A Spicy Surprise: Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread Shortbread Cookies
Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread Shortbread Cookies - Global Dish - Stephanie Arsenault
Nothing says “I love you” like fresh cookies. Especially if the person you’re making them for is you. After all, self-care is crucial nowadays, and these beauties will definitely show you some love.
Slightly spicy, with a delicate sweetness, an unexpected savoury flavour from aged cheddar, and the unmistakable crumble of shortbread, these Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread Cookies are delicious on their own but are just decadent when topped with fresh honeycomb.
Bonus: they hardly take any time to make, and the dough can be frozen for last-minute cookies {just throw a log of frozen dough in the fridge the night before you want to make them so they can thaw thoroughly}. So, what are you waiting for? Get baking!
Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread Shortbread Cookies - Global Dish - Stephanie Arsenault
JALAPEÑO CHEDDAR CORNBREAD shortbread COOKIES
Makes 2-3 dozen
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup salted butter
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons honey
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cornmeal
1 large jalapeño, finely chopped
¼ cup coarsely grated aged cheddar
Honeycomb or honey, to serve
INSTRUCTIONS:
In a large bowl fit to an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar, and honey until light and creamy, about two minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula a couple of times while mixing.
Next, add flour, cornmeal, jalapeño, and cheddar, and mix on low speed until combined. The dough should be relatively crumbly but stick together when compacted with your hands. If it’s still too crumbly, continue to mix. If it doesn’t stick better after another couple minutes of mixing, add more softened butter, 1 teaspoon at a time, until you can form a ball of dough.
Divide the dough into two logs, about 1 ½ - 2 inches in diameter. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least one hour, up to two days.
When you’re ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and unwrap one log of dough; keep the other dough in the fridge so you can do a second batch when the first batch is done or wrap in aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Slice the log into rounds about 1/3 inch {1cm} thick and place them on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes, rotating the sheet halfway through.
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a couple minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely; bake the second batch, if desired. Serve with a little chunk of honeycomb {or a drizzle of honey} and enjoy! Cookies {sans honey} can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread Shortbread Cookies - Global Dish - Stephanie Arsenault
Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread Shortbread Cookies - Stephanie Arsenault - Global Dish