Perfect Cornmeal Cookies

To use up the last of my cornmeal that was lying dormant at the back of my kitchen cupboard in a forgotten Tupperware, I made these golden chewy cookies from Sweetestmenu’s blog. She ingeniously devised this recipe after her husband requested for corn cookies and I have to say that she came up with the perfect cookie which strikes the right balance between “crisp golden edges” and “a light and fluffy centre”. I baked my cookie batter right out of the refrigerator so they did not spread much but I still loved them with my afternoon cup of Bois Cheri cardamom tea.

CORNMEAL COOKIES

Ingredients:

115g butter, room temperature

100g (1/2 cup) caster sugar

45g (1/4 cup) brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 large egg, room temperature

2 teaspoons golden syrup

175g (1 1/4 cup) plain flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

120g (3/4 cup) cornmeal

1/2 teaspoon kitchen salt

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 160 C (320 F). Line two baking trays with baking or parchment paper.

• In a large mixing bowl, beat softened butter and caster sugar and brown sugar until creamy.

• Add the vanilla, egg and syrup and mix again until combined. Sift in flour and baking soda.

• Add cornmeal and salt and stir till combined. Chill for 5 minutes before shaping into cookies.

• Place on prepared trays 1-inch apart and bake for 12 minutes until edges turn golden brown.

• Keeps at room temperature in an airtight container for up to one week. Makes 12-14 cookies.

Chewy Cornmeal Cookies

Orange & Honey Cornmeal Cake

After I was done with my cornmeal pancakes, I still had almost half a bagful of finely ground cornmeal I purchased from a Rodriguan entrepreneur some months back. Contrary to my expectation, the processed corn had a surprisingly long shelf life and I was happy to have a bowl of cornmeal porridge on my list of breakfast items for the next few weeks. When I ran a Google search for ‘cornmeal cake’, this devilishly simple cake from Elegant Meraki stood out a mile and I felt that I had saved the last of my cornmeal just for this one. Liberally soaked in orange honey syrup and topped with pistachios, it has a rich golden crumb, which goes well with an infusion of Bois Cheri’s Paul & Virginie black tea.

ORANGE HONEY CORNMEAL CAKE

Ingredients:

For the Cornmeal Cake

1 cup almond flour

1 cup finely ground cornmeal

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

3 eggs, room temperature

2/3 cup caster sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

Zest of 1 medium orange

1/4 cup fresh orange juice

1 tablespoon orange blossom

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Orange Glaze

1/2 cup fresh orange juice

1 tablespoon orange blossom

1 tablespoon orange liqueur

3 tablespoons honey or golden syrup

3 tablespoons pistachios, chopped

Method:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9-inch round cake pan with nonstick spray or line with baking paper.

• Sift together almond flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl, and set it aside.

• Whisk together eggs, sugar, oil, zest, juice, orange blossom water and extract until it is just combined.

• Slowly add flour mix and whisk only until just combined. Set aside for 20 minutes then pour into pan.

• Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until skewer comes out clean. Remove from oven, set on a wire rack to cool.

• For the glaze, combine the fresh orange juice and honey in small sauce pan and simmer for 5 minutes.

• It will thicken slightly. Stir in the orange blossom water and liqueur. Poke holes in cake, 1/2 inch apart.

• Using pastry brush to slowly brush glaze over cake. Do not rush the process as it will make cake soggy.

• Leave the cake to cool completely, then top with toasted pistachios before serving. Makes 10 servings.

Orange & Honey Glazed Cornmeal Cake

Cornmeal Pancakes with Maple Syrup

Yet another pancake recipe to get you going every morning instead of that boring bowl of soggy cereals!

CORNMEAL PANCAKES

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal

1/2 teaspoon kitchen salt

3 tablespoons baking powder

4 tablespoons brown sugar

2 1/4 cups full cream milk

2 large eggs, room temperature

3 teaspoons vanilla extract

4 tablespoons butter, melted

Method:

• Mix together flour, cornmeal, salt, baking powder, and sugar in a mixing bowl and set aside.

• In a separate bowl, mix milk, eggs, and vanilla. Pour into the dry ingredients, stirring gently.

• Stir in melted butter. Set batter aside. If batter is overly thick, splash in a small amount milk.

• Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet over medium-low heat. Drop 1/4 cup batter per pancake.

• Cook till golden brown on both sides. Stack three pancakes with a pat of butter between each.

• Drizzle pancakes with warm maple syrup and serve immediately. Makes 3 generous servings.

Cornmeal Pancakes