Sourdough Cornbread Cookie

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.

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Step-by-Step Instructions

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.

Step 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.

Step 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.

Step 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.

Step 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!

Step 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.

Step 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.

Step 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.

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Troubleshooting & Tips

• Dough too dry (stiff starter/discard): add 1 tbsp milk or water, mix, then chill.
• Cookies spread too much: chill dough longer

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Storage Tips

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.