Rhode Island Jonnycake Cookies
Buttery and rich, these crispy oatmeal jonnycake cookies (so named for their inclusion of Rhode Island whitecap flint cornmeal) are a sweet treat.
By Aimee Tucker|Apr 20 2022|
Rhode Island Jonnycake Cookies
Photo Credit: Aimee TuckerButtery and rich, these crispy oatmeal jonnycake cookies (so named for their inclusion of Rhode Island whitecap flint cornmeal) are a sweet treat.
In 2014, I had the pleasure of meeting Bob and Diane Smith, operators (and former owners) of the Perry Grist Mill in Perryville, Rhode Island, for a Yankee feature. Since then, I have since become a big fan of their stone-ground jonnycake meal, a nutty cornmeal made from native Rhode Island whitecap flint corn.
This cornmeal cookie recipe, a favorite of Diane’s, combines old-fashioned oats with jonnycake meal and just a touch of Britain’s beloved Lyle’s Golden Syrup. Diane (who was born in the U.K.) says the cookies taste best when made with Lyle’s, but light corn syrup works, too.
Yield:
About 3 dozen cookies
Ingredients
14 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 3/4 sticks), room temperature
3 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon Lyle’s Golden Syrup or light corn syrup
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 3/4 cup old-fashioned oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons jonnycake meal or cornmeal
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment.
In a large bowl, beat together the butter, water, and syrup until light and fluffy. Add the baking soda.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, sugar, jonnycake meal or cornmeal, and salt.
Add the dry mixture to the butter mixture and mix until thoroughly combined. The batter will be very stiff. Add vanilla.
Drop by teaspoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until tops are barely set and edges are beginning to crisp.
Remove baking sheets and allow cookies to cool for a moment before gently transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Would maple syrup be a suitable substitute for corn syrup?
I use maple syrup as a substitute in cookies recipes all the time. I will use it when I make these as well.
Where can I get the johnny meal, I prefer organic, but organic cornmeal is hard to find around me.
amazon has it
I have seen “organic” corn meal in local grocery stores. (I’m in Ct.)
For Johnnycak meal try famous foods.com. They are located in Fall River, Ma and specialize in New England foods..
Can you use regular cornmeal
Haven’t tried this recipe yet but with only two tablespoons of corn meal they seem mostly oatmeal cookies with a twist.
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