Lemon Rosemary Cornmeal Cookies

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

biscotti al limone e rosmarino con farina di mais

When the weather starts to turn and I sense the first glimmer of spring, I want to reach for a light, delicate cookie like these lemon rosemary cornmeal cookies. They belong at a tea party in a flower garden. I love the gentle crunch from the cornmeal and slight herby scent of rosemary. They are easy to make and can be ready for your afternoon cup of coffee in no time!

After a long, cold winter – yes, Italy is not always sunshine and sunflowers like in the movies – I can’t wait to see those first spring flowers starting to pop up!

In the Veneto, there is snow if you live up in the mountains, but there is also the valley where I live, where the winter is mostly rain and fog. Which means cuddling up on the couch with soup and chocolate. I long for April when I can enjoy going for long walks, seeing the blossoms on the trees, and picking wildflowers.

I get excited to bake treats inspired by the outdoors, by the colors and smells of spring. Bright yellow lemon and earthy green rosemary are a perfect combination to celebrate the season. Lemon rosemary cornmeal cookies are ideal with afternoon tea or dare I say, a morning cup of coffee too!

Ingredients

Flour – type 00
Cornmeal
Leavener – lievito in polvere per dolci
Fresh rosemary
Butter
Sugar
Lemon
Eggs

In Italy, cornmeal, is usually a savory ingredient. One time, I made a typical American-style cornbread for Italian friends and they were confused by its slightly sweet, slightly savory qualities. Is it a cake, is it a bread? Do we eat it for breakfast or with dinner?

Ground from dried yellow corn, cornmeal gives an excellent gritty and nutty quality to the lemon rosemary cornmeal cookies that helps to cut the buttery sweetness.

Fresh rosemary is a must for these cookies, as opposed to dried. Fresh has a lighter, more floral quality, whereas dried would be too harsh. Make sure to finely chop the leaves to evenly distribute the flavor.

Step by Step

First, in a mixing bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together – flour, cornmeal, leavener, rosemary, and salt.

Then, using an electric mixer, beat the unsalted butter, sugar, and freshly grated lemon zest just until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well in between each addition. This mixture should be smooth and pale in color.

I actually mixed the dough by hand, using a whisk, very soft butter, and a lot of muscle and it worked just fine! I don’t have a fancy stand mixer in my little Italian apartment and need to be creative when baking and just cross my fingers that recipes will work!

Slowly add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. The dough will be a bit sticky and tacky and that’s ok. Wrap the dough up in plastic wrap and put in the fridge for at least an hour, but the dough can also be made the night before.

When you are ready to bake the lemon rosemary cornmeal cookies, take the dough out of the fridge and preheat the oven to 180 °C. Take tablespoon size portions of dough and roll them into balls and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Flatten the dough balls with your fingers. You can slightly dampen your fingers with water if they are sticking to the dough. Then use a fork to add the indentations in the middle.

Now, time to bake! The cookies will bake for about 12-14 minutes, or just until they are starting to turn light golden brown around the edges and on the bottom.

Remove the cookies to a wire rack to cool. And then I like to dust with powdered sugar, but this is totally optional!

Tips and FAQs

Substitutions

All-purpose flour can be substituted in an equal amount for the type 00 flour
2 teaspoons baking powder can be substituted for the Italian leavener

Storage

Leftover cookies can be stored in an airtight container for 4-5 days.

What’s the difference between cornmeal and polenta?

Generally, yellow cornmeal is the ingredient and polenta is the dish. But you may find some packages specifically labeled polenta as opposed to cornmeal. Both products are made from ground dried yellow corn, but can vary on the grind size. Packages labeled polenta tend to be more coarsely ground, to achieve the optimal consistency when making the smooth, creamy polenta dish. However, cornmeal is sold in a variety of consistencies, and a medium or coarse ground cornmeal can be used to make polenta.