Raspberry Sorbet Sandwiches
Homemade corn cookies with cool sorbet sandwiched in between!
I’m going to keep it short and (ahem) sweet today. I know lots of people are avoiding turning on their ovens these days, but, I promise you, it won’t be on for too long, and you’ll be rewarded with a freezer full of refreshing treats to enjoy as the sultry days go by.
I was thinking about what kind of cookie I’d like to eat in the summer, and my thoughts immediately turned to CORN. It is so abundant and sweet right now, sometimes even a little too sweet to use in savory dishes. Using corn in desserts isn’t really all that new — I developed a corn ice cream recipe many moons ago at Martha, and I’m sure I wasn’t the first. I was reminded as I searched that it went with a sorghum (molasses) spice cake. (OK, I admit, “many moons” means 30 years ago!!)
I love the subtle flavor that fresh grated corn gives these cookies. They have a slightly crumbly texture that is perfect for freezing because they stay soft when frozen. When sandwiched with sorbet (I like Talenti Roman Raspberry for this) and frozen, the textures become one, making for a perfect bite.
I think corn goes really well with berry flavors, and I wanted something a little more refreshing and light than ice cream, but, of course, you can use the sorbet or ice cream flavor of your choice here. Whatever you choose to sandwich between your cookies, these go down REAL easy. Enjoy!
A few reminders about my book tour:
August 3 // Wassaic, NY
Tickets for my dinner with Westerly Canteen on August 3rd at Tenmile Distillery in Wassaic, New York, are still available! This dinner promises to be special, with Molly Levine — a talented chef and Chez Panisse alum — cooking in a beautiful setting. This is a sit-down event that includes a welcome cocktail, wine, and a multi-course dinner of dishes from Veg Forward, as well as a signed book. Read more about Molly’s airstream trailer kitchen here; I’ll be hanging around the trailer over that weekend signing books if you can’t make it to the dinner!
August 4 // Great Barrington, MA
Come join me for a book signing at Scout House! It’s an informal event from 5 to 7 p.m. Join me if you’re in the Berkshires!
August 6 // Hudson, NY
I will be in conversation at Talbott & Arding with Claire De Boer on Sunday, August 6th from 7-9 p.m. More details coming soon!
September 14 // Philadelphia, PA
My lunch and book signing event at Maximalist Studios in Philadelphia is September 14th, and tickets ($125) are available here!
Your ticket includes a copy of Veg Forward, wine, a beautiful lunch of dishes from my book prepared by Balboa Catering, and a demo with me. The event will be prop styled by Maximalist Studios’ chief creative — and my friend and former colleague at Martha Stewart Living — Eddie Ross.
I’m offering a 20% discount to Susanality readers, so if you’re interested, follow this link and use the code MAXSPUNGEN. I hope to see you there!
Please review Veg Forward on Amazon!
I hope that those of you who ordered Veg Forward are enjoying it! As you may already know, leaving a review on Amazon (whether or not you purchased the book there) is really helpful to authors (like me) as it helps the book be more visible to more people. Thank you in advance!
Fresh Corn Cookies (for Raspberry Sorbet Sandwiches)
Makes about 24 cookies
I like to bake these corn-infused cookies right after I make the dough, which ensures a thin cookie. The dough is soft though, and a little tricky to handle, so I drop the scoops or spoonfuls of dough directly into a bowl of sugar and jostle it around to coat; this makes it easier to handle. If you want to make the dough ahead and chill it, that’s fine too. Form balls of dough while the dough is cold, and let them warm up a bit before baking. They won’t be quite as thin, but still perfectly delicious.
1/3 cup/55g fine yellow cornmeal (like Indian Head)
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon/137g all-purpose flour
1/2 cup/101g granulated sugar, plus more for rolling
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 ear fresh corn, husked and de-silked
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup/113 g unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
2 (14- to 16-ounce) containers of sorbet (I like Talenti Roman Raspberry for this)
Heat oven to 325℉. Combine cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until well combined.
Use the large holes of a box grater to grate the corn into a bowl. This can get a little messy, so I suggest you wear an apron. Add the vanilla to the corn.
Add the corn mixture to the food processor and blob in the butter. Run the food processor until the dough collects into a mass. Scrape it out into a bowl.
Use a small cookie scoop to scoop up about 1 tablespoon (18 to 20g) of dough and drop it into a small bowl of sugar. Roll it around and gently transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet, rounding the cookies slightly with your hands. The dough will be very soft.
Arrange the cookies 8 to a tray, hopscotch style, to give them plenty of room to spread, and bake for 14 to 16 minutes if baking two trays at once, or closer to 14 minutes if baking only one, until they are golden brown on the edges. They won't color much on top. Repeat until all the dough has been used.
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
When ready to assemble the sandwiches, freeze the cookies for at least 15 minutes, and let the sorbet soften slightly at room temperature.
Remove the cookies from the freezer, and turn half of them so the bottom side is up. Scoop some sorbet onto each upside-down cookie and top with another cookie. Press down lightly and return to the freezer until ready to serve. Store in an airtight container for up to a week.
Editor: Molly Ramsey
I cannot wait to make these 😍
I made these cookies today, and made sandwiches with both raspberry sorbet and mint chocolate chip ice cream. They were such a crowd pleaser 🥳