Chewy Margarita Cookie Recipe
These chewy margarita sugar cookies are soft, salty and sweet, with zesty lime and orange flavors and a hint of tequila! Pair it with a tequila sunrise or margarita for the ultimate boozy combination.
Judy said: “I made these a year ago for my daughter's 30th fiesta birthday and they were a hit. I am now making them for her wedding for the cookie bar I am doing. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐“
Extremely popular opinion:
Margaritas are wonderful. I love margaritas.
Wait, let me be more specific: I love freshly made margaritas with fresh juices and fresh fruit zest. If it's out of a bottle of margarita mix or a frozen can, you need to see yourself out and take your pitcher of sad-ritas with you.
I'm sorry, but you GOTSTA GO.
Sweet and spiked
I got a craving for margaritas one day (okay fine, most days), but I also wanted something sweet. And it was also 11AM on a Wednesday.
Cookies became my dessert goal, and to combine my margarita craving with sweets I thought I'd give cookies spiked with tequila a try.
Side note, can you imagine if I was craving a bloody mary at the time? [shudder]
More boozy recipes? Why not!
Someone has recently told me she wanted to see more “boozy” dessert recipes on the blog. Well, ask and you shall receive, my dear.
You may be tempted to think of these as lime cookies, but do not be deceived. These chewy margarita cookies have a subtle but distinct lime flavor, for sure, but they're also accompanied by a subtle orange flavor (thanks to the Triple Sec) and a hint of tequila.
If you top your cookies with my favorite garnish, you end up with a flavor palate very much reminiscent of a classic margarita: additional freshly grated lime zest, and a combo of margarita salt and coarse sparkling sugar.
To die for. I'm telling you.
Mix it up
- Brush tops with tequila: I made a batch where I gave them a quick coating of tequila as soon as they came out of the oven, and while the flavor was pretty freaking great, the texture of the tops of the cookies left a little to be desired.
- Powdered sugar tequila glaze: Some people have told me they've done a powdered sugar tequila glaze. UM, YES PLEASE.
- Grated orange peel: You could also add grated orange peel into the batter and/or as a garnish on top, if you were feeling like you need a little extra fruit in your life.
I'm writing this post and seriously regretting that there aren't any margarita cookies left in the house. Not even a different kind of cookie. Not a single one. And my mouth is kind of watering a little, and I don't know what to do about it.
It's sort of stressing me out, and I'm rummaging through the pantry like there's gold hidden somewhere.
My husband brought these to work and one of the guys said this was the best cookie he'd ever had. That's a ringing endorsement if I ever heard one.
Even one of his coworkers that doesn't normally drink was all over there. Mind you, that doesn't mean you should trick your non-alcohol drinking friends into eating these. Nor should you give margarita cookies to your kids.
I mean, it might be kind of funny to tell them in 15 years that their first taste of tequila was in a cookie when they were 6… but that's probably illegal and stuff so don't do it, mmk? Mmk.
How many cookies does this recipe make?
This recipe makes about 24 cookies, and while you may very much feel the desire to double the recipe, you probably shouldn't.
It's going to give your mixer a hard time with that much dough, so if you want to make 48 cookies just make it in two batches and everything will be a-okay.
Want more tequila in your life?
- Watermelon Margaritas
- Frozen Mango Margarita by Whitney Bond
- Tequila Sunrise Cocktail
- How to Make Pineapple Infused Tequila by Hunger Thirst Play
- Strawberry Basil Margarita
- Honey Mango Strawberry Margarita by Taste and See
Want more boozy desserts in your life?
- The Best Jack and Coke Cupcakes
- Boozy Angel Food Cupcakes with Amaretto-Soaked Strawberries
- Tiramisu (for Two!)
- White Chocolate Champagne Truffles
- Bourbon Balls
- Red Wine Chocolate Cupcakes with Blackberry Buttercream Frosting
- Bourbon Butter Pecan Ice Cream
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Chewy Margarita Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon tequila
- 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 teaspoon Triple Sec, can substitute orange extract
- Zest of 1 lime, about 2 teaspoons – can add more if desired
- Additional lime zest for garnish, optional
- Margarita salt, maldon flake salt, and/or coarse sparkling sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and prepare two baking sheets with nonstick silicone mats (aff link) or parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk to combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour1 teaspoon baking soda1/2 teaspoon (½ teaspoon) baking powder1/2 teaspoon (½ teaspoon) salt
- In the large bowl of a stand mixer (aff link), add butter and sugar and beat on high speed until creamed together.1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter1 3/4 cup (350 g) granulated sugar
- Add egg, tequila, lime juice, Triple Sec and lime zest and beat until just combined.1 egg1 tablespoon tequila2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice1 teaspoon Triple SecZest of 1 lime
- With the mixer running on low speed, add flour a little at a time until just combined and no streaks of flour remain.
- Using a medium cookie scoop (aff link) (about 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons), portion out balls of dough onto prepared cookie sheets with no more than 6 to each sheet. Roll them between the palms of your hands to form balls.
Optional before baking, but encouraged:
- – Add a little more fresh lime zest to the top– Roll in coarse sparkling sugar– Top with a sprinkle with coarse sparkling sugar– Top with a sprinkle of margarita salt or maldon flake salt– Top with a sprinkle of sugar and salt combined!Additional lime zest for garnishMargarita salt
- Bake for 12 minutes. You want them to be set and crinkled, but not yet golden. Let cool on baking sheet for a couple minutes, then transfer to wire racks (aff link) to cool completely.
- Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition Disclaimer
The provided nutrition information is generated by an automatic API and does not take variations across specific brands into account. This information is provided as a general guideline and should not be treated as official calculations. Learn more here.
So I made this recipe with a few changes: strawberry margarita cookies. Added cut up freeze dried strawberries and a product from Epicure: Strawberry Margarita that you would normally add to water to make a drink. The cookies were chewy and delicious. Thank you for this wonderful recipe.
Barbara – how much of the margarita mix did you add to the cookie mix?
Thanks!
Love the cookies, will be one of my favorites!
Question…can I use GF flour & have the same results?
I don’t see why not!
I made these today exactly as the recipe said. I definitely think they could use a bit more lime flavoring. I rolled the balls in green sugar before baking to make them look more festive. They turned out great.
Hi! I’d like to make these and wondering how they would be without the triple sec or orange flavoring? I have all the other ingredients on hand.
Thanks for your help!
They’ll be missing a little bit of the flavor, but if you have orange extract you could substitute 1/8 teaspoon of that!
Baked these this weekend, flavor is really good! Mine didn’t come out quite as crinkly on top….what’s the secret to that? Thanks for a great recipe
I find that if I take them out of the oven while they’re still a bit puffy, they crinkle the most :) So glad you liked them!
I made these a year ago for my daughters 30th fiesta birthday and they were a hit. I am now making them for her wedding for the cookie bar I am doing. After I bake the cookies can you freeze them?
Ah, I love that! I haven’t actually frozen these myself, but someone else did and told me that they were able to keep them in their freezer for 2 months.
Thank you! Going to give it a try!
Do these cookies freeze well?
I’ve made these three times now, and each time I sneak a little extra lime zest and tequila. so good!
Nothing wrong with that ;)
These were delicious! So easy to make and ingredients I had around—making margaritas anyways, so just a little splash of tequila in the recipe was an easy add! Perfect level of sweet and salty when I put some extra lime zest and salt on top. So fun and something I’d never seen before. Will definitely make again!
I’m so glad you liked them! Thanks so much for coming back to leave a comment and rating, Anne!
I did a tequila glaze over these that was perfect! Confectioners sugar and tequila. Gave it a bit of a stronger tequila taste!
That sounds DIVINE! Can I ask what could have been different to make this a 5 star recipe for you?
I am having a pretty big Cinco party this weekend. I would like to make these in advance. Do you think I can make the cookie dough on Thursday, bake on Friday and serve on Saturday?
Thanks for the recipe ~ can’t want to try it!!
I haven’t done it myself, but I would think you can make the cookie dough and keep it in the fridge or freezer until the next day. Just let the dough come to room temperature before you bake and it should work out well!
Have you done these with the margarita salt or other extra topping before baking? If so which way do you prefer?
I actually like to do a little sprinkle of both. I love my salty and sweet together :)
These taste amazing!!! What a great recipe!!! I used don julio blanco and came out soooo gooood!
I’m so glad you liked them! Thanks so much for coming back to leave a comment and rating, I really appreciate it.
Great cookies – chewy as promised but on one batch I failed to set the timer and when I took them out they were golden around the edges which were crispy but the middle was still soft. Also delicious!
So glad you liked them! Thanks for coming back to leave a comment.
What kind of tequila do you suggest using in this recipe?
Whatever kind you enjoy the flavor of! I personally enjoy using a silver tequila (like Espolon or Casamigos), but anything that you like will work great.
Made these for Cinco de Mayo and everyone loved them!
Yay! Thanks for leaving a comment and rating!