Cornmeal Cookies
The cornmeal in these cookies provides a wonderful crunchy texture and contrasts nicely with the sweetness of the dried fruits. This is a refrigerator cookie that is formed into logs, refrigerated, then sliced and baked. The dough can be made in advance, wrapped well, and refrigerated for 1 to 2 weeks or frozen until ready for baking.
Recipe type: Dessert | Refrigerator Cookies | Icebox Cookies
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Recipe Notes
Pan: Two Large Baking Sheets Pan Prep: Ungreased or Parchment Lined Oven Temp: 350° Yield: 6 Dozen Storage: Airtight Container, Room Temperature
Help: Cookie Hints and Tips
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accurate, and well worth the investment. I use my Thermapen Thermometer for checking room temperature ingredients, tempering chocolate, baking bread, making pastry creams, sugar syrup, caramel, and candy, cooking meats and fish, and deep frying. Thermapen Thermometer available here.
Help: Cookie Hints and Tips
TheBakingPan Recommends: The BEST instant read thermometer I’ve used for cooking and baking; the ThermoWorks Splash-Proof Super-Fast Thermapen Thermometer is incredibly fast,
accurate, and well worth the investment. I use my Thermapen Thermometer for checking room temperature ingredients, tempering chocolate, baking bread, making pastry creams, sugar syrup, caramel, and candy, cooking meats and fish, and deep frying. Thermapen Thermometer available here.Ingredients
Dough:
- 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup yellow cornmeal, divided
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup confectioners’ (powdered) sugar
- ½ cup golden raisins
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ¼ cup currants
- About 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar (for sprinkling)
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, ¼ cup cornmeal, and salt; sift or whisk together to mix. Set aside.
- In a large bowl of an electric mixer, add the butter and beat on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Gradually add confectioners’ sugar, taking about 1 minute, then beat for about 1 to 2 minutes longer to thoroughly combine. While adding the sugar, stop the mixer if necessary to scrape the mixture off the paddle and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula so the mixture blends evenly.
- Reduce the speed to low, and add the flour mixture in 3 to 4 additions, and mix just until thoroughly incorporated. The dough will be stiff and may seem crumbly.
- Add the raisins, cranberries, and currants. Beat on low speed just until incorporated.
- Divide dough in half. On a large piece of wax or parchment paper, shape each half into a round or square log, about 10 inches long and 1½ inches in diameter. Sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup cornmeal onto the logs and press the cornmeal gently into the dough, coating the entire outsides with cornmeal.
- Wrap each log in plastic wrap and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Baking sheets may be ungreased, lined with parchment paper, or lined with a non-stick baking mat.
- Slice chilled dough logs into ¼ inch slices and place 1 inch apart on baking sheets. Sprinkle each cookie with a little turbinado sugar. Return remaining dough to refrigerator until ready to use. Tip: My favorite tool to cut refrigerator cookies is a stainless steel dough scraper; simply push the dough scraper straight down into the cookie for straight cuts. Or use a small kitchen knife to slice the cookies.
- Bake: Bake 16 to 18 minutes or until cookies are a light golden brown on the edges, but the centers are barely colored. Remove cookies from baking sheets with a metal spatula and place on a wire cooling rack to cool.