Salty sweet lime crisp sandwiches
This cookie tastes like a narcissistic chorus line of citrus, salt and
sugar vying for the lime (insert soft eye-roll) light. Let them duke
it out and enjoy the full-tilt sherbetty tongue tingle. I like just
a whisper of the frosting so the sandwich is more cookie than
cream, but there’s some extra frosting if you prefer the converse
ratio. This is a great recipe to use up those limes that have
ripened to yellow – their humble acidity brings a touch of class
to the show. The dough is counterintuitive to mainstream cookie
techniques, but it gives these a buttery brittle snap; it’s a cinch
to roll while cold and they hold great shape when baked.

Start the dough: melt the butter (microwave or stovetop), then add
the oil and cool completely – warm butter will make a greasy, seized
dough. Add the lime zest, then set aside.

Weigh the flour, salt and baking powder together into a small bowl.

Stir with a whisk to combine, then set aside.

In a large bowl, hand whisk the egg and sugar energetically for around
30 seconds until it just turns a shade paler yellow. No need to whip
in lots of air. Whisk in the cool butter/oil/zest. Switch to a stiff plastic
spatula and stir in the dry ingredients until the mixture forms a thick,
mashed potato–like paste and the bowl has clean sides. Scrape into
a piece of plastic wrap and chill for a minimum of 3 hours, or ideally
overnight, before rolling out.

Preheat the oven to 130°C (265°F). Line a shallow baking tray with
cooking oil spray and baking paper. Give the dough, still wrapped,
a few firm pushes against the work surface to encourage it to yield
to the rolling pin. Unwrap the dough and place onto a flour-dusted
surface, then dust the top of the dough with flour.

This dough gets pliable quickly so roll from fridge cold, keeping the work
surface well dusted, and do short hard rolls, rotating often until the dough
starts to really grow.

continued …

Keeps Raw dough will keep for 2 days.

Baked and filled up to 2 weeks,
airtight and chilled. They soften
a little over time.

Makes Around 10 filled sandwiches.

Takes Make the dough the day before.

Then 1½ hours to roll, bake and fill.

Lime cookies
100 g (3½ oz) unsalted butter
30 g/ml (1 oz) good extra-virgin
olive oil
zest of 1 lime (reserve juice
for filling, below)
200 g (7 oz) plain
(all-purpose) flour
2 g (¹⁄₁₆oz/¼ teaspoon) fine
sea salt
3 g (¹⁄₁₀ oz/½ teaspoon) baking
powder
50 g (1¾ oz) egg (approx. 1 egg)
80 g (2¾ oz) caster (superfine)
sugar
cooking oil spray
Sweet salty sprinkle
30 g (1 oz) caster (superfine)
sugar
1 g (¹⁄₃₂oz/¼ teaspoon) sea salt
flakes, lightly crushed
Lime frosting filling
zest and juice of 1 lime, plus
juice from lime used in dough
(see above)
240 g (8½ oz) icing
(confectioners’) sugar
60 g (2 oz) unsalted butter,
very soft and squidgy
15 g/ml (½ oz) good extra-virgin
olive oil
1 g (¹⁄₃₂oz/¼ teaspoon) sea salt
flakes