All content copyright Katrina Hall 2008 through 2025

Thursday, February 26, 2009

cornmeal cookies & strawberries





I have been intrigued with the idea of a crisp, slightly sandy , cornmeal cookie for serving with fresh fruit. It sounded like the perfect pairing, avoiding the mushiness that biscuit or cake shortcakes can develop when covered with juicy fruits. So I tinkered with my original Let Me Call You Sweetheart shortcakes recipe, simply by adding a little cornmeal and more nutmeg and salt. Lovely! The cookies hold up very well with the berries, but are excellent on their own. I could see this being served with everything from pudding to fruit salad. Wherever you might serve biscotti, you could substitute the cornmeal cookie.
Here, I rolled it out thickly, baked for a short time, then carefully split the cooled cookies. You can make the cookies any shape - stars, hearts, rounds, squares. And, if you're not pleased with the shapes, you can crumble them into a bowl and top with berries and whipped cream - sort of an Eton Mess.
To make:
Preheat oven to 350F.
1 1/4 cups King Arthur flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 heaping t. baking powder
1/8 t. salt
1/8 t. nutmeg, or 7 scrapings on a grater
6 T. cold, unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
3 t. sugar
1/2 cup milk
sugar for sprinkling
Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment.
In mixer bowl, add flour, cornmeal, salt, nutmeg, sugar, baking powder and mix.
Add the butter and mix until butter is incorporated and looks crumbly.
Add the milk and mix until dough forms a ball.
Knead dough, then roll out on a counter dusted with flour to 1/2 " ( you could go anywhere from 1/4 of an inch to 1/2 an inch). This dough is forgiving - you can re-roll without it getting tough.
Cut out the shapes you wish. The cookies can be placed closely, since they don't spread.
Sprinkle the cookies with sugar, and bake for 25 minutes.
Remove to cooling rack.
To serve with strawberries:
fresh strawberries
freshly squeezed orange juice
sugar
Slice the berries into a bowl. Mash slightly with a masher, then add a little orange juice. Sprinkle with a little sugar and let sit at room temperature for an hour.
Serve on cornmeal cookies with softly whipped cream.
Featured in TasteSpotting!


10 comments:

Anonymous said...

I come to your blog everyday hoping for a new idea or twist to a favorite. You never disappoint, except when I have to wait for another posting to appear ;•)
Love the photographs and the homey writing style. Feels like I am across your table with a cuppa coffee.
Thank you.

Maria said...

The cookies look amazing, especially with the berries!

Anonymous said...

Anonymous - what a wonderful compliment! Thank you! That's exactly how I feel when I'm writing a post - that someone's sitting across from me asking about my latest random recipe. Nothing fancy - just foodtalk.

Anonymous said...

Maria! I forgot to answer you yesterday - my apologies. Computer was slow and I was rushing. Delighted you enjoyed - and these really hold up to compote or other juicy fruits, as well as being pretty tasty on their own. Thanks!

Jennifer said...

Such a fabulous idea!! Looks amazing!!

Anonymous said...

So happy you enjoyed this, Jennifer! And I saw you're from Mississippi - I once lived in Pascagoula as a child. Loved it! Food, mystery, Spanish Moss, alligators...........thanks!

Mumsy said...

I adore cornmeal cookies. And paired with strawberries? That just sounds plain awesome.

Anonymous said...

Lindsey - this is my first time out with cornmeal cookies - LOVE them! Thanks!

lisaiscooking said...

This sounds fantastic! Perfect for strawberry shortcakes.

katrina said...

Thank you , Lisa - I'm delighted you agree these are the perfect cookie to go with strawberries!