corn cookies

Momofuku's Compost Cookies are well known and loved so when I saw a recipe for their Corn Cookies I didn't think twice about should I or shouldn't I, I just knew I would. And I did. These are so very worth the leap off the healthy-eating wagon. Sweet, salty, and buttery with an irresistible chewy center. The ground freeze-dried corn adds an intriguing texture and the taste? .... like corn, of course. I really cannot describe them and do them justice. You'll just have to try them.

Freeze-dried corn is available at Whole Foods, Williams-Sonoma and on-line. You'll need it to make the freeze-dried corn powder - just grind the kernels to a powder in a blender or food processor. If you can't find the corn I suspect that a good cornmeal would be a reasonable substitute but I must admit that I haven't tried it. The downside would be the loss of the fresh corn flavour.

corn cookies
(from Momofuku Milk Bar by Christina Tosi)

225 gm (1 cup) butter (room temperature)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 egg
1 1/3 cup flour
2/3 cup freeze-dried corn powder
1/4 cup corn flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

Combine the butter and sugar in a bowl and cream them together on medium-high speed for about 2 minutes - until they are fluffy and light yellow in colour. Turn the mixer speed to low and add the egg. Increase the speed to medium-high again and set a timer for 8 minutes. This long creaming process forces the sugar and fat together, making the sugar fully dissolve. When you are finished the mixture will be a very pale in colour - almost white - and will have nearly doubled in volume.

Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture and mix just until the dough comes together. Don't overmix.

Using large ice cream scoop portion out cookie dough onto a parchment sheet lined sheet pan. Spacing isn't really an issue at this point because you need to cover the pan carefully with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least an hour but not more than 1 week. DO NOT bake the cookies from room temperature. IF you do the butter will melt out too quickly.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the cookie dough balls on another parchment lined sheet spacing them about 3" apart. Bake for 18 minutes. The cookies will spread, puff up, and crackle while in the oven. After 18 minutes, the cookies should be very faintly golden on the edges and bright yellow in the center. Cool the cookies completely on the pan.