LEMON CORNMEAL COOKIES

When you tire of sweet cookies, these tart and slightly crunchy creations provide a welcome reprieve. They’re called biscotti di meliga in northern Italy.

Lemon Cornmeal Cookies

Star Tested Difficulty level: 1 out of 5 Adapted from Food52 Baking: 60 Sensational Treats You Can Pull Off in a Snap (2015) by the editors of Food52. I blitzed stone-ground, medium cornmeal, so my cookies were pleasantly toothsome.

Food52 refrigerates the dough for at least 30 minutes, rolls it to a 1/2-inch (1-cm) thickness, cuts 2-inch (5-cm) rounds cookies and freezes them for 30 minutes before baking. I’m too impatient for all that. 1 cup (250 mL) all-purpose flour 1/4 cup (60 mL) fine cornmeal 1/2 cup (125 mL) granulated sugar 2/3 cup (150 mL) cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces 2 large egg yolks, at room temperature Finely grated zest of 1 to 2 lemons, to taste In large bowl, stir together flour, cornmeal and sugar. Add butter pieces. Mix by hand until texture is like small crumbs. Add egg yolks and lemon zest. Mix in by hand.

Scoop into 1 tbsp (15 mL) balls. Arrange on parchment-lined baking sheets at least 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart.

Bake in batches in preheated 350 F (180 C) oven until edges are golden, about 13 to 15 minutes.

Cool completely on baking sheet. Store in airtight container up to 5 days or freeze up to 1 month.

Makes about 24.