Cacao Polenta Cookies Recipes

POLENTA COOKIES

Steps:

• In a bowl, mix together the polenta, flour, baking powder and salt.
• In a mixer, cream together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs and yolk one by one, then add the vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and mix until a firm dough forms.
• Divide the dough in half, place each piece onto a piece of parchment or wax paper, and shape the dough into a rough log about 2 inches in diameter, dusting with cornmeal as needed to prevent sticking. Roll up in the paper, twisting the ends to seal, and roll back and forth a few times to smooth out the shape. Refrigerate at least 1 hour. (At this point, the dough can be frozen for up to 2 months.)
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, and line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. With a sharp knife, cut the cookies into 1/2-inch slices, and place on the prepared cookie sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake, rotating halfway through, until cookies are just golden, 16 to 18 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely, about 20 minutes.
• Polenta cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

CACAO POLENTA COOKIES

Steps:

• In a mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the yolks. In a bowl, stir together the flour, polenta, hazelnuts and salt and add them to the butter mixture, stirring just until you have a dry dough. Fold in cacao nibs.
• Divide the dough in half. Mold each half into a log about 1 3/4 inches in diameter and 10 inches long. Wrap each log in a sheet of plastic wrap and twist the ends to seal. Roll the cylinders across your work surface to make them smooth and even. Refrigerate until firm, at least 4 hours.
• When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and cover two large cookie sheets with parchment paper. Unwrap the dough logs and use a serrated knife to slice them into disks about 1/3-inch thick. Transfer to the prepared cookie sheets and bake until the cookies are crisp and just begin to color, about 20 minutes. Cool on the cookie sheets.

MOIST CHOCOLATE POLENTA CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Butter a 9 by 13-inch cake pan and line it with parchment or waxed paper.
• In the top of a double boiler set over barely simmering water, melt the chocolate and butter together. Stir well and set aside to cool slightly. Meanwhile, in a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (or using a hand mixer), whip the egg yolks and 1/2 cup of the granulated sugar until very light yellow and fluffy. In a clean, dry bowl, whip the egg whites until soft peaks form. Add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and continue whipping just until stiff and glossy, about 30 seconds more. Fold the egg yolks into the hot chocolate mixture until barely blended. Fold in the whites until barely blended. Sprinkle the brandy and polenta evenly over the surface of the batter and fold in. Pour into the prepared pan and bake until the center is firm and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean (a few crumbs are okay), 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Let cool in the pan. Cut into squares, dust with confectioner's sugar, and serve.

ITALIAN CHOCOLATE SANDWICH COOKIE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• To make the Chocolate Cookies, in a large bowl use an electric mixer to cream together the butter and sugar until light in color and fluffy. In another medium bowl stir together the flour, cornmeal or polenta, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, and orange zest. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and stir to combine using a wooden spoon. Place the dough on a sheet of plastic wrap. Press the dough into a 1-inch high round. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 day.
• Roll out the dough to between 1/8 and 1/4-inch thick. Use a 1 3/4-inch round cookie cutter to cut out the dough. Bake on a heavy baking sheet for 15 minutes. Place the baking sheets on a wire rack to cool cookies.
• Meanwhile, to make the Orange Filling, combine the butter, powdered sugar, orange zest, and salt in a medium bowl. Use an electric mixer to cream the ingredients together.
• To assemble the cookie sandwiches, place about 1 teaspoon of the Orange Filling on a cookie. Top with another cookie and press the cookies together. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 day.

CACAO COOKIES

Steps:

• In a bowl, whisk together flour, cacao, salt, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, and cloves. In a large bowl, beat butter with granulated and brown sugars until light and fluffy, 4 to 6 minutes. Add vanilla; beat 30 seconds more.
• Scrape down sides of bowl, then add flour mixture; beat on low until a cohesive dough forms. Turn out onto a large piece of plastic wrap. Fold plastic over dough and form into a log about 2 inches in diameter and 6 inches long. Refrigerate at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.
• Preheat oven to 325°F. Using a sharp knife, slice dough into 1/2-inch-thick rounds, turning log slightly with each slice (this helps keep a round shape as you cut). Place rounds about 1 inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until firm in center and slightly darker around edges, 13 to 15 minutes. Let cool on sheets 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks; let cool completely.
• Stir together confectioners' sugar and 2 tablespoons coconut milk in a small bowl until thick and pourable. (If glaze is too thick, add more coconut milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until you reach desired consistency.) Hold a cookie over bowl and spoon glaze over half of it, letting excess drip back into bowl. Keep spooning glaze over cookie until it forms an even layer.
• Return cookie to rack and sprinkle with toasted coconut down center edge of glaze. Repeat with remaining cookies. Let stand until glaze sets, 1 to 2 hours. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.

SOFT COCOA COOKIES

Steps:

• Cream butter and brown sugar;add egg.
• Sift dry ingredients and add to butter/sugar mixture alternately with milk.
• Add vanilla.
• Drop by spoonfuls on ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake 8-12 minutes at 400°F; do not overbake.
• Ice with chocolate icing, if desired.

ITALIAN POLENTA COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together flour, polenta, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside. Put butter, sugar, and lemon zest in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; beat on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
• Add egg and egg yolk, one at a time, beating after each addition to combine. Mix in vanilla. Gradually add flour mixture, and beat until just combined. Transfer batter to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch star tip (such as Ateco No. 826).
• Pipe S shapes about 3 inches long and 1 inch wide, spaced 1 1/2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment. Bake cookies until edges are golden, 15 to 18 minutes. Transfer cookies on parchment to wire racks; let cool about 10 minutes. Remove cookies from parchment, and transfer to racks to cool completely.