Coconut polenta cookies recipe

Coconut polenta cookies

It seems to me that polenta is an under-rated baking ingredient. I don't see so many polenta recipes. Its crunch texture, nutty flavour and aroma makes it a great addition to cookies, cakes and other treats.

One of the first treats I made using polenta was polenta halva/pudding. After that I was pretty much hooked and since then I have experimented with numerous treats. When it comes to cookies, I have made both dense versions such as the polenta cookie logs as well as lighter cookies such as the recipe below. Both types of cookies are fantastic. 

The inspiration for coconut polenta cookie comes from ANZAC cookies, one of my favourite cookies. I modified the recipe for ANZAC cookies.

The coconut polenta cookies are relatively light and airy. The cookies are crunchy on the outside and chewy in the inside.

Addition of golden syrup is optional. Golden syrup makes the cookies crunchier and chewier. The cookies will still be very delicious without golden syrup.

Ingredients

½ cup butter, room temperature

½ cup sugar

½ cup fine polenta

½ cup coconut

½ cup flour

1 large egg

1 tablespoon golden syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon baking powder

Directions

1. Thoroughly mix butter and sugar until fluffy and pale

2.  Add the egg, golden syrup and vanilla and mix well

3. Add polenta, coconut and baking powder and mix

4. Add about half of the flour and mix. Add more flour if needed. You may need more or less flour depending the on the size of the egg

5. Chill the dough for an hour

6. Preheat oven to 160 degrees

7.  Shape dough into discs about half a centimeter thick

8.  Place on greased baking tray with about 2 centimeter space between then

9.  Bake until cookies start to brown about the edges, about 15 to 18 minutes.

Vanilla Coconut Oat Drop Cookies Recipe

Vanilla coconut oat drop cookies

These coconut cookies are really quick and easy to prepare. And they will disappear just as quickly. The cookies are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside with an intense coconut flavour.

If you want the coconut flavour to be even more intense you can replace some or all of the milk with coconut milk, and the butter/margarine with coconut oil. I have not tried this but it should work just as well.

I used a mixture of plain flour and rolled oats. Using rolled oats is optional. Once you add the rolled oats, act quickly otherwise the oats will start to absorb the milk and become mushy. I added the oats to the dough just before it is ready for the baking tray.

The recipe uses ½ cup milk and ¼ cup butter. You can vary these ratios to suit your taste. I have made coconut cookies using only milk and it is very nice though it lacks the ‘butteriness’.

Ingredients

½ cup flour

½ cup rolled oats

¾ cup sugar

1 cup dessicated coconut

½ cup milk

¼ cup butter, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

1½ teaspoons baking powder

Instructions

1.       Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius 

2.      Mix milk, melted butter, sugar, coconut and vanilla essence and let this mixture rest for 30 minutes to allow the coconut to soak

3.      In a separate bowl sieve flour and baking powder and mix well

4.      Mix the wet and dry ingredients well but don’t overmix

5.      Add rolled oats and incorporate, don’t overmix

6.      Drop teaspoons on a greased baking tray and place on the upper rack of the oven

7.      Bake until golden brown and delicious, about 15-20 minutes

Polenta Bread Recipe

Polenta Bread

This is the quick and easy  version of polenta bread. The texture of the bread is quite different from regular bread, it is more like a flatbread. The bread is dense, a bit dry in a good way and has a cake like consistency. It is not chewy like regular bread but more crumbly. The crust is really crunchy. This bread reminds me of flatbread that my grandmother used to make and I find it really delicious. 

I used fine polenta since it cooks a lot faster. I didn't try this recipe with coarse polenta. My guess is that the texture would be less desirable and the grains would be little hard and undercooked. If you don't have fine polenta either grind the coarse polenta or try soaking the polenta for many hours to soften it.

The photo is a bit misleading. The bread is not as high as it may seem in the picture, the bread is about an inch thick.

The recipe can be varied to suit your taste such as replacing water with milk or yogurt, adding aromatics (garlic, herbs etc) or using other kinds of flours. I kept is as basic as possible.

Ingredients 

½ cup flour

½ cup fine polenta

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 tablespoon oil (optional but recommended)
Water

Salt to taste

Instructions

1.      Heat oven to 220 degrees 

2.      Sieve all the dry ingredients

3.      Add oil and enough water to form a dough.

4.      Form the dough into shapes of around 1/4 - 1/2 inch thickness, place on a baking tray and bake until slightly golden. Mine cooked in 10-15 minutes since it was quite flat