Description
These thick, chewy Cornbread Cookies combine cornmeal, brown sugar, and honey for a sweet cornbread-inspired cookie with crisp edges and soft centers. A generous honey buttercream, honey drizzle, and flaky sea salt finish them with the perfect sweet-salty balance.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookies
- 1 cup cornmeal, plus an extra 1/3 cup for rolling
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Honey Buttercream
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, optional
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- Flaky sea salt, for finishing
Instructions
Cookies
- Place 1/3 cup of the cornmeal in a small bowl and set it aside for coating the cookie dough later.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 cup of cornmeal, the flour, baking powder, cornstarch, and kosher salt. Set this dry mixture aside.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper so the cookies release easily after baking.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and honey together for 3 to 4 minutes. Keep mixing until the mixture becomes light, fluffy, and fully combined.
- Add the eggs and vanilla extract. Beat again just until the mixture is smooth and fully blended.
- Add the dry ingredients to the bowl and mix on low speed until the dough comes together. Stop as soon as you no longer see dry flour.
- Use a 3-tablespoon cookie scoop to portion out heaping dough balls, each about 1/4 cup in size. Place no more than 6 cookies on each baking sheet so they have space to spread.
- Roll each portion of dough through the reserved cornmeal until coated on the outside. Return the dough balls to the prepared baking sheets.
- Gently press each dough ball down with the bottom of a cup or glass so the tops flatten slightly.
- Bake for 11 to 14 minutes, or until the edges look set and the centers still appear soft and a little underbaked.
- As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, tap the baking sheet against the counter a few times. This helps the centers settle and gives the cookies that soft, chewy finish.
- Do not keep baking them past 14 minutes. The centers should still look a little moist when you remove them.
- Move the baking sheet to a wire rack and leave the cookies on the pan until they cool completely.
Honey Buttercream
- In a mixing bowl, beat together the butter, honey, vanilla, cinnamon if using, kosher salt, and half of the powdered sugar until the mixture turns into a thick paste.
- Add the remaining powdered sugar and beat on low speed until it starts to come together. Then increase the speed and whip for about 1 minute, or until the frosting is smooth.
- If the frosting feels too thick, add 1 teaspoon of water at a time until it becomes easy to spread or pipe.
- Spread or pipe the frosting on top of each fully cooled cookie.
- Drizzle a little honey over the frosting and finish with a light pinch of flaky sea salt before serving.
Notes
- Store the cookies in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- If the cookies are frosted and need to be stacked, place parchment paper between the layers.
- The unfrosted cookies can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Let them thaw completely at room temperature before frosting or serving.