I have some awesome cookies to share today! Well, I'm sharing the recipe... because cookies can't be shared through the internet... yet. (Perhaps they're working on that?!) My parents got me these amazing dinosaur cookie cutters for Christmas. I'm not sure where they bought them, but I tracked them down for you. (You're welcome.) Of course I had to find the perfect recipe...


...something that would puff up ever so slightly without spreading, at risk of losing the shape of the cutters. Something that would be solid enough to hold in your hand, and be topped with icing. My first thought was sugar cookies, but Shawn does not like sugar cookies, so even though I could easily eat a whole batch myself, I thought I'd be nice and make something to share. Then my mind went to gingerbread cookies, because those also fit the bill. But I wasn't in the mood for gingerbread...


...so I looked to the one person whose recipes have never failed me. More specifically, I looked in her book first. And there, in the sweets section, was just the recipe I needed! I would share that version here today, because that's the version pictured here... but I'm not going to, because Deb's book is awesome and I encourage you to buy a copy for yourself.

Instead, here's a tweaked version of the recipe that I came up with at Shawn's brilliant suggestion. He took one bite of a cookie and amidst eating it said something about "oohmneffghad key lime pie mmshnfgah...", and these iced key lime pie fossil cookies were born. Of course, you don't need dinosaur cookie cutters to make this recipe... but they're highly recommended if only for entertainment value!

Iced Key Lime Pie Fossil Cookies

adapted from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook
for cookies:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
zest of one lime
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
3/4 cups sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

for icing:
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon lime juice

- Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, and lime zest in a bowl and set aside. Beat the butter and sugar together in a mixer or with hand beaters until light and fluffy. Add the egg and the vanilla extract. Add the dry ingredients in gradually, until combined. Gather the dough into a ball, flatten, and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until mostly firm; about an hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Roll the cookie dough out to about 1/4 inch thick on a lightly floured surface. Cut into desired shapes and bake on a parchment lined cookie sheet for approximately 10 minutes, until the edges are firm and the centers are slightly puffed. Let the pan cool on a wire rack.
- While the cookies are cooling, make your icing by whisking the powdered sugar and lime juice together until smooth. Add more liquid if the icing is too thick, or more powdered sugar if it's too loose. Once the cookies are cool, use a spoon to drizzle icing on top of the cookies.
- Enjoy!

Let me know if you make these, or if you know of any other awesome cookie cutters!