Cornmeal – Hour Early and Over-Dressed

Cornmeal is one of my favorite tastes. When I came home from college for a weekend, I would make a pan of cornbread and eat it all by myself. I made it from scratch in those days, because that’s what we did at our house. It was yellow and sweet and tasted as good as any cake. Today, the Jiffy cornbread mix gives me the same satisfaction.

In addition to traditional cornbread, I love yeast bread and sourdough bread made with cornmeal, Mexican casserole with cornbread topping, cornbread stuffing, and Trader Joe’s chicken pizza with cornmeal crust. And when it comes to sweets, the following cornmeal sugar cookie recipe is a winner.

CORNMEAL SUGAR COOKIES

1 cup shortening
1-1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon lemon extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups sifted flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1-1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
Extra sugar

Cream the shortening and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until light and fluffy. Add lemon and vanilla extracts.

Sift together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt. Add to creamed mixture.

Roll dough 1/8-inch thick on floured surface. Cut cookies with 2-1/2-inch cutter. Place on greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with sugar.

Bake at 400-degrees for 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from pans. Cook on racks. Makes 6 dozen. May be frozen.

ALTERNATIVE. Use an ice cream scoop to make small balls of dough. Roll the balls in your hand and then in extra sugar. Pat down to approximately 1/4-inch thickness.

Dough can be formed into cookies that are frozen individually and then stored in a plastic bag. Bake cookies a few at a time to satisfy your sweet tooth.