Gluten-Free Cranberry Lime Cornmeal Cookies

Early on in my marriage, I subscribed to Everyday Food, which sadly doesn’t exist anymore. I LOVED that little magazine so much. It made new ingredients and recipes feel more approachable as I was honing my kitchen skills. There was one issue that I had for years and years until it finally fell apart. I saved the pages – they are tucked away in an envelope somewhere in my closet. The other day I started thinking about one of our very favorite recipes for slice and bake cornmeal cookies that was in that issue. The cookies are lightly sweet, with most of the sweetness coming from the chopped dried fruit. They have a sandy, crisp texture that melts in your mouth like French sablés cookies. The past few years I’ve been making them gluten-free. Usually I make the recipe as written from the magazine, but this time I make them kind of Christmas-y by adding fresh lime zest and dried cranberries. I think these Gluten-Free Cranberry Lime Cornmeal Cookies are pretty fantastic. And of all the dozens upon dozens of times I’ve made them over the past decade, they are always a hit and disappear quickly.

I’m a big fan of slice and bake cookies. They are such a snap to make. I think that’s one reason we made this recipe so much, especially during the holidays. It’s so easy to make a double, triple, or even quadruple batch and have a few dough logs hanging out in the freezer. I’ve included other variations in the recipe notes below. It’s hard to pick a favorite. I really love each and every variety. Lime and cranberry go so well together. It was time to make that combo happen.

Like I said, these cookies aren’t very sweet. They are perfection with a cup of something hot, like tea, wassail, or even coffee. My kids love them with a glass of milk or juice. They are just a great all-around cookie. I’ve made them for cookie exchanges and parties. They will always be at the top of my list of holiday cookies for the simple reason that everyone loves these. Speaking of cookie exchanges…I’ve teamed up with a bunch of fellow gluten-free bloggers for a Virtual Cookie Exchange. There are 18 of us total. Each of us is sharing a yummy gluten-free cookie along with a fun giveaway.

Click past the jump for the recipe, plus giveaway info, and to see all of the other GF cookies. We’re talking some seriously delicious GF cookies and fantastic giveaways!

I’m giving away a gluten-free baking pack so you can make these cookies! It includes my favorite gluten-free flour blend from Pamela’s, GF cornmeal, GF vanilla extract, dried fruit (cherries, cranberries, and blueberries), organic sugar, and parchment paper PLUS a $50 gift card to Whole Foods! Woohoo! You’re gonna want to enter, which you can every day until December 13th. The winner will be selected at random. Bonus entries are available and you can come back and enter once a day through the entry form below. The giveaway is sponsored by me and open to U.S. residents only. Good luck!

Gluten-Free Cranberry Lime Cornmeal Cookies

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

Cornmeal gives these not-too-sweet cookies a crumbly texture and golden color. Keep an extra log in the freezer—you can slice off and bake as many cookies as you want.

• Total Time: 2 hours 12 mins
• Yield: 3-4 dozen 1x

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface (I used Pamela’s Products)
• 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries, finely chopped

Instructions

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt. With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla, egg, and lime zest. With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture; beat until just combined. Stir in the chopped dried cranberries.
2. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface; pat into a log, 8 inches long and 2 inches wide. Wrap dough in parchment; form it into a rectangle by flattening the top and sides with your hands. Twist ends of parchment to seal. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour.
3. Preheat oven to 350°. Line two baking sheets with parchment. Slice dough 1/4 inch thick, rotating log 1/4 turn after each slice.
4. Place 1/2 inch apart on baking sheets. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until cookies are firm to the touch, 10 to 12 minutes.
5. Place cookies on a wire rack to cool. Store in an airtight container for 1 week–if they last that long without being eaten, that is.

Notes

Adapted from Everyday Food.
-The parchment-wrapped dough can be placed in a resealable plastic bag and frozen for 3 months. The dough can be sliced while partially frozen, then baked for the same amount of time. This recipe is easily doubled or tripled.
-Other variations:
Dried blueberries with fresh lemon zest and almond extract
Dried cherries with fresh orange zest
Dried cherries or cranberries with fresh lemon zest
Use zest from lemon, lime, and orange. Make a simple glaze with fresh citrus juice and powdered sugar

• Prep Time: 2 hours
• Cook Time: 12 mins
• Category: Dessert

Check out all 18 recipes in our virtual gluten-free cookie exchange, listed in the order they appear in the photo, left to right, row by row, or click on each photo to go directly to the recipe:

• Gluten-free Chocolate Chip Butterscotch Cookies Recipe from Vegetarian Mamma
• Gluten-free Vegan Orange Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe from Sarah Bakes Gluten Free
• Gluten-free Snickerdoodles Recipe from Only Taste Matters
• Gluten-free Vegan Ninjabread Men Recipe from Flippin’ Delicious
• Gluten-free Vanilla Wafers Recipe from gfJules
• Gluten-free Cranberry Bliss Oatmeal Cookies Recipe from Making It Milk Free
• Gluten-free Strawberry Thumbprints Recipe from Learning to Eat Allergy-Free
• Gluten-free Holiday Sandwich Cookie Assortment Recipes from Go Dairy Free
• Gluten-free Cranberry Lime Cornmeal Cookies Recipe from Cafe Johnsonia
• Gluten-free Caramel Hot Chocolate Cookies Recipe from Faithfully Gluten Free
• Gluten-free No Bake S’mores Cookies Recipe from My Gluten-free Kitchen
• Gluten-free Dairy-free Sugar Cookies Recipe from Allergy Free Alaska
• Gluten-free Pfeffernusse Recipe from Fearless Dining
• Gluten-free Dark Chocolate Peppermint Cookies Recipe from Maebells
• Gluten-free Flourless Chocolate Pecan Cookies Recipe from Around My Family Table
• Gluten-free Chocolate Gingerbread Bars Recipe from Gluten-Free Palate
• Gluten-free Snickerdoodles Recipe from Gluten-Free Homemaker
• Gluten-free Christmas Wreath Cookies Recipe from Gluten-free Frenzy