Italian sultana cookies (Italian cornmeal cookies) are a delicious and rustic cookie that are very easy to make. These rustic Italian cookies are made with sultanas but raisins can be used if you cannot find them. It is a great chewy cookie to serve along with a cup of coffee and they store very well too.
About this Italian Cornmeal Cookie:
Italian sultana cookies are cookies made with cornmeal, flour and sultanas. Sultanas are similar to raisins but not always easy to find. You can easily substitute raisins if they are not available in your local store.
These Italian cornmeal cookies are a chewy cookie and they are very hearty. They are another great example of how Italians make use of so many varied ingredients in their baking based on what was abundant.
Ingredients you will need for these Italian cornmeal cookies:
- All purpose flour.
- Cornmeal (finely ground).
- Sugar
- Sultanas or golden raisins.
- Vanilla extract
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Butter
- Eggs
About the ingredients:
Most of these ingredients are pretty standard and can be found at most stores. The only exception to this is with sultanas. I use golden raisins in place of these and it works perfectly.
With the cornmeal on this recipe, it calls for finely ground cornmeal and not coarse. You can use coarse cornmeal but the texture of the cookies will be more grainy and like biting into large bit of cornmeal. So if you do not like that then make sure you are using finely ground.
Here are the steps to making these sultana cookies:
About the steps in this recipe:
This is an extremely easy cookie dough to work with. You are just mixing your dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately and then mixing them together at the end.
The only unusual step in this cookie recipe that is different from other cookie recipes is you are going to soak the raisins in the vanilla extract. Soaking the raisins is the first thing you do before preparing the batter and it helps hydrate the sultanas (or raisins) and give it loads of flavor.
They end up tasting like bites of vanilla goodness.
Tips for making these cornmeal cookies:
These cornmeal cookies are chewy and a bit like eating a delicious and sweet cornbread/cookie. If you prefer a less chewy cookie, just flatten out the dough on the cookie sheet before baking as much as possible. Reduce the cooking time a little until you see the edges turn golden brown.
Italian Sultana Cookies (Cornmeal Cookies)
Ingredients
- ¾ cup All purpose flour
- ⅓ cup Cornmeal finely ground (see notes above about this)
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup Sultanas or golden raisins
- ¾ teaspoon Baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees
- In a small bowl add the sultanas (or raisins) and the vanilla extract and mix together. Set aside for 5 minutes.¼ cup Sultanas, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- In a medium bowl sift your flour, cornmeal, salt and baking powder.¾ cup All purpose flour, ⅓ cup Cornmeal, ¾ teaspoon Baking powder, ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- In a large bowl, add your butter and sugar and mix for 2 minutes with an electric mixer on medium speed.½ cup unsalted butter, ½ cup granulated sugar
- Now add your egg and mix until combined.1 large egg
- Add your dry ingredients into your wet ingredients and mix until combined.
- Scoop your sultanas (or raisins) into your batter and mix them in completely.
- Grab a sheet pan and begin scooping out the dough by the tablespoon on to the sheet pan making sure they are about 2 inches apart since they spread when baking. If you prefer crisper cookies, press down the cookie dough as much as possible.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the edges are very golden brown.
- Let cool completely before eating.
Rosa
These were a hit at our church gathering. Not like any other cookies I've had but really tasty.