Making cookies can get a little boring. Butter, flour, sugar, and maybe a couple of eggs is really all there is to most cookies. Which is great, since most basic cookies taste good. Sometimes though, I’d like a varying texture. We have already shown you how to make meringue cookies which have a great crispy cloud texture. Texture can also be enhanced using different grains. Most people go to oatmeal to impart extra texture, but I’m looking for something a little more exciting. I want to make a cookie with cornmeal. A quick Google search gets me to Italy where they make a cornmeal cookie called Crumiri in the Monferato region. These cookies are piped with a star tip into crescent shapes making a beautiful cookie (or if you are a 16 year old girl totally adorbs).

Before we get started, it is important to note that you need a fine-ground corn meal, otherwise the cookies will be very fragile. Polenta is obviously the traditional choice, but any fine ground cornmeal will work fine.

Crumiri (about 3 dozen)

• 1 cup butter
• 3/4 cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 cup amaretto
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 3/4 cups corn meal
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in amaretto and mix. Add in the eggs one by one, beating well after each addition. In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture in 3 additions, mixing well after each.

Scoop the dough into a large pastry bag fitted with a large star tip. Squeeze the bag from the top and make small crescent shapes about 3 inches long on a cookie sheet covered in parchment paper. Bake for 7-10 minutes and allow to cool on the baking sheet. Dust with confectioner’s sugar if desired.