Sage and Apricot Cornmeal Cookies
If you have too much cornmeal sitting around, like I did last weekend, you’re in luck because that means you’ll be able to make the best cookies in the entire world. I tried this recipe on a whim last weekend because I needed to make something special for my friends’ engagement picnic, and because I also happened to have a large bag of cornmeal begging to be used.
These cookies have a rich, complex flavor but they’re also incredibly easy — about as fool-proof as brownie mix from a box, and probably just as fast, too. The sage flavor is obviously unusual for a cookie, and it’s quite dominant here (you could probably leave out the apricots if you felt like it), but in my opinion, this is the best recipe I’ve ever made —not just of cookies, but of anything, ever.
They’re sweet and surprising, and the texture is slightly lacey — crisp on the outside, but just a bit chewy. This is the kind of cookie that’s better with a light, clean-tasting black tea instead of a big glass of milk. Best when slightly warm or shortly after cooling. The flavor mellows in the following days, but still, make a double batch. Trust me.
Sage and Apricot Cornmeal Cookies
Adapted from Gourmet, via epicurious.
Makes 20
Ingredients
-1 stick (8 tbsp.) unsalted butter, softened (put it out on the counter for a good long while. Don’t microwave it or you’ll melt it!)
-3/4 cup sugar
-1 large egg
-3/4 cup all-purpose flour
-1/2 teaspoon baking soda
-1/4 cup chopped dried apricots
-2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh sage leaves
-1/2 cup cornmeal
-1/2 teaspoon salt
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly grease 2 baking sheets. (Use some of your stick of butter.)
2. Wait for your butter to get nice and soft, but again, resist the temptation to melt it by heating! It should be easy to mash with a fork but still hold its shape. When it’s ready, put it in a medium bowl and stir in the sugar and egg until smooth. Add flour, baking soda, apricots, sage, cornmeal, and salt, stirring until combined.
3. Drop tablespoons of dough about 1 to 1.5 inches apart onto baking sheets. The cookies will spread a great deal, so be conservative in estimating your tablespoon sizes and generous with the extra space around each cookie. If the dough is really wet and difficult to drop neatly, put it in the fridge for a few minutes to stiffen a little before spooning them out.
4. Bake in batches in middle of oven for 10 minutes, or until pale golden. Cool cookies on sheets 2 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool.
I am very intrigued.