Cornmeal Orange Cookies

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July 2011 has passed and it is time for some free-spirit-blogging again. Would you believe that it is already the 4th edition and by each theme, it is getting challenging and am enjoying it more and more.

For the month of July, it was Lata ji who chose the theme and she had a list of 12 choices and each one of us had to choose a number from 1-12. Each number was associated with a hidden ingredient & an add-on flavor.

I chose No. 10. Want to know what were the other choices. Below is the complete list. Some will make your wonder, some will make you wrack your brains and some were like, just a big WOW. Check out for yourself -

1. Bottle gourd/ Marrow/ Zucchini (Cinnamon/Cardamom flavouring)
2. Tapioca/ Arrowroot starch (Zest of lemon or Orange/Juice)
3. Tomatoes (Vanilla)
4. Barley (Coffee/ fruit)
5. Quinoa (Raisins, fruit juice)
6. Noodles/ Pasta (Dark chocolate)
7. Buckwheat (Cheese/paneer)
8. Sweet peppers (Nuts and dry fruits)
9. Sweet corn (Cream)
10.Corn meal/ Polenta (Coffee/Orange)
11.Black currants/ Pomegranates (Caramel/White Chocolate)
12.Chick peas or mung beans (saffron/ pistachios)

Didn't I say - you will be surprised by some of the combinations ;-). Now, the part of the deal is to make a dessert out the allotted ingredient preferably with the add-on flavors specified on the side. I chose Orange and made some yummy Cornmeal Orange Cookies for the FSB challenge.

You know whats the first thing I got reminded of as soon as I took a whiff of the cookie dough - the little Orange cream biscuits which I used to practically live on, when I was a child. I never knew Orange oil would give such nice fragrance and flavor to the cookies. :-)

Cornmeal Orange Cookies

Adapted from Dorie's recipe of Cornmeal Shortbread Cookies and some inputs from Mads

Ingredients:

* Yellow Cornmeal (fine) - 1.5 cups

* All purpose Flour/Maida - 1/2 cup

* Cornstarch - 1/4 cup

* Butter - 1 cup

* Sugar - 2/3 cup

* Salt - 1/2 tsp

* Orange zest - 2 tsps

* Orange essence/oil - 1/2 tsp

* Vanilla - 2 tsps

Procedure:

Step 1: Sift the flour, cornstarch, cornmeal and salt. Set aside.

Step 2: Working in a bowl, rub the sugar and zest together with your fingertips until the sugar is moist and fragrant.

Step 3: Cream butter and sugar together with the vanilla, about 3 minutes.

Step 4: Reduce mixer speed to low and tip in the dry ingredient mixture, mixing only until the flour streaks have disappeared into the dough (do not over-mix).

Step 5:  Using a rubber spatula, transfer the dough (which will be soft and sticky) onto a large piece of clingwrap. Wrap neatly and transfer dough to the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. 

Step 6:  Towards the end of the refrigeration period, pre-heat the oven to 180°C/350°F.

Step 7:  Line your cookie sheets with parchment paper, else grease them. If using non-stick bake-ware, lining or greasing them will not be necessary.

Step 8: Using a cookie scoop or a greased tablespoon, drop the refrigerated cookie dough two-inches apart, on the readied cookie sheet. Don’t worry about the dough being of irregular shapes as you drop it on the cookie sheet. The cookies will even out as they bake due to the fat spreading from the heat.

Step 9:  Lower the temperature to 150°C/300°F and bake the cookies for 20-25 minutes or until they just start to turn golden brown on the edges. They will continue to cook even after you’ve removed them from the oven, so please don’t be fooled to think that they’re under-baked.

Step 10: Remove cookie sheet from the oven and let the cookies sit on the sheet for a couple minutes before you gently move them with a thin spatula to a wire-rack, to cool completely.

Variation: Break the cookie into crumbles and top it with Vanilla Ice cream. It is pure heaven. :-)

Previous FSB challenges:

May 2011 - Mysore Bajji/Mysore Bonda
June 2011 - Vegetarian Rogan Josh

Here is what other FSB members made for the month of July -

DK - Eggless Tapioca Pudding with Chocolate

Mads -  Sweet Corn Panna Cotta

Nags - White Chocolate & Pomegranate Cupcakes

Anu - Yet to post

Lata ji - Apple and strawberry crumble with barley flour

Mittu - Quinoa Raisin Muffins with Lime Curd Whipped Cream Frosting

Deepti - Yet to post

until next time,
Siri