Pistachio Lime Thumbies
These pistachio lime thumbies are a delightful treat featuring shortbread cookies topped with a tangy lime frosting and sprinkled with ground pistachios.
Equipment
Ingredients
Shortbread Ingredients
- ½ cup butter softened
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar
- 1 cup flour
- ½ tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ tablespoon milk
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup ground pistachios see note
- Zest of one lime
Frosting
- 2 tablespoons butter softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Pinch of salt
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- Juice from one lime 1-2 tablespoons
- Splash of milk as needed
- Additional ground pistachios
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add the vanilla and mix until well combined. Combine the flour, cornstarch, and salt. Cream the flour mixture with the butter and sugar, mixing well. Stir in the milk and the pistachios, mixing until a ball is formed.
- Remove the dough from the bowl, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for an hour.
- Once chilled, form into 24 balls, approximately a half of a tablespoon of dough. Place on an ungreased baking sheet and press down with your thumb to form an indent for the frosting, flattening a couple times. From here, preheat the oven to 350 degrees (325 on convect) and chill the cookies one more time while the oven preheats.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the cookies are just starting to brown. Shortbread is easy to over bake so watch them carefully. Once done, remove and allow to cool.
- Meanwhile, make the frosting. Cream the butter and vanilla. Stir in the powdered sugar and a pinch of salt. Add the lime juice and cream until a smooth frosting is formed. Give it a taste test. If it is too tart, add a bit more sugar. If it is too thick, add a splash of milk (a tablespoon or so).
- Put into a piping bag and pipe the frosting into the center of each cookie. Sprinkle with remaining ground pistachios. Allow the frosting to harden before packaging in an airtight container.
Notes
For the pistachios, I like to purchase the lightly salted shelled pistachios from the snack food aisle at the grocery store. Then I grind them myself in a small food processor. Make sure they are ground well so they get fully incorporated. Also grind a little extra for sprinkling on the frosting.
I do not do a lot of pipping for frosting so I do not have pipping bags on hand. I simple slip a ziplock bag into a mug, putting the sides over the edge. Then I spoon the frosting into the bag, zip it up, and snip the corner. It does the trick for me!
If frosting isn’t your thing, you can totally switch up these cookies. Rather than flattening them with your thumb, leave them as balls. Bake for 15 minutes and then roll the still hot cookies in additional powdered sugar. (Be gentle with the cookies. They break easily. I usually wait just a minute or two before I roll them.)
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!