Lemon Cornmeal Cookies (Crumiri)

Tish Boyle; a traditional cookie from the Piedmont region of Italia.

• Ready In: 1 hr
• Yields: 40 cookies

Ingredients

• 1 1⁄4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3⁄4 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 3⁄4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 2⁄3 cup sugar
• 1  teaspoon  finely grated lemon zest
• 1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1  large egg
• 1  large  egg yolk
•  coarse sugar, for sprinkling

Directions

1. Position oven rack in the center of oven; preheat oven to 350°; grease two baking sheets.
2. In a bowl, whisk the flour, cornmeal, and salt together; set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer with paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar, lemon zest, and vanilla on med-high speed until light, about 2 minutes.
4. Beat in the egg, then the egg yolk, beating well after each addition; scrape down sides of bowl as needed.
5. On low speed, add flour and mix just until blended.
6. Shape dough into 1-inch balls and place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets.
7. Moisten the palm to prevent sticking, and flatten each ball into a 1 ½ inch disk.
8. Sprinkle cookies with coarse sugar; bake one sheet at a time, for 12-14 minutes, until lightly golden around the edges.
9. Transfer to wire rack and cool completely.