Cornmeal Lime Cookies

I was first introduced to these cookies by my lovely neighbor, who brought over a batch when we first moved in to welcome my family to the neighborhood. She mentioned that she’d used the Flour bakery recipe (I knew right then that we’d get along great), so when I had some extra lime zest after making my signature “healthy” lime pie one day, I knew just where I could find a cookie recipe to take advantage of it!

These cookies are soft and just a bit cakey, with slightly crisp edges and a little crunch from the cornmeal. The zingy lime glaze on top really brightens them up into something special.

Cornmeal Lime Cookies (from Flour Bakery)

(makes about 32 small cookies)

• 1 cup unsalted butter , at room temperature (228 grams)
• 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (175 grams)
• 2 tablespoons lime zest , from about 4 limes
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour (240 grams)
• 1/2 cup cornmeal (100 grams)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

• about 1 cup powdered sugar
• Lime juice
• Lime zest
• kosher salt (optional)

To make cookies:

• Cream together butter and sugar with a mixer until light and fluffy.
• Add lime zest and beat until incorporated. Add eggs, one at a time, and continue to beat until smooth. Note: if your eggs are cold they will likely cause the butter to curdle up into little bits. Keep beating until it reincorporates– otherwise, just use room temperature eggs to avoid this issue.
• Add vanilla, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and mix.
• In a separate bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt. Add to wet ingredients and mix until just combined.

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and prepare two baking sheets with parchment, foil, or silicone liners. I like the liners to keep the bottoms of the cookies from over-browning.
• Scoop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto the sheets, then chill for about 10 minutes. The dough will be soft, so the chilling will firm it up just enough that you can roll the scoops into uniform balls with your hands. Then flatten them slightly with your palm and place them on the sheets about 2″ apart. They will only spread slightly when baking.

• Bake about 13-15 minutes until the edges just start to turn golden. Remove from oven and let cool completely on the baking sheets.

To glaze:

• Add lime juice to powdered sugar until it reaches your desired glaze consistency. I always find that glaze ends up much runnier on a cookie than it looks in the bowl, so I make mine pretty thick, like Elmer’s white glue. You can make yours thinner if you prefer a little less pucker to your cookies– you can even thin the glaze with a bit of milk or water along with the lime juice if you like, but I like mine tangy so I use all lime juice.
• Spoon the glaze over cookies and top with a pinch of lime zest and (if you like) a teeny pinch of salt. Let the glaze firm up for about 10 minutes until no longer sticky.