I love cookies and I love margaritas, so obviously MARGARITA COOKIES are a very good thing in my book! Sweet and salty, with a buttery texture and lime flavor, this margarita cookie recipe is an absolute favorite of mine! While you can spike the glaze with a sweet and salty tequila glaze, it can also be made with just lime juice for a family-friendly lime cookie treat.
These cookies are a really interesting flavor combo, kind of a buttery shortbread meets lime with a bite of tequila. My husband and I loved them.
These margarita cookies are pretty simple to make, though the dough does need an hour to chill out in the fridge, so make sure to factor that in.
If you aren’t a tequila fan, you can absolutely leave that out of these, and just make a great lime cookie. But if you are a tequila fan, there’s just a hint of tequila flavor that comes through in the glaze. Yum, yum.
You add lime zest to your dough. I somehow do not own a microplane, and started using the grater I always use for zesting. It’s totally the wrong kind and all it does is collect all the zest in it’s grips and not let go. Total fail. Luckily I realized I had this handy little OXO Spice Grater which worked wonderfully.
After making your dough, you roll it into two logs and then let it chill in the fridge for about an hour.
Then when it comes out you roll it in a salt and sugar mixture. Yum yum.
Then it’s slice and bake. I knew I was going to leave the tequila glaze off of some of the cookies, so for those cookies I added some extra sugar and salt mixture to the tops.
After baking you allow them to cool, then make the glaze. As I mentioned you can leave the glaze off, or omit the tequila.
Because the salty part of a margarita is SO important to me, I sprinkled some of the sugar and salt mixture on top of the glaze. It also adds a nice crunch.
Salty. Sweet. Lime. Butter. Good stuff.
If you are looking for an easy and delicious meal to start with prior to these margarita cookies, I highly suggest trying my easy SHEET PAN NACHOS!
MARGARITA COOKIES RECIPE
Margarita Cookies With Salty Sweet Tequila Glaze
Ingredients
Cookies:
- 2 cups flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup 1 1/2 sticks butter, softened
- Green Food Coloring optional - I used six drops McCormick Neon Green & 2 Drops McCormick Green
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon finely grated lime peel
- 1 teaspoon McCormick® Pure Orange Extract
- 1/2 cup sanding sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Tequila Glaze:
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon tequila
Instructions
Cookies:
- 1. Mix flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt in medium bowl. Set aside. Beat butter and granulated sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add egg, lime peel, extract and food coloring if using; mix well. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until well mixed. Divide dough in half. Form each half into a log about 9 inches long and 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap in wax paper.
- 2. Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm.
- 3. Preheat oven 350°F. Mix sanding sugar and kosher salt. Roll each cold dough log in mixture to coat evenly. Cut dough into 1/4-inch thick slices. Place on ungreased baking sheets. If desired sprinkle a bit of additional sugar and salt mixture on tops.
- 4. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned around edges. Cool on baking sheets 1 minute. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.
- 5. Drizzle Glaze over cooled cookies. If desired sprinkle lightly with salt/sugar mixture. Let stand until glaze is set.
Tequila Glaze:
- Mix 1 cup confectioners’ sugar, and 1 tablespoon each water and tequila in small bowl until smooth. (Or omit tequila and use 2 tablespoons water.)
Cheers!
Originally published April, 2013.
Jenny says
Ok, I’ve been wanting to make these forever!! I’m finally doing it for a pool party taco bar! Let me just tell you, if you don’t have orange extract…. any orange liqueur works GREAT! These are fab!!
Kim Courtney says
What is sanding sugar??
Christi says
Hi Kim, it’s a fine decorating sugar that you often see in the sprinkles section.
Kim Courtney says
Christi,
Thank you!!
J says
I made these and they worked great! To make sure they keep their shape, don’t soften the butter too much, and make sure to chill the dough at least an hour if not longer. While I was cutting one log, I kept the other log refrigerated. Don’t handle them too much before they go in the oven to prevent melting the dough with your hands.
Mary Ann says
Just made them – I think the cookie needs more lime flavor so next batch I’m going to add either lime juice or key lime juice to punch it up a little.
Otherwise – yum!
Yo says
My girlfriend is a baking guru. But for my parents 40th anniversary, I made these for my mom (a tequila aficionado), and double chocolate for my father.
This recipe is amazing, although I did add another half of lime zest to the mixture, used turbinado sugar instead of sanding, and heavily zested the glaze in the cookies before it set. I also used Casamigos blanco for the glaze, and added a splash extra.
This is absolutely a recipe to revisit, but don’t hesitate to follow my suggestions 🙂
Jenkins says
I made 500 or so of these for my marketing team for a Margarita Pour off! Everyone loved them. I switched the water in the glaze with lime juice to give them an extra kick! Thank you for the wonderful recipe!
Taylor L says
Hi there! Have made this recipe and LOVE it. I wanted to make it this weekend for an event with some gluten-free friends. Do you think this recipe would still work with 1:1 gluten-free flour all purpose flour?
Christi Johnstone says
Hi Taylor, I don’t do any gluten free baking so I’m not familiar with any of the GF flour products. Sorry.