I would have bet you a hundred dollars that I wouldn’t have liked this cookie very much.

But obviously, I should have trusted chef Nadia from my Voila! Del Mar cooking class to be able to get a choco-holic like me to ask for seconds of a cookie completely devoid of chocolate. I never would have thought it possible.

Baked in a tart pan and hand-broken to serve, the cookie was the perfect degree of crunchy, nutty richness, dusted with powdered sugar. As I’ve said before, I don’t drink coffee but this cookie almost made me want to start because I imagine the two would go so well together.

I think this is a fantastic recipe to have in your repertoire because it’s made with ingredients that you almost always have on hand. It’s also a great dessert for last-minute guests.

Don’t miss the rest of Nadia’s recipes from my cooking class with her.

Cornmeal and Almond Giant Cookie
(Sbrisolona)
Courtesy of Nadia Frigeri
Serves 6

½ cup yellow cornmeal
¾ cup all-purpose unbleached flour
1 t baking powder
Pinch of salt
8 T unsalted butter, softened
½ cup sugar
1 large egg
1 egg yolk
1 t vanilla
Grated rind of lemon
1 cup almonds, finely chopped or ground
Powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. In a large bowl, combine cornmeal with flour and salt. Mix to blend. Add butter, egg, egg yolk, vanilla, lemon rind, and almonds.
3. Butter and lightly flour a 9-inch tart pan or springform pan. Transfer mixture into pan and bake for about 30 minutes or until golden. Remove from oven and set aside to cool. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.

Nadia’s Notes

• Use a food processor to grind the almonds and sugar up separately so that they are very, very fine.
• You could also use hazelnuts instead of the almonds and/or orange zest instead of lemon so as to vary the flavors.
• After you put the mixture into the pan, you can refrigerate it until it’s time to bake. It should be served immediately.

[Blog Programming Note: I’m taking a break today from my series of reports on my L.A. food adventures of the past weekend. But, I won’t forget to tell you about Doughboys…]