Italian Cornmeal Cookies
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These northern Italian-inspired cookies taste like little discs of toasted cornbread.
These simple cookies are inspired by zaletti, the northern Italian cornmeal cookies typically flavored with vanilla, lemon zest, and grappa-soaked raisins. Warm out of the oven, they taste like little discs of toasted cornbread. Since the cookies aren’t too sweet, they make a wonderful breakfast with a cup of coffee or tea.
What you’ll need to make Italian Cornmeal Cookies
STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt.
Whisk well and set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or beaters, beat together the butter and sugar until smooth and creamy, about one minute.
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Beat in the vanilla extract.
Add the dry ingredients.
Beat on low speed until just combined. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cool enough to handle, about one hour.
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll the dough into tablespoon-sized balls and place on the prepared baking sheets. Flatten the balls slightly with the palm of your hand.
Bake for 13-15 minutes, until the cookies are pale on top and lightly golden on the bottom. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
Serve with coffee or tea and enjoy!
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Italian Cornmeal Cookies
These northern Italian-inspired cookies taste like little discs of toasted cornbread.
Ingredients
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled off with knife
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 11 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or beaters, beat together the butter and sugar until smooth and creamy, about one minute. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract.
- Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and beat on low speed until just combined. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cool enough to handle, about one hour.
- Preheat the oven to 325°F and set two oven racks in the centermost positions. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Roll the dough into tablespoon-sized balls and place on the prepared baking sheets. Flatten the balls slightly with the palm of your hand, then bake for 13-15 minutes, until the cookies are pale on top and lightly golden on the bottom. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The Cookie Dough can be Frozen for up to 3 Months: Roll the dough into balls, let set on a baking sheet in the freezer, then place in a sealable bag and press out as much air as possible. Bake as needed directly from the freezer. (Allow 1 to 2 minutes longer in the oven.) To Freeze After Baking: Let the cookies cool completely and store in an airtight container separating layers with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Before serving, remove the cookies from the container and let them come to room temperature.
Nutrition Information
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- Serving size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 75
- Fat: 4 g
- Saturated fat: 2 g
- Carbohydrates: 10 g
- Sugar: 3 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Sodium: 42 mg
- Cholesterol: 18 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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These cookies are incredible. Tbh I only made them to use up some cornmeal in my pantry, but they are amazing.
Yet another great recipe from this site that goes in my ‘keeper’ pile.
I am considering these as I need a dessert to carry to a dinner (at a neighbor’s) from ingredients I already have at home (due to a snowstorm). I have the ingredients for this cookie, as I don’t have much flour, but lots of cornmeal. I could make the recipe as-written (first time), but I love lemon things, and I also have lemon extract. The description mentioned lemon flavor. Would you add it? If so, how much? Thank you!
Hi Susan, You can add some lemon extract. A little goes a long way so I’d stick to 1/4 teaspoon. Hope you enjoy!
Thanks so much — I have now made these cookies several times. They are great “everyday” cookies — easy to make, not too sweet. After trying different proportions of lemon and vanilla, I have settled on 1/2 tsp of each. Great cookies!
My family found the cookie kind of gritty and dry. Lovely flavour and not too hard, to make or eat. Lovely with coffee.
What is the texture of these cookies? I have made blue cornmeal cookies with a different recipe but my daughter wants something a little softer with the blue corn meal. Do live at a little over 7,000 ft and am thinking I may need to decrease the leavening
Hi Jennifer, They have a cakey texture with crisp edges.
hi jenn! are these the type of cookies that are typically sandwiched with a little sweet raspberry jam inside?
Hi Jean, I haven’t seen them made that way, but I do see online that there are some thumbprint cookies made with cornmeal.
I love these cookies! I added cinnamon and cardamom and they were delicious. Definitely going to make these again.
Absolutely delicious. Made these on whim with the extra corn meal I had and I do not regret it! Will make again
Very tasty and subtly delicious. I rolled the dough balls in turbinado sugar before baking as well as added an extra 1/2 tsp vanilla to the dough. A wonderfully different treat and another winner of a recipe!
Another great recipe! I used medium grind Bob’s Red Mill cornmeal and the cookies had a great crunch to them. Thanks Jenn!
This recipe was amazing. I added a tsp more vanilla, slivered almonds and dried cranberries. Big hit in my office and at home. Thanks you for sharing.
I made these smaller and sandwiched with raspberry jam — delicious!! Thanks, Jenn!
Can I add can sweet corn to these? If so how much
Sure, Dee – I’d just 1/2 to 1 cup. I’d love to hear how they turn out!
Jenn – Does the grind of the cornmeal matter? Can I use a coarsely-ground or medium ground cornmeal? Or should I use a finely ground cornmeal? Thanks.
Hi Kathy, you could get away with any of them, but I’d probably go with the medium ground. Hope you enjoy!
What a great- well written recipe!!! I did add 1/2 tsp more of vanilla, one tsp total…just b/c I like vanilla. Thanks to you Jenn, I look like a better baker than I am. These cookies are on my favorites list.
These turned out great! They tasted just like ones I bought at an Italian bakery.
Has anyone added roughly chopped dark chocolate to these? Do you think it would work?
Modification of earlier review. These cookies are scrumdumptious made with polenta and a little less sugar.
I do but not everyone will know what 1-1/2 Tbsp equates to. Also, why put instructions to preheat oven as the first step when the dough needs to chill before you can handle it? Just my thoughts
These were delicious. I added dried cranberries to half of the batch. Yum! I served the plain ones with chili when they were hot out of the oven. Great recipe!
These cookies are delightfully different. Only got 30 cookies, made balls and flattened them with an upside down shot glass dipped in cornmeal. I will make smaller balls next time for thinner cookies as these stuck a bit in the throat. Husband liked them as is. Perhaps anise flavoring next time. Or seeds.
These cookies satisfy like only a corn muffin satisfies a cornbread hound like me … Good To Go in the car, minus the crumbly mess of paper muffin cups ! Thank You for this great recipe.
These are not your ordinary cookie. I really think they are good, not too sweet. I liked the cornmeal flavor.
I made these for the guys at work. They disappeared so fast! All recipies I have made have worked great! Thanks!
I will try this recipe tomorrow morning. I do have a question, can I substitute butter with butter flavored crisco? I heard it’s best for baking!
Hi Christina, I’d stick with the real butter on this one…the flavor will be better.
Okay will do! Thanks. 🙂
11 Tablespoons !!!!!….That seems like an awful lot of butter to me…..
Then don’t make them.
I like the idea of adding walnuts..who would have thought cornbread could be so good? But I Always loved cornbreed with honey.
Love the crunch of cornmeal.
I added some walnuts and they tasted great.
perfect with my afternoon cup of tea
These cookies are awesome! Not too sweet. Kind of hard to stop eating!
i love italian cornmeal cookies almost as much as my biscotti. cookies were on my to do list today. i think i will try your version and check back in
Simple and humble…
I made the Italian Cornmeal cookies. My scoop was a bit larger as I didn’t quote net 40 cookies. These were great. Not too sweet. The texture from the cornmeal was evident. As stated excellent with coffee.
And pretty pretty to boot.
I honestly didn’t think these would have much flavor, but they did! Delish 🙂
Delicious without being too sweet. Great with tea.
These cookies were the best. Recently diagnosed with Celiac disease, I was able to substitute my flour with the cornmeal to make a delicious cookie which I could eat.
Thought these were going to be rather dry — no way! they’re scrumptious; couldn’t stop after just one.
The recipe say 11 tbls, or is that 2 tbls?
It’s 11 tablespoons unfortunately 🙂
Got them out of the oven 10 minutes ago. They are delicious! Really glad I decided to bake them today 🙂
Sound great. Will make some soon!!
i love this idea.
and will bake some this weekend!
For Betty and your future reference, perhaps, to send inquirers??
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have used both! Thank you for this yummy recipe!
Thanks, Marty!
I would like for you to list calories and carbs. Thanks
Sorry Betty, I’m just not set up to do that.
Yum! I love the texture of cornmeal! I just put cornmeal muffins on my blog today too – we’re thinking the same thing! I love how it produces a more rustic texture, and isn’t tooth achingly sweet. These look great!
looks fabulous