Whatever possessed me to make these cookies the first time, I no longer recall. Since I seldom look twice at cookies without chocolate, I can only speculate now that manifest destiny, or the hand of the Fabulous Cookie Fairy compelled me to overlook my chocolate obsession for a few moments. I also have to admit that I have become a major fan of Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix. Bakers everywhere will protest that their from-scratch cookie is better but I refuse to believe it, and the ease of using the mix has converted me. But, I digress! This soft, coconut-lime chewy sugar cookie was a winner in Betty's cookie mix recipe contest many moons ago and is simply lime-a-licious. The coconut and lime are both subtle and you'll get a lot of questions about the mystery ingredients. Now and then I add a tiny drop of green food coloring to help identify the lime flavor, or use a teeny drop of neon-green food coloring to tint the coconut ( ahead of time) a pale lime green. Just be very cautious not to end up with green cookies.
Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl stir together a 17-oz pouch of BC sugar cookie mix, 1/2 c. coconut, 1 TB grated lime zest ( about 1 lime), 3 TB lime juice ( you can use real lime juice, like Joe and Nellie's Key lime juice,* but since you have the limes right there, fresh is obviously best), 1 egg, and 6 TB butter or margarine, melted. Mix til a soft dough forms. Drop dough by heaping TB's onto ungreased cookie sheets, at least 2" apart. Bake 9-13 minutes, until the edges only are a light golden brown...dont let them brown at all; you want a nice white cookie. Cool for 1 minute on the pan, then remove to cool completely. Later, sift powdered sugar over the cookies. I usually get about 28 cookies per pouch. If you freeze them, powder them both when baked and again after thawing, if needed.
* don't, please, use the sweet bottled lime juice that's used in mixed drinks.
