Polenta Cookies Recipes

ITALIAN POLENTA COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together flour, polenta, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside. Put butter, sugar, and lemon zest in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; beat on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
• Add egg and egg yolk, one at a time, beating after each addition to combine. Mix in vanilla. Gradually add flour mixture, and beat until just combined. Transfer batter to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch star tip (such as Ateco No. 826).
• Pipe S shapes about 3 inches long and 1 inch wide, spaced 1 1/2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment. Bake cookies until edges are golden, 15 to 18 minutes. Transfer cookies on parchment to wire racks; let cool about 10 minutes. Remove cookies from parchment, and transfer to racks to cool completely.

POLENTA-PARMESAN COOKIES

Steps:

• Whisk the flour, polenta, 1 teaspoon pepper, the baking powder and salt in a small bowl.
• Beat the butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Beat in the cheese, then the egg. Mix in the flour mixture until the dough just comes together.
• Divide the dough between 2 sheets of plastic wrap. Shape each piece into a log and wrap in the plastic. Press the sides of the logs against the counter to form compact square-sided logs, about 7 inches long and 1 inch wide. Freeze the logs until firm, about 45 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Stir the sanding sugar and remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl. Trim the ends of the logs. Cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices and arrange 1 inch apart on the prepared pans. Sprinkle with the sugar-pepper mixture.
• Bake, switching the pans halfway through, until the cookies are crisp and golden on the bottom, 12 to 16 minutes. Let cool completely on the pans.

LEMON POLENTA BISCUITS

Steps:

• Beat 1 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoon butter, confectioners' sugar, white sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon zest, and vanilla extract together in a bowl until smooth. Stir in polenta. Add flour in 2 batches, mixing until dough comes together. Stir in lemon juice.
• Turn dough out on a floured work surface; knead gently until smooth, about 1 minute. Divide into 2 pieces. Place on parchment paper; roll up into logs and wrap well.
• Refrigerate dough logs until firm, about 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease 2 baking sheets.
• Cut logs into 3/4-inch slices. Space slices 1 inch apart on baking sheets. Sprinkle remaining 1 tablespoon lemon zest on top.
• Bake in the preheated oven until lightly brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely, about 10 minutes.

CACAO POLENTA COOKIES

Steps:

• In a mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the yolks. In a bowl, stir together the flour, polenta, hazelnuts and salt and add them to the butter mixture, stirring just until you have a dry dough. Fold in cacao nibs.
• Divide the dough in half. Mold each half into a log about 1 3/4 inches in diameter and 10 inches long. Wrap each log in a sheet of plastic wrap and twist the ends to seal. Roll the cylinders across your work surface to make them smooth and even. Refrigerate until firm, at least 4 hours.
• When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and cover two large cookie sheets with parchment paper. Unwrap the dough logs and use a serrated knife to slice them into disks about 1/3-inch thick. Transfer to the prepared cookie sheets and bake until the cookies are crisp and just begin to color, about 20 minutes. Cool on the cookie sheets.

BASIC POLENTA

Steps:

• For firm polenta use 4 cups water; for soft polenta use 5 cups water. Bring water to a boil in a medium-size heavy sauce pan over high heat. Add 1 teaspoon salt. Pour cornmeal slowly into water, stirring with a wire whisk or wooden spoon. Continue stirring as mixture thickens, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Turn heat to low. Cook for at least 45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so. If polenta becomes quite thick, thin it with 1/2 cup water, stir well and continue cooking. Add up to 1 cup more water as necessary, to keep polenta soft enough to stir. Put a spoonful on a plate, let it cool, then taste. Grains should be swollen and taste cooked, not raw. Adjust salt and add pepper if you wish.
• For firm polenta, lightly butter a baking sheet or shallow dish, approximately 8 1/2 by 11 inches. Carefully pour polenta into pan. Using a spatula, spread polenta to a thickness of 3/4 inch. Cool to room temperature to allow polenta to solidify. Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. For soft polenta, add 6 tablespoons butter to pot and stir well. Serve immediately or transfer to a double boiler set over low heat, cover and keep warm for up to an hour or so. (Or set the saucepan in a pot of barely simmering water.) Stir well before spooning into low soup bowls. Sprinkle with Parmesan, if desired.

BLOOD ORANGE AND POPPY POLENTA SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly butter an 8x8" baking pan, preferably metal. Line with parchment paper, creating overhang on 2 sides. Lightly butter parchment. Whisk polenta, salt, and 1 1/2 cups flour in a medium bowl to combine. Place granulated sugar and blood orange and lemon zests in a large bowl and rub together with your fingers until mixture is very fragrant and sugar starts to look a little moist, about 1 minute. Add 1 cup butter and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add vanilla and beat just to combine. Reduce speed to low and gradually add dry ingredients, mixing just until combined. Fold dough with a rubber spatula a few times to incorporate any dry bits in the bottom of the bowl. The dough will be wet and a bit sticky.
• Using floured hands, gently press half of the dough into prepared pan in an even layer. Sprinkle 2 Tbsp. poppy seeds over dough; press gently to adhere. Scatter pieces of remaining dough over and press down into an even layer with floured hands. For a completely flat surface, use the bottom of a straight-sided measuring cup to smooth dough.
• Bake shortbread until edges are golden brown and center is light golden, 25-30 minutes. Let cool in pan.
• Meanwhile, simmer blood orange juice in a small saucepan over medium heat, swirling often, until reduced to 2 Tbsp., 10-12 minutes. Pour into a small bowl and let cool.
• Carefully slide a small knife or offset spatula along sides of pan not lined with parchment paper, then use edges of paper to lift out shortbread onto a cutting board. Using a serrated knife, slice into quarters in one direction, then into eighths in the other direction (for larger bars, just cut in half first). Puzzle shortbread bars back into pan the same way they came out; set aside.
• Add powdered sugar to bowl with reduced juice and whisk until smooth. The glaze should fall off the end of the whisk in a thick, glossy, smooth ribbon. If glaze is not pourable and gets stuck in the whisk, add in water a ½-teaspoonful at a time until you get the right consistency. Drizzle glaze over shortbread in pan and use an offset spatula to smooth all the way to the edges. Sprinkle with more poppy seeds and let shortbread sit until glaze is set, at least 1 hour.
• Just before serving, retrace cuts with a sharp knife and remove bars from pan.
• Do Ahead
• Shortbread can be baked 3 days ahead. Once glaze is set, cover tightly and store at room temperature.

OVEN-BAKED CREAMY POLENTA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In an ovenproof saucepan with a lid, whisk together 3 cups water, cornmeal, salt, and pepper. Cover, and bake 30 minutes, stirring halfway through.
• Remove from oven, and add milk, butter, and marjoram; whisk briskly until smooth. Serve immediately.