Toasted Cornmeal & Salted Honey Shortbread
The first time I laid eyes on the idea of a toasted cornmeal and salted honey shortbread, it blew my mind a little. My exact words—to myself, in a room alone—were, “Um…what? Yes please.”
And let me tell you, after a number of rounds getting it juuuuust right, my initial reaction stands. Yes. Please.
It ended up taking several iterations to get right. The flavor was a 10 out of 10 right away, but the texture…needed some work. I’ve made a few changes to amounts and ingredients to bring it closer to the traditional 1-2-3 ratio of shortbread (sugar-butter-flours). I also strongly recommend taking an extra two minutes to put the cornmeal in a food processor to make it finer.
The result?? A unique shortbread with the same honey sweetness and toasted corn flavor of a traditional cornbread, but with the buttery richness and crumbly texture of shortbread. If you’re ever had one of the famous MilkBar Corn Cookies, this shares a lot of DNA (though with a bit more complexity, which I prefer).
How to make toasted cornmeal & salted honey shortbread
See the full recipe below for super detailed instructions. Here’s an overview of how we make this along with photos of the process.
It’s optional, but I like to do a quick blitz of my cornmeal in a food processor (5-10 quick pulses) to make it slightly less grainer. Then toast the cornmeal in a dry pan on medium heat for 3-5 minutes, until it starts to color and smell like toasty corn. Set it aside to cool.
Pre-heat your oven to 350 F and line an 8- or 9-inch round pan with parchment paper. Beat the softened butter together with the honey and sugar until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes). Mix in the toasted cornmeal, flour, cornstarch, and sea salt, scraping the bottom to make sure everything gets combined.
Press the dough into the lined tart pan, and sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
Bake for 18-20 minutes or until just starting to brown around the edges. The shortbread will seem way too soft at this stage, but don’t be fooled—it will firm up as it cools.
As soon as you pull it from the oven, slice it to “train” it. I use my scraper tool, it’s so easy and makes clean lines.
Let it cool completely then run back over the cuts you made. Remove from the pan, break up, and serve.
This keeps well at room temperature (I do a glass container but crack the lid so it doesn’t trap moisture) for a few days.
The flavor is so unique and comforting, and it’s a perfect option to bring to a party when it feels like most of the “usual” flavors (chocolate, fruit, citrus) are covered!
Adapted from Real Simple Food Blog
Other shortbread-based recipes you’ll love:
- Chai Spiced Shortbread Cookies
- Salted Dark Chocolate Shortbread
- The Absolute Best, Easiest Classic Shortbread (Plain or Flavored)
- Salted Peanut Butter Chocolate Shortbread
- Whole Wheat Cranberry Pistachio Orange Shortbread Cookies
- Spiced Hazelnut Linzer Cookies
- Savory Parmesan Rosemary Shortbread (Unleavened)
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Toasted Cornmeal & Salted Honey Shortbread
This toasted cornmeal and salted honey shortbread is so unique, with the same honey sweetness and toasted corn flavor of a traditional cornbread but the buttery richness and crumbly texture of shortbread.
If you're ever had one of the famous MilkBar Corn Cookies, this shares a lot of DNA (though with a bit more complexity, which I prefer). It's easy to make and the perfect addition to any gathering!
Ingredients
- 125g of butter, softened
- 25g of honey
- 50g of organic granulated sugar (or caster, if you have it)
- 125g of cornmeal
- 50g of all-purpose flour
- 40g of cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt
- Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling
Instructions
- Toast the cornmeal: If you're up for one extra optional step, pour the cornmeal in a food processor and give it 5-10 quick pulses. This makes it a bit finer while still keeping some texture.
- Then heat a skillet on medium heat and add the cornmeal, reading it out evenly. Give it 30 seconds or so, then start stirring it around periodically to keep it from burning. Toast it until it's beginning to darken a bit and is giving off a good toasty corn fragrance (probably 3-5 minutes). Set aside for a few minutes to cool (you want it room temp).
- Make the shortbread dough: Pre-heat your oven to 350 F (180 C) and line a round pan with parchment paper. You can use a tart pan, but I've found my 8- or 9-inch shallow cake tin is best.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer (or you can use electric beaters), beat the softened butter together with the honey and sugar until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes).
- Add the toasted cornmeal, flour, cornstarch, and sea salt. Gently mix it into the butter mixture, scraping the bottom to make sure everything gets combined.
- Press the dough into the lined tart pan. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes or until just starting to brown around the edges. The shortbread will seem way too soft at this stage, but don’t be fooled---it will firm up as it cools. As soon as you pull it from the oven, slice it to "train" it. I use my scraper tool, it's so easy.
- Let it cool completely then run back over the cuts you made. Remove from the pan, break up, and serve. This keeps well at room temperature (I do a glass container but crack the lid so it doesn't trap moisture) for a few days.
Notes
- Cornstarch is what the Brits call "corn flour" but is NOT what Americans would see as corn flour. Make sure you get cornstarch.
- The step to do some quick pulses in the food processor with the cornstarch before toasting is completely optional, but I do think improves the final texture slightly. Or you can buy fine-ground cornmeal.
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