Cornmeal Lime Shortbread Fans

Published Dec. 2, 2020

Cornmeal Lime Shortbread Fans
Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Rebecca Jurkevich. Prop Stylist: Randi Brookman Harris.
Total Time
45 minutes, plus cooling
Rating
5(786)
Comments
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Buttery and crisp, with an appealing texture from the cornmeal, these shortbread cookies are baked in a round tart or pie tin, then cut into wedges to resemble slim fans. The lime juice in the glaze cuts the sweetness and echoes the zest in the dough. (You can also use lemon, orange or grapefruit — or a combination instead of lime, if you prefer.) The cookies keep for up to two weeks when stored airtight at room temperature, and freeze very well.

Featured in: How to Make the Perfect Cookie Box

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Ingredients

Yield:1 dozen cookies
  • 2limes
  • cups/190 grams all-purpose flour
  • cup/60 grams fine cornmeal
  • cup/130 grams granulated sugar
  • 1teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1cup/225 grams cold, unsalted butter (2 sticks), cut into 1-inch chunks
  • ½cup/60 grams confectioners’ sugar
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (12 servings)

276 calories; 16 grams fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 33 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 16 grams sugars; 2 grams protein; 155 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 325 degrees. Grate 1 teaspoon zest from the limes. (You can usually get 1 teaspoon from 1 lime, but you may need to grate some zest off the other.) Add to a food processor.

  2. Step 2

    Add flour, cornmeal, sugar and salt and pulse once or twice to combine. Add butter and pulse until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Pulse a few more times until some of the crumbs start to come together, but don’t overprocess the dough. It should be somewhat crumbly and not form a ball. (Alternatively, you can mix this in a bowl using two knives, or use a pastry cutter to mix the butter into the flour.)

  3. Step 3

    Press the dough into an even layer in an ungreased, fluted 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom or in a 9-inch pie pan. Prick the dough all over with a fork. Bake until golden brown, about 40 to 50 minutes.

  4. Step 4

    Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Using a butter knife, cut the shortbread into 12 wedges while still warm.

  5. Step 5

    Make the glaze: Halve the zested lime and squeeze 1 tablespoon juice into a small bowl. Whisk in confectioners’ sugar and, if you like, more lime juice to taste. (More lime juice will make the glaze thinner and more tart, while less lime juice yields a thicker, sweeter glaze.) Drizzle glaze over the cooled shortbread, then zest the second lime over the icing before it sets. (Use a citrus zester, if you have one, or a regular zester, if you don’t.)

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Ratings

5 out of 5
786 user ratings
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Comments

From Pooja: Tis the season... for cookies. These are @clarkbar's cornmeal lime shortbread fans but with a few edits: I used cornflour instead of cornmeal and added one egg yolk to give them a more sablé-like texture — sandy and crisp to the bite, tender to the chew.

Just made these cookies. I was careful to not over process the dough. Pricking the dough with a fork disrupted the dough so I used a skewer instead which worked out better. A toothpick might be even better. The cookies have excellent flavor and texture and look lovely as well.

These are easy and delicious. But I couldn’t get the fans out of the pie pan in one piece. Next time I’ll form the dough in a disc on a flat tray and bake with parchment paper.

Loved these, the lime is a great touch. As with MC’s other shortbread recipe (with rosemary) I’ve found that the dough shouldn’t be overprocessed but shouldn’t be underprocessed either—I processed until the dough just started coming together. That way the fork actually pierced the dough when doing the pricking all over. I made one batch that was too sandy. Baked in a tart pan with a removable bottom and parchment paper just in case. They cut well and looked just like the photo. Will definitely make again.

I made them in a springform with parchment on the bottom and added an egg yolk. Have faith—the dough seems fragile and crumbly, but they do firm up when they cool and become sturdy and ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!

Not 5 star. Pretty unattractive. Very granular with the granulated sugar . crumbly. the top is not smooth, it also looks crumbly or way, way to rustic. haven't tasted them yet but I would never serve these to guests. Tip general : whenever I do round cookies like this from a pan, I use a cookie cutter in the center cutting in a two and a half inch circle. and then I cut petals. No crumbly triangle center tips

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