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Milk Street Bowtie Corn and Cinnamon Butter Cookies (Galletas de Maíz)

Corn and Cinnamon Butter Cookies (Galletas de Maíz)

By Paola Briseño-González - Friend of Milk Street

Makes about 3 dozen cookies

40 minutes plus cooling

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These buttery cookies, with the warm, sweet fragrance and flavor of cinnamon and the subtly nutty notes of ground corn, are food writer and recipe developer Paola Briseño-González’ re-creation of the galletas de maíz (corn cookies) from a home bakery in the town of Tuito, in the Mexican state of Jalisco. Made without wheat flour and therefore lacking gluten, the cookies’ texture is quite “short,” similar to shortbread, but more delicate. It’s important to use masa harina here, the type of ground-corn product used to make corn tortillas. Masa harina is processed differently from cornmeal or corn flour, and even from masarepa, which is used to make empanadas and arepas; these different meals and flours are not interchangeable. If masa harina is not sold near the all-purpose flour and cornmeal, check the international aisle. Maseca is a widely available brand. In an airtight container, the cookies will keep for up to four days.

Makes about

3 dozen cookies

Tip

Don’t worry if the dough feels softer than standard cookie dough, but it should not be wet and sticky. If it is, knead in a little more masa harina, adding only enough so the dough is workable during shaping. These cookies are wheat-free, so there’s no risk of overmixing and making the cookies tough.

40 minutes

plus cooling

270 grams (2¼ cups) masa harina (see headnote)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon table salt
170 grams (12 tablespoons) salted butter, room temperature
107 grams (½ cup) white sugar, plus more for sprinkling
1 large egg, room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Ingredients
  • 270

    grams (2¼ cups) masa harina (see headnote)

  • teaspoons baking powder

  • 1

    teaspoon ground cinnamon

  • ½

    teaspoon table salt

  • 170

    grams (12 tablespoons) salted butter, room temperature

  • 107

    grams (½ cup) white sugar, plus more for sprinkling

  • 1

    large egg, room temperature

  • teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

Corn and Cinnamon Butter Cookies (Galletas de Maíz)

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Reviews
Seaneen W.
January 19, 2024
Tastes great, but needed lots more water.
Good afternoon. These cookies are a perfect cookie with afternoon tea or cocoa.....or even a bit of liqueur. But, using a high end masa harina, I had to use close to 2 cups of water before the dough wouldn't crack. Could you make any suggestions regarding what I should do differently? Thank you. Mrs. Seaneen M Wilson