TWD: Cornmeal Shortbread Cookies

photo styling by a Peep-happy six-year-old

First things first: are everyone's fillings OK? Just kidding. This week's Tuesdays with Dorie treat was really delicious, if a bit, well, toothsome.

Valerie of Une Gamine dans la Cuisine chose Cornmeal Shortbread Cookies, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who wondered how these would turn out. I've had great success with Dorie's other shortbread and sable recipes, but throwing stoneground cornmeal into the equation? My stepmother (hi, Sandy!) is probably shuddering as she reads this. She used to live in Scotland and makes the most amazing shortbread I've ever had. You don't mess around with shortbread. It's best in its purest form.

I, however, have never lived in (or, sadly, visited) Scotland, so I am free to mess around to my heart's content.

I made a quarter-recipe, and decided to use orange zest in place of lemon and almond extract in place of vanilla. I did have a little trouble bringing this dough together - it was very crumbly. Hmmm...the cornmeal, maybe?  I did the unthinkable and added some liquid in the form of a couple of teaspoons of Grand Marnier. This worked to bring the dough enough together to form into the dough square.

I managed to get about 12 (!) cookies from a quarter-recipe. And how did they do in the taste department? Excellent. I loved the grit - yes, grit - of the cornmeal and the hint of orange. I did, however, check my fillings after eating them. A finer-milled cornmeal would have been a better choice than my usual Bob's Red Mill stoneground, but that would have required another cornmeal purchase, and I like to keep things streamlined. I loved that these were not too sweet, but very satisfying. Merci, Valerie!

Next week: Carol from The Bake More chose Basic Marbled Loaf Cake

Last week: A Crostata-Esque Apple Tart