Half Pint Mama

These cookies are a little crunchy from the cornmeal, buttery and sweet from the sugars and honey, with a gentle tang from sourdough starter. They bake up tender in the middle with golden edges. Think of cornbread drenched in butter and honey all rolled into a cookie, um yes please.

The sourdough adds flavor and a subtle chew, while the cornmeal gives a pleasant grainy texture. Chilling/fermenting the dough lets flavors deepen and helps control spread so you get nice edges and a soft center.

Ingredients

1 cup (120 g) all-purpose flour

½ cup (72 g) cornmeal (fine is best)

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

10 tbsp (142 g) unsalted butter (room temperature)

⅔ cup (127 g) of cane sugar

¼ cup (48 g) light brown sugar (packed)

¼ cup (84 g) honey

1 large egg yolk

½ cup (100 g) active sourdough starter (see notes- discard can work too)

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Step-by-step

1. Prep & measure

Bring the butter to room temperature so it creams easily. For your dry mix- whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Set aside.

2. Cream butter & sugars

In a stand mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter, cane sugar, and brown sugar on medium speed until light and slightly fluffy — about 2–3 minutes. Scrape the bowl once or twice. You can use an even swap of granulated sugar- I’ve just recently started to use only cane sugar and I’ve had good results with it.

3. Add honey, yolk & starter

Beat in the honey, then the egg yolk, and finally the sourdough starter. Mix until smooth. The batter will be glossy and a bit loose at this stage.

Starter note: for this recipe I used active sourdough starter-fed, fully bubbly at peak rise. You can definitely use discard for this cookie but you may find the dough to be a little drier — see troubleshooting below.

4. Combine with dry ingredients

I like to fold my dry mix into the dough until just combined. Avoid overmixing; you want the dough uniform but not overworked.

5. Chill the dough (important)

Cover the bowl and refrigerate at least 1 hour. Chilling firms the butter, reduces spread, and lets the sourdough flavor mellow. For a deeper tang and even better texture, refrigerate 12–24 hours (fermentation in the fridge is delicious here). I definitely prefer a long fermentation, even a few hours is great. I like to prep the dough in the morning and bake that night after dinner. Sometimes making sourdough cookies can give you a really bread like consistency- I feel like a long fermentation negates this!

6. Scoop & shape

When ready to bake, line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silicone Sheet. I also love using our Caraway Stainless Steel Baking Sheet because I don’t have to put anything else down and it’s already nonstick. This is the larger one that I used for these cookies. I used a 3 tbsp cookie scoop so my cookies were pretty large. You can use any size you would like, just adjust cook time- smaller cookie=shorter cook time. These do spread so leave enough room between your cookies. Optional but definitely recommend: roll your dough in a mixture of 2 tbsp cane sugar and 1 tbsp of cornmeal (whisked together before). At this point if your dough is feeling very soft I recommend putting the baking sheet with the dough in the refrigerator for another 30 minutes. This helps the cookies not spread too much while they bake.

7. Bake

Bake at 350°F for 10–12 minutes, until edges are golden and centers still look slightly soft. If chilled very cold, you may need an extra 1–2 minutes.

8. Cool

Let cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes to set, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. They firm up as they cool but stay tender inside.

Troubleshooting & tips

Dough too dry (stiff starter/discard): add 1 tbsp milk or water, mix, then chill.

Cookies spread too much: chill dough longer

Make-ahead & storage: Dough: can be refrigerated up to 48 hours or frozen scoops for up to 3 months (bake from frozen, add 1–2 minutes). For your baked cookies: store in an airtight container at room temp for 3–4 days, or freeze up to 2 months.

Quick Reference Recipe

Sourdough Cornbread Cookies

Ingredients

1 cup (120 g) all-purpose flour

½ cup (72 g) cornmeal (fine is best)

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

10 tbsp (142 g) unsalted butter (room temperature)

⅔/ Cup (127 g) of cane sugar

¼ cup (48 g) light brown sugar (packed)

¼ cup (84 g) honey

1 large egg yolk

½ cup (100 g) active sourdough starter (see notes- discard can work too)

Instructions:

Whisk dry ingredients.

Cream butter + sugars 2–3 min.

Add honey, yolk and starter to your mixer.

Fold in dry mix and just combine.

Chill ≥1 hour (12–24h for more tang).

Scoop on lined baking sheet; may need to refrigerate for 30 more min after scooped. Bake 10–12 min at 350°F.

Cool 5 min and enjoy!