Learn how to make perfect Cornmeal Cookies, with crispy edges, soft centres and the taste of buttery corn in every bite. Made with polenta, these are my fave Corn Cookies!
Perfect Cornmeal Cookies 💙
And I’m talking p-e-r-f-e-c-t. With crispy golden edges, a soft centre and the taste of buttery corn in everrry single bite. Made with polenta or cornmeal, these Corn Cookies are hands down, one of my favourite cookies ever.
Flavour, texture and a little crunch – this cookie has it all.
I have to credit my husband for the inspiration for this recipe. He asked me to make him a Corn Cookie. I first thought, what in the world is a Corn Cookie? But I went to work with a fresh bag of polenta in one hand and my kitchen mixer in the other.
My first batch went in the oven as 6 individual cookies and emerged as one giant one. Not exactly what I was intending. But the flavour was there.
So over the coming days I tried again. And again. And again. I was up to my ears in Corn Cookies. I had ones that were so thin they were see-through, then ones that were so fat, they were like whoopie pies. And then there was the flavour. I made them too sweet, too salty, not corn-y enough.
Then, I struck gold – in the form of the perfect Cornmeal Cookie. One with crisp golden edges boasting the perfect amount of chew, a light and fluffy centre and a sweet corn flavour that’s reminiscent of a good piece of cornbread.
FYI I am now completely hooked on cornmeal cookies.
So I dedicate these to my husband, who randomly sent me on a wild ride, but helped me discover my new favourite cookie. If you have a bag of polenta in your cupboard, you need to try these cookies!
HOW TO MAKE PERFECT CORNMEAL COOKIES
- These Corn Cookies are so easy to make. You will need an electric mixer or beater.
- Start with room temperature butter – it needs to be softened so not fridge cold, but not melty by any means.
- We use a combination of brown sugar for extra flavour and caster sugar for crispness. You can swap caster sugar with granulated sugar if you like. Read more about caster sugar here.
- We add a little bit of honey to the cookie batter which means these cookies reminiscent of honey cornbread – amazing!
- The cookies call for part plain or all purpose flour and part polenta or cornmeal. It means the cookies have a lovely soft texture but also a little crunch and flavour from the polenta.
- Bake for approximately 12 minutes, or until the cookies have spread out in the oven and gone slightly golden on the edges. They will be very soft when they first come out of the oven but will firm up as they cool.
MORE COOKIE RECIPES TO TRY
- Honey Cookies
- Lemon Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chocolate Chocolate Cookies
- Snickerdoodle Cookies
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Hungry for more? Join me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter for more amazing recipe ideas.
Let's Bake
Perfect Cornmeal Cookies
Easy Corn Cookies made with polenta or cornmeal and honey.
Ingredients
- 115 grams (1/2 cup or 1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 100 grams (1/2 cup) caster sugar
- 45 grams (1/4 cup) brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 175 grams (1 and 1/4 cup) plain flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 120 grams (3/4 cup) cornmeal or polenta
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F) standard / 160 C (320 F) fan-forced. Line two baking trays with baking or parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugars until pale and creamy. Add the vanilla, egg and honey and mix again until combined.
- Sift in the plain flour and baking soda. Add the polenta and salt and stir until combined. Roll balls of cookie dough using your hands, approximately 1.5 tablespoons each, and place on prepared trays.
- Bake for approximately 12 minutes or until golden brown on the edges. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Nutrition Information
This recipe was first published on Sweetest Menu in May 2017.
Claude says
Hello Jessica,
These are the crunchiest and most delicate biscuits I have ever made thanks to you!
I did go slightly off piste though by using a third less sugar and adding the zest of a whole lemon.
I can’t wait for tea time again.
Claude
★★★★★
Jessica Holmes says
Yes! Love hearing that Claude. Oh I’ll have to try adding lemon zest next time – great idea!
Sally Thompson says
Made these cookies for the first time.
They are delicious. Would recommend, giving them a try.
Jessica Holmes says
So glad you enjoyed them Sally!
Dani says
Made these as per the recipe except for using salted butter as it was all I had. It gave the cookies a yummy salty bite, it balanced out the sweetness (slightly too sweet for me but that’s personal taste).
The golden edges took about 16 minutes in my oven, middle rack. I measured them with my tablespoon scoop as I like smaller cookies and made 26!
As other reviewers, my cookies didn’t spread much. I even tried pan-banging one of the batches but it didn’t work. I figured that the cornmeal was maybe too dense for it to spread with the bang. I wish they looked as beautiful as they do in your photos! Nonetheless, a delicious and unique cookie, love how much the cornmeal comes through both in taste and texture.
X
★★★★
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Dani, I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed these cookies! If yours didn’t spread much, you might have slightly over measured the flour and/or polenta. Or it might just vary based on the different texture/coarseness of different polenta brands. I actually wrote a post cookies not spreading you might find helpful. Thanks again for your kind review.
Elke Barter says
So so delicious!!! Thank you!
★★★★★
Jessica Holmes says
So glad you enjoyed them!
Tom says
Awesome cookie recipe. Making them for the third time. For me the recipe yeilds 18 cookies that I can fit on one 12″x18″ cookie sheet. I tried to cheat this time and just scooped the balls rather than rolling them by hand. They did spread out conciderately more but tasted great all the same. Has anyone tried to chill the dough to aid in forming?
★★★★★
Jessica Holmes says
So glad you love them Tom! You could chill the dough if you like. Cookie spreading depends on so many things (I wrote a blog post about it) so if you prefer a thicker cookie, you could definitely do that.
Susan says
What can i use to make these GF?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Susan, I’m sorry I haven’t tested these with a gluten free flour so I can’t say. But if you do try it, let me know how it goes!
Scott says
Can I add chocolate chips? 🙂
Scott says
I went ahead and added 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips and and extra 1/4 cup ap flour (5’000 ft elevation) – our new favorite CC cookie!!!
Jessica Holmes says
Yes to the chocolate chips! So pleased you enjoyed them Scott!
Lorinner says
Hi…how long can I keep these cookies at room temperature? I am staying in a humid country. Please advise. Thank you.
Jessica Holmes says
Hi, these cookies keep well in an airtight container for 3 days or you can store them in the fridge.
Kristen says
I truly never comment on anything because I’m just too lazy, but my goodness these cookies are so SO good I just had to make the effort. 😂 I used your recipe, but instead of honey I used maple syrup because that’s what I had. I also added dried cranberries to my second batch just because I was feeling crazy and I am forever changed. Thanks for all your experimentation to find the perfect balance! You’re fantastic!
★★★★★
Jessica Holmes says
Aww I love love love hearing that Kristen! Thank you for your lovely feedback!
Ellie says
I just made these cookies – and now I am printing the recipe to my pdf keeper file. I made a couple of minor changes to match my family’s taste. I did go the 1/4 baking soda and 1/4 baking powder route. I used 3/4 tsp vanilla and 1/4 teaspoon almond extract and added zest from one lemon as the flavoring. Then I swirl piped the dough to make the cookies. Came out fantastic and pretty! The balance of butter (I used an Irish unsalted butter), honey and other ingredients is spot on for texture and flavor balance. Thank you for such a lovely recipe.
★★★★★
Jessica Holmes says
So glad you enjoyed them Ellie! Thank you for your kind feedback!
Chris says
These are really great. I made them because I wanted a firmer, sweeter, cornbread to crumble and put in a honey and blueberry ice cream, but ended up liking the cookies on their own so much that we hardly had enough left to put in the ice cream. Great recipe!
Jessica Holmes says
Aw love that Chris! And paring with honey and blueberry ice cream sounds magical!
Jennifer G says
These are beautiful cookies full of amazing flavor. I did this recipe X’s 4 for a large party. My Mexican friends call these Corico’s. So I did things a little different. I used Irish Butter and whipped it for 5 minutes, I used standard cornmeal because that’s all I could find and I went to 4 stores to find it. Next time I would use Bob’s red mill organic cornmeal. I whipped the butter with the sugar another 5 minutes. I used 4 large eggs at room temperature. Now that rolling the dough into ball’s oh my no, I used a scoop and it works beautifully. With my oven I need 14 minutes to cook. These have a sweet combined with hot buttered corn flavor. Insanely good. Make these you will love these.
★★★★★
Jessica Holmes says
Love hearing that Jennifer! Thank you for your lovely feedback!
Kelly P says
I just made these after I bought some polenta, made cornbread, and wondered what else was out there. A random google search led me here. These cookies are delicious! Mine didn’t flatten as much (even though I used a scale) and came out darker (even when I reduced cooking time on second batch) but that didn’t affect their flavor at all. I loved them! The corn taste came through and they were just the right amount of sweet. The crispy edges and the chewy center made for a perfect cookie. I can’t wait to try some of your other recipes. Thank you!
★★★★★
Jessica Holmes says
So pleased you enjoyed them Kelly! Thank you for your lovely feedback.
Rachel says
I never comment on recipes but felt obligated to because these were SO DELICIOUS! I went searching for a cornmeal cookie recipe after having one at a local bakery.
I used irish unsalted butter, regular cornmeal, and granulated sugar., followed recipe exactly as written Wowza. So simple, but so incredible. These are a keeper for sure. I drizzled a little honey on top before eating. Equally loved by kids and adults, thank you for this recipe!
★★★★★
Jessica Holmes says
So glad you enjoyed them Rachel! Thank you for your kind feedback. They are one of my favourites too!