Lemon-Zucchini Cornmeal Cookies
Posted by in Food
Yes, zucchini cookies. Really. I was a little leery myself, even though I have a fab zuke cake recipe. I couldn’t help wondering about zucchini in cookies though. So I had to give this recipe a go. It’s from September Martha Stewart Everyday Food (follow the link above for the recipe).
You start by creaming butter and powdered sugar (interesting to use powdered sugar). Then you add vanilla, lemon zest and salt. No egg or leavening! Add your flour and cornmeal (I had some frozen from the historical Jenney Grist Mill we visited in Plymouth, MA). Then add the grated zucchini. This was one of those recipes that didn’t seem like it was going to come together. I ended up smushing the dough up with my hands to get it to hold together. It’s a little weird to have cookie dough with zucchini in it for sure. You definitely do not want to lick the beaters or the bowl because raw zucchini totally ruins it!
I baked it up and they came out quite nicely. Mine did not really spread on the cookie sheets very much and stayed rather round and thick. As always, they took longer to bake than Martha said.
I was dying to try them and popped one in my mouth when it was too hot (ouch) and was surprised at how good they are! They are crunchy and lemony and you would never know there was zucchini in it if you didn’t see the green flecks.
Now I knew the kids would turn their noses up at this, so I was a bit sneaky. I gave them each one to try (including Teen Martha’s boyfriend who I think eats nothing green, ever) without saying what it was. Everyone said they liked it, until I told them what it was, then they refused to eat any more! I liked them though and have probably snacked on a few too many since I am able to lie to myself and say “it’s just vegetables!” These cookies are really good and if you don’t tell anyone what’s in them, they will be a hit!
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I love zucchini so I will have to try these. The lemon flavor dominates, right? I really like the way you tell what worked and what didn’t. Too often cookbooks give no clue that improvisation may help a recipe ….
It is a nice lemon flavor – kind of like a lemon sugar cookie with a nice crunch from the cornmeal. They taste very light and summery.
I’ve never tried anything sweet with zucchinis even though I hear about so many tasty recipes. I should try this one though – I have a million zucchinis in my fridge.
I LOVE chocolate zucchini cake. That would have to be my favorite, but this was really good.
Yum – these sound great. I don’t usually eat zucchini – although I love almost every other veggie – but when I bake with it I always love the flavor. Thanks for the post!
You know, I don’t eat a lot of it either. If I do, it’s usually sliced and breaded and pan fried. I’ve tried zucchini boats and didn’t like them. There was a Martha recipe I did a while back that had shrimp and zucchini and it was fab – if you want to find it just search shrimp, zucchini and it should come up on my site.
This sounds yummy! I just planted my zucchini crop in sprouting containers yesterday – good old Southern Hemisphere- and these sound like a must-try if we get a bumper crop.
So funny to think of you being the opposite for seasons! If you ever make these, let me know!
I love this. If I eat these cookies, they count as a vegetable, right?
You use an entire zucchini in this so it’s GOT to count I think!
I’m going to send the recipe to Ward and get him to make it with just yellow zucchini – we have more of a chance of sneaking it by Dylan that way (I think he’s related to TM’s boyfriend). They look good in your picture. I love zucchini – it’s one of my favorite vegetables.
I have to make these. I love zucchini bread and these look fabulously fabulous!
Thanks for posting the recipe. I had these at a friend’s house just this week and she sent me home with extra zucchini but not the recipe! Now I got it. Again, thanks.
I think cornmeal makes everything great! I would love these, I know it.
The cornmeal I bought at the gristmill is simply amazing. It tastes so much better than the stuff you buy in a can at the store.
Okay, I tried the cookies today and they didn’t turn out. I even went back over the recipe to see if I did them wrong. I did try them hot, so maybe once they’ve cooled they’ll be better. I’m glad you warned me on forming the dough with my hands!
What happened? Did they cook enough do you think?
I discovered my mistake when I reviewed the recipe one more time–I shredded the zucchini in my food processor instead of grating it. Big no-no. The cookies were truly awful–my fault–but the dog wouldn’t even take a nibble. Tomorrow the weather’s getting colder so I’m going to do zucchini bread instead (with chocolate chips, of course).
I shredded mine in the Cuisinart and they were good. Maybe they weren’t fine enough?
Really? I don’t know what I did wrong then. Altitude maybe? Too rushed when I made them? Like I said, I’m sticking with bread today. Hopefully that will turn out!
Maybe you just didn’t like them. Everyone has different tastes.
Well, judging by your picture, mine were sorely lacking. I love the idea of cornmeal, lemon, zucchini…I noticed the recipe is pretty much a shortbread cookie with zucchini added in. Who knows! But I’m looking forward to the next cookie review (hopefully I’ll have good results).
I’ve often thought that I would like to bake my way through Martha’s cookie book. I’ll put that on my to-do list!
Ha! I’d enjoy that too–just not my waistline.
You should share your zucchini cake recipe. My garden has so many zucchinis this summer!
I’m intrigued by this recipe. I wonder how it would be with canola oil vs. all that butter. Hmmm. If I try it, I’ll let you know.
I just read something somewhere about how canola oil is actually bad for you healthwise. I always thought it was the healthiest oil, but I guess now they’re saying it’s not at all!