VENETIAN CORNMEAL COOKIES (ZALETI)

Venetian Cornmeal Cookies (Zaleti) image

Zaleti means yellow in the Venetian dialect and refers to the color of the cornmeal in these distinctive diamond-shaped cookies. They're made with little to no sugar, relying instead on the sweetness of dried currants.

Provided by Martha Stewart

Categories Food & Cooking Dessert & Treats Recipes Cookie Recipes

Yield Makes about 40

Number Of Ingredients 12

Previous Next

Ingredients

2/3 cup dried currants
2 tablespoons almond liqueur
1 cup quick-cooking cornmeal (not instant)
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk (reserve egg white for egg wash)
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
Sanding sugar, for sprinkling

Steps:

Combine currants and almond liqueur in a small bowl. Let soak until fruit is plump, 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together egg and egg yolk, lemon zest, and vanilla. Using a pastry cutter or two knives, cut butter into dry ingredients until coarse crumbs form. Add plumped currants and wet ingredients, gently stirring until a soft dough forms. Turn dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap. Shape into a flat square, wrap tightly in plastic, and refrigerate 45 minutes or up to overnight.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to an 8-inch square, about 1/2 inch thick. Using a sharp knife, cut dough horizontally into 1-inch strips. Working with one strip at a time, cut crosswise on the bias into 5 equal diamonds (you should make 6 cuts). Reroll scraps once and form additional cookies, if desired. Transfer cookies to two parchment-lined baking sheets, spaced about 1 inch apart. Freeze until firm, about 10 minutes.
Lightly beat reserved egg white. Brush tops of cookies with egg white and sprinkle with sanding sugar. Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until lightly golden around edges, about 22 minutes. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.

*** Explore more Venetian Cornmeal Cookies (Zaleti) Recipes »

Comment
Leave a comment

Frans Nakanyala

[email protected]

I'm so glad I found this recipe. These cookies are delicious and I'll definitely be making them again.

BAZID Pubg

[email protected]

These cookies are a great way to use up leftover egg whites.

Brian Jordan's

[email protected]

I made these cookies for my family and they loved them! They said they were the best cookies they'd ever had.

Usmankhan Usmankhan

[email protected]

These cookies are the perfect afternoon snack.

Kadir Mar

[email protected]

I love the delicate flavor of these cookies. They're not too sweet, which makes them perfect for any occasion.

DW RAPTYLE

[email protected]

These cookies are a great addition to any cookie platter.

Clive Hendricks

[email protected]

I've never had a cornmeal cookie before, but these were amazing! I'll definitely be making them again.

Natsworld natslife

[email protected]

These cookies are so easy to make, even a beginner baker can handle them.

Haitange Obadja

[email protected]

I love the texture of these cookies. They're so crumbly and melt in your mouth.

Dark Ninja

[email protected]

These cookies are the perfect combination of sweet and savory.

Meshack Minja

[email protected]

I made these cookies for a potluck and they were a huge hit. Everyone raved about how delicious they were.

hank pink

[email protected]

These cookies are a great way to use up leftover cornmeal.

Mostafa All hossain

[email protected]

I was looking for a new cookie recipe to try and these Venetian cornmeal cookies caught my eye. I'm so glad I made them! They're absolutely delicious and so easy to make.