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Summary
I was born and raised in Raleigh, NC. Both sides of my family are from North Carolina. I think it’s a requirement that I love cornbread. In my family, the cornbread was sweeter than it was salty. Not all the way cake, but approaching it. Since I’m always making cookies anyway, turning cornbread into a cookie was bound to happen one of these days. These cookies are literally just small pieces of cornbread drizzled with honey.
Which course?
These cornbread cookies are technically a dessert, but if you’re feeling jazzy, they can be eaten on the side of a savory meal like a regular piece of cornbread.
This recipe makes…
24 small (1-2″) cookies
What to serve with it?
- Drizzle with honey
- Pair with collard greens and dip into pot likker
- Crumble onto ice cream or corn pudding
- Served with chili, stews, soups
Your grocery list
Pantry items
- All-purpose flour
- Cornmeal
- Corn starch
- Kosher salt
- Baking soda
- White sugar
- Brown sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Honey
Dairy
- Unsalted butter
- Egg
- Evaporated milk (canned)
Equipment/tools you’ll need
- Mixing bowls
- Electric hand mixer or stand mixer
- Baking sheet
- Nonstick spray or parchment paper
- Cooling rack
Step-by-step instructions w/ notes
Making cornbread cookies isn’t much different than making any other drop-style cookie.
Step 1: Add butter and cream to a mixing bowl and use an electric hand mixer or stand mixer to cream the two together. This adds air to the cookies and keeps them from becoming too dense. Add honey and mix to combine. If you only have white OR brown sugar, it’s fine to use either or. I like to combination because the brown sugar helps keep the cookies moist and not overly sweet.
Step 2: Add egg and vanilla extract. Mix to combine.
Step 3: In another mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients – flour, cornmeal, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Use a whisk to make sure things are evenly incorporated. Pour dry ingredients into the bowl of wet ingredients (butter, sugar, honey, egg, and vanilla extract). Mix until thoroughly combined. Finally, stir in a splash of evaporated milk. This will make your cookies slightly fluffy and give them a classic cornbread taste. You want to make sure all of the ingredients are well incorporated so whip until the dough has no streaks of flour remaining. The good thing about cookies is it’s hard to overmix them.
Step 4: Chill the dough. This dough contains cornstarch, which is even more effective at giving cookies a solid structure than just using flour. Structure helps keep the cookies from spreading too much. Chilling the dough (really, the butter in the dough) does the same thing. So, take a break 15-20 minute break and chill the dough.
Step 5: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Step 6: Roll the dough into balls that are the same size. The size doesn’t really matter, just make sure they are all as close to the same size as you can manage. Use a tablespoon or ice cream scoop to keep things consistent.
Step 7: Prepare a baking sheet (or cupcake pan) by using nonstick spray or adding a layer of parchment paper to the pan. Add each ball of dough with at least 1 inch between them (for small cookies) and at least 2 inches between them (for larger cookies). Bake for 8-12 minutes, depending on the size. Make sure to start checking around 8 or 9 minutes.
TIP: When baking, it’s best to turn on the oven light and look through the oven window, first, instead of opening the oven as this will change the temperature in the oven drastically and can cause the cookies (or whatever you’re baking) to sink in the middle.
Step 8: Remove from the oven and let the cookies sit on the pan for 3-4 minutes. Because I prefer to soft-bake cookies, they may appear to be underdone. Letting the cookies rest on the pan will help maintain their internal temperature to bake them to the perfect texture. This will also help the bottoms solidify a little more to be moved to the cooling rack successfully.
How to store cornbread cookies
Storing raw cookie dough:
Once the dough is made, it can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. For convenience, it is recommended to go ahead and roll out the cookie dough before storage. This way cookies can be baked as needed. Balls of dough can be stored in the fridge for 2 weeks or in a freezer-safe ziplock bag (with as much air as possible removed) for up to 3 months.
Storing baked cookies:
After baking, cookies should be stored in a ziplock back or airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days or until they start to become stale. Cookies can be frozen for up to a month. Make sure the cookies are completely cool before adding them to an airtight container lined with aluminum foil or plastic. Thaw for a few hours before serving.
Cornbread Cookies
Equipment
- Mixing bowls
- Electric hand mixer or stand mixer
- Baking sheet
- Nonstick spray or parchment paper
- Cooling rack
Ingredients
- 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 Tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons white sugar
- 1 Tablespoon honey plus more for drizzling the finished cookies
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup cornmeal
- 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon evaporated milk
Instructions
- Add butter and sugar(s) to a mixing bowl and use an electric hand mixer or stand mixer to cream them together. Add honey and mix to combine. Add egg and vanilla extract. Mix to combine.
- In another mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients - flour, cornmeal, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Use a whisk to make sure things are evenly incorporated. Add dry ingredients to bowl with wet ingredients. Add evaporated milk. Mix until thoroughly combined.
- Chill the dough for 15-20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Roll the dough into balls that are the same size.
- Prepare a baking sheet (or cupcake pan) by using nonstick spray or adding a layer of parchment paper to the pan. Add each ball of dough with at least 1 inch between them (for small cookies) and at least 2 inches between them (for larger cookies). Bake for 8-12 minutes, depending on the size.
- Remove from the oven and let the cookies sit on the pan for 3-4 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack. Drizzle with extra honey.