These easy cornmeal cookies are chewy, sweet and delicious. They have crisp edges and soft, buttery middles. They’re rolled in sugar, indented and filled with your choice of jam!
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This cornmeal cookies recipe makes buttery thumbprint cookies with crispy exteriors and soft middles. They’re flavored with vanilla extract and filled with homemade or storebought fruit jam.
I wanted to make a classic, yet unique cookie recipe. I love cornbread, so decided to make a recipe for cornmeal cookies! I love the flavor and crispy texture cornmeal adds.
For more holiday recipes, try my Snickerdoodles, these Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies, and Dulce De Leche Cookies!
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Why We Love These Cookies
- They’re perfectly sweet and buttery like this lemon zest shortbread.
- The jam filled middles are so yummy to bite into! Use your favorite jam flavor. If you love homemade jam, you’ll love my mixed berry layer cake.
- Cornmeal gives the cookies a chewy texture and slightly nutty flavor!
- The dough is easy to mix together. For another simple cookie recipe, try my Christmas sprinkle cookies.
- Fill them with chocolate ganache for a decadent twist on thumbprint cookies.
Ingredients
Below are a few notes on some of the ingredients.
- Butter: Use 1 cup (2 sticks) of unsalted room temperature butter. Depending on the temperature of your kitchen, you’ll want to take the butter out of the fridge around two hours before making the cookies.
- Granulated sugar: We are using granulated sugar in the dough plus a little extra granulated sugar for rolling the cookies before baking.
- Brown sugar: Use light or dark brown sugar. Make sure your brown sugar is fresh.
- Egg yolks: Use 2 egg yolks from large eggs. Egg yolks add richness to the dough just like it does in my chocolate chip shortbread cookies.
- Flour: Use all purpose flour. Avoid using too much flour. Make sure to spoon flour into your measuring cup and level it off with a knife. For a more accurate measurement, use a kitchen scale.
- Cornmeal: Use yellow cornmeal.
- Jam: Use any flavor, store bought or homemade jam. Use the best quality jam you can find. These cookies are full of fruity flavor just like these strawberry chocolate chip cookies!
Please see recipe card below for full list of ingredients and their measurements.
Substitutions & Variations
- For an egg free recipe, try my eggless chocolate chip cookies.
- Use extra flour instead of cornmeal.
- Instead of jam, fill the baked cookies with with salted caramel sauce, lemon curd, Nutella or chocolate ganache. Check out the notes section for a chocolate ganache recipe.
Instructions
Step 1 (Photo 1 above): Beat the butter and sugars with an electric mixer until creamy.
Step 2 (Photo 2 above): Add the vanilla extract and egg yolks and beat til combined.
Step 3 (Photo 3 above): Whisk or stir to combine the dry ingredients. Turn the mixer to low and add the dry ingredients until just combined.
Step 4 (Photo 4 above): Scoop the dough into tablespoons. Roll dough into balls and roll each dough in granulated sugar. Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
Step 5 (Photo 5 above):Use a rounded teaspoon or your thumb to lightly press indents in each dough ball. Place in the freezer for 30 minutes or the fridge for 1 hour to chill.
Step 6 (Photo 6 above): Preheat oven to 375 F. Fill each cavity with jam. Bake 11-13 minutes, until edges begin to turn light brown.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! Most people have had cornbread or cornbread muffins, but it is also delicious in cookies, scones, cakes and other baked goods!
You can add the jam before or after baking. Fill with chocolate ganache after baking.
Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Expert Tips
- It’s okay if they have some cracks. For best results, roll the cookies well until smooth. If the cookies crack when you indent them, just press the dough back together.
- Fill cookies with jam before or after baking.
- If you use something else for filling such as salted caramel sauce, lemon curd, or Nutella, add it after baking.
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Cornmeal Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
Cornmeal Cookies
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter room temperature
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar plus granulated sugar for rolling (about 1/3 cup)
- ¼ cup (55 g) light brown sugar packed
- 2 (2) egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) vanilla extract
- 2⅓ cups (291.67 g) all purpose flour
- ½ cup (79.5 g) yellow cornmeal
- 1/2 teaspoon (1/2 teaspoon) salt
Jam Filling
- ⅓ cup (113.33 g) jam any flavor, store bought or homemade
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk to combine the flour, yellow cornmeal, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars on medium speed til creamy and combined, about 1 minute.
- Add the vanilla extract and egg yolks and beat just til incorporated.
- Turn the mixer to low and add the dry ingredients until fully incorporated. Avoid overmixing.
- Pour about 1/3 cup granulated sugar in a shallow bowl. Scoop the dough into 1 tablespoon-sized balls (or heaping tablespoon sized) balls. Roll the balls with your hands til smooth then roll each ball in the granulated sugar to coat. Place balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Press the back of a rounded teaspoon or use your thumb to press in the middle of each cookie dough ball to make a cavity. Press any cracks back together with your fingers. Freeze for 30 minutes or refrigerate 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 375 F. Fill each cavity with jam (use about 1/2 teaspoon jam per cookie). Bake 11-13 minutes until edges begin to turn light brown. Cool on cookie sheet 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that nutritional values are created by an online calculator and should only be used as an estimate.
Amber
Love this cookies recipe! One of my favorite for the Holidays.
Lori DeLisi
This cookies were so delicious, loved the addition of cornmeal. I will add these to my Christmas cookie list.
Natalie
Thanks so much for making these cornmeal cookies, Lori!! So happy you enjoyed them and so nice to hear you’re adding them to your Christmas cookie list. Thanks for your comment and enjoy the rest of your week 🙂
Barbara Briggs-Ward
Love cornmeal! Recipe sounds & looks so delicious
Natalie
So very delicious! Especially if you love cornmeal! 🙂