Gluten-Free Honey Butter Corn Cookies with Brown Butter
Honey Corn Cookies
Sweet, crisp gluten-free cookies flavored with honey, brown butter, and cornmeal.
Nutrition (per serving)
These honey butter corn cookies are one of my favorite surprises — they marry the toasty, nutty notes of brown butter with a tender crumb and a little crunch from fine cornmeal. They’re effortless to make, naturally gluten-free when you use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend, and they bake up with lacy edges and a soft center that begs for an extra drizzle of honey.
I love giving these cookies a gentle sprinkle of coarse sea salt before serving to highlight the honey and butter flavors. They’re perfect with coffee in the morning, as an afternoon snack, or plated for a simple dessert when friends drop by.
Ingredients
- Gluten-free all-purpose flour (1:1 blend, with xanthan gum):2 cup
- Fine yellow cornmeal:1 cup
- Baking powder:2 tsp
- Baking soda:0.5 tsp
- Salt:1 tsp
- Unsalted butter, browned and cooled:0.75 cup
- Granulated sugar:0.5 cup
- Honey:0.25 cup
- Large egg:1 piece
- Vanilla extract:1 tsp
- Milk (whole or dairy-free):2 tbsp
- Lemon zest (optional, brightens flavor):1 tsp
- Coarse sea salt (for sprinkling):0.25 tsp
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
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In a medium bowl whisk together the gluten-free flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
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Brown the butter: melt the butter in a light-colored saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently, until it foams, then turns golden-brown and smells nutty (about 4–6 minutes). Remove from heat and let cool until warm but not hot.
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In a large bowl, whisk the cooled brown butter with the granulated sugar until combined. Add the honey, egg, vanilla, and milk and whisk until smooth.
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Stir the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until just combined. Fold in the lemon zest if using. The dough should be soft but scoopable; if too dry add 1 tsp milk at a time.
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Scoop tablespoon-sized portions of dough onto the prepared sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart. Gently flatten each mound with your palm or the bottom of a measuring cup to about 1/2 inch thickness.
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Bake for 10–12 minutes, until edges are set and lightly golden. The centers will still be soft — they firm as they cool.
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Remove from oven, sprinkle lightly with coarse sea salt, and let cool on the sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Drizzle a little extra honey over warm cookies if you like.
Tips & Notes
- Use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend with xanthan gum for best texture; if your blend lacks xanthan, add 1/4 tsp per cup of flour.
- To brown butter evenly, use a light pan so you can see the color change and remove from heat promptly to avoid burning.
- If dough spreads too much while baking, chill scoops for 15–20 minutes before baking to keep the shape.
- Store cooled cookies in an airtight container for up to 4 days, or freeze baked cookies for up to 1 month.
