, and cream of tartar and mix until smooth. Mix in the flour until the cookie dough forms.
- Scoop one tablespoon of the dough to form the cookie dough balls. Place one in each mini muffin cup. Bake them for 18 to 20 minutes or until the cookies are no longer glossy and lightly golden around the edges.
- Take the pan out of the oven and, while the cookies are hot, press the handle of a wooden spoon into the center of each one to create a hole for the filling.
- Cool the cookies in the pan and then turn them out. Use a butter knife to loosen them, if needed. Fill each cooled sugar cookie with one to two teaspoons of lime curd. For decoration, sprinkle lime zest of the tops.
Variations/Tips
The easiest way to change up this lime tart recipe is with the filling. Once you’ve made the cookie tart shells, you can fill them with all kinds of things.
- Any flavor curd will work like lemon, lime, or orange.
- A teaspoon of fruit preserves would work well, too. The flavor options are endless!
- Try filling the tarts with chocolate ganache.
- Vanilla pastry cream would also be great!
These little bites are so cute when you line them up on a serving plate! It’s the best lime tart recipe and perfect whenever you’re craving a sweet and tart cookie. I hope you try them soon!
More Mini Desserts You’ll Enjoy
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Lime Tarts Recipe
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (170g) unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 2 cups (248g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup lime curd
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray mini muffin pans with nonstick cooking spray (I use the kind with flour in it).
- Cream butter and granulated sugar with a stand or a hand mixer until smooth and fluffy, about 1 minute. Mix in egg and vanilla then add baking soda, salt and cream of tartar and mix until smooth. Add flour and mix until cookie dough forms.
- Scoop 1 tablespoon sized cookie dough balls and place each in one cavity of the muffin pan.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes or until no longer glossy and a light golden around the edges.
- Immediately upon removing the cookies from the oven, use the handle of a wooden spoon or the back of a teaspoon to press a cavity in the center and form the tart shell.
- Let the cookies cool completely, then remove from the pan. The cookies should pop right out when nudged with a butter knife.
- Fill each cookie with 1-2 teaspoons of lime curd. Sprinkle with lime zest for garnish.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Cookies can be frozen without filling for up to 3 months.
Recipe Nutrition
Lime Tarts made with sugar cookies are easy tarts made with homemade sugar cookie dough and lime curd! These are the perfect cookie cup recipe.
