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Cornbread Cookies topped with a piped star of honey buttercream and drizzled with honey butter.

Brown Butter Cornbread Cookies

A Crumbl-Inspired recipe for Cornbread Cookies with Honey Buttercream! This recipe makes a small batch of 3" cookies--you'll get about 10-11 cookies. Serve them warm with a drizzle of honey butter and a swirl of sweet honey buttercream.
5 from 2 votes
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 10 cookies
Calories 236 kcal

Ingredients
  

Cornbread Cookies

  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter 3 ounces
  • cup light brown sugar, packed 4.7 ounces
  • 1 large egg room temp
  • ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 ½ tablespoon whole milk
  • 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour 6.25 ounces
  • cup cornmeal about 2.3 ounces
  • ¾ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Honey Butter Glaze

  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • ½ tablespoon unsalted butter

Honey Buttercream

  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • ½ cup confectioners' sugar 2 ounces
  • 1 ½ tablespoons honey
  • teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions
 

  • Finely grind the cornmeal in a food processor or a very clean coffee grinder set to a fine setting (see notes). If using a coffee grinder, it may take two batches. Be sure you have measured the cornmeal before grinding (or just weigh it).
  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare one large baking sheet by lining with a sheet of parchment paper.
  • Brown butter: Melt the butter slowly on medium-low heat in a light-colored saucepan or skillet. Once melted, turn the heat up a bit and watch the butter closely while stirring frequently with a wooden spoon. Watch for the milk solids beginning to toast (small brown flecks within the butter), then swirl the spoon around the pan a few times more and remove it promptly from the heat.
    Transfer the butter into a heatproof bowl immediately. Stir in the whole milk to slightly cool the butter.
  • Add the brown sugar and stir with a wooden spoon until combined. Add in the egg and vanilla extract and stir until just combined.
  • Add the flour, cornmeal, baking soda, and salt to the dough. Mix until combined. Chill dough for 30-60 minutes before baking.
  • Use a 3-tablespoon scoop to scoop 10-11 cookies. Arrange on baking sheet and lightly flatten the tops of the scoops with your fingers.
    Bake for 8-10 minutes until the tops of the cookies are crackled and the edges of the cookies are golden. Don't overbake.
  • Allow cookies to cool for about 30 minutes and then drizzle with the honey butter (recipe follows) and a swirl of buttercream. You can pipe a star swirl like I did for the photos or use a tiny cookie scoop to scoop a bit on. Or, just swirl a little on with a knife!

Honey Butter Glaze

  • Melt together 1 tablespoon of honey and 1/2 tablespoon of butter in a small bowl in the microwave and stir to combine.
    Drizzle onto still-warm cookies with small spoon.

Honey Buttercream

  • In a medium bowl, beat the softened butter with a hand mixer on low speed for about 1 minute to loosen it up. Add in the confectioners' sugar in three or four additions, beating it in between additions. Beat in the honey and vanilla extract until smooth.
  • Pipe, scoop or swirl some buttercream onto each cookie (you can also opt to frost each cookie directly before eating if you prefer to store the cookies unfrosted). Note that if the cookies are still quite warm the buttercream will melt, but that's actually pretty delicious too!
    Cookies are best served warm immediately after frosting, or gently reheated in the microwave.
    Store leftover frosting and frosted cookies in the fridge.

Notes

Storing the Cookies: You may store unfrosted cookies at room temp in an airtight container and store the buttercream in the fridge. Warm cookies slightly in the microwave before eating and add a scoop of the buttercream.
Alternatively, store frosted cookies in the fridge and allow to come to room temp (or gently microwave) before enjoying!
How to Use a Coffee Grinder to Grind Cornmeal: I often use my coffee grinder to grind other foods like oats or cornmeal. First, I clean it well using the brush that came with the grinder. Then, I grind a few tablespoons of the product I will be grinding and toss (or save for another use where I don't mind a bit of coffee flavor!). That mini-batch will usually pick up any last bits of coffee. Then you are ready to grind for the recipe.
Nutrition Facts
Brown Butter Cornbread Cookies
Amount per Serving
Calories
236
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
13
g
20
%
Saturated Fat
 
8
g
50
%
Trans Fat
 
0.5
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
 
1
g
Monounsaturated Fat
 
3
g
Cholesterol
 
48
mg
16
%
Sodium
 
317
mg
14
%
Potassium
 
46
mg
1
%
Carbohydrates
 
28
g
9
%
Fiber
 
1
g
4
%
Sugar
 
12
g
13
%
Protein
 
3
g
6
%
Vitamin A
 
411
IU
8
%
Vitamin C
 
0.04
mg
0
%
Calcium
 
29
mg
3
%
Iron
 
1
mg
6
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.