Tis the season for cornbread! Imagine straight-out-of-the oven cornbread with it’s crumbly yet moist texture, it’s not quite savory and not quite sweet taste; the perfect combination of flavor and texture that pairs well with all kinds of comfy cozy autumnal dishes. You can spice it up, cheese it up, or sweeten it up because it is so versatile. So versatile in fact that I decided to take it a step further than sweetening it up and went to “cookie it up!”
I’m always trying to find ways to translate fun themes and objects through cookie decorating. This time I wanted to translate the actual cookie foundation into a delicious cornbread roll-out recipe. I wanted that unmistakable cornbread bite that is slightly grainy, with all the gorgeous honey and butter notes included, while still retaining any intricate shape you would like to cut it into. Also, I wanted to avoid having to chill the dough (I have no-chill when it comes to chilling).
The answer turned out to be a simple recipe that came together as simply as cornbread. It *”worked” the first time I made it (“w0rked” meaning after taste tests my kids proclaimed it “their new favorite”) and I’m happy to say it met all my cornbread cookie dreams. I hope you enjoy it as much as my McGoo crew does!
*Because the recipe simply “worked” the first round I haven’t played with the recipe or made different versions or tried ingredient substitutions. I do wonder if I used a little honey in the royal icing rather than the honey flavoring how much that would affect the behavior of the royal icing as a simpler ingredient. I’m a big fan of trying things out and using what is on hand to make things work. I’d love to hear your tweaks and what worked for you!
Cornbread Roll-Out Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp butter emulsion/flavoring
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cup cornmeal
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
Directions
- Cream butter and sugar together in a stand mixer until light and fluffy.
- Add honey, egg, and flavorings and mix well.
- Mix flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt together in a separate bowl.
- Gradually add dry ingredients to the mixer until flour is completely incorporated and the dough comes together.
- Roll out dough to desired thickness and cut into desired shapes.
- Place shapes on an ungreased cookie sheet about an inch apart and bake at 350• for 8 – 10 minutes depending on cookie thickness and size.
Honey Butter Royal Icing
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 tablespoons meringue powder
- 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 lb (4 cups) powdered sugar
- 2 tsp butter emulsion/flavoring
- 1/4 tsp honey flavor (optional: I used LorAnn Oils Super Strength Honey and a little goes a long way! The honey flavor will come through the cookie with or without the added honey flavor in the icing)
- 1 tsp light corn syrup (optional: corn syrup adds a shine to dried icing, a slightly softer bite, and is a must if you plan to paint with food coloring on your icing)
Directions
- In mixer bowl, pour in the warm water, meringue powder, and cream of tartar. Mix it with a whisk by hand until it is frothy.
- Pour in all the powdered sugar and mix on lowest speed using the paddle attachment, scraping down the sides after the first couple of minutes to make sure all sugar is incorporated and there are no grainy bits.
- Add corn syrup and emulsion.
- Mix until thick and creamy with stiff peaks (about 5 – 8 minutes)
- If icing isn’t thick enough, add more powdered sugar
Use icing immediately or place in a container with a tight fitting lid as it will dry quickly. Use thick icing to pipe florals and details or thin icing with water to create a flood consistency to get a smooth layer of icing on cookies. Divide, color, bag, and decorate to your heart’s content!
Ooh, I can’t wait to try that!
Thanks for sharing – another delicious recipe that doesn’t spread! It worked great baked in molds too 🙂