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by Wylie Shellhouse


They’re crisp-chewy and sweet with a bright yellow center and redolent of Corn Pops or Cap’n Crunch (depending on who you ask). But by far and away my favorite thing about these cookies is that they’re made from freeze-dried corn. Sealed in a canister with a 25-year shelf life, this stuff is intended to be used in the event of calamity—natural disaster, famine, war, plague. And while I appreciate emergency preparedness as much as the next person, I lament that an entire food industry has grown up out of fear (fear of war, fear of lack, fear of illness, fear of what the world is coming to). So, it brings me delight to take a product manufactured and marketed in fear and instead bake it into surprising sweetness. Rather than fear the world’s coming calamity, I’ll try to live peaceably and responsibly, enjoying to the full the good world the Lord has made. And I’ll take heed to the Mad Farmer’s command: “Be joyful though you have considered all the facts.” Pass the cookies, I’ll have another.

Corn Cookies

adapted from Christina Tosi, Milk

2 sticks butter, at room temperature
1 ½ c. granulated sugar
1 egg
1 1/3 c. flour
¼ c. corn flour
¾ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. baking soda
1 ½ tsp. kosher salt

Combine the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and cream together on high speed for 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the egg, beating the mixture on high speed for an additional 8 minutes.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the flour, corn flour, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt. Mix on low speed just until the dry mix is incorporated (>1 minute).

Scoop the dough into 2 oz. portions onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet, pressing down on the top of each portion to flatten them slightly. Tightly wrap the cookie sheet with plastic wrap and freeze the cookies overnight.

Place the cookies on a lined baking sheet, leaving about 4” between each cookie puck. Bake the cookies at 350 F for 18 minutes, or until the edges are browned, the center is golden, and the tops are set.

Allow to cool completely on the cookie sheet before transferring to a plate. The yield on this recipe is 16-20 cookies.

Recipe Notes:

  • If you are unable to find corn flour, you can substitute ¼ flour and 4 tsp. freeze-dried corn powder.
  • The original recipe recommends refrigerating the cookie dough overnight, but for our purposes we have found that freezing really works best. In a home kitchen, though, it would be worthwhile to consider just refrigerating the dough.
  • These cookies should keep well at room temperature for five days. Before baking, the frozen cookie dough pucks should keep for upwards of six weeks, and the baked cookies can also be frozen for about a month.